Beauty Dish Users (with speed lights!) Lencarta/Bessel?

Sir SR

Sir SR

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Shaheed
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Hi there

Looking to get a beauty dish to use with my strobes. Looking at what's out there, I'll get an S-fit converter. Now the reason for my question - narrowed it down to the lencarta and bessel ones. I was just wondering if anybody had any real world experience of using an sb900 in any of the above beauty dishes?

Realistically it'll probably have to be the 48cm bessel or the 40cm lencarta (not sure the sb900 will work adequately with the 70cm and its quite big - be interested if anybody has used it with an sb900 though!)

The bessel looks useable, includes a grid and a diffuser for added versatility.
The Lencarta one although a little smaller and more expensive seem to produce a different quality of light (white vs silver dish).

Or am I over complicating it and should JFDI and get one or t'other!?

Be grateful for any real world users of the above (or alternatives)!

Ta

Shaheed
 
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This won't help you much but...
Speedlights can be used with beauty dishes, in the sense that they will fit. But it will be difficult to get similar results to a studio flash, and basically there are 2 reasons for this.
1. There is no modelling lamp, the position of the beauty dish is absolutely critical and there will be a lot of trial and error without a modelling lamp.
2. Getting the position of the hotshoe flash right is critical too, and again will involve a lot of trial and error. Basically you'll need to take shots of it lighting a white wall, and keep adjusting the position until it's right, before you can start.
 
Thank you Garry!

I figured there'd be a reasonable amount of trial and error.

Useful lencarta video on beauty dishes on you tube!

I will eventually get some studio lights but for now will use my 4 speed lights - why I want to get one with an s-fit adaptor.

So I guess it boils down to a straight choice between the bessel and the lencarta.

Thought there'd be more people using speed lights with beauty dishes? I know somebody who uses the Damian big dog octa/beauty dish but that's just silly money.

Ta

S
 
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Sir SR said:
Thank you Garry!

I figured there'd be a reasonable amount of trial and error.

Useful lencarta video on beauty dishes on you tube!

I will eventually get some studio lights but for now will use my 4 speed lights - why I want to get one with an s-fit adaptor.

So I guess it boils down to a straight choice between the bessel and the lencarta.

Thought there'd be more people using speed lights with beauty dishes? I know somebody who uses the Damian big dog octa/beauty dish but that's just silly money.

Ta

S
Click to expand...
And it isn't a beauty dish:'(
TBH, for what it costs, why not just get a studio flash head make it easy for yourself? £110 for the SmartFlash, and having it will avoid the cost of the adapter and free up a very expensive speed light
 
To be honest I've been toying with this idea. At the moment I've been using the cls as triggers which is why I've been holding back integrating flash heads as I'd need to get more triggers (cost). How are the lencarta heads triggered?.
 
Cheers.

Can you get additional receivers with that set? I quite like using the coloured rosco gels on my speed lights so would like to integrate those. Presumably the triggers are manual at that price!

Ta

S
 
they are manual and there are other auctions with more receivers or you can buy them on their own. Very popular and regularly pop up in the classifieds on here.

you'd only need manual triggers with the smartflash anyway :) (plus manual use of lights helps you understand things a little better)
 
I get the whole manual thing but my wallet is scared that my head will say light meter!!
 
I've tried it. And I'm planning on using it again on Friday at a wedding (I know - living dangerously).

I like the look and I think it'll work for Friday's couple as their outfits have a bit of a 50's vibe.
 
It's the Bessel silver one, bought before I'd read up too much, I may paint the interior if I feel the need in future.
 
Thank you for all the helpful advice!

Phil, I think I may get that one - do you have a link to the pics you got with the sb900, if that's not too cheeky?!

Ta

S
 
I think the only one online is....
558705_10150823609210767_869617629_n.jpg

There's no retouching on that, my son just nicked it for FB
 
Thanks for that. Much appreciated!


Back to my night shift then. Probably will order it tomorrow!

Ta

S
 
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