At Cine Gear 2026, I stopped by the Profoto booth to talk to them about the journey from making strobs and lighting primarily for photography. Now, Profoto offers some very impressive, high-output LED lighting for film and video production.
Profoto is one of the most recognized names in professional lighting, built over more than five decades on a reputation for quality in still photography. In recent years, the Swedish company has made a deliberate push into film and video production, releasing its first dedicated cinema light in 2024 and quickly expanding that lineup.
A Brief History
Profoto was founded in 1968 in Stockholm, Sweden, by Conny Dufgran and Eckhard Heine. The origin is a good one: Conny, then a photography equipment retailer, sold Eckhard a flash unit that didn’t work. Rather than simply returning it, Eckhard went home and set about designing something better. The result was the Pro-1 generator, which the pair debuted at Photokina in Cologne, where it was an immediate success.
From the beginning, Profoto’s equipment found its way into the studios of the world’s leading fashion and celebrity photographers, which drove early international expansion, first into Japan in 1970 and then into the United States in 1992. Anders Hedebark took over as CEO in 1997 and has led the company through decades of product development and geographic growth, including subsidiaries in Germany, France, the UK, and Japan through the 2000s.
A strategic push toward innovation beginning around 2009 helped Profoto move beyond its traditional studio base, expanding into battery-powered flash for location work, on-camera systems, and eventually smartphone photography. The company listed on Nasdaq Stockholm in July 2021 and made its first acquisition in 2022, purchasing StyleShoots, a leader in automated e-commerce photography systems.
Throughout its history, Profoto equipment has been used by photographers including Annie Leibovitz, Herb Ritts, and David LaChapelle. The move into cinema and video production is the company’s most significant category expansion to date, and one that leverages its core expertise in light quality and shaping tools into a market that has increasingly high standards for both.
Current Video and Film Production Lights
Profoto L1600D Mono-LED
The L1600D was Profoto’s first dedicated cinema light, introduced at CineGear 2024. It is a 1600W daylight-balanced (5700K) Mono-LED, meaning it operates without an external ballast or separate power supply, keeping the setup compact. The unit uses Profoto’s patent-pending HydroCTech water-cooling system to efficiently manage heat, and the design achieves 97% electrical efficiency from input to output. Output is up to 3,850 lux with the built-in 60-degree wide reflector, rising to 49,000 lux with the included 12-degree boost reflector. CRI is rated at 97. The L1600D Kit is priced at $5,995 and is available at B&H.
Profoto L600D Daylight Mono-LED
The L600D is a 600W daylight-balanced Mono-LED introduced alongside the L600C at CineGear 2025. It shares the same compact, ballast-free body design as the L600C and weighs approximately 13 lb. The light achieves 95% electrical efficiency, TLCI of 99, and CRI of 97, with precise dimming from 0.1 to 100% across linear, exponential, logarithmic, and S-curve options. It includes a Profoto 100mm accessory mount and an active cooling system. The L600D is suited for studio and dry outdoor environments. It is priced at $2,995 and is available at B&H.
Profoto L600C Full-Color Mono-LED
The L600C is the full-color version of the L600 series, built around what Profoto describes as the world’s first RGBWWW chip set. It shares the same 600W, ballast-free body as the L600D, weighing in at approximately 13.45 lb with the yoke, and offers the same 95% efficiency, TLCI of 99, and CRI of over 96. Dimming and curve options are identical to the L600D. Like the L600D, it includes a Profoto 100mm accessory mount and is rated for studio and dry outdoor use only. It is priced at $3,995 and is available at B&H.
Profoto LP2000C Full-Color LED Panel
The LP2000C is Profoto’s largest cinema light to date, a 2000W full-color LED panel designed as a key or large soft source for film and television production. Profoto claims it is the world’s brightest soft-light LED panel in its class, while weighing 59 lb, which the company says is 50% lighter than its nearest competitor. It features a 360-degree aluminum railing system for mounting in any orientation without thermal issues, a CCT range of 2000 to 15000K, TLCI and CRI of 97, and a constant-current dimming system that remains completely flicker-free at any frame rate, including high-speed work. It is IP65 rated for use in challenging production environments. Dimming runs from 0.1 to 100% with the same curve options as the L600 series. The LP2000C is priced at $12,995 and is available directly through profoto.com or via B&H.
More on Profoto’s full lighting range is at profoto.com.
