Today Profoto has announced a major milestone by bringing the Profoto B10 flash series to mobile photography through Profoto AirX. This proprietary technology allows professional photographers, for the first time in history, to use the full power of their flashes regardless of the capturing device.
What’s New With The Profoto AirX Technology Release?
Smartphone photographers can now add a professional flash to their gear – an innovation that rewrites the rules of photography. And professional photographers, for the first time in history, to use the full power of their flashes no matter what the device!
One difference in synchronizing external flash to a mobile device compared to traditional capturing devices like DSLR or MILC, is that smartphone cameras require a much more flexible flash-length on different shutter speeds. This makes it more difficult to fire the flash at the exact time and length to light the image. Up until now, attempts to synchronize the two have fallen short, making Profoto the world’s first company to successfully bring the full power of professional flashes to smartphones with their proprietary “Profoto AirX” technology.
[Related Reading: 10 Step User Guide to Setting Up Your Profoto Flash Gear]
The Profoto B10 flash series consists of two lightweight but powerful flashes that have quickly become the preferred light for on-location photographers globally. Now, with the ability to use these professional flashes with a smartphone, Profoto is changing the playing field for professional photography.
“This is a revolutionary innovation,” states Profoto CEO Anders Hedebark. “Making professional flash available to smartphones has the potential to be ground-breaking, just like how the transition from analog to digital cameras once changed everything. We believe freedom of connectivity is the next step for professional photography. No matter what kind of photographer you are, it’s all about the light. And we want to set that light free, so you can create great images regardless of your capturing device.”
For some photographers, the idea of using a smartphone professionally might seem a bit hard to digest. This is not, however, the first time Profoto challenges industry conventions. The brand has a history of making brave leaps into the unexpected. For instance, they were the first professional lighting brand to introduce TTL for off-camera strobes. Initially, the TTL was criticized for not being professional, but eventually, this move revolutionized the flash industry and now saves setup time for thousands of professional photographers worldwide.
In a rapidly changing industry with smartphone image creators and more progressive professionals approaching photography in radically different ways, this innovation brings opportunities to all. It means that new types of image creators can start shaping the light in their images, but also makes the smartphone an exciting addition to any photographer’s toolbox. The need to create engaging images for social media and other digital uses will only increase, and the smartphone will often be a natural tool for this.
To demonstrate the power of mobile photography with professional lighting, Profoto collaborated with the award-winning beauty and fashion photographer Andrea Belluso, who confirms the initial skepticism. “I don’t compromise with my gear,” Belluso says. “With the idea of using a smartphone instead of a “real” camera, of course, my initial thought was ‘it’s going to limit my vision’. But – it didn’t. It actually amplified the possibilities, creating new income streams for me as a high-end professional photographer, not replacing the existing ones, but adding to them.”
The smartphone connectivity for the Profoto B10 flash series is available from today for iPhone users, and B10 owners can upgrade their firmware for free to connect and get the full power of professional flash for their smartphone. This only requires the Profoto app, which is free to download from the App Store.
[Related Reading: What’s the Big Difference Between the Profoto B1X, B10, and B10 Plus?]
Profoto App Screenshots
Profoto App Specifications
Recommended apps
- Profoto Camera app for iOS* & Profoto Control for Android
Compatible iPhone smartphones
Tested and verified
- iPhone 7
- iPhone 7 Plus
- iPhone 8
- iPhone 8 Plus
- iPhone X
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XS Max
- iPhone XR
- iPhone 11
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- Requires iOS 11 or newer.
Compatible Android smartphones
Tested and verified
- Samsung Galaxy S9+
- Samsung Galaxy S10
- Samsung Galaxy S10+
- Samsung Galaxy Note 8
- Samsung Galaxy Note 9
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10
- Huawei P20 Pro
- Huawei M20 Pro
- Huawei Mate 30
- Huawei P30 Pro
- Google Pixel 3
- Google Pixel 3a
- Google Pixel 4
- Xiaomi Mi 8
- Xiaomi Mi 9
- Xiaomi Mi Mix 3
- OnePlus 6
- OnePlus 7 Pro
- HTC U12+
- Requires Android OS 7 or newer
My Thoughts
On top of this being an actually pretty cool step forward in the technology, (let’s face it, we all know things are moving more towards mobile), given the up-tick in remote photoshoots in the age of Covid-19 and social distancing, I feel like this could be a pretty epic addition to the photographer and model toolkit! I’m personally really pumped to test this out and see what it’s limitations are.
We’ll definitely be testing and reviewing this new app and features in the studio, so let us know any questions or thoughts you have in the comments below so we can be sure to address them here and in our upcoming review.
