Profoto has launched a new mobile application, Profoto Camera. The app, separate from the existing Profoto Control app, allows you to both control compatible Profoto lights and capture images in a new RAW format, Profoto RAW.
Profoto Camera works with AirX-enabled Profoto light. These include the Profoto C1, C1 Plus, A10, B10-series and Pro-11. In addition to controlling compatible lights wirelessly, Profoto Camera allows you to capture images. The app has two different modes, Smart mode and Classic mode.
Smart mode allows you to capture images without any expert knowledge quickly. With the Smart-TTL feature, there are two simple creative controls: flash contrast and flash warmth. You select the look you want, and the app does the rest by adjusting exposure and light settings automatically. You don’t need to select shutter speed, ISO, flash power, color temperature, white balance or tint. The app adjusts these settings for the situation and your desired look. Smart-TTL is a computational flash algorithm that Profoto says is the first and only one of its kind.
Using Smart mode, the user sets the Photo Contrast control (Y axis) and Smart Warmth (X axis) to capture an image with the desired look. You don’t need to set anything manually or adjust flash or camera settings. Click to enlarge.
Classic mode is a traditional shooting experience. The user retains hands-on control over all lighting and photographic settings. You can control flash power using multiple TTL modes. You can also fix flash power, or camera settings, or neither. Once you’ve established your desired settings, Air-X TTL does the rest.
Using the native camera app without flash (left) versus Profoto Camera and a Profoto B10 (right). Image credit: Victor Bruskov. Click to enlarge.
Smart and Classic modes use a new file format available in Profoto Camera, ProfotoRAW. It is a custom RAW format designed for faster post-production and higher-quality images. Profoto says, ‘Get ahead of the game with tone, color, and exposure adjustments already in place as you shoot. All optimized for best results with Profoto lights.’ ProfotoRAW uses the industry-standard DNG file format, so ProfotoRAW images can be edited in any photo editing app supporting DNG. ProfotoRAW files are five to eight times larger than JPEG files.
Being able to use your smartphone with nearly the same capabilities as a DSLR is game changing for any creator. I love how straightforward the Profoto Camera is and that it allows you to have so much freedom and creativity available from inside your pocket,’ said Kyle Jeffers.
Pierre-Edouard Saillard adds, ‘I always have my iPhone with me, and now with the Profoto Camera I can shoot everywhere with the same gear I use in my studio. The Profoto Camera is really intuitive and easy to use and having the option to have full manual control with my iPhone and Profoto lights is perfect for creating professional photos anywhere and at any time.’
Profoto Camera features. Click to enlarge and read all the details.
The Profoto Camera app is available for free on Android and iOS devices. The iOS version is compatible with iPhone 7 or later running iOS 14 or later. The Android version is available on Samsung Galaxy S8, S9, S10, S20, S21 and Note 9 smartphones running Android OS 8 or later. For more information and to download the Profoto Camera app, visit Profoto.
Today, TTArtisan has officially released its new AF 56mm F1.8 autofocus lens for X and E-mount cameras. The APS-C portrait lens is another budget offering from the China-based company.
The 56mm F1.8 lens has ten elements in nine groups and has nine aperture blades. The lens is built with a stepper motor, which TTArtisan claims delivers fast and quiet autofocus. It has a minimum focusing distance of 0.5m (19.6″) and a minimum aperture of F16.
TTArtisan says the lens has a full aluminum build, weighs between 233-245g (8.2-8.8oz), and includes ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass. This should help reduce the amount of color fringing that may occur in an image.
This is only the company’s fourth autofocus lens, but it’s the second one it has announced in recent weeks, following the TTArtisans AF 35mm F1.8, released early this month for Sony E-mount cameras.
Pricing and availability
The TTArtisan AF 56mm F1.8 ships globally and is available immediately. It has a suggested retail price of $158.
Buy now:
The Panasonic Lumix S5II launched the second generation of Panasonic’s full-frame mirrorless camera system and was the first Panasonic to feature phase detect autofocus. As our review reveals, it’s a heck of an all-around camera for both still and video shooters.
The latest Lumix puts a Four Thirds sensor in a full-frame body with boosted AF and a wealth of stills and video capabilities to create a Swiss Army Knife of a Micro Four Thirds camera.
The fourth camera in Leica’s SL series of full-frame mirrorless cameras sees the 60MP BSI sensor from the Q3 and M11 models arrive with a significant interface redesign.
The Fujifilm X100VI is the sixth iteration of Fujifilm’s classically-styled large sensor compact. A 40MP X-Trans sensor, in-body stabilization and 6.2K video are among the updates.
The Nikon Zf is a 24MP full-frame mirrorless camera with classic looks that brings significant improvements to Nikon’s mid-price cameras. We just shot a sample reel to get a better feel for its video features and have added our impressions to the review.
What’s the best camera for around $2000? This price point gives you access to some of the most all-round capable cameras available. Excellent image quality, powerful autofocus and great looking video are the least you can expect. We’ve picked the models that really stand out.
What’s the best camera for travel? Good travel cameras should be small, versatile, and offer good image quality. In this buying guide we’ve rounded-up several great cameras for travel and recommended the best.
If you want a compact camera that produces great quality photos without the hassle of changing lenses, there are plenty of choices available for every budget. Read on to find out which portable enthusiast compacts are our favorites.
‘What’s the best mirrorless camera?’ We’re glad you asked.
Above $2500 cameras tend to become increasingly specialized, making it difficult to select a ‘best’ option. We case our eye over the options costing more than $2500 but less than $4000, to find the best all-rounder.
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If you haven’t signed up for the free DPReview newsletter, you’re missing out. It’s more than a recap of the website; we regularly share behind-the-scenes information, reader questions of the week, photo challenges and exclusive stories that can only be found in the newsletter.
In the last three months, we have given newsletter readers early sneak peeks at our testing and talked about our studio scene, product studio and what’s going on in the DPReview mail room (you never know what might be dropping by). We also give newsletter readers an exclusive heads-up on what’s happening around our office, complete with candid sharing of what the DPReview editors are thinking about and debating. Sometimes, we even let slip which camera review we’re working on and if it is coming out the following week.
Last month, the newsletter also hosted DPReview Camera Debate Madness of March (and part of April). Readers and editors weighed the choices between primes and zooms, lens-focusing design, viewfinder- or touchscreen-only cameras, and more. After four rounds of debates and voting, we crowned a champion and experience trumped gear lust. Relive every play-by-play to discover who won and how. Join our next event by signing up for the newsletter.
There’s also our ongoing ‘Question of the Week’ segment, where we turn the microphone toward you. Last week, we asked: What’s the perfect portrait lens, and why? Nearly 100 readers wrote in to share their takes, and every week, we share some of our favorite responses in the following newsletter. What did people have to say? Sign up to find out. Join us by answering our next question every week. This week, we’re asking you: If you could update one camera from the past and bring it back to the market, what would it be? Have a hot take to share? Sign up and join the community by sending in your response.
It’s the best photography, camera and gear news, delivered right to your inbox.
And we don’t just stop at the news. Newsletter subscriber benefits include behind-the-scenes articles, letters to the editor, exclusive contests, sneak peeks on what we’re working on, ways to share feedback directly with DPReview editors to help us shape future stories and more! There is no AI here, only real people writing the newsletters and reading your feedback (me!).