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Accessories Reviews

Profoto B1 500 AirTTL Review

Mike Hagen (Mike_Hagen)


Keywords: profoto, lightning, flash, wireless, remote, ttl

= 4.5 (4) \1
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Profoto just sent me a prototype lighting kit to test called the Profoto B1 AirTTL. This is a brand-new wireless battery-powered off-camera flash that is designed to work with the Nikon camera system under full TTL control. Previously, Profoto released a TTL B1 kit for Canon, so this is exciting news for Nikon shooters.

B1 500 AirTTL Location Kit

The B1 500 AirTTL Location Kit comes with 2 flashes, 2 batteries, chargers and a high-end backpack for easy transport.

Soccer player taken with Profoto B1 500 AirTTL location kit

Soccer player taken with Profoto B1 500 AirTTL location kit. These are battery powered 500 Ws flashes
that work under TTL control with Nikon dSLR cameras.
Click for an enlargement.

I already own a set of Profoto D1 Air studio lights that are powered by traditional A/C electricity. I love the power (energy) and quality of light I get from my Profoto gear, so being able to take a battery-operated off-camera Profoto B1 flash into the field is very cool. Profoto designed the B1 AirTTL lights so that all their light-shaping tools work seamlessly, including softboxes, Octas, reflectors, beauty dishes and snoots.

Setting up the AirTTL system

Setting up the AirTTL system on location is easy. Here, I’m using two heads with a Profoto softbox and a ProFoto umbrella.
Click for an enlargement.

The specific kit they sent me to test was the B1 500 AirTTL Location Kit. The Location Kit is designed to be a portable lighting system that you can take to a remote location and achieve studio-quality light. The kit contains:
2 x B1 off-camera flashes
2 x batteries
1 x Fast Charger
1 x Car Charger
1 x Tailor-made backpack with room to fit additional gear

Since I’m in-between Nikonians Academy international trips, I had just a short period of time to learn the B1 AirTTL operation and take some sample shots before having to send the prototype kit back to Profoto HQ. After opening the box and unpacked the gear. I mounted the Air Remote TTL-N control unit on the top of my Nikon D800 and turned on the B1 flashes. Setting up the proper channel and groups for operation was a piece of cake and I started taking photographs immediately.

Profoto 500 AirTTL flashes in TTL mode sample shot

For this shot, I used two Profoto 500 AirTTL flashes in TTL mode. My camera was the Nikon D800
with a Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8. I set up the exposure for 1/250 second at f/8.0.
Click for an enlargement.

 

 

(4 Votes )
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Originally written on July 22, 2015

Last updated on November 21, 2023

Mike Hagen Mike Hagen (Mike_Hagen)

Expert photography teacher

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Gig Harbor, USA
Basic, 149 posts

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1 comment

Dale Maas (marnigirl) on July 22, 2015

Donor Ribbon awarded for his generous support to the Fundraising Campaign 2014 Donor Ribbon awarded for his very generous support to the Fundraising Campaign 2015 Ribbon awarded for his generous contribution to the 2017-2018 fundraising campaign

Great review Mike. It is definitely food for thought. The ability to go without an electric outlet is a great advantage. Thanks for the heads up. Dale

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G