Are Grids Absolutely necessary for Beauty Dishes?

I read here:

http://www.stepheneast​wood.com …/Tutorials_beau​tydish.htm

that it is pointless to use a beauty dish without a grid because then your light will apparently look the same as an umbrella.

Is this true?

I plan on using a 22" BD as the only light (+ reflectors) primarily for butterfly headshots and upper body shots.

Am I correct in assuming that a grid only reduces spillage of light from the sides of the BD? Does it in anyway increase the feathering or light drop-off on the models' cheeks?

It's not worthless because there will be times when you want to use it without a grid. Having said that, I would not spend money on a beauty dish that did not have a grid available because I really like having so much control.

It is mainly to control spill and it will not affect fall off within the beam but it could have some small impact on the feathering depending on the style of dish.

No, they're not absolutely necessary.

Jamesino wrote in post #11999062
I read here:

http://www.stepheneast​wood.com …/Tutorials_beau​tydish.htm

that it is pointless to use a beauty dish without a grid because then your light will apparently look the same as an umbrella.

Is this true?

This depends on the shape and colour of the dish and umbrella. If the shape and colour are the same, then yes, they will look the same.

No, you're not. A grid will change other things than just spill.

Yes. It changes the light - the light is more directional (only coming in from one direction, as restricted by the grid), so it will look different.

I suspect that all the great shots made in hollywood in the 30's and 40's using reflectors that have become known as Beauty Dishes were make without grids.
A grid just narrows the light beam and helps control fall off. If there are distracting background elements near the subject a grid will help minimize them. A post processing vignette accomplishes about the same thing but much less elegantly.

So would I still be able to achieve a nice, butterfly lighting portrait with a non-gridded BD and reflector?

Yes,
Easy on the reflector is you want the Hollywood look from the 30s

dmward wrote in post #11999121
A grid just narrows the light beam and helps control fall off

A grid will do more than that. There will be other visible differences, some subtle... but they will be there.

A grid also decreases the apparent size of the light source so that the lighting becomes harsher with the grid on than without it.

Does anyone know where I can find a grid that would fit a 22" Kacey BD? I know Kacey makes one, but $115 is a little too much for me at the moment.

Jamesino wrote in post #11999928
Does anyone know where I can find a grid that would fit a 22" Kacey BD? I know Kacey makes one, but $115 is a little too much for me at the moment.

It may be dear but is very well made

The alien bee 22 inch grids are cheaper but I dont know if they would fit the Kacey BD

Jamesino wrote in post #11999180
So would I still be able to achieve a nice, butterfly lighting portrait with a non-gridded BD and reflector?

How would you use reflector with gridded beauty dish? Where the light falling on the reflector is going to come? Assuming only using one light with the beauty dish on it.

I ordered some parts to make kacey dish work with my ABs. Should have ordered the grid along with it.

Rudi, "just" was careless. That's what the grid does physically to the light. Doing that does mean the light will interact differently with the subject creating different transitions etc.

Good grief NO, a beauty dish on it's own is a wonderful tool, I have a 22" Mola that I use a Speedotron grid which cost me close to $200 from my local store and I use the grid occasionally but the beauty dish by itself is such a wonderful tool.

I use the Grid occasionally but I use both my 22" and 33.5" beauty dishes all the time. I do not think that they look at all like what I get from an umbrella. I do dearly love to feather a BD way over to the edge and don't have a grid for the larger BD and have yet to feel like I need one.

It's a style thing, grids are neat but not the only answer, if you can get one, it extends the use of your dish making it more versatile. If I start carrying my 22" out on location then I'll get the Kacey grid because it's a lot lighter and thinner than mine and will fit into my Kacey case.

I also have the white cloth diffusion socks for both of my beauty dish's because they came with them, that does give a BD the effect of being more like a small umbrella, but I have only used them a couple of times. All of these options change the light from a little to a lot. I also have one of my Elinchrom strobes fitted with an Elinchrom satin white glass dome which diffuses the light before it hits the beauty dish or goes through the central white opal disc. This gives me a nicer look when doing extreme feathering. The combination of all of these things simply give me options but the basic dish is the main thing for me. Some like to use grids all the time, it goes with what they want to do. It's the second option I would go for with the satin white diffusion dome being the first, but that's just me and what I've found by experimenting and getting all of this stuff and sorting it out as I go.

Grids arent absolutely necessary, its just like any other modifier that has the option to use grids.