sskoutas wrote: I\'m starting to give some consideration to my next modifier purchase. I currently use umbrellas, soft boxes, and grids for the most part. I\'d like to get a \"fashion\" modifier, and I\'m therefore leaning toward a ring flash or a beauty dish. ...If I understand their primary uses correctly, both are typically used very near the lens (the ring flash is obviously surrounding the lens, and the beauty dishes seem to be used frequently in line with the lens, perhaps just above camera for a wash of light and limited shadow. ...Assuming I\'m right, they seem like similar tools. Is there any great advantage of one over the other? Are the results similar (with the exception of the catch light)? And if you could only have one, which would you select?
I wish Shatterkiss were still a member here; he could give you an excellent tutorial on the similarities, differences, and advantages/disadvantages of each of them.
Briefly, though, a ring flash gives a near-shadowless light to the subject. A beauty dish can be moved around the subject to cast its light from different angles, and so can create modeling shadows.
A beauty dish works a lot like a soft box, but of course is round and rigid. Another difference is that the beauty dish has an opaque disk in the center than can be used, for exampe, to keep from overexposing the forehead (which may be closest to the dish) while giving proper exposure to the rest of the face. While the ring flash is obviously used very close to the lens, I think it\'s more accurate to say a beauty dish is often used very close to the subject (but not exclusively so).
If I could only have one of the two, I\'d probably go with the ring flash because it can be taken off the lens and used like a beauty dish, but a beauty dish can\'t be used as a ring flash. (In truth, though, I have a beauty dish now, but don\'t yet have a ring flash; that will change this year.)
Jan 30, 2012 at 09:33 PM
Previous versions of BrianO's message #10295949 « Ring Flash vs. Beauty Dish »
