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Archive 2015 · Kacey 22" Beauty Dish?

AlphaPhotography
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Kacey 22" Beauty Dish?

Anyone purchased/own this? The website says there is a 4-6 week wait time. A little crazy but looks like a great alternative to a Mola Demi and lighter weight. I had placed an order for a Calumet 28" BD but may cancel it after looking at Kacey and Demi examples. It would also be easier to strap to my backpack for on location shooting than a 28".

Dec 06, 2015 at 02:45 AM

Steve Wylie
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Kacey 22" Beauty Dish?

I have one and use it frequently with excellent results.

Dec 06, 2015 at 10:01 AM

Mark_L
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Kacey 22" Beauty Dish?

I have one as I use it on location as most BDs even well cared for in studios look like they have been in a war zone. It can get bashed and thrown around with no problems and the look of the light is great (my reference is the profoto dish). The deflector is really huge compared to other dishes for some reason. I use the PCB bag for mine.

The only negative is that getting a grid for it isn't easy (it is really smaller than 22") and the wait time. You do need to get over the plastic looks too but so far no one has commented.

Dec 06, 2015 at 10:31 AM

AlphaPhotography
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Kacey 22" Beauty Dish?

Mark_L wrote:
I have one as I use it on location as most BDs even well cared for in studios look like they have been in a war zone. It can get bashed and thrown around with no problems and the look of the light is great (my reference is the profoto dish). The deflector is really huge compared to other dishes for some reason. I use the PCB bag for mine.

The only negative is that getting a grid for it isn't easy (it is really smaller than 22") and the wait time. You do need to get over the plastic looks...Show more →

How long did it take to get your dish? Is that 4-6 week lead time the norm? The website is a bit strange and many items are sold out with no estimated restocking date. I contacted them several days ago to inquire about the lead time and other products (such as the grid) but never got a response.

Dec 06, 2015 at 10:43 AM

Mark_L
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Kacey 22" Beauty Dish?

Sonyartisan wrote:
How long did it take to get your dish? Is that 4-6 week lead time the norm? The website is a bit strange and many items are sold out with no estimated restocking date. I contacted them several days ago to inquire about the lead time and other products (such as the grid) but never got a response.

I had to get in contact because I needed it in profoto mount and it also needed shipping to the UK but I think it was 6 weeks. I ordered mine quite some years ago and but based on reports around the net I think service has deteriorated since then but people seem to get their stuff eventually, your 4-6 weeks may just end up being much longer than that. It is pretty much a make-to-order one-man shop. Maybe order through Amazon/Adorama or pay by paypal to be sure.

Unless he has updated it, the grid is best avoided. People we complaining that it was splitting even on delivery and he hit back this was ok and normal as it did not affect the light.

Dec 06, 2015 at 11:16 AM

AlphaPhotography
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Kacey 22" Beauty Dish?

Mark_L wrote:
I had to get in contact because I needed it in profoto mount and it also needed shipping to the UK but I think it was 6 weeks. I ordered mine quite some years ago and but based on reports around the net I think service has deteriorated since then but people seem to get their stuff eventually, your 4-6 weeks may just end up being much longer than that. It is pretty much a make-to-order one-man shop. Maybe order through Amazon/Adorama or pay by paypal to be sure.

Unless he has updated it, the grid is best avoided. People we...Show more →

I see, very interesting. The grid design did sound poor even in the description posted on their site. Do you have any recommendations for other grids that fit well or are easily modified? Thanks

Dec 06, 2015 at 11:25 AM

Gregg Heckler
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Kacey 22" Beauty Dish?

He's a very small company and builds to order. If you are going to be using it with a Speedlight then it's OK. If you are going to use it with a strobe with modeling lamp get the Mola. It's worth every penny.

Dec 06, 2015 at 12:13 PM

NFlux
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Kacey 22" Beauty Dish?

I ordered a Kacey dish with the Profoto mount. The speedring it came with was a cheap knock-off, which I should have expected for the price since a real Profoto speedring costs as much as the dish. The speedring lasted a few uses before it broke. Attaching a grid was a pain in the butt. It wasn't that much lighter than a metal dish. Light was okay but lacked the je ne sais quoi of the Mola. Mola can also be tuned to your preference with various center diffuser options. Mola!

Dec 06, 2015 at 12:49 PM

AlphaPhotography
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Kacey 22" Beauty Dish?

Gregg Heckler wrote:
He's a very small company and builds to order. If you are going to be using it with a Speedlight then it's OK. If you are going to use it with a strobe with modeling lamp get the Mola. It's worth every penny.

I'd be using it mostly on location and the modeling lamp in my strobe is just a single 5w LED so I don't think it would pose a problem

Dec 06, 2015 at 01:26 PM

Mark_L
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Kacey 22" Beauty Dish?

Sonyartisan wrote:
I see, very interesting. The grid design did sound poor even in the description posted on their site. Do you have any recommendations for other grids that fit well or are easily modified? Thanks

No, I'm still looking but since I usually use it on location I'm not that bothered. I think someone contacted Honeygrids about making one since they made decently priced grids for just about every other dish but I'm not sure what the outcome was. They are probably your best bet.

The Profoto grid for their BD is lovely, just wedges neatly on sprung tabs on the inner rim - I'd love one like this.

Dec 06, 2015 at 02:47 PM

Gregg Heckler
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Kacey 22" Beauty Dish?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/133201-REG/Speedotron_14236_Beauty_Dish_Grid_Reflector.html

Here's another popular knock-off of Mola.

Dec 06, 2015 at 08:30 PM

AlphaPhotography
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Kacey 22" Beauty Dish?

Gregg Heckler wrote:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/133201-REG/Speedotron_14236_Beauty_Dish_Grid_Reflector.html

Here's another popular knock-off of Mola.

Wow, thanks for the link. I didn't know this existed. I'm on a budget, so a real Mola is out for the time being. This looks like the best alternative given the positive reviews. Does anyone think the Kacey has some advantage over the Speedotron and is worth the long wait time? What adapter do I need to use the Speedotron with my Bowens mount strobe?

Dec 06, 2015 at 09:19 PM

Gregg Heckler
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Kacey 22" Beauty Dish?

You need a Bowens Speedring.

Dec 06, 2015 at 11:13 PM

AlphaPhotography
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Kacey 22" Beauty Dish?

After reading the reviews and Q&A it sounds like there aren't any that are direct fit. Do you know of any that don't need to be modified? Thanks

Gregg Heckler wrote:
You need a Bowens Speedring.

Dec 06, 2015 at 11:43 PM

Gregg Heckler
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Kacey 22" Beauty Dish?

You would have to buy a separate Bowens type speedring for any third party modifier. That's one of the reasons it's not always that much more expensive just to buy the OEM item. The knock-off Molas just don't produce the same quality of light as Mola so I would just get yourself a regular dish. You can find them easily on eBay as well.

I would just buy one of these: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/838063-REG/Impact_bd_20_20_Beauty_Dish_Reflector.html

And one of these: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/838530-REG/Impact_bda_imp_Beauty_Dish_Adapter_For.html

Dec 07, 2015 at 04:42 PM

JBPhotog
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Kacey 22" Beauty Dish?

I have the Speedotron BD, and of course use Speedotron heads so fit is perfect. Bought the full set up BD, Grid and sock. Fantastic light but keep it close as in 2-4 feet max for the best affect as with all BD in the 22" size.

Rather than being a simple dish with a deflector in it, it has a sculpted reflector to produce nice even results and a translucent flash tube diffuser.

Dec 07, 2015 at 08:30 PM

AlphaPhotography
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Kacey 22" Beauty Dish?

Gregg Heckler wrote:
You would have to buy a separate Bowens type speedring for any third party modifier. That's one of the reasons it's not always that much more expensive just to buy the OEM item. The knock-off Molas just don't produce the same quality of light as Mola so I would just get yourself a regular dish. You can find them easily on eBay as well.

I would just buy one of these: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/838063-REG/Impact_bd_20_20_Beauty_Dish_Reflector.html

And one of these: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/838530-REG/Impact_bda_imp_Beauty_Dish_Adapter_For.html

That's a good point. The Mola is not "that" much more expensive once the adapter is taken into account. I did purchase a Calumet 28" BD about a week ago but it hasn't yet shipped. I was thinking about cancelling it after seeing the output from the Mola demi and knockoffs. It was cheap enough that I think I will just see how the quality is while I save up for a Mola Demi or maybe give the Kacey a shot if I ever hear back from the owner

Dec 07, 2015 at 10:27 PM

AlphaPhotography
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Kacey 22" Beauty Dish?

JBPhotog wrote:
I have the Speedotron BD, and of course use Speedotron heads so fit is perfect. Bought the full set up BD, Grid and sock. Fantastic light but keep it close as in 2-4 feet max for the best affect as with all BD in the 22" size.

Rather than being a simple dish with a deflector in it, it has a sculpted reflector to produce nice even results and a translucent flash tube diffuser.

Thanks for the input. I am still considering all three options but will play with a cheaper large BD for now until I decide which to get. The Setti produces some of the most beautiful light I've ever seen but that is wayyy more than I can spend for a while (and very heavy from what I understand) so a demi or demi knockoff will be the next best thing

Dec 07, 2015 at 10:29 PM

jzucker
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Kacey 22" Beauty Dish?

i have one and the grid. Never had a problem with either. I really appreciate the light weight. Very happy with mine. I've considered ordered the bigger one.

Dec 20, 2015 at 08:12 AM

Elijah
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Kacey 22" Beauty Dish?

Goodness, it's been years since I've used my 22" Kacey Beauty Dish. Here's some examples from a few years ago, with the KBD as main.
With the house reno, I barely touched any of my studio gear...

Mar 29, 2016 at 09:42 PM


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