Profoto is well known for its wide range of studio-quality lighting solutions. The new Profoto A2 flash head is Profoto’s latest compact light. It can be used handheld, mounted or rigged in ways that larger, heavier lights cannot because the Profoto A2 is roughly the size of a can of soda.
The Profoto A2 delivers up to 100Ws of power and is compatible with Profoto’s Clic light shaping tools, including softboxes, domes, grids, gels and more. The A2 comes with a removable umbrella stand attachment as well. The A2 may not have the 250Ws of power of Profoto’s B10X, but the A2 is much smaller and lighter, so there’s a tradeoff there. You give up a bit of power for a lot more portability.
Portability is the primary focus of the A2. With its battery and stand adapter, it weighs about 770g (1.7 lb.). It’s 12.6 cm (4.96″) long with a maximum diameter of 7.9 cm (3.11″). The A2 includes a display on the back to manage power, connectivity and other settings. The A2’s removable battery delivers about 400 flashes at full power and can recharge in under two hours. The A2 uses the same A-series Mk II battery as the A10 on-camera flash, plus the same CLIC modifier system. The A10 delivers 76Ws of power.
Regarding connectivity, the A2 includes Profoto AirX. You can connect with other Profoto lights, transmitters and triggers. The A2 works well with Profoto’s relatively new Connect Pro wireless transmitter, which is available for nearly every major manufacturer and also comes in a non-TTL version. Using a connected smartphone or tablet, you can also control the A2 via Bluetooth.
The A2 has a 10 f-stop power range (0.1 to 100Ws) and recycles in 0.1 to 1.6 seconds, depending on power level. The light has a 5,800 K (+/- 100 K) color temperature. You can also use the A2 as a continuous light source with 2.1 W max power and a 3,500K color temperature. The continuous light’s color rendering index (CRI) is greater than 80.
The Profoto A2 comes with the A2 itself, of course, plus a Clic stand adapter, battery, battery charger, case, power cable and USB-A to USB-C cable. Extreme portability and promised ease-of-use don’t come cheap. The Profoto A2 is $995. For more information, visit Profoto.