Ranking of the best beauty dishes for 2022

The quality of the photograph depends on the correct exposure to light. This indicator is more important than ever when it comes to portrait, advertising or fashion photography.

What is and why is it needed

A beauty dish or a beauty dish is a light-shaping nozzle (soft reflector), which looks like a large shallow bowl with an additional deflector in the center.This deflector evenly distributes the rays from the source (flash), allows you to achieve directional soft light, without unnecessary contrast.

When used together with diffusers or honeycomb-shaped nozzles, you can adjust the direction of light, make shadows in a photo blurry, or, conversely, emphasize relief.

It is used, as the name implies, in portrait photography - beautiful highlights and "transparency" of the eyes of models, its merit. And also for architectural, sports, jewelry shooting, creative make-up. The plate is often used for creative photography - a different combination of diffusers can give an unusual light pattern.

It is worth considering that such nozzles “know how” to highlight well, emphasize skin imperfections - from uneven texture to wrinkles. Therefore, when preparing for shooting on a make-up artist, you should not save money - stains from unshaded shadows, crumbling mascara will be clearly visible.

The effect of using the nozzle is highly dependent on the background, if it is colored. If you set the lighting angle incorrectly, the model's face will get a greenish, pinkish tint that exactly matches the background color. Therefore, the minimum distance from the background to the model should be at least 3 meters (at least this is what professionals advise).

What are

Soft reflectors are metal with a white smooth or silver rough inner surface. The first give a softer, the second - a more contrasting, hard light. There are also folding plates that look like an ordinary umbrella. Consist of a fabric body, knitting needles. Such nozzles are more convenient to take with you on location shooting - they are compact, take up little space and weigh almost nothing.For comparison, a standard metal one, together with a flash, will pull 1.25 kg.

Of the additional accessories, diffusers and honeycomb nozzles are also used. For metal plates, they are plastic, attached to the body with special "ears", for folding ones - fabric, fixed on the base with Velcro. Diffusers make them fabrics, no matter what beauty dish they are intended for.
As for the diameters, they differ slightly for metal and folding nozzles. First sizes:

• 40-41 cm - for amateur and studio shooting in small rooms (approximately 3x2 m2);
• standard, with a diameter of 55-56 cm - for studios with an area of ​​​​15 m2;
• plates with a diameter of 68-70 cm can be used for large studios.

The largest metal nozzles of 85 cm are used together with a powerful pulsed light source when you need to highlight a large area of ​​the scene, for example. Folding can be 60, 100, and even 120 cm in size.

Top Brands

Let's make a reservation right away, the top best brands are compiled on the basis of "what you can buy in the Russian Federation without problems", although, in general, the companies below produce quite high-quality goods. Which are suitable for both professional photo studios and beginners.

Godox

The Chinese company, founded in 1993, as a high-tech manufacturing enterprise produces lighting equipment that is widely used in photography, cinematography.
The brand itself develops solutions and implements them. Today, Godox consists of 4 factories with their own electronics assembly centers, plastic injection molding and sewing of fabric accessories.

Falcon Eyes

Another Chinese company with offices in 37 countries, including Russia.Produces high-quality, but at the same time affordable equipment for photo studios. From lighting fixtures, to light shaping attachments, tripods, stands, product tables and photo boxes.

All products are certified, comply with CE and RoHS standards, and are sold all over the world, including Europe and the United States. The mission of the brand is to develop equipment that inspires amateurs and meets the needs of professionals.

Raylab

Russian company producing lighting, accessories for professional and amateur photography. Prices are moderate, quality is good. The brand's products are sold on all marketplaces, in large electronics and household appliances retailers.

Hensel

German company founded in 1963. It specializes mainly in the production of professional lighting equipment - flashes, including those for dynamic shooting, compact generators for them, diffusers. In Russia, Hensel products can be purchased at the information stores of official dealers (the full list of stores is available at http://hensel-studio.ru/). Prices for plates, however, are impressive. A BEAUTY DISH KIT with a bag, filter holders and honeycombs will cost almost 88,000 rubles. Folding option - 55,000 rubles.
In addition, the websites of dealers indicate that “the price is a reference, it can change at any time”, therefore, before “putting the goods into the basket”, it is better to call the manager after all.

FotoStudioTechnology

A Russian photo studio with its own production, producing photo products, from flashes to light-forming attachments under the FST or FST brand. The country of production is not specified, all products can be bought on marketplaces, on the website of FotoStudioTechnology itself or in specialized IMs.

VISICO

Trademark owned by China Vistarfoto Co. Ltd, a company founded in 2005. The assortment includes flashes, from amateur to high-speed ones, multi-channel flash lamps with remote control, studio monoblocks, folding beauty dishes, octoboxes, accessories for them.

Profoto

Trade brand of the Swedish company The Light Shaping Company (in literal translation - a company that gives shape to light), founded in 1968 in Stockholm. The product line includes studio, battery generators, monoblocks, constant, daylight lamps with radio controllers and, of course, light-shaping nozzles.

How to choose

When choosing, pay attention to:

• mount type (flash mount) - they differ, there are universal ones, suitable for equipment of almost any brand, and it happens that the mount is compatible only with a certain model (often for professional expensive brands);
• diameter - 55 cm is considered universal, such plates are suitable for professional use in the studio, and for amateur photography, they can be taken with you to an outdoor photo session;
• reviews, reviews - it is better to look for them with photo comparisons, in such articles the authors-photographers share not only their opinion on the use, but give a lot of practical advice on how best to set the light, at what distance from the model it is better to place the beauty dish and at what angle;
• warranty period - for accessories it is usually small, no more than a year, when ordering through IM, pay attention to how long the seller gives to detect defects (for Hensel, for example, 14 days from the date of receipt of the order);
• a way to install the knitting needles if you need a prefabricated option - for example, OCF systems have a patented fastening system in which you can put all the knitting needles halfway first, and only then quickly walk in a circle and reach them to the end.

And, of course, the package. If you come across an option with a diffuser, honeycombs - excellent. Simply because it will be more expensive to buy everything separately.

Is it possible to do it yourself

You can - there are a lot of master classes on the network. Craftsmen make diffusers from plastic bowls, old DVDs and double-sided tape. There are master classes on how to build a beauty dish from a pair of polystyrene plates, foil, toothpicks.

If you are just starting to photograph, then you can try to get confused. Well, in order to understand for yourself the approximate principle of work, see how the pictures “with” and “without” additional attachments differ. Such beauty dishes look, of course, comical and do not give glare, but it is quite possible to get a light spot, soften the shadow, without increasing the contrast.

Where is the best place to buy

If you take expensive equipment in IM, do not be lazy, find the official website of the company and see if the brand really supplies products to the Russian Federation. Usually on such sites there are also contacts of dealers, with physical, electronic, addresses of online stores. Products for photography of Chinese brands can be easily taken on marketplaces, you just need to find the same product in advance and compare prices. The difference is small, but you can save a couple of thousand.

Ranking of the best beauty dishes for 2022

metal

Falcon Eyes SR-41T

41 cm in diameter, with a pebbled silver inner surface and a removable small deflector. Gives a beautiful, even light, without excessive contrast, rigidity.It can be used for shooting in any genre - from portrait to architectural. Supplied complete with a diffuser, honeycombs will have to be purchased separately.

Price - 4000 rubles, Bowens mount.

• price;
• good quality;
• suitable for beginners - it copes with the tasks, the price is acceptable.

• the internal deflector can periodically “fly off”, if you are not lucky, you can run into a marriage.

Godox BDR-W550

Standard size, white reflective, Bowens mount. Mainly used for portrait and fashion photography. Gives a neutral light, makes the shadow less contrasting, slightly blurry. Forms a beautiful round highlight in the eyes of models. In the kit - the plate itself, a fabric nozzle-diffuser.

Price - 4750 rubles.

• good option for your money;
• no complaints about the quality - no backlash, the deflector does not fall off;
• universal bayonet.

• no, except perhaps a considerable weight - the rack must be taken strong.

Hensel 22″ ACW Beauty Dish EH

Compatible with Contra/Expert bayonet of the same brand with a diameter of 56 cm. Lightweight, weighs only 400 g, with a matte white inner coating. Supplied without accessories, for a honeycomb grille, an adapter for a deflector will have to pay extra 22,000 and almost 7,000, respectively.

Price - 3000 rubles.

• German quality;
• wide angle of direction;
• light weight.

• price.

VISICO RF-550

Cap with a silver textured reflective surface, with a Bowens mount, compatible with most flashes. With a deflector, a honeycomb nozzle and a Russian-language instruction included. Heat-resistant, with a directivity of 35 degrees, durable and compact.

As for complete accessories, it is better to check with the seller, on the same Yandex Market about honeycombs - not a word. It is also interesting that the price is the same in IM and on marketplaces.

The cost is 7800 rubles.

• price-quality - if indeed an additional diffuser is included in the kit;
• good assembly - the plastic does not crack, there are no backlashes, the deflector does not fall out;
• You can buy without problems - when checking several IMs, it turned out that VISICO is available in each.

• no.

FST BDH-70

Can be used for product photography, food photography, jewelry, and of course portraits. It will come in handy for both professionals and novice photographers, since the price is democratic. Bowens bayonet, adjustable reflector. Includes diffuser and grille.

Price - 13350 rubles.

• good quality;
• basic nozzles included;
• Adjustable reflector gives you more options.

• no.

folding

Profoto OCF Beauty Dishes

Compact, easy-to-assemble model, design patent pending. Designed specifically for location shooting. Compatible with Profoto off-camera flashes, cannot be used with standard monolights. Supplied complete with deflector and branded carrying bag. The OCF Speedring adapter ring for mounting a dish on an external flash is sold separately and costs 17,000 rubles.

Price - 35,000 rubles from official dealers and half as much on the marketplace (the reason is not very clear, it is better to check with the seller)

• durable fabric;
• interesting design;
• good effect - despite the price, it remains a favorite of professional photographers.

• no, except that the adapter sold separately, albeit convenient.

VISICO FB-160

From heat-resistant fabric, with a universal bayonet and a complete deflector, with a diameter of 120 cm. For assembly, you will need as many as 16 knitting needles. Despite its decent size, the folded nozzle is compact and takes up minimal space. Comes with a storage bag that looks a lot like an umbrella case.

Price - 10700 rubles.

• heat-resistant fabric;
• good quality;
• universal complete adapter;
• convenient assembly system.

• no.

Falcon Eyes SoftLight Octa 100

With an internal silver layer, the almost universal Bowens adapter can be used with pulsed, LED light sources up to 300W. Of the features:

• rotation by 360 degrees, with fixing the selected position with a special screw;
• convenient mechanism - when laying out, the spokes are automatically fixed, and in order to roll the plate, just release the stopper;
• velcro around the entire circumference for installing additional accessories;
• you can buy adapters for any flash.

Supplied complete with fabric diffuser, honeycombs with 4x4 mm cells, carrying bag.

Price - 10325 rubles.

• Ease of use;
• can be adapted to the light source of any brand;
• minimum set of nozzles included.

• no.

Hensel SOFTDISH 80

A folding version of the classic beauty dish with a complete adapter is almost ideal for location shooting. White interior, additional adjustable translucent glass baffle and easy softbox-like assembly. Plus stylish design, convenient carrying bag with company logo.

Price - 54770 rubles (price in the information of official dealers).

• smooth white inner surface;
• ease of layout;
• compactness;
• uniform light.

• price not included.

As a result

The beauty dish expands the possibilities of portrait shooting, but keep in mind that this is still professional equipment. The prices for them are also appropriate (copies of 1500, which are more reminiscent of homemade products, should not be considered - there will be almost no difference in the finished photo), so for starters it is worth taking inexpensive models, better with complete honeycombs, diffusers.