Profoto has been slowly adapting its products to work more seamlessly with mobile devices and it has built on top of that with the launch of the Profoto Camera app. Separate from the Profoto Control app, the Profoto Camera app is both for lighting control and photo capture that includes a new RAW format.
The original smartphone app, Profoto Control, did include capture capability but was mainly a “control” application to adjust settings and view the status of any Profoto light with the company’s AirX technology. Today, the company has expanded on the capture feature and built out a separate application to focus more on making images with smartphones.
Profoto Camera was built to allow “professional photographers” to use the full range of Profoto lights in a way that is more seamlessly integrated into the capture experience. The biggest addition to this experience over the Profoto Control app is the inclusion of Profoto RAW, which the company says enables files with five to eight times more information than JPEGs.
Additionally, Profoto Camera has two modes to offer the photographer choice in how they want to use the camera with Profoto lights. Classic mode allows for the manual control of exposure and flash settings or to use AirX Smart-TTL, which Profoto says is a new automatic exposure algorithm. In short, Classic mode gives the photographer full control of their smartphone as if it were a standard camera and allows for the control of lighting to match that experience.
Smart mode is Profoto’s answer to an “auto” mode that combines that expected experience on a smartphone with the company’s lights. Smart mode offers a set of smart contrast and warmth effects that work with the flashes to “capture professional images instantly.” Below is an example of the range of contrast and color temperatures offered in Smart mode.
Below are a pair of photos captured in the app using the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max (in that order) in full resolution:
The Profoto Camera app is available on Google Play and the Apple App Store starting today for free. It is currently compatible with any Profoto light with the AirX technology installed, which includes the Profoto C1, C1 Plus, A10, the B10-series, and the Pro-11 pack.
Author: Jaron Schneider
Source: Petapixel
