Mention beauty dishes choices around a group of photographers– working or enthusiast– and invariably Mola Softlights will play a prominent role in the discussion. One of the reasons that the Mola brand may be synonymous with beauty dishes is that they are the sole product the company manufactures. Unlike most manufacturers who offer the “familiar” 16-22 inch product, Mola offers four sizes, from the 22” Demi to the 43.5” Mantti. The unique stepped or undulated interior that is a signature of the Mola line makes their products easily identifiable. Mola has expanded the current interior finish options beyond “white” to include silver finishes. While there are lots of things to like about Mola products, one of the most attractive features is that Mola products can be adapted, via speed rings, to accommodate many different brands of strobes, and continuous lighting products. If you change your lighting brand, and own a Mola product, all you have to do is change the mount.
Mola founder Walter Melrose notes that each of the Mola offerings shapes the light in a unique way before it hits the subject, because they were each developed with a different use in mind. “The 33.5 inch Euro was actually the first product we developed. I designed it with versatility in mind: It is a well-rounded, no pun intended reflector that can be used for beauty, fashion and product work; the Mantti on the other hand was designed to simulate window light. The Demi is a smaller version of the Euro.”
Based on size and price and a well-established beauty dish market, I suspect that the 22” Demi is among, if not the most popular Mola product. As a user of the Demi and the larger Setti, the Mola dishes have never disappointed. While the interior of many beauty dishes including the Molas is characterized as being “white”, the interior finish of the Mola is a “softer white” than my Profoto beauty dish and the texture gives it a “pearl-like” appearance. While the light wraps the subject in typical beauty dish style, I have always felt that the Mola stepped surface resulted in a larger surface area and increased the efficiency of the light. The resulting light is slightly warmer, and in my opinion, it subtly enhances most skin tones. I say “in my opinion,” because with lighting as with so many things there is always an element of subjectivity. Some one is bound to be wondering how the Demi compares to the Profoto dish. I really can’t tell you because other than both being classified as beauty dishes, a comparison would be apples to oranges. The differences in size (22” verses 20” or so in diameter) interior finish, and surface area are all going to impact optimal placement, amount of light and fall-off.
The 28” Setti is deeper than the Demi and more parabolic. It produces a more focused light with greater contrast and more rapid fall-off. While the Setti can be used close-in, in a similar manner as a traditional beauty dish, it is large enough to be used for full body applications. If there is a downside to the larger Mola products, it is the fact that they do not collapse for transport. You just have to be sure you factor that into your considerations when going on location.
Melrose also points out that while the silver finished dishes appear to be new, that Mola offered dishes with silver interior finishes 20 years ago. “The harder light was not as popular as the softer light, and we stopped offering the silver interior for a while. We brought silver interiors back simply because the market asked for it.” What sets the silver dishes apart from their white counterparts is a cooler light (color temperature wise) and a light with both greater directionality and contrast.
So what’s new from Mola as we move into 2010? Melrose says that they are now offering polycarbonate flex grids for the Demi and the Setti, which will give users another option for light control. For the location photographer who uses, small flash heads from Lumedyne or Quantum, speedlights, and/or heads that do not generate a lot of heat as a result of modeling lights, an ABS version of the Demi is on the way.
As far as the Mola mystique is concerned, the products are analogous to the perfect storm: that combination of shape, color, size, and interior finish that result in some amazing lighting.
For more information on the Mola line visit them on line by clicking here.
To see Mola products in use, visit their blog at: http://blog.mola-light.com/
Disclosure: No consideration has been received in connection with this blog entry, nor has any manufacturer and/or retailer offered any consideration.
hdhd!! 
You must be logged in to post a comment.