Mola Demi : No Test Images .....Because?
So it was a good time as any to make my purchase. I was going to have the June blog about these 2, showing sample images and my impressions and images from my test, that, of course, will have to be another day,
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