Profoto announces A2 monolight: Compact light is about the size of a soda can

Profoto has announced a brand-new light, the Profoto A2 Monolight. The light is designed to be easy to use and extremely compact. The A2 is about the size of a soda can and weighs 495 grams (17.5 ounces). If you're after portability, Profoto has designed the A2 for you.

The A2 includes AirX connectivity, so you can use the light with a wide array of setups, including with "any camera and smartphone," providing extensive flexibility. Given its small size, it's no surprise that the A2 isn't extremely powerful, but it's still a 100Ws light, which is more than enough for many situations, including when working outdoors.

The A2 has a round flash head and comes with a built-in reflector and lens. It also comes with a stand adapter that has a built-in umbrella holder, so you can use the light on stands and with many different modifiers, like softboxes. The A2 has a magnetic mount for attaching light shaping tools. If you don't need the stand holder, it's removable to cut down on the A2's size.

The A2 uses a removable lithium-ion battery that promises up to 400 full-power flashes per charge. The back of the A2 includes a large display and controls to adjust power and other settings. You can also control the light on your smartphone or tablet via the Profoto Control app. You can control the light via a Profoto Connect Pro trigger. This attaches to your camera via a hot shoe and is available for Canon, Fujifilm, Leica, Nikon and Sony and also as a non-TTL version for other cameras.

Digging further into the A2's technical specs, the 100Ws light has a 10 f-stop range (0.1 to 100 Ws) and recycles in 0.1 to 1.6 seconds, depending upon the selected power. The flash duration ranges from 1/350s at 100 Ws to 1/56,000s at 0.1 Ws. The light promises a stable color temperature of 5,800 K, with a range of 100 K in either direction. The A2's beam angle is 62 degrees and its field angle is 105 degrees. You can also use the A2 as a continuous light with 2.1 W power and a 3,500 K color temperature.

The Profoto A2 comes with one light, a Clic Stand Adapter, A-Series battery Mk II, A-Series Battery Charger, case, power cable and USB-A to USB-C cable. The A2 starts at $995 and is available now. For more information and to view purchasing options, visit Profoto.