Hard light shootout: Parabolic vs. beauty dishes for headshots

Love your insight John! I'm an avid student of your art, and love being part of your online academy (praying one day to take one of your in-person masterclasses)! Quick product question: the stand you have your camera mounted on, who's the manufacture? And what kind of mount are you using to hold your camera as you work?! Is it part of the stand?! Thanks! FrankG

Is the centre of the modifier at the same height as the “nose” from the model?

Sell a kidney and get the Broncolor Para 133. 🤣

Nice video! My take a way is that the parabolic has the edge because you can focus it. it’s all about how your light is reflected onto your subject matter!

Thanks for making this useful comparison. I mostly use the Rayo outside on location, even for full body images. Looks great from some distance, when mixed with slightly underexposed ambient - concentrated light but not as hard and obvious as the usual basic reflectors. Doesn't get toppled by wind when mounted on a stand and is manageable handheld by an assistant, on a battery strobe (our usual setup for whenever we need to walk to location away from the car or move quickly). The Setti is great but needs to be used from quite close, otherwise the result is flat. The Setti also works nicely from slightly behind the subject as it is large enough for the light to wrap and sculpt the face. Combined with a reflector or a touch of fill from camera position, a nice setup for formal team portraits that need consistent, flattering lighting for a bunch of people with different faces, hairstyles, skin types etc.

you did the boring stuff (testing) and we have to choose the modifier that’s suits us! great job. loved the video.
i’ve got a question. what do you think , would parabolix 55 ,when put close to a subject ,give as much isolation from background as parabolix 35 on 120cm? i’d like to buy one universal para to shoot full body and portraits.. do you think it is possible in some way?)

It would have been better to do this test with a mannequin so every shot is the same. Tape on the floor so the light is in the exact same spot each time

Great! Useful!

thanks

Looks like the Rayo was silver correct?

thank you for revealing these subtile differences

I have always wanted to try a parabolic modifier but don't really have the ceiling height to put them to best use. I do love a good beauty dish though.... not one of those so called fold up ones.

Not sure if you said so in the video and I missed it, but did you use all of the modifiers with nothing in front (sock, grid)? I wonder what these would have looked like with the grid. Did you not test with the grid because the light would have been too contrasty and harsh? 
I think at diameter distance the Setti was my favorite performer. At the 4ft distance I really like the contrast and drama coming from the Rayo. I remember watching another video from you where you borrowed your friends Demi and in that video you seemed to be more impressed with the Demi than the Rayo, but since I already own a Setti I think it would make more sense to go with a Rayo since the difference between that and the Setti is more distinct and the Demi never came out on top at least in my opinion, during your testing here.

Hey John, did you hear about Godox make realistic para's with 24 rods? Do you think it will eat at the Parabolix market?

Great breakdown. Your workshops seem like they would teach the most since it covers so much and reduce the learning time of understanding light quality and how modifiers create different looks depending on size, and distance.

John very informative video, also whats that camera/laptop stand setup you using?

Hey @JohnGress in the future make sure the pose is identical in seating direction and chin and nose direction and when posting comparisons.

Cool video. Nice to see that what we consider to look good/flat/3d/contrasty and so on really is personal. I picked other shots than you did almost every time. All shots looked good.

John, another great and informative video. Repeatable, documented --> perfect for those of us curious about new (expensive) gear.

Like you, I am a Mola fan and have the Rayo 16" silver, Demi white and Setti white. I also have the Elinchrom 100 cm deep octa. I know the Rayo puts out its own really special light - just as you demonstrated in your clip. But I'm curious whether you've decided if the 35D replaces any of those other modifiers. My personal belief is that it is covered well enough by the the others listed (and tested) -- unless one wants to dump their gear (I don't unless it is THAT much better). I've been toying with the idea of getting a 40, 45 or 55 (eg Broncolor 133) instead of a Litemotiv or 5' octa (use it in the softbox configuration) and am driving down to LA tomorrow to meet David in his studio and play with the various sizes.

P.S. I think your initial test on the Setti was incorrect. I think the results you got with this video were closer to what that dish provides. And I think it edges out the 35D in spot. Personal preference, I know. And I'm watching your video on an 11" screen. :)

Anyway, keep up the good work! I miss the Windy City...and Portillo's...and Big Al's..and, well, you know...

The Setti has no match. Just the perfect BD as long as it is used as intended not far. The poses changing are not very good for a comparison like this unfortunately