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Profoto B2

eekimel

Member
I follow the Flashhavoc web site and apparently yet another China-based manufacturer, Cononmk, has four wireless TTL triggers for its K4T strobe under development --Canon, Nikon, and the new and old Sony shoes. How far along this is -- and it's availability outside of eBay (they use Comet mount modifiers too by the way) -- are major questions. Though apparently B&H markets this strobe as its Impact portable, so maybe...

CONONMK – ABC TTL Transmitter For K4T Strobe Released | FLASH HAVOC
 

Chris Valites

New member
Gotta say that after we unwrapped our B2 here at Capture Integration I was very impressed by it. The size and weight is amazing; I have a friend who wants to get some portrait work done for her website about hiking, and I have zero qualms about taking this thing up the side of a 4000' mountain for the shots, rather than lugging a heavy monoblock up there. The weight of the battery/pack is just incredible; half the size of the old Q-pacs.

The really impressive thing for me was the new OCF modifiers. The octabank with the folding tines for the speedring was just....nice. Very nice. The quality and feel was what you'd expect from Profoto; high class all the way.

Look forward to using this and hopefully getting it up on our blog soon.
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Like Gazwas, at first I was not quite sure what to make of these.

I'm primarily a Profoto AIR these days because I use full power sync at 1/1000 quite a bit with my Leica S ... from D4-2400R packs, a bunch of D1 AIRs, a 600B AIR Lithium kit, and recently added a B1 AIR with 2 batteries. So, the B2 AIR could fit nicely into that round up.

Although 250W/s seems a bit limiting (and it is), more power probably would have increased the size. That small size coupled with being 3X the power of a top speed-light and being much easier to modify, makes it attractive, even if the price isn't*.

Monos, including the B1 AIR, are tough to work with in studio when boomed high overhead ... I currently use my 600B with the pack attached to the stand for things like a hair light because the head is so small. I could see this B2 doing that sort of milder duty in studio.

However, this seems mostly designed for "run-and-gun" event work like weddings and mobile portrait assignments. While 80% of that work could be done with 250W/s (I've used the 400W/s Quadra stepped down to that level frequently), it will run out of juice when fighting the sun (I've had it happen often even with 600 W/s!).

I'm always fighting the sun ... I shoot in Michigan in Summer and Florida in Winter. Unfortunately, wedding shooters do not have much control over when formals/portraits are slotted into a schedule, and all to often it happens when the sun is at its highest/brightest/harshest ... worst.

Don't really care all that much about TTL or HSS, except it would be nice when used at-camera in place of a speed-light for TTL fill when used in tandem with a key off-camera light such as the B1 AIR. At-camera TTL is far more important to me to control fill when working in mobile situations.

The Sony A7R is a bitch to use with lighting outdoors because of the limiting 1/160 sync speed. Even at its lowest ISO you have to stop down too much to control bright background exposures. I'd kill for a FE 24-105 leaf-shutter lens!

- Marc

* The price is a bit steep considering that something like all this in mint condition would cost about the same as the two head B2 kit without any modifiers:

Elinchrom Quadra - fotografz
 

gazwas

Active member
I personally think the main flaw with the B2 is the Profoto mount IMO. With Profoto's insistence to use their regular mount has made the heads too big for such low powered units. Yes I know they are quite small already but should have been even smaller like the Quantum or Elinchrom heads. Why did they not make the heads smaller then offer an adapter ring of some description to step up to the full size Profoto rubber band.
 

fotografz

Well-known member
If they had done that Gazwas, I'd write off a B2 as a possibility immediately. One of the best aspects of the Profoto line is their mount.

Both the Quantum and Quadra require reflectors, and the B2 doesn't ... so it's not all that much bigger.

The adapter to use standard EL modifiers on the Quadra heads makes it bigger, and it's not all that secure when using a larger modifier. For example, the 27" Rotalux Deep Octa on a boom arm is okay, the 39" one isn't IMO. I doubt that would be an issue with these B2 heads using the Profoto mount.

What is of some interest here is that you can mount this head on a really large, light eating soft-box and use the lower power to shoot with strobes using a more open aperture.

What I do wonder is whether the front flat glass is removable and whether there will be glass domes made available for better use of some modifiers (like they did with the B1s)?

- Marc
 

gazwas

Active member
I've never used the Elimchrom's but its nice to have the option to change the lighting characteristic with a modifer or just have an open bulb sometimes than the fixed B1/B2 method with the frosted glass. Sticking a heavy full size Profoto speedring and large modifiers on B2 heads just seems silly to me as I don't inderstand why you would buy a very compact flash system to just stick massive modifiers on?

Open faced the B1 was neither a wide spread of light or a tight beam and I found without modifiers they were a bit boreing where as the Pro and Acute heads are great in any configuration.
 
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Chris Valites

New member
If they had done that Gazwas, I'd write off a B2 as a possibility immediately. One of the best aspects of the Profoto line is their mount.

Both the Quantum and Quadra require reflectors, and the B2 doesn't ... so it's not all that much bigger.

The adapter to use standard EL modifiers on the Quadra heads makes it bigger, and it's not all that secure when using a larger modifier. For example, the 27" Rotalux Deep Octa on a boom arm is okay, the 39" one isn't IMO. I doubt that would be an issue with these B2 heads using the Profoto mount.

What is of some interest here is that you can mount this head on a really large, light eating soft-box and use the lower power to shoot with strobes using a more open aperture.

What I do wonder is whether the front flat glass is removable and whether there will be glass domes made available for better use of some modifiers (like they did with the B1s)?

- Marc

The front glass is not removable like it is with the B1 or D1, unfortunately.
 

fotografz

Well-known member
I've never used the Elimchrom's but its nice to have the option to change the lighting characteristic with a modifer or just have an open bulb sometimes than the fixed B1/B2 method with the frosted glass. Sticking a heavy full size Profoto speedring and large modifiers on B2 heads just seems silly to me as I don't inderstand why you would buy a very compact flash system to just stick massive modifiers on?

Open faced the B1 was neither a wide spread of light or a tight beam and I found without modifiers they were a bit boreing where as the Pro and Acute heads are great in any configuration.
Silly to you, more versatile to others ... you can overhead boom them without a massive studio stand, use a large box for a large light source while doing open aperture work, or have an assistant carry them on a painter's pole for long stretches of time. Small has it's place ... in my case not as a replacement, but instead a supplement.

As a singular solution, I would think these will probably be used most frequently with an umbrella or beauty dish by mobile shooters.

- Marc
 

gazwas

Active member
Silly to you, more versatile to others ... you can overhead boom them without a massive studio stand, use a large box for a large light source while doing open aperture work, or have an assistant carry them on a painter's pole for long stretches of time. Small has it's place ... in my case not as a replacement, but instead a supplement.
But you make it sound like this is a unique feature when we already have this with the AcuteB2.

Don't get me wrong I think its a great looking unit and probably performs very well but I guess I'm just annoyed that the OCF B2 is probably a replacement to the AcuteB2 which I loved and was 95% perfect for any photo shoot I've ever used them on, however they just lacked modern digital controls and Air Remote.

I guess the growing OCF market is where the money is now....

I think If I was in the market for a solution like this I'd now take the new Elinchrom - Elinchrom ELB 400
 
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fotografz

Well-known member
But you make it sound like this is a unique feature when we already have this with the AcuteB2.

Don't get me wrong I think its a great looking unit and probably performs very well but I guess I'm just annoyed that the OCF B2 is probably a replacement to the AcuteB2 which I loved and was 95% perfect for any photo shoot I've ever used them on, however they just lacked modern digital controls and Air Remote.

I guess the growing OCF market is where the money is now....
I hope this isn't the Acute B2600AIR replacement ... but I fear that the B1 and this B2 may be just that. The Acute B2600 is also my go to unit for a great deal of mobile boom work, and at 600 W/s it stays in the mix even if I got the new B2.

I think this B2's appeal is that it is even smaller for one person use, has two outlets, and is TTL for Canon and Nikon. Many wedding and event shooters use multiple speed-lights and this would be a qualitative improvement replacing at least 3 regular speed-lights and the radio stuff for them.

- Marc
 

FelixWu

New member
The B2s are nice but they could be much better if they were 500w/s lights. Otherwise no complain. Hope Profoto will make some 500 packs and on the other hand, make power plugs for B1s. :D
 

Chris Valites

New member
The B2s are nice but they could be much better if they were 500w/s lights. Otherwise no complain. Hope Profoto will make some 500 packs and on the other hand, make power plugs for B1s. :D
Unfortunately, every chance I get to ask about a higher powered B1 ends up with a flat "No." I have to assume they'd say the same about a B2, as it would cannibalize B1 sales.
 

FelixWu

New member
Unfortunately, every chance I get to ask about a higher powered B1 ends up with a flat "No." I have to assume they'd say the same about a B2, as it would cannibalize B1 sales.
Having tested the B2 myself today I am quite pleased that I bought the B1s. Plenty of juice at my disposal, no cable restricting movement and position of the lights, cheaper, double battery life and faster recycling time at 250w/s and slightly faster flash duration, ability to allow zoom function for most modifiers...
 

fotografz

Well-known member
I think we're missing the point of these lights.

You can mount them on a camera bracket ... try that with a B1:ROTFL:

For a vast majority of wedding/event/mobile portrait applications 250W/s is plenty of juice.

They are easier to handle on the end of a painter's pole than a B1 ... holding a standard mono-light with a 27" Octa modifier out 8' for a couple of hours is not an easy task.

If I used a Canon or Nikon I think these coupled with a B1 would be the perfect duo. Key and fill with up to 750 W/s of TTL controlled lighting.

- Marc
 

Chris Valites

New member
I think we're missing the point of these lights.

You can mount them on a camera bracket ... try that with a B1:ROTFL:

For a vast majority of wedding/event/mobile portrait applications 250W/s is plenty of juice.

They are easier to handle on the end of a painter's pole than a B1 ... holding a standard mono-light with a 27" Octa modifier out 8' for a couple of hours is not an easy task.

If I used a Canon or Nikon I think these coupled with a B1 would be the perfect duo. Key and fill with up to 750 W/s of TTL controlled lighting.

- Marc
This. They're pushing this as a hot-rodded Quantum TTL flash, a wedding photographer's accessory. Not a studio light per say, but a way more consistent and powerful speedlight replacement.
 

aztwang

Member
@ 250 ws it just doesn't compute. At that power level it just is a bit restraining. I want to take advantage of ISO 64 and unless I have a scenario that welcomes a bit more texture and noise I need a light that compliments my Nikon D810 @ base native ISO....IMHO
 

kdphotography

Well-known member
B1 and B2 make for a great on location kit.

I thought I would be more constrained by the 250WS output---surprisingly not so much. Leaf shutters do help.
 
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