I am a photographer who started shooting with daylight only, and I moved to discover new possibilities of lighting only after mastering daylight and craving more tools to create the desired images in my head. I don't believe the idea that you have to have all the possible equipment to be a good photographer or that the equipment makes you the photographer. My credo was always to master what you have available and only afterwards move to a new tool. This way, you can have all the understanding of your tools and avoid a bulk of unnecessary equipment.

I have already written an article on one of my favorite modifiers, the 5-in-1 collapsible reflector, and a vast variety of ways to use it. Now, I would like to share my thoughts on another modifier I got my hands on a little more than a year ago: the flexible Elinchrom 17" Softlite Reflector and Grid Set.

It is no secret that with each new modifier/tool, you can step to another inspiration level in your work. When I felt dissatisfied with my current work (light-wise) and wanted to challenge myself, I considered getting a new light modifier to play with as much as I could in different environments. The same happened last spring, when I got very interested in beauty photography and was impatient to get my hands on a beauty dish. Of course you can argue that beauty photography is not meant to be done just with beauty dishes, and I would agree with you. But if you are tired of soft and very diffused light, then a beauty dish is for you.

I own an Elinchrom BRX 500 Monolight, and I was looking for something to be compatible with it without the need for extra tools. My other criteria was to have flexibility: rather than having a basic beauty dish and a deflector, I was looking for kits. Elinchrom usually makes nice kits and is known for outstanding light quality. After long research, I settled for the Elinchrom 17" Softlite Reflector and Grid Set in white as I still wanted to keep my signature light style, which is pretty soft. The white would give me the softness and the shape would give me the kick softboxes or octaboxes aren't able to achieve. Another option is the silver interior, which offers extra contrast.

Prior to any new purchase I like to do a big research. However, at that time, there was not enough information on this product online, except for a couple of short YouTube videos and some basic characteristics. I hope this review will be helpful for those who are in the same boat like was a year ago. Besides the Elinchrom 17" Softlite Reflector & Grid Set I will also review the Elinchrom 17" Diffuser for Elinchrom Minisoft Reflector, which is pretty affordable and highly recommended to give you even more lighting effect options.

What Is In the Box

• Softlite 17'' Reflector (White)

• Elinchrom Grid for 17" Softlite Reflectors

• Elinchrom Deflector Set for Softlite Reflectors and Rotolux Softboxes

• ProTec Softlite 44 Bag

All the Possible Usages

As I mentioned above, I am going to review the set along with the optional diffuser. This way, we will have all the possible combinations right in front of our eyes. For this review, I had the pleasure to work with the beautiful Armenian Model Anush Akopyan at my house. The interior of the room was white, and she was sitting on a chair with the Softlite set on her side at arm length under a slight angle. All the images below are straight out of the camera with no editing to keep the results stable and show you the differences between each light possibility I tried. I kept the light settings of my monolight almost the same throughout the shoot, except where my shots were totally burned and would not have helped to show the differences with each light possibility. Therefore, in those instances, I did adjust the power of the monolight slightly. For the camera settings, I have maintained the same settings to keep the results constant and to highlight how different modifiers affect the power output.

How It Behaves 

Probably the most common deflector used is the silver one; it provides very nice and polished skin tones that don't have much warmth and are ideal for portfolio or neutral headshots. A silver deflector combined with the diffuser is my most used setup as well. 

As you can easily notice, the gold deflector instantly adds a golden glow to the skin. This is not my favorite color scheme, but it's pretty useful if you need to balance the light temperature quickly according to your environment. As an aside, my model liked it the most. This allows you to create a very realistic, yet polished look. A diffuser adds some cool white tones and makes images a little bit glam. 

Before this test shoot, I never felt the need to use this particular deflector, but the outcome left me stunned. I still have to play with this one a little bit more, but my first impression is that when used properly, this may produce a very sophisticated light. Strangely, I prefer the frosted diffuser without the diffusion. The frosted deflector is already kind of a diffuser.

As soon as I put the translucent deflector on, everything got overexposed, as predicted. I didn't change the settings as I wanted to show the difference each deflector has with approximately the same power. After I put the diffuser on, things got better, but still not a personal favorite. I am a fan of indirect light, but with this one, you basically get almost full direct light. 

As you might have guessed from the white, overexposed paper, this is the bare bulb inside the white beauty dish — very direct and sharp. This way, it is like any regular reflector — just wide with no precise direction. 

Grid Talks

Before I move to actual shots taken with the grid, I would like to talk a little bit about its construction and the initial directions of usage. If you follow the instructions, you will be so limited with this great tool. I should say that the design is just bad, and I mean it. I love Elinchrom and I love how they design the modifiers to be easily assembled, but the process of attaching the grid to the beauty dish left me disappointed. There are many manufacturers (even cheap brands) that make grids easily attachable to beauty dishes — literally in seconds — and I wonder how Elinchrom came to their design. Not only is it hard to assemble, but also if you want to attach a deflector inside, you have to do it halfway, as the securing plug won't fit into the grid. If you want to play with the grid and a diffusion sock, then you have to put it before the grid goes on. Here is a small demo of me and my model attaching the grid. I hope Elinchrom will come up with a better solution for their grid system. 

If you have never worked with grids, you might be surprised. This is the very same setup as the photos above, except I added the grid on the dish and increased the power of light from 2.3 to 3.8. The reason for that is when you put a grid on, it drastically cuts down the available light power. These changes instantly transformed the whole image. If you ever thought of buying an additional backdrop, you might skip that idea after trying a grid. It's a simple tool, capable of transforming the whole mood of your image in a few seconds. The bare setup is not really my cup of tea, but it's a good base for further adjustments. 

Things are getting better with my favorite silver deflector; however, the white diffuser cuts down the grid effect.

As you may notice, the gold has done its job in first image, but the diffuser has cut down the warmth noticeably. 

Again, the frosted deflector behaved to my taste and pleasure. I will definitely alternate this along with the silver deflector. I like how the diffuser distributes even but slight light on intense shadow areas like the hair. 

As above, after attaching the translucent deflector, all got overexposed, so I had to make slight changes in light power — 3.2 on the light (all above grid photos were shot with 3.8 power). The translucent deflector with the diffuser is not a bad effect, though. 

As a final setup, I combined the grid and the diffuser with no deflector and noticed that if the model got a proper angle, it might give some striking effects. Being a soft light lover, I found this last image to be my favorite; it has a pretty crisp and directional light, but at the same time, it has slight diffusion in shadow areas. This makes the image both very strong and delicate at the same time.  

Location Shoots 

When it comes to modifiers, I don't like to limit myself to just studio shots, and so I actively use them outdoors as well. The bag the kit comes with is very convenient for travel as you can fit all of the kit inside and you can rest assured nothing will be damaged. It is a bit bulky, but it serves the purpose and is durable. I bought mine while traveling in Germany, carried it on my shoulder all day while exploring Koln, and passed through several stops in airports all the way to Armenia without any trouble. You can be sure all your equipment is safe in the bag. 

Emma Grigoryan

BlackMermaid

The photo above was shot with this beauty dish with the silver deflector and diffuser attached on location; the Elinchrom BRX 500 Monolight was powered with a portable battery pack. 

Conclusion

Considering the flexibility and the price of this set, this is a stellar kit. The price of the whole set (excluding the diffusion fabric being just $19) is $308.99 at the moment, and if you buy all separately, it would cost you $379.97. Being openminded here is a big advantage, and instead of having just one kind of light, you will be able to create a variety of moods and effects in a short amount time. This might not be the first modifier I would reach for, but it is definitely one to use when I need great quality and flexibility to create atmosphere in limited situations. You can pick up your own here.

How do you use your beauty dish? Do you have this kit and do you really take advantage of all its possibilities which are packed in this convenient square box?