You loved the Profoto D1 series for its compact size, wireless air control, consistent shot-to-shot quality, and rugged build quality. Profoto’s B1 and B2 strobes won you over with TTL and high-speed sync. Well, there’s a new sheriff in town that builds upon the success of all three of these models, while adding a ton of speed to the equation.
Profoto’s new D2 AirTTL strobe, available in 500Ws and 1000Ws models, is redefining the definition of speed in monolights. The D2 brings together the best attributes of Pro-foto’s previous monolights as well as their more speedy pack and head systems—all in a compact, easy-to-use, portable, mains-powered monolight.
The D2 represents a first for Profoto’s mains-powered units with the inclusion of TTL and High Speed Sync. These features are sure to be a boon for portrait, sports, dance, and action photographers who’ll appreciate the creative possibilities and flexibility that TTL and lightning-fast flash durations afford. When it comes to keeping up with the latest crop of high frames per second professional DSLRs, the D2 is a speed demon, clocking in at an impressive recycle rate of .03–0.6 seconds at full power. This means the D2 is able to deliver an astounding 20 flashes per second, easily keeping pace in the most demanding situations. An incredibly fast maximum flash duration of 1/63,000 second makes the Profoto D2 the perfect tool for freezing super-crisp action shots.
The D2 also benefits from an enhanced digital interface, making it even more straightforward to navigate and operate. Users of previous models will be right at home with this intuitive, new menu system. Bravo, Profoto!
I was looking at B1s but am now leaning towards the D2. B1 is only available in 500Ws, and I don’t find any comments about it being under-powered. Under what circumstances is the 1000Ws model needed? I don’t want to sell myself short, but if 500Ws is enough to overpower the sun, when am I going to come up short on power and wish I had gone with 1000Ws?