Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

Hi PCB:

I'm considering the PCB white beauty dish for portraits. If if want to use both the sock and a grid, which gets attached first?

Thank you.

A grid reduces spread, while a sock spreads light. If you place a grid on the dish, then the light is narrowed. If you then place a sock over it, it is then spread again. If you put the grid over the sock, the grid narrows down what comes from the sock.

Note: the two were not intended to be used together, however it can be done. But, you will trapping diffusion material between the grid and dish. This will likely cause the sock to wear faster. Also, it will be a tight fit.

Thank you TS.

If I put the grid over the sock and the grid narrows down what comes from the sock would this result in softer light? I'm looking to achieve a narrower beam spread but keep the light softer for portrait photos.

Thanks again.

Diffusion over white would change it subtly to softer. Diffusion over silver would soften the contrast significantly. In either case, the shadow transitions will not be terribly soft, as the beauty dish is a small source. Rather, the highlights will be what is softened.