Profoto for under $1,000? Sure, it sounds too good and perhaps the result of one too many drinks. But I assure you, it's true. If you're looking to set up your off-camera flash game, this is the unit for you. Here are my thoughts.
Introduction
I won’t lie, buying a new Profoto B2 AirTTL is expensive. Even though they are out of production, some retailers still sell them as new units with a slightly discounted price, which lingers around $2,000. We're not talking about buying a new one; we're discussing the used market. I bought most, if not all, of my Profoto gear on the used market and saved a lot of cash. Back in 2020, when I got my first Profoto flash, the B2, I purchased it on the used market for just under $1,000. Nowadays, you can find them for even less, as they depreciate in value over time.
This flash has served me in nearly every shoot I've done since 2020; it has traveled, fallen from stands, and currently, it has about half a million flashes on it. Considering I bought it used from a commercial photographer, it might be more. Consider this review both a long-term evaluation of a product and a comparison to what's currently available.
Build Quality
Reliability is at the core of what Profoto stands for. While their marketing materials will tell you all about it, I can speak only from my own experience. I bought the B2 when it was about to be discontinued, so I haven’t looked at the PR for the unit at all. Additionally, I acquired this light even before starting to write for Fstoppers. The light itself is a pack-and-head system, which for some may mean more points of failure, but I believe this setup makes the light more modular, allowing you to have several of each to serve as replacements should anything fail.
The pack is made of plastic and rubber, with the battery mounted at the bottom. It's small enough to fit in my travel bag, measuring 16x8x17 cm. Weight-wise, it's around 1.5 kg with the battery, making it one of the lightest battery-powered packs ever made. If I need to cut down on weight, I definitely choose the B2, as you can barely notice it's there.
I have two B2 packs, one of which, sadly, doesn’t work anymore. The functioning one is the older one I've had since 2020. It has been kicked and tossed around, but because it is built like a tank while being lightweight, causing external damage is quite difficult. While it's not water-resistant, it's made with on-location use in mind. It's fairly well protected from elements such as dust and small splashes. Mine has been in moist conditions and seems to work just fine. As for the other pack, the capacitors started to expand for no apparent reason.
Let’s switch to the head. This head is almost perfect, if not for one thing. Let’s start with the bad. The only negative thing I can say about this head, and a few other Profoto products, is the inability to swap out the flash tubes. Earlier this year, my original B2 heads started to misfire, and I noticed the flash tubes turning dark, indicating they were nearing their end. I had to buy a second B2 kit, which was in really good condition (then the pack from it became unusable). The heads from the new kit are now used with the old pack. Because the kit is so inexpensive, and I struck an amazing deal on it, it proved to be the best choice financially. Another issue with the B2 head is the short cable. If you'll be using it on location and wearing the pack with the included straps, it's perfect, but for anyone wanting to put the pack down, the 2m-short cable is just not good enough. Having an extension is a must for the Profoto B2, especially if you'll be running two heads. I have two extensions just for that reason.
Besides the irreplaceable flash tube and short cable, the head is perfect. Coming in at a staggeringly low 700 g, the head is large enough to give 250 W of power, have a modeling lamp, and accept the full range of light shaping tools, including umbrellas. The stand mount can be removed for further portability, which only adds to the appeal. I had experience using my head on boom arms with modifiers as large as the Umbrella White Deep XL, and the head was absolutely fine. Assuming you know how to rig up a boomed light so it doesn’t swing, you will be in business with this head. Think of it as a ProHead but in a much smaller package. While it is made to withstand days of shooting, I would not take it to a job where I will be firing off thousands of images with no break. The head tends to get hot after about 300-400 full-powered flashes fired consecutively. However, this product is not made for such high-volume jobs. This is where you’d need a B1X, D2, or possibly, a ProHead system. Nonetheless, I used mine on a few e-commerce jobs and it was fine. In fact, because I don’t own any better lights, I will use my Profotos for their consistency and reliability. Let’s switch over to that.
Here are some images I took using the B2.
Performance
The lightweight head and pack are both great. But how do they actually perform in the field, and what makes them the best professional lights under $1,000? Of course, it’s the fast recycle time, consistency, and freezing power. Let’s go through each one.
Recycling speed
The light recycles to full power in the same time as a Pro-11 would. In many ways, the Profoto B2 is made to be a smaller version of the big packs, which is truly great. At maximum power, the recycle time is just over a second, allowing you to shoot many images in a short amount of time. You can comfortably use burst mode (8 fps) at power level 7.0. Want more output? Just add a second head and use it at the same power.
Consistency
The light has two modes: Normal and Freeze. Normal mode is made for ultimate consistency, but you'll get longer flash durations, while Freeze mode is made for freezing motion. Freeze mode is said to be less consistent; however, the difference is minute, besides the color shift. I keep my flash in Freeze mode by default, as that mode is still pretty consistent. You can see my tests below.
Freezing Ability
At full power in Freeze mode, this light can deliver flash durations of 1/1000th of a second. This is something not every mains-powered light, let alone a battery-powered strobe, can do. The freezing ability of the Profoto B2 is better than that of just about any other light at this price point available today. See my tests of shooting a fan below – keep in mind, very few subjects will be moving at this speed.
Other Features
Of course, it has TTL, HSS, and a ton of other features. While I am a very traditional photographer and wouldn't use either because “I can set my flash power by feel,” I still find them useful for other photographers. There are plenty of headshot photographers who use HSS to mix natural and daylight and shoot at wide apertures. As for TTL, if you're photographing a scene that's changing in exposure rapidly, this is your best bet.
Battery Life
The battery life of the Profoto B2 is said to be long enough to give you 215 full-powered flashes. That is when the battery is new. As you use your lights, the battery will deteriorate. Nowadays, I have four batteries for my B2, and only by having this many can I comfortably go on location and do a full shoot without having to bring a charger.
What I Liked
- Durability
- Price
- Features
- Weight-to-power ratio
- Consistency
- Freezing power
- Recycle time
What Can Be Improved
- Replaceable flash tubes
- Longer cable
- Battery life
- An updated B2X light
Closing Thoughts
The Profoto B2 is such an overlooked light in the photography community. Somehow, the thought of having a pack and head system is not attractive to photographers anymore, which I struggle to understand. In some parameters, the good old B2 easily outperforms the B10X and B10X Plus. The unit is widely available on the used market from retailers such as MPB or your local camera store. In fact, I would go as far as to say it is the best flash to start your off-camera flash journey with.
You can purchase the Profoto B2 250 AirTTL here.
What are your thoughts on this product? Do you own one, or are you considering getting one? Let us know in the comments below!
I loved the B2! Unfortunately, as you wrote in the article, the flashtube replacements are hard to come by, and Profoto does not make the batteries anymore either. It may be possible to pry open the housing and change the individual cells like you can with the 7b batteries. We sold our B2 for the B10 series heads and A2.
It is impossible to get flashtubes replaced I'm afraid, but there are plenty of used kits available for super good prices. Mind you, I was doing full power for a few years on a used unit before they gave in. In other words, I used it with little regard for lifespan haha.
Profoto made 3 B2's, the B2 1200, the AcuteB2 600, and the B2 250. I own the Acute B2 and B2 250 as well, and there's a reason Profoto quit making them after a few years:
1) They were a poor seller compared to the B1 at launch.
2) Battery failure rate was catastrophic.
TO ANYONE READING THIS ARTICLE AND HAS DECIDED TO BUY A B2 OFF EBAY:
When it comes in, get the batteries re-celled from a place like MTO (even if they work okay). I have 3 batteries for my pack, two of which have had to be rebuilt because they failed within a couple years.
Even if you condition them, and leave them in storage at a half-charge, they'll deep-discharge themselves and they'll never hold a full charge again.
Thank you for this. I have a perfectly functioning B2 kit sitting around. MTO says they recondition the batteries at $99 each. That's a good price.
I nearly got the B2 1200 actually!
Sad to hear they sold so poorly, it's a very underrated light. The B1 is worse than a few B2 kits in my opinion. The B1x does improve on it dramatically.
The B2 is very old and is in need of being replace...
It did, twice. The B10 and B10X replaced it.
when i mean it needs replacing, what i really mean is a battery powered pro head ish system, 1200w/s
Agree, I would love to see a pack and head battery system, ideally one to replace the Pro-B4
People freak out about the prices on new Profoto, I haven't purchased new Profoto gear in twenty years but find clean used pieces. I recently traded two clean b600 kits for a mint 7b kit and sent the battery to MTO for rebuilding at $80. My Acute2 kit was put together from a couple eBay purchases and I sold the rest locally for the price that I bought everything for later. I still love my Compact 300 that I bought for $250, I know the flash tubes are tough to find but it keeps on firing.
Profoto is extremely reliable, I agree! The older kit from the 90s works as well as the units today. So much so, I recently had a Pro-5 from 1970s or 80s show up, and it works!
Love mine but one lesson I've learned and wish to share: do NOT charge the battery with the fast 4.5v charger included with the B1 series! Use only the slower 2.8v...
Oh I've been guilty of that a few times myself...they must say this in one of the manuals, though.
What happened to your batteries?
I blew out the pack because of the battery somehow. Profoto serviced it for $400 and lesson learned!
I've had my B2 since 2015.... only had one battery go bad. It's been an amazing light source. MTO does a great job of rebuilding batteries. I wish they'd kept this type of light platform and developed it further, maybe a 500WS version would have been nice.... can't see myself buying any version of a B10.
Right? It's a great light, and I love it for location and studio work! Glad to hear your batteries are doing so well, Jim.