Well, I finally decided on a Profoto AcuteB 600r... The red button has been pushed

Thanks everybody for helping me out on this one (you know who you are)

I have some questions left on modifiers I hope someone can answer for me...

About a 3x4" (90x120) softbox... there is the Profoto that costs 476 euros and the Chimera that costs 235,00 euros. Do I need an adapter speedring to mount the Chimera softbox on a Profoto head? Besides price and size, what is the difference between the Profoto and Chimera softboxes?

About the Profoto Softlite White (beauty dish)... The grids provided by Profoto are very expensive. Are there grids from other (cheaper) manufacturers that would fit the Profoto BD?

Thanks

The profoto bd is pretty great, i love mine. The grid for it fits inside the dish, so i suspect you will have to spring for the actual profoto grid, which i also own and is solid quality.

As far as boxes. You will need a profoto speedring for whatever mods you get. Chimera assuredly seels profoto speedrings for its gear. The chimera and profoto boxes are both top quality pieces of equipment, and I suspect you will be quite happy with either one.

Justin, I was under the impression that there were other compatible (and cheaper) grids for the Profoto BD... Maybe I got the wrong impression. Over here the grid is as expensive as the actual BD itself

BTW Do you use the frosted glass cover for the BD?

I don't use the frosted glass cover, i would think it reduces the "beauty dish" effect. Its incredible how much profoto jacked up the grid price, when i bought my dish/grid the dish was under 300 and the grid was under 200, and that was last year!

Don't get me wrong here, but why would the glass cover reduce the "beauty dish" effect... I mean, what is the actual effect that will be reduced?

About the prices... We are talking about the Profoto 25 degree honeycomb grid here, right? Over here, the BD costs 296,00 euros and the grid 265,00 euros

I was talking in USD, I would think that profoto gear would be cheaper over there, you are right near the source!

The frosted glass allows some light through the center, whereas the normal cover allows none through, this means that you get no direct light, whereas with the frosted glass you get some.

Justin Berman wrote:
I was talking in USD, I would think that profoto gear would be cheaper over there, you are right near the source!

The frosted glass allows some light through the center, whereas the normal cover allows none through, this means that you get no direct light, whereas with the frosted glass you get some.

I think Profoto is more popular in the US than over here... There are only a few selected stores that sell it. Most of Profoto gear over here is meant for rental.

I understand what you are saying about the glass cover. I was thinking it would give a "clean" catchlight in the eyes with the glass cover in place, but I wouldn't want to reduce the indirect lighting by doing so... When using a grid none of that matters anyway

Daan B wrote:
Well, I finally decided on a Profoto AcuteB 600r...
Congrats.

Besides price and size, what is the difference between the Profoto and Chimera softboxes?
Both are top drawer. Nothing wrong with the PF, but main difference is that Chimera is a prime manufacturer of soft goods, specializing strictly in softboxes. The additional speed ring will put you nearer the PF price, but it still could easily be argued that the Chimera is a better box for less. Both use the same Lighttools fabric grids as I recall.

BTW, Rotaluxes with a PF adaptor are another great option for a light, quick and easy set up box on a portable pack. Looks the new ones will accept grids too.

Are there grids from other (cheaper) manufacturers that would fit the Profoto BD?

I think there was a thread on this a while back where some were using Speedo grids. Could be wrong on that.

The grids provided by Profoto are very expensive.
Welcome to the Club.

Good luck and have fun.

Thanks Carmen...

I will look into the speedo grids and the Rotalux softboxes. What Rotalux would you recommend for on the road? I know the Deep Octa folds up pretty quickly...

Daan B wrote:
Thanks Carmen...

I will look into the speedo grids and the Rotalux softboxes. What Rotalux would you recommend for on the road? I know the Deep Octa folds up pretty quickly...

Yeah, try a search on the grids. BD's are favorite topic around here.

It's whatever you need in a box, depends on your style and coverage requirements. I'm a huge fan of the DO, it's just so much different than anything else. But if you need greater coverage the 39" Octa or Square is probably better for general location work. I'm pretty stoked about the new Rectas though. Believe it or not, the Rectas and Squares actually fold up even easier than the DO; fewer rods.

Good luck.

Daan B wrote:
Don't get me wrong here, but why would the glass cover reduce the "beauty dish" effect... I mean, what is the actual effect that will be reduced?

About the prices... We are talking about the Profoto 25 degree honeycomb grid here, right? Over here, the BD costs 296,00 euros and the grid 265,00 euros

there are several beauty dishes that don't come any other way except with a plate or mesh screen that allows light through....the mola dishes for example do...and i also believe that the speedo dish comes with a translucent center as well..

bka20d wrote:
Daan B wrote:
Don't get me wrong here, but why would the glass cover reduce the "beauty dish" effect... I mean, what is the actual effect that will be reduced?

About the prices... We are talking about the Profoto 25 degree honeycomb grid here, right? Over here, the BD costs 296,00 euros and the grid 265,00 euros

there are several beauty dishes that don't come any other way except with a plate or mesh screen that allows light through....the mola dishes for example do...and i also believe that the speedo dish comes with a translucent center as well..

Thanks for the tip

I did some searching, but Mola and Speedotron aren't sold here in the Netherlands... So I would have to import that from the US (or maybe some other EU country like Germany). I doubt with the extra cost involved it will be cheaper than the Profoto BD (with glass cover and grid)...

Some people here on FM claim that the Mola dishes are better than the Profoto ones... At least IIRC I wonder what it is that makes the Mola's better?

I use the Mola Demi instead of the Profoto dish, and mine does indeed have the frosted glass center deflector. I think that, due to some combination of the scalloped parabolic shape and/or a difference in interior finish the Molas have a warmer, smoother, crisper light than the Profoto beauty dish. I also found the Profoto's deflector posts to be really, really fragile - on every rental model I used it would be flopping all over the place. They're also larger and heavier, so factor that into your considerations. Personally, I would choose the Mola over others in a heartbeat.

Also, no reason to buy Profoto's softboxes or umbrellas. While they're excellent in construction and quality, the prices charged for them are absolutely ridiculous - I was in B&H the other day and their 5' white umbrella was over $200. A 6' white Photoflex is something like $50-60.

You can't go wrong with Chimera's softboxes, and the Chimera quick-release speedrings are fantastic and readily-available for Profoto mounts.

elinchrom maybe?

I notice alot of rental houses primarily rent Profoto harware, but also Elinchrom modifiers and adapters to be used with profoto.

I really would like to compare the Mola BD to the Profoto... but unfortunately I can't get my hands on the Mola. So, I guess it is going to be the Profoto (possibly with Profoto grid and glass cover). I know there are big... I checked them out at Calumet. The Mola Demi is smaller? Damn, why doesn't anybody sell these Mola reflectors over here

Any thoughts on getting a white or silver (Profoto) BD?

BTW Shatterkiss, what do you mean by "deflector posts"... what are these and what makes them fragile?

Daan B wrote:
Any thoughts on getting a white or silver (Profoto) BD?

Their silver is a highly polished reflector. Very stark if you like that sort of thing or if you always use a grid. Otherwise the white is probably a much better all around choice. White is always a safe bet in a BD.

Good luck.

Daan B wrote:
I really would like to compare the Mola BD to the Profoto... but unfortunately I can't get my hands on the Mola. So, I guess it is going to be the Profoto (possibly with Profoto grid and glass cover). I know there are big... I checked them out at Calumet. The Mola Demi is smaller? Damn, why doesn't anybody sell these Mola reflectors over here

Any thoughts on getting a white or silver (Profoto) BD?

BTW Shatterkiss, what do you mean by "deflector posts"... what are these and what makes them fragile?

daan,
the profoto dish is smaller than the mola..it is 20.5 " in diameter and not as deep...the mola demi is 22" and is deeper than the profoto..i have both..the profoto(white), with the glass insert, and the grid and the mola demi for which i have a speedo grid...if size is a concern the profoto is a more compact solution...like simon, i prefer the mola, but when i shoot outdoors and need a bd, 9 times out of 10, the smaller profoto gets taken.

Daan B wrote:
The Mola Demi is smaller?

No, it's larger. The Demi is 22" diameter, the Profoto is 20.5". It might not sound like much, but it makes a difference - a big part of any given beauty dish's look is based on its size. The Demi is also deeper, based on my subjective impressions.

Any thoughts on getting a white or silver (Profoto) BD?

I like white, other people like silver. It really depends on what look you want to achieve with it and what your lighting style is. The silver is very crisp, whereas I like my light a little softer and more "buttery" or "creamy". The times when I might prefer a silver beauty dish I end up using a silver umbrella instead (and yes, I know they aren't really the same thing at all).

BTW Shatterkiss, what do you mean by "deflector posts"... what are these and what makes them fragile?

They're the little posts that hold the center deflector plate or pan in front of the strobe face. They need to be small enough to not block any significant amount of light, which also makes them pretty fragile. I've found that the Profoto ones get loose and have a little "play" in them, making the deflector a little wobbly. My feeling is that Mola's dishes are just more sturdy in general.

Thanks for the info guys... Maybe I will end up with both a Profoto and Mola BD in the future... For now it is going to be the Profoto White BD. And indeed, size is a concern when on the move... so the Profoto being smaller is certainly an advantage

I have the Profoto Acute2 gear but all of my softboxes and umbrellas are Photoflex. They are very well priced at least here and have held up well with years of use.

I do believe the people who tout Mola superiority, but I settled on the Profoto (white) BD for its factory-installed mount. The opal glass diffuser is a must IMO: donut catchlights are nicely suppressed with no other side-effect. As for price, well, think of it as a family welcome, Profoto style. The bloodletting has just begun...

I stand corrected about the opal centers. I will give it some more thought! Also, wow the demi is cheap!

Can anyone comment on whether anything special aside from a profoto speeding is necessary to mount the mola?

Good lord the grids for the mola are expensive! It seems light tools are the only ones who make a grid for it, and they go from 300 to over 425, that hurts!

Justin Berman wrote:
I stand corrected about the opal centers. I will give it some more thought! Also, wow the demi is cheap!

Can anyone comment on whether anything special aside from a profoto speeding is necessary to mount the mola?

Good lord the grids for the mola are expensive! It seems light tools are the only ones who make a grid for it, and they go from 300 to over 425, that hurts!

yes the cloth grids are pricey...an alternative would be the speedo honeycomb grid which fits the demi perfectly, is 35 degrees and retails for somewhere around $150.

Justin Berman wrote:

Can anyone comment on whether anything special aside from a profoto speeding is necessary to mount the mola?



No nothing special. I've only used the 43.5" Mantti (both Profoto and DynaLite), but the all shoud be the same. Here's the mounting instructions from Mola. http://www.mola-light.com/html/downloads/New%20Clip%20Assembly%20w%20_P.A.D..pdf

BTW Mola also has silver available, for thous that like crisper light. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?ci=0&shs=mola+silver&sb=ps&pn=1&sq=desc&InitialSearch=yes&O=jsp%2FRootPage.jsp&A=search&Q=*&bhs=t

profoto.de is a distributor for Mola. Since Germany is next to Netherlands, that might make it easier for you.