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Lighting

Did Profoto Finally Fix Their Issues with Nikon Cameras? We Found Out

Alberto Lima
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Last updated on 04/30/2026
05/01/2026
5 Mins read
A camera with a Profoto trigger sits on a colorful book cover titled The Color Monster.
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In March 2026, Profoto announced a firmware update to its Connect Pro series of triggers for Nikon users, aimed to fix a number of communication issues that photographers encountered. From issues with accurate/consistent TTL metering, to the outright inability to use these triggers with the Nikon Z8, Profoto’s latest update hopes to make things right with the Nikon photographer, here’s what we found.

The following text was added to our full Profoto Connect Pro review. To read the entire review, please check it out at this link.

The Nikon Z8 and Profoto Connect Pro

If you’re a Nikon Z8 photographer, you may have spent hours scrolling forums looking for a fix to the connectivity/sync issues between the Z8 and the Connect Pro. Last year when we reviewed the Profoto B20 and B30 we found the long recurring “power dump” issue when using the lights with the Profoto Connect (the “hockey puck”) and Canon cameras, we reached out to Profoto for clarification and the company simply acknowledged an issue with some cameras – including the Nikon Z8. The Connect Pro’s B4 firmware version does fix most of the issues using the trigger with the Nikon Z8 – including sync issues.

The Profoto Connect Pro and High-Speed Sync

A small, transparent film camera with a wrist strap resting on a bright blue slatted bench.
The Manual NYC Holo V2 Digicam image taken with the Nikon Z8 and Profoto Connect Pro with the Profoto B30

At The Phoblographer, we don’t just stress test a product once and leave it lost to the passing of time. In fact, the entire Reviews Team spent the better part of April testing various cameras, triggers, and high-speed sync with Profoto’s lights. During my testing, we were able to consistently fire the B20 and the B30 when using the Z8 in one-stop increments up to the native 1/200 shutter speed. My initial high-speed sync test, I did neglect to switch the trigger into Auto mode for full TTL mode, which created shutter shadow, but a quick re-calibration of my settings fixed the issue. Once I corrected my settings, I was able to push those shutter speeds up to 1/8000 without issue.

The following images were used for various applications with the Z8:

Small green plant with a single white flower in an orange pot, placed indoors on a wooden shelf.
Small African violet plant with purple and white flowers in an orange pot, with a red logo in the corner.
A green plant in an orange pot sits on a wooden shelf near a window with sunlight streaming in.
A green leafy plant in an orange pot sits on a wooden shelf near a window with sunlight shining in.
A woman in sunglasses holds a small tan puppy outside on a sunny day.
A woman in sunglasses holds a small tan puppy outside on a sunny day, with a city street in the background.
A small transparent electronic device with a lanyard rests on a light blue metal chair.
A transparent film camera with a strap is placed on a light blue metal chair outdoors.

Likewise, we put the Connect Pro through its paces with the Nikon Z7II – testing it with both in native and HSS modes. The Nikon Z7II didn’t have any sync issues during testing and more importantly, didn’t appear to suffer from the power dump issue that has been prevalent with older triggers. Again, during our testing, the Z7II and Profoto Connect Pro were able to communicate with the B20 and the B10 even using it in burst mode (though it needs to be said that you should not be using TTL mode and burst mode as you will get some dropped frames due to the trigger/light needing to process the correct exposure compensation).

Here are the results of our test:

A potted plant with fuzzy green leaves and small white flowers sits on a wooden shelf by a window.
A potted African violet with purple flowers sits on a wooden shelf near a window, sunlight shining on it.
A small African violet plant with purple flowers in an orange pot on a wooden shelf by a window.
A small purple-flowered plant in an orange pot sits on a wooden shelf by a window with sunlight.
Purple flowers with green leaves in an orange pot on a wooden shelf, sunlight shining on them.
Purple flowers in an orange pot sit on a wooden shelf in sunlight, with shadows and a red logo in the corner.

Where things got a little iffy was with the Nikon Zf. We’ve previously reported issues with the Nikon Zf and how it works (or doesn’t at times) when using a flash. In our prior testing, Editor-in-Chief, Chris Gampat said:

In several of the Phoblographer’s camera tests, our entire reviews team often uses flash to get some of the images we shoot. We first really started to see how problematic flash can be when using the Nikon Zf. Try doing high speed sync (auto-fp) consistently with that camera at various shutter speeds and you’ll see that it doesn’t work.  

The good news is that most of these issues with the Zf appear to be related to the camera and older triggers — something that any and every other Nikon camera going all the way back to the D850 doesn’t have. The latest update to the Profoto Connect Pro appears to have remedied any issues. For the Zf I tested the Connect Pro with the following settings:

  • Camera was set to ISO 400, then set the shutter speed from 1/250 -1/8000 in full stop increments.
  • Additional testing was done with the Zf in 1/3 Step and using the thumb dial to set shutter speed
  • The camera’s Shooting settings were cycled through Auto, Mech, Elec, and Silent.
  • Flash Sync settings were set to 1/200 (Auto-FP)
  • The trigger was used in Auto, First Curtain Sync, and XSync

In each of our progressive tests, the camera and flash appeared to operate as expected. With the trigger in TTL HSS mode and the camera’s shutter set to Auto or Mechanical, we were able to not only get the shutter speed maxed at 1/8000, but also able to trigger the Profoto B20/B30 with the correct exposure. In Electronic Shutter, you can only get the camera to use TTL metering up to 1/200 second. This is expected behavior, as is no hot shoe communication while operating in Silent mode. Below are some images from this test:

A camera lens in a gray pouch on a mouse pad, with a lens cap and a red logo visible nearby.
A camera lens in a gray pouch sits on a black desk mat with a SteelSeries logo and a red circular design.
A camera lens in a gray pouch sits on a black mouse pad with various logos and a white circle design.
A camera lens in a suede pouch on a mousepad, with a lens cap and a red circular logo nearby.
Camera lens on a gray pouch beside a lens cap on a black desk mat with a red logo in the corner.

It should be noted that my colleague, Feroz Khan, has also been testing another TTL trigger and light combo, but experienced issues with syncing beyond 1/250 second, but at least for the Connect Pro and my Zf loaner things went as well as they could. The more we test the Zf, the more we’re collectively convinced there’s something screwy going on with how the Zf communicates with the hot shoe and the peripheral that is attached at the time.

Is This a Worthy Update?

A hand holding a Profoto remote control device with settings displayed; keyboard and cables in background.
A long-press of the center button will lock the touchscreen, which is handy when working with multiple lights/groups.

For pros that need to take advantage of the additional radio channels and groups, the latest update fixes many of the issues that came with the Connect Pro. For Nikon Zf photographers, the Connect Pro and its latest firmware update may very well mean the difference between a usable TTL trigger and having to work in manual mode exclusively.

Beyond the core functionality and improved performance for Nikon photographers, the latest update has nifty creature comfort by giving users the ability to lock the touchscreen with a long press of the middle button. All in all, the latest update to the Profoto Connect Pro addresses many Nikon users’ concerns and even “gifts” us some workflow upgrades to boot. Still, if you must buy this trigger, buy it used if possible – $400 is still a bit steep for me.

Also consider that Profoto hasn’t really done a lot to address their use of AI promotion. A message written to us about this from the CEO sounded like subversive marketing jargon. As it is, our Editor in Chief has been trying to distance himself from relying on Profoto lights and their premium prices.

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