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New Profoto Monolights released

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
D1 – Profoto Performance... Your Passion.
2009-02-16
Stockholm, 5 February 2009 – Ask any professional photographer why they use Profoto strobes and the answers are identical: consistency, consistency and more consistency. And, oh yes, Profoto´s are the most durable and trouble free units on the market. So it’s not surprising that the company’s new D1 line of digital compact electronic flashes are the same. What makes them so consistent is the microprocessor controlled, dual mode SMPS capacitor charging system. Consistency is important for two reasons: precise exposure from flash to flash and precise colour temperature. These are important qualities for portrait and studio photographers who want an easy-to-pack, rugged, monolight design. The new Profoto D1 monolight system, available in 250, 500 or 1000 Ws versions, can be adjusted from full to 1/64th power in 1/10th stop intervals. This gives you a range of seven f/stops in precise, repeatable and consistent output.
The D1’s have other important qualities: quick recycling time (0.2–0.95 s), short flash duration (1/1000th– 1/2600th s), compact size (300x130 mm) and weight designed for portability (2.4 kg); this for the 500 Ws version. The head has the same size as other Profoto strobes, so the full line of light modifiers, such as beauty dishes, snoots or grids, can be used. There is a built-in fan cooling system, an audible affirmation (that can be turned off) and a photocell for triggering.
The D1’s come with a 300 W quartz-halogen proportional modeling light, which together with the flash tube are covered by a strong protective glass. The unit can be used with any worldwide voltage, from 90–130 and 200–240 V without having to change the modeling light. They are also available with the optional Profoto Air System, allowing remote triggering and control of output from as far as 300 m away. You can also use a PC or MAC to control lights in a multi-light setup.
For 40 years Profoto has set the standard in professional electronic flashes. The new D1 line is keeping with that reputation.
About Profoto
Profoto is a Swedish company manufacturing flash equipment for the professional photo market. Established in 1968, Profoto is one of the leading flash manufacturers in the world, and counts among its customers a great many of the leading photographers and rental houses. Profoto has its headquarters in Skarpnäck south of Stockholm.
 

LJL

New member
Guy,
Thanks for posting this. There was some earlier discussion about these new D1 units, but not much detail. Just checked the prices (suggested retail on B&H, though they do not have them in stock yet). Looks like a range of about $1K for the 250ws without Profoto Air to $1,700 for the 1000ws with Profoto Air capabilities. At first, that seems like a lot per head, but the prices may adjust at B&H, AND these are pretty impressive units, backed by the Profoto line of stuff. If one has Profoto stuff already, and was looking for nice, compact monolights, these are really nice looking and functioning units that will probably hold up very well in heavy use.

LJ
 

LJL

New member
What other comparable heads can do accurate 1/10 stop adjustments?
There are actually quite a few that have gone "digital" with controls:
Bowens DX series
Elinchrom DX Style
Hensel Integra Pros
Norman
Photogenic PLRs

Probably others also, but these quickly come to mind. The question then goes back to how consistent the light output really is flash to flash. From there you get into available modifiers, ease of rental if needed, and stuff like that.

LJ
 
R

Ranger 9

Guest
I especially like the idea of the "audible affirmation" feature: Does it whisper "You are a fabulous photographer and a great human being" when enabled?
 
O

Oxide Blu

Guest
What other comparable heads can do accurate 1/10 stop adjustments?
Not to detract from your question -- is 1/10-stop accuracy critical to photography?

I think I would prefer flash to flash consistency. I can deal with 1/3-stop (3/10-stop) adjustments if the light output is consistent.
 

Bob

Administrator
Staff member
Well, the more anal amongst us (such as yours truly) like to meter f/16, not f/16.2
I can do that just fine with my elinchroms
-bob
 

LJL

New member
I will not admit to maybe being quite as anal as Bob has about some of this (even though I too will move lights and stuff to hit the f-stop I want to shoot at), but yes, that amount of difference can and does matter. The control would keep one from having to move lights forward or back, which changes the character of the light spread. If it was not so critical, then why do some of the light modifiers that folks use even go down to 1/4-stop adjustments? If the technology is there, all the better to put it to use. I also agree that flash-to-flash consistency, both color and duration, is very important also.

While the packs and heads have had this level of control for some time, it is nice to see it on the monoblocks now, as some photogs like using them instead. I think this is good to see.

LJ
 

Ben Rubinstein

Active member
Not to detract from your question -- is 1/10-stop accuracy critical to photography?

I think I would prefer flash to flash consistency. I can deal with 1/3-stop (3/10-stop) adjustments if the light output is consistent.
It isn't for me, not in the slightest. For E-6 shooters and a large section of studio photographers it is though. I know that for them profoto is good for the accuracy within setting a 1/10 of a stop so was just wondering if any other makes make units that accurate so I could compare the $1000 price tag within it's peers/competition. I'm not going to be so stupid as to winge about the price before knowing what it competes with unlike others on some forums I could mention! :D
 
R

Ranger 9

Guest
I can see how being able to set the power levels repeatably in 1/10ths would be a time-saver if your flash meter reads out in 1/10ths, which many of them do. It also would make it easier to record setups so you can reproduce them later.

It might not seem like much -- but if your day rate is X thousand dollars (which mine certainly isn't, but I'll bet there are people on this forum who fall into this category) then saving a few minutes of setup time puts a few more bucks in your pocket.
 

LJL

New member
Ben,
Not to jump in on your comments to Oxide Blu, but the prices of many of the digital controlled monoblocs that I mentioned are also running near the $750-1,200 price tags themselves. These new Profoto D1 units look a bit more costly, but then they may be offering more critical and repeatable control....just do not know right now. I will say that Profoto has been putting a lot of effort into things lately, and stuff like their new Pro 8a pack is really impressive for what it can do. I mention this only as it seems like some of that tech may be working its way into other Profoto things, which I think is very good....still not cheap, but very nice to see. Not trying to defend Profoto or their prices. They have a solid reputation for performance. Personally, I would love to outfit completely with their gear, but I need to eat and support other things ;-) Instead, I shoot with DynaLites (packs and heads, not monos), which have a bit less fine tuning (1/10th stop stuff), but have very consistent output in both color and duration, plus they are small, light and do not cost nearly as much. They may not be as overall bulletproof rugged as Profotos, but they deliver what I need....still lust for the Profotos, however.

LJ
 

LJL

New member
I can see how being able to set the power levels repeatably in 1/10ths would be a time-saver if your flash meter reads out in 1/10ths, which many of them do. It also would make it easier to record setups so you can reproduce them later.

It might not seem like much -- but if your day rate is X thousand dollars (which mine certainly isn't, but I'll bet there are people on this forum who fall into this category) then saving a few minutes of setup time puts a few more bucks in your pocket.
I think this is an important main point. I used to keep a notebook with set-up sketches and measurements just so I could easily put everything into place quickly and dial in what was needed to save time on things that were repeatable lighting sets. On the other end is that ability to dial the lights up or down a tiny bit if you add a gel or set things just a bit differently. That is important to folks that are particular about their lighting. As Bob said, it is hard to set you camera to f16.2, but it is a lot easier to adjust the lights to f16 without moving things around.

LJ
 
O

Oxide Blu

Guest
I think this is an important main point. I used to keep a notebook with set-up sketches and measurements just so I could easily put everything into place quickly and dial in what was needed to save time on things that were repeatable lighting sets. On the other end is that ability to dial the lights up or down a tiny bit if you add a gel or set things just a bit differently. That is important to folks that are particular about their lighting.

I think (perhaps incorrectly) ProFoto has software that does that lighting scenario stuff now, will interface with packs to recreate a lighting set up. I was reading about it a couple years ago, was buggy at the time, thought it was ProPhoto.

Now that I think about it, the 1/10-stop setting is digital technology kissing up to the old analog dials for light output. Used to be infinite adjustability, now it's down to only 1/10-stop. :rolleyes:

Gels - the quality of gel manfrg is very high, very consistent, both in color and density. The spec for whatever gel you are using will accurately describe the f-stop adjustment necessary (or light loss) for any gel you use. You shouldn't have to hunt around for the right light output setting.
 

LJL

New member
I think (perhaps incorrectly) ProFoto has software that does that lighting scenario stuff now, will interface with packs to recreate a lighting set up. I was reading about it a couple years ago, was buggy at the time, thought it was ProPhoto.

Now that I think about it, the 1/10-stop setting is digital technology kissing up to the old analog dials for light output. Used to be infinite adjustability, now it's down to only 1/10-stop. :rolleyes:

Gels - the quality of gel manfrg is very high, very consistent, both in color and density. The spec for whatever gel you are using will accurately describe the f-stop adjustment necessary (or light loss) for any gel you use. You shouldn't have to hunt around for the right light output setting.
That is true about the gels, but you still have to get the light output dialed in to get the adjustment you want. So if a gel says 0.8 stop difference, you need to make the adjustment in your lighting. If you have multiple lights set up to achieve a certain lighting, fixing that one gelled light would be easier without disrupting other things in process. One can do things the old fashioned way and find the closest adjustment....that still works too.

Profoto's software was for controlling the light output adjustments from a computer. In other words, a tech could dial things up or down for individual lights without having to jump up to make those adjustments on the packs and such. I do not recall their having anything that automatically set up lighting arrangements. Seems like that is still at the purview of the shooter. So the photog or assistant would trip flashes and take readings and then tell what adjustments to make. The new Profoto Air device has sort of put all of that in the hands of the photog. You can turn individual lights on/off, trip, take readings and make adjustments while you are at the subject, or just dial in known settings, like down 1.7 stops on background or whatever. Sure beats climbing up to lights and making the adjustments on the backs of each one separately. Nice technology.

Continuous lighting has had near infinite adjustments by dialing things up or down (rheostats), but flash units have always been in steps, like 1/3-stop increments. Some folks may not care so much for fine control, but for those that prefer it, it is nice to see it more easily accessible.

LJ
 

Ben Rubinstein

Active member
Can someone explain why infact packs and heads might be better for certain jobs than monolights like these? I understand that they make a stand top heavy and if you need more than 800 or so W/S then it's better to have the main unit of the floor, but otherwise what are the pro's of such a system?

I'm taking a bit of a 90 degree turn business wise, moving towards more commercial photography and less wedding so I'm suddenly far more interested in pro level lighting details than I've had to be until now.
 

LJL

New member
Ben,
I know others, like Marc and Bob may chime in with views, but here is some thinking from my perspective.

Packs and heads, for the most part, have had more power and fine control over most monolights...until now. It is also a bit easier to set a pack on the floor, run a couple or three lights from it to boxes or even overhead boomed hair lights, and be able to control the light outputs from that single pack or multiple packs.

On the flip side, monolights are nice because the are completely self-contained units, and can be placed wherever needed, without a cord snaking back to a pack. This is useful for lighting in places like homes and architectural settings, where you might want to light some things that are quite a distance from a pack. So the expense of multiple packs to serve multiple heads gets knocked down by having the controls right in the head.

Weight should not be too much an issue with good stands and careful weighting with sandbags or whatever is needed. Most heads are weighing in a bit less than most monolights, but that difference is getting smaller all the time as electronics take over.

There are some other +/- things to consider. If you shoot with packs and heads, you usually want to have an extra head in case one trashes, or at lease extra flash tubes in case one blows. The bigger problem comes if the pack dies, then all of your heads become useless. With the monos, being self-contained, if one dies, you either replace the flash tubes or the entire unit, and it does not disrupt the other units like having the pack die. So you have to start thinking about and balancing expenses....several more expensive monos, or a few really more expensive packs with several less costly heads going to them.

Personally, I think there is a good argument for having both in your kit, but that can start costing a lot more to maintain, unless they are all compatible for lighting accessories. Profotos, for example, all use pretty much the same mount for any head and accessory. Others have different "lines", and you may wind up having to get different rings and mounts to use them, meaning you may be changing stuff out more....always a chance to misplace or forget the right pieces for a shoot. If you are in studio all the time, not such a big deal.

I am sure there are other arguments to be made pro/con for each, and will let some other folks add to the discussion. It is a good question that was once more easily answered when there were big discrepancies between packs and heads vs. monos. Now that things are becoming a bit closer for performance, it gets a bit harder to say one is better than the other all the time. Both have their applications.

LJ
 

Bob

Administrator
Staff member
I have come to a setup that I find pretty cost-effective (ok, cheap) as well as flexible.
I ended up with Elinchroms, mostly because I started with the need for a battery pack, and I think that for the money, the Rangers can't be beat. We will see about the new lithium battery units, but I think that the jury is still out.
Given that starting point, I found that I had a 1100 WS head with a pack on the floor. Perfect for a hair light or anything up high, or even as main if the WS were needed.
To keep my modifiers the same, I bought a couple of Elinchrom 600RX units, which as monolights are pretty useful. I thought of the posibility of profoto monos, but I believed that I wanted to keep things simple and use the same modifiers for both the monos and the battery packs. What I now have, is my strongest light is the Ranger at 100ES, and the Monos do a decent job at 600WS. Since the skyports allow adjustment of each light group from the remote, it didn't matter too much if the light was up on a high stand or down low. I also use the usb skyport interface and adjust the lights from the same computer I am tethered to. I still need a step-stool to move the damned thing, which I need to do about as often as I might change a level. I guess if I needed something more powerful than 1100WS, I would probably opt for a pack based light, because the high-output monos get pretty unwieldy. 500-600WS is pretty much the trade-off point where I find the mono to be more convenient. Hotter than that, then it probably will be a pack.
Since I have two ranger packs with three heads and two monos, I am pretty good as far as redundancy is concerned, although I am thinking about adding either another mono or 2400WS Pack
OTOH I rarely have the need to go higher than 1100WS, but it would be nice to have in the kit.
-bob
 

LJL

New member
Bob,
I think it does depend what you shoot. If one is only doing portraits or something, then tons of light power may not be required, even if shooting low ISO and stopping down a fair bit. But once you open up the scene, or move to something bigger where the lights have to start being set further back in order to light things, it is pretty amazing how fast you need to start cranking up the juice.

My DynaLites are 2000ws heads, but I generally am not shooting them much above 1/16 power for any portrait stuff. I just started doing some new set-ups for larger sets, and with softboxes, things changed quickly. I was going to get a couple arena heads and packs for shooting some equestrian stuff, but started to cringe at the costs of those 4000ws heads and packs, knowing that they may barely cover the long range with enough light....even using long throw reflectors. So, some of these monolights, though very attractive for size in a situation like that, would not cut it on power.

I know all of that sounds terribly obvious, but the reality sinks in when you actually set things up and find you are cranking the ISO higher and higher just to get the settings you want. Most studio stuff, except big item shoots like cars and stuff, do not normally require too much light, so many of the smaller units work well. All depends on what you plan to shoot.

LJ
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Repeatable quality of light IS very important, but most of the top brand names deliver that. It's the price of entry at that level of strobe lighting.

I think perhaps the point of these new Profoto Mono-blocks is being missed.

First off, Profoto is playing catch up with Elinchrom, Hensel, etc. with their new "Air" control system. Previous Profoto Monos were available with Pocket Wizard built in for control up to 100m, and were terrific for their time ... but for some very high demand shooting, this system proved to be flawed. Also, the PW solution did not provide for critical control from the camera position ... you couldn't turn off a strobe to meter each light individually, or adjust the power of a mono enclosed in a covered soft box, or 12 feet up. Now mind you, these issues don't effect most shooters, but they are issues for others in a time crunch or working alone . "Profoto Air" claims 300m distance, and addresses those other issues.

The new D1s have a handle. Hope it's stronger than the one on the Elinchroms.

Ben, the difference between a generator box system and a mono-block system are become less than they once were. In the past you could not control monos from one position like you could with a box. These built-in wireless multi-controllers are changing all that.

However, the generator in the studio is still king of flexibility ... many newer units (like my Profoto D4-2400s) are controllable from the computer ... so when shooting tethered I can be at the computer, shoot, and adjust up to 4 heads, and quickly fire another shot to see the effect. It's all digitally controlled. Most boxes also have faster max durations. Boxes also offer more versatile strobe heads ... things like twin heads where one light has dual plug-ins to the generator to effectively double the output while keeping the duration speed; or a light stick; or different ring flashes, and so on.

I think if you are starting on a new direction, monos with a good wireless system of control like Hensel, Elinchrom, and now Profoto offer is a viable way to go in the beginning. I rarely drag the boxes on location unless it's my Hensel Porty battery powered kit. And in studio they function quite well (as long as there's a wireless control system). Monos can also be used without an AC power source with mobile power generators like the Hensel Visit MPG which will power ANY monos up to 1000 w/s combined output.
 
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