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Profoto announced the Pro-B3, a new nearly $4,000, 750Ws battery-powered flash that it says is designed to meet the demands “of the world’s best action and extreme photographers.”
The Profoto B-series has always been the company’s battery-powered solutions. In recent years, the B10X and B1X have carried the banner for its on-location solutions. The Pro-B3 appears to be positioned as the successor of the B1X (which launched in 2017), as while it is still available through distributors, the B1X is listed as officially discontinued by Profoto.
The Pro-B3 is more powerful than the B1X, upping the output from a maximum of 500Ws to 750Ws on the strobe end and increasing the constant light output from a 24W LED to a 56W LED. That increased power comes at a cost, though, as despite the fact that the battery for the system (the Profoto Li-Ion battery 4S2P) is nearly twice the capacity of the B1X battery (80.7Wh vs 44.4Wh), photographers won’t get as many flashes per charge. Because of the higher power draw, the Profoto Pro-B3 will fire 250 full-power strobes before the battery dies, down from 325 strobes in the B1X.
Profoto seems to think that tradeoff is worth it, however, for improved overall performance. In addition to the greater output, Profoto says the recycle time is overall improved: it ranges between 0.01 and 2.3 seconds (the B1X ranged between 0.1 and 1.9; that means the Pro-B3 is faster at the low end and the increased output explains the longer wait at the higher end). The flash duration is substantially improved: the B1X featured a short 1/19,000 second flash duration while the new Pro-B3 takes that down to 1/75,000.
“The unique combination of features that the Pro-B3 brings ensures that you will always get that perfect shot,” says Göran Marén, Product Manager. “The Pro-B3 has been designed and built to withstand years and years of professional use.”
The Pro-B3 has built-in connectivity with the AirX trigger system and supports Sync, TTL, High Speed Sync (HSS), and remote control (Air 1 and Air 2) with a wireless range of up to 1,000 feet (in optimal conditions). It can also be controlled via Profoto’s Camera and Control apps. The Pro-B3 weighs 4.45 kg/7.6 pounds without a battery (4 kg and 8.8 pounds with a battery).
The Profoto Pro-B3 is available starting today for $3,995 or in a two-light kit for $7,895.
Image credits: Profoto
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