Beauty dish?????

[SethAlbritton]

What do you guys think about these. Why would I even use one. Essentially I asking why would I need one of these. If you guys have one, what do you use it for. Thanks in advance.

 

[Big Mike]

They give a certain 'feel' to the quality of the light. The shadow edge, the catch lights etc. Some like it, some don't.

 

[eric-holmes]

There are several DIYs floating around. I plan to do one.

 

[Derrel]

Beauty dishes are really gaining in popularity due to the DIY craze, as well as the flood of cheap Chinese-made beauty dishes that are priced at only $59, to $89 with a honeycomb grid and diffuser sock. The beauty dish has a number of things going for it; an odd combination of diffused light due to the shroud, and 'some' hardness to the light, especially at longer distances, since the light is only typically 20 or 22 inches in diameter.

Beauty dishes are also low-profile, not deep, like a traditional softbox, or as long as an umbrella with shaft, so they can be used in garage studio type settings where the ceiling are not very high, and still provide a high, overhead main light or accent light. They often come with a white nylon-faced drawstring diffuser, usually called a diffuser sock. Honeycomb grids of usually 20 or 35 degrees are also available, which further allows you to restrict the light, for more control. Also, the 20 and 22-inch models will usually accept 2-door barndoors AND snap-on diffusers (Speedotron make superb snap-on mylar diffusers and decent barn door sets), so there are honeycomb grids, diffusers, and barn doors available from Speedotron,and other makers, that will also fit on the Chinese-made standard-sized dishes. Due to the design, a beauty dish is actually pretty easily modified or subtly changed, with the diffuser sock, or the grid, or the barn doors, or combinations thereof, being able to be fitted to the light in just seconds.

 

[SethAlbritton]

Solid replies. Thanks for the knowledge.

Do either of you use them regularly? or is it more of an effect you use sparingly?

 

[Derrel]

I bought my first one in the summer of 2008, and have barely used it...I bought an inexpensive eBay model for my JTL monolight, which I do not use very much. It has only been within the past six months that the same models/price ranges of Chinese-made beauty dishes have become available in Speedotron universal mount. I think if mine was in Speedo mount, I would have much more of a use for it, but when I bought it I wanted something low-priced, to see if I'd like it enough to spend $250-$300 on a better made one for my "real flash" system...

One thing about a beauty dish is that it is rather heavy, and on cheesy, cheap monolights like JTL, the locking mechanism + the heavy weight of the monolight puts a fair amount of downward pressure on the locking system. Also, the shroud that reflects the flashtube's light is close to the tube and modeling lamp, and consequently ALL the heat created stays very,very,very close to the mounting ring and the back half of the dish on a cheap flash like a JTL monolight, that has no cooling fan, gets hotter than Hades.

I see a lot of work done with beauty dishes...if I shot that kind of stuff, I'd probably use one a reasonable amount.

 

[eric-holmes]

I really like this DIY but their monting bracket is really expensive. Does anyone have any alternative mounting bracket options?

http://ishootshows.com/2010/02/09/music-photographers-diy-beauty-dish/

 

[Village Idiot]

The one I bought:
Kacey Enterprises Kacey Beauty Reflector & Bracket Accessories