Profoto launches the new small and portable B10 250 AirTTL strobe

The new portable Profoto B10 250 AirTTL strobe has officially been announced. It’s a tiny 250Ws strobe, about the size of a 24-70mm f/2.8 lens that can easily fit in your camera bag. It has a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, with a colour adjustable continuous light for video.

Offering “five times the power of a speedlight” (a little over 2 stops), the Profoto B10 250 AirTTL promises to pack a big lighting punch from a small package. Compatible with Profoto’s existing AirTTL system, the B10 adds more lighting options for those who want that power on location while keeping the weight to a minimum.

• Name: B10 250 AirTTL
• Max energy: 250Ws
• Range: 10 Stops (1.0-10)
• Recycle time: 0.05-2 seconds
• Full power flashes: Up to 400
• Stability: +/- 0.2 f-stops
• F-stop @ 2m / ISO 100: 22.7 with OCF Magnum reflector, 11.9 without reflector
• TTL: Yes
• HSS: Yes
• Modelling light: 2500 lumen LED
• Modelling light colour: Adjustable 3000-6500K (+/-500K)
• Modelling light CRI: 90-96
• Modelling light duration: up to 75 minutes
• Bluetooth: Yes
• USB: Type C (for firmware upgrades)
• Smartphone app control: Yes
• Dimensions: 9.9 x 10.9 x 17.5cm (3.9 x 4.3 x 6.9″)
• Weight: 1.5kg (3.3lbs) including battery & stand adapter

As we’d expect from a portable strobe these days, we get TTL and high speed sync. But one thing I do find particularly interesting with the B10 is the built-in Bluetooth. This was something that many expected Godox to include inside the AD600 Pro after the Godox A1 was released. It wasn’t, but it seems that this is a direction that Profoto wants to go. Having recently used my smartphone with the Godox A1 on a product shoot, I will say it can be an immensely valuable feature, regardless of the brand.

Small, portable, location strobes have become extremely popular over the last couple of years, mostly thanks to Godox. But it’s nice to see the other companies starting to take note and listen. It’s a shame that the Cactus RQ250 ended before it really had a chance to begin, but Profoto shows no hesitation with their response.

But with Godox stepping up their game, and even beating Profoto in some aspects with the AD600 Pro, will this be enough to win customers over with the Godox AD400 Pro just around the corner? A theoretically more powerful light, also with great colour accuracy, fast recycle times and a relatively small form factor? Of course, it will. Those who are already heavily invested in the Profoto ecosystem will have no problem adding this to their existing kit. After all, they bought Profoto’s thousand dollar speedlight.

I’ll be looking forward to seeing the side-by-side comparisons once the B10 250 AirTTL becomes available. Comparisons against both the new Godox AD400 Pro and the AD200. I have my suspicions about which lights will win on various points, but I do like being surprised.

The Profoto B10 250 AirTTL will be available in as either a single head or dual head kit. The single head is available to pre-order now for $1,595 and the dual head kit for $3,195. For now, if you want to find out more, head on over to the Profoto website.