A number of times while on vacation I've found that I don't want to lug my camera around with me, but am frequently disappointed by phone photos in indoor spaces. I've thought a small external flash for my phone would be nice in such situations, but it really wasn't enough of a nuisance that I ever really did much research. Fast forward a few years and a relative is having a baby. I couldn't help but think it would be nice to have a small external flash that I could pair with my phone.
Enter: Profoto C1+
It was released back in 2019 to pretty marginal reviews:
https://fstoppers.com …1-plus-flash-light-436253![]()
And worse - the comments section on Petapixel and DPreview.
https://petapixel.com …smartphone-photographers/![]()
https://www.dpreview.com …io-lights-for-smartphones![]()
"Not powerful enough", "just wait for the Godox version", "a continuous LED light would be better", "who would use this for phone photos", "the app is terrible", etc.
And the marketing videos from Profoto don't inspire much confidence either:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u2TRfOeel0![]()
-Why would you try to sell a small flash for a photo by taking photos outdoors?
As a result, I struggled to pull the trigger on a $300 light for my phone.
But my wife didn't read all those reviews and the negativity and she thought I'd really enjoy having it to photograph the new addition to our family. Well, the light just came today, and I'm pleasantly surprised by my first impressions.
It's powerful enough to light the subject so you can regain details from outside windows. And it can overpower a reasonable amount of ambient light inside. The app isn't great, but it's decent. The app does allow you to trigger the camera by pressing a button on the flash, which is nice. You can also adjust the color temperature of the light. The flash has a 1/4 female thread, which works great for mounting to my Joby Tripod. It seems like it will be fun to use to practice lighting setups on models, toys, small humans (I mean children), pets, etc. I wonder if you can trigger multiple of these at the same time?
As for the negatives: The app currently only works with the 1x and 2.5x cameras on the back of my iPhone 12 (not the selfie camera or the wide angle). That in and of itself wouldn't normally be a problem, except when you're trying to test the flash by doing selfies (sorry that the sample photos below are be a bit out of focus). And it doesn't have quite as much power as I'd like, but I think it should work for my needs.
Is it perfect? No.
Is it what I was looking for? Yes.
Do I think I'll regret the purchase? No.
Does it have a long range? No.
Is it powerful enough? A little more output would be nice, but I think this will do (on full power) for most of my needs/wants.
Has anyone else tried one of these? Any thoughts? Likes? Dislikes? Tips? Suggestions?
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Fitted with the grid attachment
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With dome on the flash (left), Without flash (right)
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