Are the Profoto B20 and B30 Worth Their High Prices?

Profoto has been one of the go-to brands for professional photographers for their varying needs. Whether it is soft boxes, monolights, LED lights, or flashes, the company offers something special for everyone. Adding to this list are the newly launched Profoto B20 and B30 compact monolights that are built on the legacy of the popular B10, first launched in 2018. The bigger new changes, though, might lead to confusion if you’ve been a longtime Profoto light user.

Contributions to this article were provided by Chris Gampat

An Overview

First off, the biggest differences that photographers will care about:

• Profoto changed the front of the flash so that you can change out the flash tube yourself. Considering that the company kind of embraces an Apple-like mentality, I don’t quite like that.
• A brighter LED, so you can do both strobe and constant light from this

The Profoto B20 offers the same 250W energy, but the B30 is designed to add more at 500W. Both flashes are designed for photographers who need reliable monolights in varying environments. In fact, they also feature a rugged rubberized surface, which ensures grip security even when used with heavy modifiers. This is quite exciting considering it has been over five years since we saw the B10, and the B10X and B10X Plus were launched in 2021.

So, how are the Profoto B20 and B30 better updates than the B10X/B10X Plus? According to Profoto, the new lights offer a faster recycling rate, at least 13% more than the B10X. They also offer 50% brighter bi-color LED, and options of “smooth dimming.” They have an 11 f-stop power range for more control, replaceable flash tubes, and a 3.5mm sync port for wireless trigger.

In addition, the Profoto B20 and B30 can be used with over 120 different lighting modifiers available from the company. For longer shoots, one can rely on Eco mode, but it may impact the power and flash duration to conserve energy. There is Boost mode for additional power, and Freeze mode to get short bursts of light.

Who is it For?

The Profoto B20 and B30 are exceptional offers from the company. The B20 is priced at $1,995, while the B30 is available for $2,395, which are reasonable rates for professional lights. Considering how much we loved the B10, giving it our Editor’s Choice Award back in 2018, we do think the company will offer better performance for these monolights.

So, who must purchase these lights? Ideally, photographers who shoot on-site. As a result, portrait photographers, fashion photographers who have to shoot on the road or in the alleyway, and wedding photographers will like it best. At the same time, anyone who requires a setup and needs more power sources for their images can opt for it.

Truly, though, there aren’t many things that this light has that would make someone want to immediately upgrade. There’s only so far that lighting technology has come in the past decade and a half or so. Everything majorly changed in the early 2010s when TTL became incredibly available to everyone without needing to hack Pocket Wizards in the weirdest ways. Quantum all but died out years ago — and I really haven’t seen a Q-Flash in a while.

What would I have wanted? I’ll start with weather resistance. And this isn’t because I use the B10 in the rain all the time, only occasionally. But I want a strobe that can resist the elements, like dust, a bit more. At this point, I also think that Profoto could’ve found a way to completely negate the need for gels. LED lights can obviously change colors with the turn of a switch. The standard quartz bulb doesn’t have the ability to change its color — so why can’t Profoto develop one? Oftentimes, I want to change the color of my light output, but I’m too lazy to put a gel on my Profoto light. When I look at lights from Harlowe, for example, you can attach a gel very easily, similar to how it works with Profoto. I strongly believe that Harlowe does it better.

Detailed Specifications of Profoto B20 and B30

Profoto B20

• Flash Power: 250 Ws
• Max Energy Range: 11 f-stops (0.25-250 Ws)
• Recycling Time:
  • Eco mode: 0.01-1.1 s
  • Boost/Freeze mode: 0.01-1.2 s
• Flash Modes: Eco (Normal), Boost, and Freeze
• Power Supply: Li-Ion battery for B10
• Battery Capacity: Up to 400 full power flashes
• Max f-stop @ 2m / 100 ISO:
  • Bare: 11 7/10
  • OCF Magnum: 22 3/10
  • Magnum: 22 9/10
• Built-in Connectivity: Profoto AirX
• Bluetooth: Yes
• Continuous Light Max Lumen: 5,000 lm
• Continuous Light Dimming Range: 100-1%
• Sync Connector: Yes (1 x 3.5 mm socket (mini-phone))
• User-Replaceable Flashtube: Yes
• Diameter: 11 cm / 4.3 in
• Length: 21.0 cm / 8.27 in
• Weight: 1.9 kg / 4.3 lb with battery and stand adapter; 1.5 kg / 3.3 lb without battery and stand adapter

Profoto B30

• Flash Power: 500 Ws
• Max Energy Range: 11 f-stops (0.25-500 Ws)
• Recycling Time:
  • Eco mode: 0.01-1.8 s
  • Boost/Freeze mode: 0.01-2.1 s
• Flash Modes: Eco (Normal), Boost, and Freeze
• Power Supply: Li-Ion battery for B10
• Battery Capacity: Up to 220 full power flashes
• Max f-stop @ 2m / 100 ISO:
  • Bare: 16 7/10
  • OCF Magnum: 32 3/10
  • Magnum: 32 9/10
• Built-in Connectivity: Profoto AirX
• Bluetooth: Yes
• Continuous Light Max Lumen: 5,000 lm
• Continuous Light Dimming Range: 100-1%
• Sync Connector: Yes (1 x 3.5 mm socket (mini-phone))
• User-Replaceable Flashtube: Yes
• Diameter: 11 cm / 4.3 in
• Length: 25.5 cm / 10 in
• Weight: 2.2 kg / 4.9 lb with battery and stand adapter; 1.8 kg / 4.0 lb without battery and stand adapter

For more information, head to Profoto’s website.