Fstoppers Reviews the Profoto A1 Hot Shoe Flash: Is It Really Worth $1,000?

Fstoppers Reviews the Profoto A1 Hot Shoe Flash: Is It Really Worth $1,000?

When a new and innovative product comes out, it generally demands a higher price. But does the Profoto A1 really have what it takes to justify a $1,000 price tag?

The Build

At first glance, the Profoto A1 resembles your traditional hot shoe flash. The back has a set of buttons and dials that are used to control things like power, groups/channels, and other various settings. The front is where the lithium-ion battery is attached as well as the AF assist beam. On the side, it has a dedicated switch to control the flash's TTL and manual functions. I would have preferred this function have been dedicated to a button on the back, though. As you place the flash in and out of your camera bag, it's very easy to flip that switch up and down, especially if you are like me and end up cramming your flash into those small nooks and crannies of your camera bag.

Moving to the head of the flash is where some of the differences really become apparent. Instead of the traditional rectangular flash head, Profoto has instead used a round head. This is part of the reason why Profoto says this flash is so much better than the competition. The round head is designed to give the flash a better quality of light that is “both natural and beautiful.” More on this later.    

Around the head of the flash, you will also see a plastic ring. This is actually how you adjust the zoom of the flash head since there is no dedicated button for that function. The problem I found with this is that when I have my Magmod system on the flash, it actually renders this ring unusable. Instead, you have to dive into the menu system in order to change it from the back of the flash. Another problem I have with this implementation is that they don't use the standard zooming nomenclature such as 24mm, 70mm, etc. Instead, they use a set of half circles that are meant to represent the zoom of the flash. This means that if you need to zoom your flash to cover a certain focal length, you need to remember which half circle represents that focal length or rely on the flash's auto setting. You also cannot control the zoom of the flash from the Air Remote.

The last features you’ll find in the head of the flash is a modeling light and magnetic ring. The magnetic ring is used to attach a set of Profoto modifiers such as gels and diffusion domes. The modeling light is meant to give you a preview of your flash and is actually made up of two small LED lights, one that is a narrow beam and another that is a wide beam. The flash uses these two lights in combination to represent the currently set zoom of the flash head. This is a nice feature since the zooming function doesn't actually give you a specific measurement to use. The only problem here is that you have to be in a pretty dimly lit location to even slightly see the light from the very small LED’s.

In Use

Now that we have talked about the build, let's talk about what really matters. How does this thing actually work? The first thing that comes to mind when buying a flash is the power output. Profoto claims this flash is the world's smallest studio light, so you would assume it packs a punch. But in reality, it only has 76 Ws of power. Compared to my four-year-old Neewer TT850, they seem to have the exact same power output.

The next thing to consider with a new flash is the quality of light. This is where the Profoto separates itself. The round head on the flash gives the light a much more pleasing look with a rounded beam pattern and gradient fall off on the edges. Compare that to my Neewer flash and the Profoto is a clear winner.

The problem here is that adding a simple set of modifiers to your flash can easily give this look. In fact, adding a Magmod grid and sphere gives a similar look that is actually better than that of the Profoto. You can obviously get the same look on the Profoto by adding the same modifiers, but that completely negates one of the selling points of the much higher-priced flash. Also, the swiveling head on the Profoto doesn't have enough stiffness to support modifiers being attached. Using my Magmod kit caused the head to flop and twirl around, making it difficult to place. While Profoto does have their own set of modifiers that can magnetically attach to the light, the selection is limited and expensive. At the time of this article, they still don't even offer any type of grid solution.

Left - Profoto A1 bare flash
Right - Neewer TT850 with Magmod grid and sphere

One of the last features to really consider is the recycling time. This is the amount of time it takes the flash to recharge between flashes. In this situation, the A1 really does set itself apart. When firing at full power, the Profoto didn't miss a single shot. While the Neewer struggled to keep up. However, it is worth mentioning that the A1 flashed at a lower power for all the images except the first exposure.

When lowering the flash power down to 1/4, things became more evenly matched, but the Profoto was still the clear winner. But keep in mind we are comparing a $1,000 light to a light that cost $100 four years ago.

What I liked

  • Quick recycling times

What I didn't like

  • Expensive
  • Floppy swivel head after attaching modifiers
  • TTL switch and zoom control

Conclusion

While the Profoto A1 is a nicely built flash, it definitely has some design quirks. Another thing that you need to consider with the A1 is that in order to trigger and control the light off camera, it requires the Profoto Air remote. This will set you back another $419. Now, if you are already invested in the Profoto system and need to add a hot shoe style light, then maybe you could consider it. But for $1,419, there are a ton of options that deliver equal if not better performance for a fraction of the price.

Jason Vinson's picture

Jason Vinson is a wedding and portrait photographer for Vinson Images based out of Bentonville, Arkansas. Ranked one of the Top 100 Wedding photographers in the World, he has a passion for educating and sharing his craft.

Log in or register to post comments
64 Comments
Previous comments

I bought one and returned it for two quality reasons.
1. The head was wobbling which is a no go for 1000EUR
2. When left on a D850 (A1 switched off!) it sucks the camera batterie empty. Tried it with other Nikons (D5) it was the same. I found out that the switched off A1 on camera prevents the camera from going to sleep mode. Each time the camera went to sleep the A1 woke it up again. At first I only recognized it because the green LED on back was going off again and again.

Sent it in and they repaired the wobbling head but couldn't do anything about sucking batterie empty. So I returned it.

As someone who has a healthy investment in Profoto gear I had no issue grabbing A1s to replace my current speedlites (Nikon). The integration into my current setup just made sense and allows for a ton of flexibility. No issues here with the TTL switch or the zoom ring as I tend to check everything out of the bag prior to shooting. I also don't use anything other than gels, the A1 mods, and and umbrellas if I need anything larger. At that point I'm rolling the OCF mods on the B1/B2. I've enjoyed using these lights so far and though expensive they are solidly built like the rest of my Profoto gear. Would these units make sense for someone not as invested in Profoto gear, most likely not as there are definitely cheaper options available that will get the job done. For me they work and they work well.

Thanks, Doug, I am in the same (good) condition and you are absolutely right. I have sold my last Nikon SB-910 to add the A1 to my Profoto lighting system. On reception photo coverages I have noticed a great improvement in the light quality (using the A1 on camera a single lighting), while on more complex setups​, it is a nice extra lighting to place anywhere and let it work seamlessly with all the Profoto system.

I imagine the type of person who buys this light is more interested in the badge than the function , a bit like most Lieca, users so it won't make any difference to them as they have money to waste on these overpriced items and thats who they are aimed at i suppose , if i had loads of money i would probably do the same ha!

It’s worth noteing that the A1 has an extreme power output loss when going into HSS mode. At full power in regular sync the A1 was about 2/3 of a stop more powerful than my Godox TT685, but in HSS the A1 is about 1 stop less powerful than the TT685. I found the power loss on the Profoto to be about 3.7 stops when going to HSS, but only about 2 stops with the TT685. I bought two A1’s and will be returning them both....and I truly wanted to love the A1 because I also have B1X’s and D2’s so it would have been a nice addition to my kit.

But....it’s a game changer....

I own two A1's... They are perfect for someone (like me) who is invested in the profoto ecosystem and wants to be able to integrate small and large flash with no 3rd party solutions or extra wires. I do agree that the switch for the manual/TTL control is odd... but when using the Air remote it overrides that so for me its a non-issue that I completely forgot about until I read the review.

Yes, its expensive... but a bunch of us are willing to pay for them. Arguing about the price of Godox (or any other brand) vs Profoto is really pointless, they are for different customers. Yongnuo also makes a good light for the money, but I like many others chose to rely on Canon/Nikon flashes. Sony, Canon, and Nikon offer 40+ MP sensor cameras that countless reviewers claim can compete with medium format, but folks still buy Hasselblad and Phase One. The canon 50mm 1.8 is sharp as a tac, but many own a 50mm 1.2 ... All of these are tools that fulfill some level of need for someone.

Definitely a color temperature difference in the two flashes that you were showing. Which was more accurate?

It really does not matter and there is really no such thing as 'more accurate'. The color of the same flash will look differently on a Canon, Nikon, Sony etc. Put a manual flash on a Nikon and then a Canon and take the same photo, you will see differences. They will also be different in different power levels.

Auto WB in Nikon has different color temperature than Canon (not to mention that if you move an inch auto adjust and results are, again, different). Putting the flash on a specific color temperature will also result in different color temperature.

If you are using one light source, color temperature is not that critical, but if you are using two or more, then it becomes more important. However, even if you use the same brand flashes, if you set them to different powers they will have different color temperature. It will be minimal but it will be there.

Additional, every flash, be it Canon, Nikon etc. have different color temperature. They are all suppose to be daylight but you will see differences.

And most importantly...if you use softboxes or umbrellas (we all do) they all have different "white" tone. You have to use the same brand modifier and make sure they are of the same age because they fade (yes, even the expensive ones).

Just about all flashes today have good color temperature and keep it quite consistent throughout different power levels but every brand will be a bit different from the others and that's quite alright for 99% of photographers.

I am more than sure that this is a good product with a great deal of R & D invested ,and a ton of sweat equity. T& E ain't free. However, there's still lots of people that don't have time to read and practice using products that you strap to a lens with a computer behind it.( I've seen tons of them.)
They want to hook it up to impress their peers and be a professional photographer, instantly.( No fooling) So, based on some of the opinions; I would say slice the price for every aforementioned flaw that has been pointed out in the above critique, at least twenty percent per flaw and see what happens. My opinion is just my opinion. My thousand and four hundred are sometimes hard to come by. Just saying , Chuck.

Hola buenas noches, vi muchas pruebas del A1, también vi y realice muchas pruebas al Godox v860ii. Compre el Godox y ahora estoy por comprar dos unidades más y un Godox AD600. El v860ii con los accesorios Magmod es mejor al Profoto A1. La batería tiene más autonomía. En fin, la única forma de mejorar el A1 es bajando el precio a menos de la mitad para competir con Godox!!!

The A1 is absolutely incredible.
I only say this because I am already heavily invested into Profoto gear.
Had I been invested into a different brand, I'd probably opt out for THEIR on-camera flash.
In my opinion, the A1 completed the Profoto lineup. I have the B1, B2 and A1 and they all work together really well.

My only concern is the grids... Profoto, if you are listening, WHERE ARE THE GRIDS FOR A1?!

just updated my firmware and HSS went missing???