Profoto A1 - Using it as a speedlight - What you should know

[@TopicRentalsAuckland]

If your Considering the A1 purchase it here www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075KL92KT/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B075KL92KT&linkCode=as2&tag=raftlife-20&linkId=4e740ec8948952b3f7505db29b65f27c

[@coolcat23]

At last someone mentioning some room for improvement for the A1. Most other channels have been gifted one of these and with a $1000 bribe, they are just singing praise. It is sickening how often a so-called "review" is a thinly veiled "paid promotion" these days. Thanks a lot for being different and going through positives and negatives.

[@TopicRentalsAuckland]

Thanks for the comment, much appreciated

[@DanielFazzari]

CoolCat agreed!

[@emresekiz]

finally a honest a1 review. all other photographers I saw on utube act as if a1 is so good almost with no downsides.

[@TopicRentalsAuckland]

Thanks for the feedback.

[@andreitelenkov5775]

In A1 HSS test, the power falloff to F/8 actually means that the flash can achieve the same exposure using less power output for a given shutter speed. It wins over the other flash unit in this test. That's the proprietary Profoto HSS technology working.

[@RandellJohn]

Rather a pointless test as the Flash Meter can't accurately read flash emitted in HSS anyway. For the money Profoto are asking it's underpowered. A Godox AD360 is a third of the price and much more powerful.

[@jpdj2715]

Before this cane out, I invested in a bunch of SB-910+SD-9+12×eneloop+PocketWizard FlexTT5. That's all bundled in one A1. Add the chargers for all those AAs and the gassle of taking them out and placing them back in. All 120. It is fast, and lasts a shoot of a day easily. But behind the scenes ... I found Bron and Profoto monoheads to heavy and bulky, at the time. Plus I have several fallbacks: nr of speedlights, alternative Nikon CLS, and can light deep spaces with hidden speedlights. Other than that, the A1 is really attractive.

[@TopicRentalsAuckland]

Great comment

[@KonstantinArticus]

Thank you very much for the comparison. I was looking into buying one hoping that it would be more powerful. Recycling time is impressive, but for my current project I need strength more than short recycling.

[@frankzayas3103]

So, half the power of a SB 900 at almost twice the price? Am I understanding that right? Thanks for the honest review! I'm going to have to think hard about this one. I have my strong natural urge to get the latest and greatest, plus I do see a real value in having one of these to go with my 2 B2 heads.. On the other hand, I can get 3 more Godox AD200's for the price of one of these.

[@TopicRentalsAuckland]

Hi Frank. Your Right the price that is the hardest thing about this product (Profoto is always expensive). It is about 2 x the price of a speedlite. However after using it with the B1s and B2s you really see its value. Its very easy to add into your existing kit and works beautifully as a on camera Trigger/ Fill light. The recycle speed is also really big advantage over a speed lite. Its a beautiful bit of kit but Your right you could get 3 Godox for the price. We tested its integration into the AIR-TTL system in this video which may be worth a look. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nGa0qXalZ9-efas

[@charleswallace8406]

I agree that it is expensive, but added to the B1's (I also have 2) this system is easy to use and produces wonderful high quality lighting.

[@RayValdezPhotography]

you should do this again with the a1x, a1 latest firmware, and the sb900.

[@TopicRentalsAuckland]

A1X has is a big improvement on previous A1 Model. We really like the improved tilt head and improved firmware

[@rubendomingo3851]

Thank you for that review. That was very helpful and informative.

[@TopicRentalsAuckland]

Glad it was useful

[@earnestdillardii909]

Please test the new Godox V1 flash when it comes out. I would be interested to see how they stack up.

[@fredrikhakansson8711]

Great review, thanks! Would be greatly appreciated to see a similar test of the Hähnel Modus 600RT :)

[@tombic6373]

Can I use the A1 on my Nikon to simultaneously also fire a Nikon SB700 flash and Altura flash that I am using as slaves elsewhere in the room? I can afford only 1 profoto A1 and I want to be able to use it with off-brand flashes on my Nikon. Thanks.

[@jgflutterby]

You have to have the camera on AF-S to use the auto focus assist

[@vangstr]

Nice video. Very informative. As per the video, I'll stick with the manufacturers speed lights!

[@andyvan5692]

you forgot one ADVANTAGE of this light, that it uses a LI-ON battery "pack", NOT AA batteries, so no more hunting for AA's to power the flash, and you have a charger for the pack, plus ability to have a "CAR charger" on the system as well; so more time shooting, as compared to the other option, And one more advantage, it can be used as a commander for other profoto lights, so if you "rent" a studio, you can use the "pro" lights, no worries, as it is all controlled on the camera!!

[@jazzysnaps]

A great addition to a B1 rig , but ohh the Nikon 900 the worst flash made, you must know the drastic overheating problem on a shoot where it just stops, so the 910 is a much better option the A1 looks like a very good compact addition with B1, but as a stand alone flash i don't think its is a great buy.

[@gewglesux]

I look for good SB800's.. I've found them at 2nd hand shops. and some camera shops too.. Normally they can be had for a song.. I kinda like this A1.. but it's expensive. I'm thinking that if you're already vested in Profoto then it's a welcomed addition..

[@tomwiggins1225]

My sb900 has never over heated when using the S9 battery pack.

[@gewglesux]

guess you are one of the lucky ones...

[@larrymcniff1232]

Your high speed sync flash readings are probably not reliable. The vast majority of flash meters cannot accurately measure the longer duration flash power above normal sync speed. There is a new Sekonic is supposed to do that, but I'm fairly certain that your Polaris doesn't have that capability. If you're looking for a single speedlight, the A1 is very expensive, but if you already have Profoto B1's, B2's, D1 Air's or a D2, it makes a lot more sense as an addition to the Profoto Air TTL system.

[@250157andyw]

And there is the question of whether this particular A1 had a firmware version which provides for HSS Boost and whether or not that was enabled. Can you give us that information please Charlie?

[@Neopulse00]

Hmmm definitely something a firmware update can fix. They did it with their B1 system awhile back when it involved their HSS limitation.

[@TopicRentalsAuckland]

Agreed. The unit we had was a preproduction model. Profoto was still debugging at that stage. Profoto is very regular with firmware improvements

[@AnwarKhawari]

Great review, thanks!

[@michaelmontano1]

Hi good review I was wondering if you could use this as an off camera fill with the b1 and have it triggered by profotos air remote?

[@TopicRentalsAuckland]

We have made another video about this subject which willl be of use kzbin.info/www/bejne/nGa0qXalZ9-efas

[@charleswallace8406]

Yes you can do that. We actually did a B1 main light, another B1 hair light (on very low power) and the A1 as fill light and the A1 commanded the others. Very nice results. Did this with factory rep in the camera store. Also easy to make changes

[@stephenpolwart2094]

I found the same, in HSS the Profoto is half the power of a regular flash...a bit disappointing.

[@jacovanlith5082]

Is this Profoto A1 flas waterproof ? Like most camera's and optics.

[@TopicRentalsAuckland]

Not waterproof from our understanding.

[@charleswallace8406]

NO - not at all

[@alexandergomes3317]

there's nothing like waterproof camera equipment.....don't be fooled by the marketing lingo. closest expression SHOULD BE water resistant!!

[@shaolin95]

For 1k it should be able to take photos itself lol

[@mzeeshanch]

Good day... I have been looking at this flash and have been wanting to get one... Shoot a lot of HSS... So you showed that the power drops very significantly... Have been reading up... People are saying it was an issue but it has been fixed with a pre-release software update... Can you confirm??? I will be very grateful...

[@TopicRentalsAuckland]

One of the great things about profoto is that they do regular firmware updates of their products, and these are beneficial rather than superficial. We have given this unit back now as it was a demo but it was only a preproduction model and bugs expected. We will update this when we get a full production updated version.

[@mzeeshanch]

Topic Camera Lens Rentals thank you so much for the prompt reply... Very grateful...

[@RayValdezPhotography]

The way the power stays the same is weird zoomed and with HSS is weird. sometime is artificially limiting it. maybe it needs a new firmware

[@TopicRentalsAuckland]

The unit we had was a preproduction unit, and profit is very regular with firmware updates so pretty sure firmware will improve the units performance

[@angelisone]

You should have done those tests at 3 meters with ASA/ISO 100. Then you can really tells that these two flashes are just a weak flashlights. Shooting at 1 meter will blind your subject plus the drawback of the inverse-square-law. We tried on Canon EOS-1D C and many of our Sony, didn't work.

[@doofdoofer5209]

You have measured no dependency of the aperture on the shutter speed in high speed sync mode. I think this is not real. Is your flash meter capable to measure in HSS mode? Only very few flash meters can do so. I propose to check, whether the the pictures are correctly exposed when using the settings according to the flash meter.

[@wildcard2001]

I don't think this flash meter can meter HSS.

[@JeremySmithPhotography]

I agree...I was thinking the exact same thing! Pretty sure that meter can't properly meter a flash in HSS mode.

[@jacovanlith5082]

This electronic flash costs € 1000,00. That is expensive for so few light. The test shots in this video were made in a studio, at 1 m away & set to 100 ISO, that makes a Guide Number of 1 x f/8,8 = 8,8 The standard for determining a Guide Number must be made at a distance of 2 m away and the angle of the flash reflector must be equal to a 35 mm optic for a fullframe camera. So the the Guide Number for the Profoto A1 to 100 ISO will be at most 8. Ther are no reflecting walls outside the studio, so the Guide Number will fall to about 5,6. So at a 2 m distance of the flash to the opject, the f-stop will be f/2,8. When light shavers are applied, the f-stop will be even lower: f/ 2 or f/1.4. How do we solve the problem of the weak light at greater distances ? We need an optic with an extreme wide aperture. And probably the camera must be able to correct the exposure by the TTL, to increase the speed value of the sensor to 800 or 1600 ISO. The very short flash duration is not so very special. Every small speedlight, with a single capicitor has a flash duration of 1/40,000 sec. Even the computer flashes like the Metz 402 or the 60 CT1 or the 45CT1 had extreme short flash duration in the mid Seventies. I can not understand why Profoto made the A1.

[@PierreBurnaugh]

This is a Canon (Air 1C) unit being used on a Nikon. That's why it's not working as well as it should.

[@marnev5245]

This is just channel and group, thats all

[@mathieuc4313]

why is it too expensive ? Profoto, is the Apple of Flash ?

[@TopicRentalsAuckland]

Yes Profoto is the Apple of flash. Easy to use, well designed and premium price point

[@zipnews]

It's a wonderful demonstration. But the price is expensive.

[@TopicRentalsAuckland]

Thanks for the comment, much appreciated.

[@rightmarker]

I prefer early '70 design Metz 60 CT+ televorsatz 60-22.

[@jacovanlith5082]

Flashes made in the Seventies were not bad, like the Metz 402 or the 45CT and the 60CT. Flash duration of 1/40.000 sec no problem. Made in Germany. Who will check the interior of the A1; is the capicitor made in China? In all the promo A1 videos the photographers like amateurs.

[@n0f4ke74]

Jaco van Lith Yea, and mostly pointing the flash towards people, flashing life out of them.

[@ivansanmiguel172]

HACE POCO E COMPRADO UN A1 Y ES UNA DECEPCIÓN YA ME LO HAN CAMBIADO DOS VECES Y LA BATERÍA SIGUE FALLANDO SOLO ME DA 400 DISPAROS O 500 Y AL 30 PORCIENTO DE LA POTENCIA QUE PENA

[@MestreMur]

I will go with the new Sony flash... Faster, stronger and strong enough to support the all MagMod line! I hope...

[@LadyFairChildVideo]

which sony flash?

[@KishanKumar-qy8ip]

Vary nice

[@bowm0]

Sorry profoto, we aren't idiots.

[@newguyg4297]

You'd be surprised how many people are.

[@TomSimpsonPhotographyNauvoo]

You do not take into account the QUALITY of the light from the different units.

[@TopicRentalsAuckland]

Light quality from these units discussed in our overview video. These lights produce a different quality of light from regular speedlites and the modifiers are excellent kzbin.info/www/bejne/nGa0qXalZ9-efas

[@antoniomarroquin3649]

Fuck profoto I’m going to order some yongnuo right now ..

[@pacorosso7400]

It is a speedlight.

[@Luxdg]

It is a speedlite

[@WTF_BBQ]

For $1000 each .....HELL DA FAK NO !!

[@richardbierman9856]

It is a speedlight........

[@jlsc4125]

This flash is $1000. I cannot imagine spending that for a flash when for less I can get a couole ad200 for the same price with more power. Or the ad360, even the ad600. You would have to be a fool.

[@bigmillsy10]

Just picked this up. You can always buy something cheaper which will do a similar job. If however, cost was the only factor we would all drive Ford's or Fiat's. Apart from the light quality from Profoto gear is the fact that it can be used and abused without the high chance of failure from cheaper equipment. Over the years I have experimented with cheaper flash and yes for the same as a single A1 you could buy ten cheaper units, personally I am happy to pay the Profoto premium.

[@jasonbodden8816]

Exactly. Idiots keep balking at the price " for a speedlight" but there's so much more to this. This is Profoto's answer to a speedlight. But everything from the quality of light to the menu setup is markedly different. No matter what anyone says, unless you've actually used it, shut the hell up. "You would have to be a fool" my ass. No idea why people choose to bitch about other people's gear choices. Nobody HAS to buy it. So go buy multiple Godox AD 200's or AD600's, or whatever, and leave people who prefer Profoto alone. Nobody's trying to get these idiots to buy Profoto (except Profoto lol) yet they feel it necessary to bitch and call people who love the quality of a brand like Profoto fools and such names. Is it so hard to just use what you use and let others do the same without the unnecessary idiotic comments? Guess so.

[@brianminkc]

Over priced and under powered.

[@Theogwill]

Over priced! With the price of one of this I can get 2 nikon sb910 and it will do the same. Unless you can afford profoto and have couple of monolights from them this is for you.

[@TopicRentalsAuckland]

Hi William. I totally agree that it is pretty expense. The 910 however doesn't have wireless communication between units ( infra red) and the SB -5000 needs a whole lot of extra bits to make work. The A1 recycle speed is amazing compared to a 910. You might want to looks at our video on the SB-5000s hidden costs kzbin.info/www/bejne/qH26noWcgt6Wr9k