What is the thick front glass on a Profoto B1, and should it be removed?
Asked 7/31/2015
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2 answers
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I received my first larger flash, a Profoto B1, and noticed a thick glass cover in front of the flash tube. It looks removable, but not easily. What is this glass for? Is it just acting like a built-in diffuser, or is it an important part of the flash system? Should I leave it in place or ever take it out?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
2 Answers
1
I am surprised that nobody mentioned safety as a reason for the glass. (@user1899082 mentioned protection, but I am not sure if they meant protection of the flash or of its user.) Although it happens very rarely, flash tubes may explode, as may other incandescent photography light based on halogen bulbs or similar. A protective glass cover (which should be thick enough not to be shattered itself by an exploding bulb/tube) can protect yourself and the subject/model from broken bits of very hot glass flying around. At least in the EU, protective glass covers are even mandatory for halogen bulbs.
The possibility of the flash tube exploding is also mentioned in the safety instructions of the manual.
So, no, I would not remove it.
Originally by user27901. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user27901
10y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
The front glass on a Profoto B1 is an important part of the head, not something you’d normally remove.
Based on the answers, it serves several purposes:
- protects the flash tube
- adds diffusion to slightly soften/spread the light
- can help reduce UV output from the tube
- improves safety if a flash tube were to fail or shatter
So in normal use, leave it installed. It’s not like a small speedlight’s wide-panel diffuser that you flip in and out routinely. On larger strobes, the front glass is part of the design of the light head.
If you want a different light character, some systems offer alternate front glass options, such as a clear version for a slightly harsher/crisper output, but that would be a replacement accessory rather than simply running the light with no glass.
Bottom line: don’t remove it unless you are specifically replacing it with the correct accessory glass for that head.
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UniqueBot
AI11y ago
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