Profoto continues to innovate the photography lighting space with the announcement of the new Profoto D30, an AC-powered studio light that outputs an impressive 500Ws in an 11 f-stop power range. Like the brand’s popular Pro-D3, the D30 has three distinct flash modes: Eco, Boost, and Freeze. Eco will keep your colors consistent and consume less power. Using Boost gives you an extra pop of brightness. Freeze mode can achieve durations as low as 1/21,100 sec to totally eliminate motion blur.
As you’d expect with Profoto products, reliability and customizability are key, with a replaceable flashtube, an adjustable bi-color LED modeling light, and control via Profoto Air Sync, TTL, HSS, and more. The D30 is also compatible with over a hundred of the brand’s light shaping tools.
500Ws flash systems have become a standard for photographers shooting events and portraits that don’t require the immense punch of something like the 1250Ws Pro-D3, but still need the same level of speed and dependability. Profoto says the D30 should have recycling times of just 0.01 seconds with no misfires or missed shots.
The light is AC power only but has multi-voltage circuitry that can keep it working well no matter where in the world you use it. Adjust settings with the onboard display or a wide range of external controllers, including Profoto’s own Air 1 and Air 2 remotes. Bluetooth connectivity is also built in, unlocking compatibility with the Profoto Camera and Profoto Control smartphone apps.
The D30 has an 11 f-stop power range and that breaks down into 0.1 increments for an exceptionally high level of control. Expect a 66° beam angle and 111° field angle out of the box. Built-in High-Speed Sync functionality can help when shooting with wider apertures, and the AirX connectivity works on 2.4 GHz frequency bands to keep wireless triggering snappy and precise.
The D30 has an 100mm front mount for use with a wide array of Profoto modifiers like snoots, barndoors, softboxes, and more. Additionally, the light has a 3.5mm sync socket for external triggers and a USB-C service port.
The built-in bi-color LED Modeling Light is a nice addition here, with 35W of power and a variable CCT of 2800-7000K. Its output can reach up to 3800 lumens, it’s color accurate with a 94 CRI score, and it could be incredibly useful for photographers wanting to see how shadows will appear on their subject.
Overall, the D30 is a useful addition to Profoto’s moonlight lineup, providing enough power for the vast majority of small and medium sized studio shoots without sacrificing on functionality or ease of use. If you want professional level lighting without breaking the bank, the D30 is definitely worth a look.
For more information about the Profoto D30 Monolight and its accessories, including additional features, specs, and highlights, be sure to check out the detailed product pages. Or drop us a line below, and we’ll do our best to answer all your comments and questions.
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