Profoto has quickly become one of my favorite manufacturers of lighting equipment. More than other manufacturers, they seem to fully understand that lighting gear needs to be functional and durable while also producing amazing light. Profoto is highly regarded in the photo industry because photographers know they can rely on Profoto gear to deliver the best equipment and the best quality of light day in and day out.

RFi Square

A few weeks ago, Profoto sent a few of their newest line of RFi light shapers for me to evaluate. The “RF” in RFi stands for “Recessed Front.” This recessed front area serves two purposes; the first is to help prevent stray light by not allowing it to spill over the edges and the second is to allow for mounting optional accessories such as the Softgrid. The deeper recessed shape of the RFi softboxes helps the photographer fully control the direction of light, which allows for more precise light shaping on your subject.

The “i” in RFi stands for “improved.” Profoto has been making top quality softboxes for years under the “RF” name, but the new RFi softboxes are even better due to their improved fabrics, better materials and overall design.

The products I tested were the Softbox RFi 1.3’x2’, the Softbox RFi 1’x1.3’, the Softbox RFi 3’ Octa, and the newly-designed speedlight speedring adapters for use with small strobes. Since I had a limited time with the gear, I used the equipment for three separate photo assignments I had lined up. The first assignment was to photograph a youth soccer team outdoors, second was for a series of headshots for a church’s website, and the third was to photograph some fall leaves in an artistic fashion for a project I’m working on.

RFi in the Field

Soccer Team Composite

Soccer Team