Profoto adds fresnel modifier to bring a Hollywood-style spotlight to your photo studio

Studio lighting specialists Profoto is adding a new fresnel lighting attachment to its range of light shaping accessories. The Profoto Fresnel Small is a relatively large device that sits in front of a monolight or studio head to create a controllable, spotlight-like beam of light - which is often used by photographers to add Hollywood-like drama to their shots.

Despite its name, the Fresnel Small comes with what Profoto describes as a medium-sized 7-inch (200mm) diameter lens that " projects a clean, crisp light beam, perfect for precise lighting and movie-like effects". A built-in iris control allows you to control the angle and spread of the beam.

Profoto already has a larger 11in (300mm) fresnel attachment in its range - the ProFresnel Spot.

The fresnel lens gets it name from the French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel who came up with the idea of constructing the concentric rings of glass prisms to create a strong pencil-like beam of light from a lighthouse - a system that is still used today some 200 years since its invention.

With the modifier weighing 7 lbs (2kg), Profoto recommends that its new Fresnel Small attachment is used with the optional Stand Adapter Pro when used with the B10 series of lights, to ensure stability and safety.

The Profoto Fresnel Small will retail for $1,495 / £1,349.

Find out the best lighting kits for studio photography