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igmolinav Offline • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #1 · How bad is a Calumet, Profoto, Mola beauty dish compared to ..., is it worth it a try? Hi, I have some lighting equipment from Profoto that I have used with a softbox from each of the following manu- facturers: Profoto, Chimera, and Interfit. All of them worked wonderfully. The Profoto softbox was the most expensive one. and then the Chimera. It's been a while, since I thought on getting one or two beauty dishes. The first thing that comes to mind, is perhaps to buy one from the same brand name as that from the lighting equipment. Then, about eight months ago, browsing the Internet, I discovered the alluring beauty dishes from Mola. Well, Profoto and Mola are very good, but also quite expensive compared to the ones from Calumet. My question would be, what am I getting if I buy a beauty dish from Calumet, as opposed to a beauty dish from Mola or Profoto? In what consists this high loss of quality when buying a b. dish from Ca- lumet? Thank you, kind regards, igmolinav : ) !!! Mar 17, 2013 at 11:10 PM

Deezie Offline • • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #2 · How bad is a Calumet, Profoto, Mola beauty dish compared to ..., is it worth it a try? I've used both beauty dishes from Profoto and Mola, and haven't noticed a difference in terms of the quality of light. But I do think that the Mola looks cooler on set Mar 18, 2013 at 12:46 AM

BrianO Offline • • • • • Upload & Sell: On p.1 #3 · How bad is a Calumet, Profoto, Mola beauty dish compared to ..., is it worth it a try? Two threads on the same topic in the same subforum from the same person within three days of each other? Mar 18, 2013 at 01:14 AM

igmolinav Offline • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #4 · How bad is a Calumet, Profoto, Mola beauty dish compared to ..., is it worth it a try? Hi, Thank you for your messages : ) !!! BrianO wrote: Two threads on the same topic in the same subforum from the same person within three days of each other? An apology to all of you in the forum! It was meant to be only one post! As I was doing changes to the other one, I must have posted it by accident. I would be more than happy to delete the other one and keep this one. As a matter of fact, I'll try to do it! Kind regards, igmolinav : ) !!! Mar 18, 2013 at 10:32 PM

igmolinav Offline • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #5 · How bad is a Calumet, Profoto, Mola beauty dish compared to ..., is it worth it a try? Hi, Thank you for your message : ) !!! Deezie wrote: I've used both beauty dishes from Profoto and Mola, and haven't noticed a difference in terms of the quality of light. But I do think that the Mola looks cooler on set Yes, they look very cool on the set !!! Do you also imply, that the quality from the beauty dishes from Calumet is also very good and also offers similar results to the ones from Mola? Thank you, kind regards, igmolinav : ) !!! Mar 18, 2013 at 11:02 PM

tedwca Offline • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #6 · How bad is a Calumet, Profoto, Mola beauty dish compared to ..., is it worth it a try? The Mola is a much more flexible system. They have different types of deflectors(solid, transparent, gridded) and several different socks(thin, denser, and also with holes to improve ventilation) to create different looks. Also the mounting system for most of the Molas mounts the dish to the stand and the light attaches to the dish. This is a more secure way to mount a somewhat heavy modifier than having it hanging off the from off a light. Especially Alien Bees/Einsteins. Your Profotos wouldn't have an issue with it, but it's still a nice touch. It the light quality different? That is something you would have to determine for yourself. Some people can see it and others can't. Is the price difference worth it? Also only something you can determine for yourself. Mar 18, 2013 at 11:39 PM

igmolinav Offline • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #7 · How bad is a Calumet, Profoto, Mola beauty dish compared to ..., is it worth it a try? Hi, Thank you for your message : ) !!! tedwca wrote: The Mola is a much more flexible system. They have different types of deflectors(solid, transparent, gridded) and several different socks(thin, denser, and also with holes to improve ventilation) to create different looks. Also the mounting system for most of the Molas mounts the dish to the stand and the light attaches to the dish. This is a more secure way to mount a somewhat heavy modifier than having it hanging off the from off a light. Especially Alien Bees/Einsteins. Your Profotos wouldn't have an issue with it, but it's still a nice touch. It the light quality different? That is something you would have to determine for yourself. Some people can see it and others can't. Is the price difference worth it? Also only something you can determine for yourself. Actually, all of the characteristics you mention for the Molas are very appealing and important to me! But the price difference is quite large though! For example, a Demi 22" from Mola, is listed at a price of $400 USD, with the speed ring, but without the swivel handle, or any grid. The three beauty dishes with grids from Calumet, without speedrings however, are listed for $370. Each speedring for the Calumet is around $50, compared to $118 from the Mola. Both brands include one sock for their beauty dishes. Perhaps, it is good, as a cheaper alternative, to stay for one or two years with the Calumets, and then once I handle them very well, change to the Molas. It is only the final look on the photos, (from using one brand over another), that worries me. Other than that I'm fine. As for the lighting on the subjects to be photographed, I almost understand that there is almost no difference between the Calumets and the Molas. A shooting with any of the two brands will lead to almost the same result! Am I correct with this affirmation? More than my eye, I wonder if a posible client may be able to notice a difference, (I am an amateur), when he or she looks at the picture. It is perhaps disadvantageous, that the Calumets come only in silver, and not white. The light contrast may be too hard, thus a disadvantage for me. That may lead me to wear the sock all the time! I have a round or octagonal softbox from Interfit. However, adaptions as this one may be a bit difficult to do, when one has to drill several times: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8279638@N05/5536434365/ Thank you again, kind regards, igmolinav : ) !!! Mar 19, 2013 at 10:02 AM

Deezie Offline • • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #8 · How bad is a Calumet, Profoto, Mola beauty dish compared to ..., is it worth it a try? Quality of light is a subjective thing. You have to define your own aesthetics and from that point you can determine whether or not a modifier fits your preferences. The silver interior will give you a slightly harsher light that has a stronger personality. If you want a softer, less contrasty look, then you can use a large octobox or softbox close to your subject. Mar 19, 2013 at 02:28 PM

kenyee Offline • • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #9 · How bad is a Calumet, Profoto, Mola beauty dish compared to ..., is it worth it a try? igmolinav wrote: As for the lighting on the subjects to be photographed, I almost understand that there is almost no difference between the Calumets and the Molas. A shooting with any of the two brands will lead to almost the same result! Am Calumet has a decent rental program. If this is bugging you that much, you should just rent both for the day, shoot with them and see which one you like better. If you can't see a difference, get the cheaper one. Speedotron also has a beauty dish that people have used on different mounts, but I'd look at the Kacey dish at this point (but not the Kacey grid). Mar 19, 2013 at 03:16 PM

BrianO Offline • • • • • Upload & Sell: On p.1 #10 · How bad is a Calumet, Profoto, Mola beauty dish compared to ..., is it worth it a try? igmolinav wrote: ...It is perhaps disadvantageous, that the Calumets come only in silver, and not white. The light contrast may be too hard, thus a disadvantage for me. That may lead me to wear the sock all the time! Adding a sock will change the quality of the light quite a bit; from the crisp light that is characteristic of beauty dishes to a softer light more like a small soft box would produce. That may be a good look or it may not be, depending on what you are after. If you just want less-strong contrast you can decrease the output from the dish, or increase the power from the fill light to lower the contrast ratio. As for dishes themselves, I agree with the above suggestion to check out the Kacey Beauty Dish. Jerry Kacey copied the Mola Demi shape, but makes his out of impact-resistant plastic rather than metal. His Web photos show the dish with the optional speedlight brackets, but you can get regualr speed ring mounts for studio strobes as well. At $143 for the dish, it's a pretty good deal. Here's a link: http://www.kaceyenterprises.com/?page_id=461 Mar 19, 2013 at 08:07 PM

igmolinav Offline • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #11 · How bad is a Calumet, Profoto, Mola beauty dish compared to ..., is it worth it a try? Hi, Thank you for your message : ) !!! Deezie wrote: Quality of light is a subjective thing. You have to define your own aesthetics and from that point you can determine whether or not a modifier fits your preferences. The silver interior will give you a slightly harsher light that has a stronger personality. If you want a softer, less contrasty look, then you can use a large octobox or softbox close to your subject. That is what I don't fully grasp yet, how harsh the light can be with the Calumet beauty dishes. Kind regards, igmolinav : ) !!! Mar 20, 2013 at 12:18 AM

igmolinav Offline • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #12 · How bad is a Calumet, Profoto, Mola beauty dish compared to ..., is it worth it a try? Hi, Thank you for your message : ) !!! kenyee wrote: igmolinav wrote: As for the lighting on the subjects to be photographed, I almost understand that there is almost no difference between the Calumets and the Molas. A shooting with any of the two brands will lead to almost the same result! Am Calumet has a decent rental program. If this is bugging you that much, you should just rent both for the day, shoot with them and see which one you like better. If you can't see a difference, get the cheaper one. Speedotron also has a beauty dish that people have used on different mounts, but I'd look at the Kacey dish at this point (but not the Kacey grid). I think that would be the best way to go! To rent each of them and see the results! I am not in the U.S. at the moment and I was looking at other of the Calumet websites. In these websites, white beauty dishes are shown. Perhaps their stock depends on their location! I will also call the store in the U.S. to ask if they have the beauty dishes in white. I found the 22" Kacey to be an interesting modifier. The price is good and with regard to the material, it does not have to be metal in order to be good! However, compared to the Mola, how good is the white beauty dish from Kacey? Does it do a good job? It is also worth mentioning, Kacey makes a 45" beauty dish too. I did not find the price for the speed ring for the Profoto heads, though. Would I need to use the ones sold by Mola, that cost $118 usd ?? Kind regards, igmolinav : ) !!! Mar 20, 2013 at 12:34 AM

igmolinav Offline • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #13 · How bad is a Calumet, Profoto, Mola beauty dish compared to ..., is it worth it a try? Hi, Thank you for your message and the link : ) !!! BrianO wrote: igmolinav wrote: ...It is perhaps disadvantageous, that the Calumets come only in silver, and not white. The light contrast may be too hard, thus a disadvantage for me. That may lead me to wear the sock all the time! Adding a sock will change the quality of the light quite a bit; from the crisp light that is characteristic of beauty dishes to a softer light more like a small soft box would produce. That may be a good look or it may not be, depending on what you are after. If you just want less-strong contrast you can decrease the output from the dish, or increase the power from the fill light to lower the contrast ratio. As for dishes themselves, I agree with the above suggestion to check out the Kacey Beauty Dish. Jerry Kacey copied the Mola Demi shape, but makes his out of impact-resistant plastic rather than metal. His Web photos show the dish with the optional speedlight brackets, but you can get regualr speed ring mounts for studio strobes as well. At $143 for the dish, it's a pretty good deal. Here's a link: http://www.kaceyenterprises.com/?page_id=461 The price is good. I hope the speed ring for Profoto is not very expensive! One may have to buy the speed ring from Mola, isn't? I wonder about the look of the pictures of the Kacey beauty dishes, compared to the Molas. Doesn't it affect the look of the pictures, the fact that one reflector is made out of metal, and the other one is made out of plastic? Kind regards, igmolinav : ) !!! Mar 20, 2013 at 12:42 AM

BrianO Offline • • • • • Upload & Sell: On p.1 #14 · How bad is a Calumet, Profoto, Mola beauty dish compared to ..., is it worth it a try? igmolinav wrote: I wonder about the look of the pictures of the Kacey beauty dishes, compared to the Molas. Doesn't it affect the look of the pictures, the fact that one reflector is made out of metal, and the other one is made out of plastic? No, because both kinds are coated on the inside with a white or silver finish. Neither one has bare black metal or bare black plastic on the inside. Mar 20, 2013 at 01:32 AM

kenyee Offline • • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #15 · How bad is a Calumet, Profoto, Mola beauty dish compared to ..., is it worth it a try? igmolinav wrote: However, compared to the Mola, how good is the white beauty dish from Kacey? Does it do a good job? It is also worth mentioning, Kacey makes a 45" beauty dish too. I did not find the price for the speed ring for the Profoto heads, though. Would I need to use the ones sold by Mola, that cost $118 usd ?? I doubt you'd be able to tell the difference between the Mola/Kacey. You would notice differences in the center deflector though (i.e., clear vs, blocked etc). You should probably ask Kacey about a profoto mount, but you shouldn't be asking about cost when talking about the 45" dish...it's expensive enough that "if you have to ask" probably applies Kacey has a good return policy (30 day IIRC), so you could always ship it to wherever you're visiting in the US to try out and you'd only be out the cost of shipping for trying it. The cost of shipping the 45" will be bigggggggg Mar 20, 2013 at 01:55 PM

igmolinav Offline • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #16 · How bad is a Calumet, Profoto, Mola beauty dish compared to ..., is it worth it a try? Hi, Thank you for your messages : ) !!! It looks good! I'll get in touch with Kacey! Kind regards, igmolinav : ) !!! Mar 24, 2013 at 12:51 AM

zurkzees Offline • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #17 · How bad is a Calumet, Profoto, Mola beauty dish compared to ..., is it worth it a try? you can get this speed ring profoto speedring I have the same on my demi. At one point I was able to purchase the same item without the mount around it for less price. Mar 24, 2013 at 02:48 PM

igmolinav Offline • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #18 · How bad is a Calumet, Profoto, Mola beauty dish compared to ..., is it worth it a try? Hi, Thank you for your message : ) !!! It looks very similar to the speedring I separately bought once for my Inter- fit Octabox. (Back then, some years ago, the people at interfit, did not provide a speedring. Apparently, now they do). OEC Camera, the seller you recom- mend, offers an additional version: one for octaboxes! But that one, however, would not be the one you recommend to be used with the Molas or Kaceys. Would that be correct? Kind regards, igmolinav : ) !!! Mar 28, 2013 at 01:40 PM

Savas K Offline • • • • Upload & Sell: On p.1 #19 · How bad is a Calumet, Profoto, Mola beauty dish compared to ..., is it worth it a try? Is this Sacha Baron Cohen goofing on us? Mar 28, 2013 at 09:25 PM

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