“I would really love a B10 if it were only 500Ws…..”
The Profoto B10 has been an incredible and successful product since it was released. It is compact, light, and feature rich. The interface is a brilliant design and its color adjustable LED modeling light is a game changer in strobe capabilities. However, photographers who have been shooting 2400Ws power packs have still held on to the idea that they need as much power as possible. They grumble about the output and the power and think of reasons why it “won’t work for me.”
But today’s cameras have many stops more latitude than the cameras from years ago. I can shoot a studio scene at ISO 400 today and it looks cleaner than ISO 100 back in the day when 2400Ws was really essential. So the power requirement paradigm has shifted. And the technical capabilities of the B10 Plus dwarf what you could accomplish with strobe lights from years ago.
Some photographers who do not even need 2400Ws have also felt the 250Ws output of the original B10 was just not enough. Well today Profoto has given us the ability to deliver salvation and released the B10 Plus, a 500Ws compact beast. And even better, we have had it in the studio before the release to test it ourselves.
This image is almost all you need to know about the B10 Plus. As you can see it’s just a little bit bigger than my standard 70-200mm Lens. It speaks for itself and allows you to understand how it can fit in your present camera bag. But let’s take a look at a chart of the specifications to really compare more precisely:
| Specification | B10 Plus | B10 | B1X |
| Max Energy | 500 Ws | 250 Ws | 500 Ws |
| f/stop @ 2M 100ISO | 16.7 | 11.9 | NA |
| Recycling Time | .05-2.5s | 0.05-2s | .1-1.9s |
| Length | 9.3" | 6.9" | 12.2" |
| Weight | 4.2lbs | 3.3lbs | 6.6lbs |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes | No |
| Modeling Lamp | LED 2500 Lumens | LED 2500 Lumens | LED 2500 Lumens |
| Modeling Color Temp | 3000-6500 K | 3000-6500 K | 3000K only |
| Battery Capacity | 200 at Full Power | 400 at Full Power | 325 at Full Power |
| HSS and Air TTL | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Air Channels | 20 | 20 | 8 |
Cost -Single Head | $2095 | $1695 | $2295 |
| Cost Duo Kit | $4095 | $3375 | $4390 |
I didn’t list all the specifications in the above table. I only listed the important ones to show how these lights differ.
So right off you can see, the B10 Plus is 2.4lbs lighter and 3″ shorter than the B1. Secondly, it costs $200 less per head. It also has the new 20 Channel Air upgrade whereas the B1X was not among the products given this upgrade. Furthermore, the bicolor LED modeling light is such a huge feature that is not available in the B1X. Lighter, smaller, more features, and less expensive…….. so what’s the catch?
As seen in the modeling light test, it is evident that there is a large difference in color temperature between the B10 Plus and the B1X. Profoto lists the B1X modeling light at a constant color temperature of 3000K. The B10 Plus, however, has a modeling light color temperature range of 3000-6500K. Both of which are LED 2500 lumen modeling lights. Our color test at the lowest power shows the following:
| B10 Plus | B1X |
| 2710K | 2940K |
| LB -57 | LB -28 |
| CC -8 | CC -6 |
At the lowest power, the B1X modeling light color temperature was 2940K. The B10 Plus modeling light had a color temperature of 2710K at lowest power. However, the B10 Plus allows for the color temperature to be changed to any value between 3000K and 6500K. This is a significant difference because it means that while the B1X modeling light color temperature is fixed at Tungsten, the B10 Plus allows the choice of Tungsten, Daylight, or anything in between.
In regards to the flash power, the B1X allows for 325 flashes at a full power of 500Ws, while the B10 Plus allows for 200 flashes at a full power of 500 Ws. Our strobe power test shows the following:
| B10 Plus | B1X |
| 10 Feet | 10 Feet |
| f/11.8 | f/11.1 |
| ISO 100 | ISO 100 |
This is a significant difference between the two flashes, as the B10 Plus allows for 7/10 more power than the B1X at the full strobe output. Let me repeat, the B10 Plus allows for 70% more strobe power than the B1X at a max energy of 500Ws.
One would ask, are they just going to discontinue the larger head? We don’t think so. There are two features that stand out for the B1X today. The first one is its rigidity. In the fine type you can read the following about the B10’s (max RFI size are 3×4″, Octa 4′, and 1×4′). So it you want to shoot the 5′ Octabank, or a 4×6 softbox, then the B1x is for you. Secondly, the max pops at full power are double in the B1x. That is until the B10 Plus X batteries are introduced…..
Importantly, Profoto is now shipping to its dealers before it announces its products. Hence, both the single heads and Duo kits are stock and shippable today. Just give your CI representative a call and secure yours today.
877.217.9870