Profoto OCF Adapter

When Profoto introduced its first A-series flash unit, the Profoto A1, the company called it ‘the world’s smallest studio flash’.  Most other people called it a flashgun because it has a hotshoe mount and it looks like a flashgun. And while some were surprised by its price, and in some cases lack of power in comparison with some less expensive flashes, we were sold by the quality of the light from the A1 along with its ease of use.

Whether you like to use an A-series flash on or off camera, and in TTL or manual exposure mode, it’s very easy to use.

The Profoto A1, A1X and A10 flash units have a magnetic mount to attach small light modifiers, but many photographers wanted to be able to use their Profoto OCF Light Shaping tools, the company’s light modifiers for its larger flash units. The Profoto OCF Adapter makes this possible.

Profoto has made the OCF Adapter from metal and it feels very solid, with a nice matt-black finish.

Using the OCF Adapter couldn’t be easier, it has a cold shoe for mounting an A-series flash and a ring on which you can mount an OCF Light Shaping Tool.

The flash head needs to be angled to 90° to the body, as shown below, so that it sits dead-centre in the Light Shaping Tool mount. The flash units lock can be closed to keep it fixed securely on the adapter.

The OCF Light Shaping Tools fit onto the Adapter rather than the A-series flash. It’s simply a case of pushing the modifier onto the Adapter ring and then snapping its mount closed just as you would on a Profoto B10, B10 Plus or B1X.

In addition, there’s a hole for passing through an umbrella centre pole.

Although you can hold the base of the OCF Adapter, with larger Light Shaping Tools, it’s more practical to put it on a light stand. Naturally, the Adapter is compatible with a standard light stand spigot.

Alternatively, the top section of the Adapter can be removed from the base and mounted on a tripod.

Below the cold-shoe, the Adapter has a knob with a knurled rubber-like coating. This can be rotated to allow the flash to be angled and then tightened in position. It locks nice and tight, keeping everything in place,  but there’s a small metal loop at the back of the adapter that could be used to hang a weight to counterbalance a large light modifier.