A well respected member of a photo group I belong to requested I do a review of the Rogue Grid by Expo Imaging. Whom am I refuse such a request. I have never done a written review of sorts so this will be a first. But first –
Short worded reviews: yes it is worth it. What the heck does this mean? Worth it to who? OR: It is awesome! Its awesome is in the same category as – Its a piece of crap. Opinions, just opinions. Everyone has one, so if everyone has one the majority would rule so it must be good right? There is never a correct answer when it is an opinion. Except of course for the person who is stating that opinion…So here it goes. No opinions.
Being new to off camera flash photography the Rogue Grid by ExpoImaging is one of the first flash modifiers I acquired. I purchased it as part of the Rogue Portrait Lighting package however it sells as a stand alone item for $49.95.
Slipping over the head of the flash and tightened down with a thick elastic strap it is anchored by a velcro strip and a metal snap with a choice between two contact points based on the size of your flash head.The housing or grid support as I would call it, is a thick nylon material reinforced with a couple of bendable metal strips. The interior is a nice bright white. Seems very durable. My only gripe with this part of it are the elastic loops that hold the grid housing on the nylon covering. They seem a bit loose and I am concerned that they may stretch out over time. This may be negated though because the actual grid head slides over the nylon nice and secure leading me to think the elastic loops are secondary devices to secure the grids onto the holder. The grids themselves come in two different sizes. 45 degrees and 25 degrees When used together they produce a 16 degree light spread. They are made of an incredibly sturdy plastic, I can not see these pieces breaking, ever.
Light spread at 45 degrees:
Light spread at 25 degrees
Light spread using both modifiers. 18 degree light spread
I know, I know, it fit the bill for an example… Tebow is NOT the answer. 0-4 if he was at helm. Whoops….I stated an opinion….
Do I like it? Yes, very much. So much that I want another one. You can still fit a rectangular gel on the flash head but there are specific gels made for the grid. A set of 20 goes for $27.95 and includes a case with dividers/color description cards. I will be picking up a set of these soon.
I did some self portrait shots with the grid using the different combinations.Produced a very isolated lighting area, great for moody shots. I posted a couple of these already in various places, so here is one I did not put up. I was checking out the 18 degree grid here. The moodiest one by far.
So why did I choose this over the other style grids? I like the circular pattern it provides, the other models are rectangular. This also amounts to a 3 in 1 product. The others may be less expensive but offer only one size. To achieve similar flexibility as the Rogue Grid you would have to buy multiple sizes and spend more money. Do it right the first time.
Well, thus concludes my review, I hope it helped. If you have any questions please ask. I have not come close to using this to its potential, but as opportunities arise I will be learning about its advantages even more. Robert Harrington does some really nice work with all the Expo Imaging Products and has some great examples.
Till next time..
Twilight and Dusk 