Does the Profoto B30 Deliver Power and Flexibility?

The Profoto B30 is one of the company’s latest battery-powered professional strobes that offer photographers a powerful and “lightweight” solution. It’s billed as a do-it-all strobe that doesn’t skimp on performance. But how much of a good thing is too much of a good thing? After a month of use, here’s our take on the new B30.

The Big Picture: Profoto B30 Review Conclusions

During our use, we took the B30 out on multiple shoots, primarily outdoors in various lighting conditions. During that time, the biggest issues with the light became excruciatingly evident—the Canon TTL functionality is iffy at best, and the weight of the B30 deters me from choosing to use this light over something much more compact—yes, even if that means sacrificing power. The B30 is reasonably priced at just under $2400, but the added weight for a 500Ws strobe that recycles slightly faster than the B10 or B10X will feel like a big compromise for most photographers.

We give the Profoto B30 three out of five stars. If you’d like to try one for yourself, check it out on the Profoto website or on Amazon.

• Pros: 500Ws maximum power output is enough power to freeze action or cancel out harsh daylight
• Pros: A user-replaceable bulb is handy on the rare occasion you need to do so.
• Pros: Robust battery life – in one month of regular testing, I didn’t have to charge once.
• Pros: Solid construction – this thing is built like a tank, and the rubberized body makes handling the strobe feel secure.
• Pros: The 3.5mm sync cable is a nice addition if you want to connect to a wired trigger or even old film cameras.
• Cons: This thing is built like a tank and weighs about as much, carrying it around – even if to live on a stand – is an absolute chore.  
• Cons: No USB-C PD port, you’ll need to have it charged or somewhere to plug in the power brick.

Experience

For this review, we used the Canon EOS R5 and Canon EOS R3, and the RF70-200mm F2.8, which are on long-term loan from Canon. We also used the Canon RF50mm F1.2 and Canon TS-E135mm F4 with the Canon Control Ring Mount Adapter, which we own.

When working with off-camera flash systems, one of the most important “features” it can have for me is the ability to quickly set it up and start making photographs. In that aspect, the Profoto B30 makes syncing to the Profoto Wireless Connect (aka the “Hockey Puck”) a breeze. When turning on the light and transmitter, they instantly connect without having to fiddle around with settings. As for the light itself, the controls are a welcome return to the B10’s user interface. Everything on the light can be controlled by the single jog wheel button, and all your crucial controls, i.e., power output and color temperature, are accessible from the “home screen.” While the following is not a critique, it is worth mentioning that if you’re working in situations where there’s a potential for lots of radio interference, it’s recommended you take some time to change the radio settings on both your trigger and light. That said, this is easily done on the light itself, even if it’s a few clicks deep into the settings. However, making the necessary changes on the Hockey Puck is a different story – you’ll need to download the Profoto app to your phone. We recommend just buying the older version of the Profoto Air Remote as it keeps the ability to make the necessary settings and group assignments in front of you – no app required.

By far, the Profoto Wireless Connect was the biggest pain point during our testing. We encountered several issues where the TTL settings would not be recognized, randomly change, or simply create what we’re calling a “power dump,” where the strobe resets to full power and discharges randomly. Unfortunately, this isn’t a new issue and one that we’ve made Profoto aware of. The following is from Chris Gampat’s (Editor in Chief) email to Profoto:

The TTL issues partially have to do with the Profoto Connect, which I will call by its nickname, the hockey puck. The hockey puck, since it launched, has caused nothing but problems I’ve seen for Canon users. On the side, I shoot paid gigs still. And I recall vividly how the hockey puck had TTL problems on another photographer’s Canon 5D Mk IV. The problem happens regardless of what Canon camera is being used, and that’s long been an issue for Profoto that I believe I’ve also addressed in previous Profoto reviews. It works sometimes, and at other times, you’re scrambling to figure out if you should turn the TTL compensation down via the transmitter, the camera, or the specific speedlight control menu within the camera. But I’ve never seen it happen as much as I do with the hockey puck.

It’s an ongoing problem that hasn’t been fixed in these lights until now. That should concern working photographers who might be interested in this light, as this TTL glitch can be a serious detriment while working an event.

In terms of build quality, I’ll say again – this thing is built like a tank. The rubberized construction adds a certain level of confidence when handling the light. Despite the “lightweight” and “compact” claims, the B30 is hefty. Without the rubberized texture around the light, it would feel unwieldy, especially if used outdoors. While I wouldn’t say that hand-holding the B30 is impossible, it definitely isn’t ideal.

Created with the Profoto B30

When I began working with the Profoto B30, I knew that I wanted to make portraits with this light. As I mentioned before, the B30 is a hefty tool to carry to on-location shoots and isn’t necessarily my go-to light, but I can’t lie, I enjoyed having the extra power when needed, but the errors I encountered using Hockey Puck and TTL on both the Canon bodies can’t be ignored.

Below are some edited sample images taken with the Canon R5 and Canon R3 and the Profoto B30:

Here are some unedited sample images:

Power or Flexibility

At the end of the day, whether or not the B30 is a tool you need largely depends on what you value: power or flexibility? As an event photographer who prefers to travel light, the B30 is simply too large to make it to most of my gigs. While it might make for a nice one or two-light step and repeat setup, I simply don’t make enough of these kinds of images where the investment would pay off. But if you’re a photographer whose work requires the additional power output and doesn’t mind the weight and size, then the B30 might just be a good upgrade to your lighting workflow.

Featured Specs

• Compact, robust and lightweight
• Profoto ECO mode – For maximized longevity
• Rubberized surface – For easy setup in any locations
• Optional handle – For easier handling
• Sync port – For wired triggering
• Powerful 40W continuous LED-light with adjustable brightness and color temperature
• User exchangeable flash tubes
• 11-stop power range
• Compatibility with 120+ Profoto light shaping tools including RFi-range
• AirX built-in

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