Mola Demi : No Test Images .....Because?
Last month, I introduced two new pieces of gear into my setup: the Elinchrom RX battery pack with “A: head and the long-awaited Mola Demi (White) beauty dish. I’ve wanted the Mola beauty dish for some time, and B&H Photo had it on sale for $278, so I took the opportunity to make my purchase. I was planning to write the June blog about these two items, sharing test images and my impressions as I integrated them into my workflow. However, that will have to wait for another day. The Mola Demi I received was unfortunately extremely flawed, but this wasn’t something B&H Photo or the good folks at Promarks/Mola offices could have foreseen; it was a tooling issue from the factory. Here’s the breakdown of the assembly: there are eight holes drilled in the rear of the Mola Demi—four for mounting a plate that holds the speed ring in place, and four for the diffuser plate inside the Demi.
I was going to write the June blog about these 2, showing test images and my impressions as I introduced this to my workflow, that, of course, turned out to be for another day.
The Mola Demi I received was, unfortunately, extremely flawed; this was by no means a problem that B&H Photo could have foreseen, nor any of the good folks at Promark’s/Mola offices. This was a tooling issue from the factory. Here’s the breakdown for assembly. There are eight holes drilled at the rear of the Mola Demi. 4 holes are to mount a plate that holds the speed ring in place, and the other four holes are for the diffuser plate held in place on the inside of the Demi.
As I started assembling the Demi, I noticed that 3 of the eight holes did not align with the mounting plate. I tried different orientations for the plate—45 degrees and 90 degrees—but each time, the same issue occurred: the holes were at least 1/8 inch away from the center.
At this point, I am admitting defeat and trying to keep my frustration in check. I locate the go-to person through the Mola website—Herb Pletcher—to discuss a very obvious quality control issue. First, I email Herb, and shortly afterward, we speak by phone. After several attempts to make this work, we finally conclude that there are only two options left: 1. drill new holes to accommodate the holes that are 1/8 of an inch off, or 2. return it for an exchange with B&H Photo. Of course, I went with option 2. I was planning to write a June blog about the Elinchrom RX and the Demi, but that will have to wait another day (sigh). Now, I wait for it to arrive again.
Here is the contact info if you have purchased a Mola beauty dish and encounter an issue. Herb Pletcher email: herb.pletcher@promarkbrands.com