Yet another alternative to ExpoDisc

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Archive 2004 · Yet another alternative to ExpoDisc

Tom Hicks
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p.3 #1 · Yet another alternative to ExpoDisc

gfiksel wrote:
Thicks Wrote:
Thanks Peter for the Idea , I'll send you 20% $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Hey, do I get anything?

You get 20% too. No I got a better idea. how about I keep it all and buy everyone a cup of COFFEE.AAAAHhahahaha

Jan 13, 2004 at 11:00 PM

Sectarian
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p.3 #2 · Yet another alternative to ExpoDisc

For what it's worth, basket filters work just as well, and you can beg those off a convenience store or restaurant, if need be. Three basket filters gave me proper exposure and color balance.

I'm also wondering if the 'bright-white' plain inkjet papers (100+ brightness rating; Epson, HP, Kodak, Xerox, etc) sold at Staples & other office suppliers have the bleached-white neutrality needed to make this trick work. I wonder if one brand of paper is the most neutral white.

Jan 13, 2004 at 11:23 PM

picnic
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p.3 #3 · Yet another alternative to ExpoDisc

Yay---I have Cokin filter setup and I'm going to try it. I usually use grey/white cards--and have tried the Pringles (no, we didn't eat them LOL). I really couldn't bring myself to pay the price for the expodisk and instead tweaked WB in RAW if needed. This looks like fun (however, I don't drink coffee and for my Mr. Coffee for friends, I have those 'natural' filters which are brown LOL).

Thanks--another neat thing found by experimentation.

Diane

Jan 13, 2004 at 11:32 PM

blevey
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p.3 #4 · Yet another alternative to ExpoDisc

What if you cut out the filter and sandwich them between 2 filters!!! wont look so strange...but should work?

Bob

Jan 14, 2004 at 03:09 AM

proimage1
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p.3 #5 · Yet another alternative to ExpoDisc

This is a total hoot -- I love it. You will not believe this -- I ran to the kitchen - grabbed about 25 mr coffee filters and they are now nestled right beside my lenses in the bag
GREAT IDEA
WOW
Tom

Jan 14, 2004 at 04:14 AM

Peter Gregg
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p.3 #6 · Yet another alternative to ExpoDisc

I don't want to turn anyone's coffee bitter but . . . .

Pictures are supposed to capture what is there. While I agree that the camera is recording the light wrong, I am not quick to rush and make everything into a perfect WB that actually changes the mood or atmosphere that the lights are creating. As you can see, it is easy to wash out all the colors of any color cast, but a light bulb does have a color cast and it is MUCH harder to try and record the picture as you see it rather than making whites "white".

Okay, I go along with the coffee idea, I am trying to point out to not try to take all color cast out of the picture. How much, a little or all is your call, but try and remember how a warm looking room by the fire really looks with it's color cast and all.

~Pete

Jan 14, 2004 at 04:26 AM

Harold St
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p.3 #7 · Yet another alternative to ExpoDisc

Wonder if a used coffee filter would provide a sepia effect... hmmm worth a try.

Jan 14, 2004 at 04:40 AM

edtang
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p.3 #8 · Yet another alternative to ExpoDisc

So... I was wondering. Instead of mounting the coffee filter inside a normal camera filter, I was thinking of this. How about stacking 3 coffee filters, cutting them into a square, and getting them laminated? Do you think the lamination could throw off the color?

edtang

Jan 15, 2004 at 09:30 PM

Scott Sewell
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p.3 #9 · Yet another alternative to ExpoDisc

This coffee filter thread is good for some good laughs but, from what I've tried, the method seems to work. So, heading out to shoot a couple of basketball games last night I put not one, but two coffee filters in my camera bag.

I get to the gym and get my camera out of the bag and look for the filters and can't find them. I look and look and, lo and belold, they fell out my bag when I was getting the camera out and were sitting on the floor!! And, of course, they didn't fall together like I put them in the bag, they fell and separated so one could clearly see not one, but two coffee filters sitting on the floor!! Geesh, I can't even separate those filters in the morning when I'm trying to make coffee!!

Fortunately, I was actually to the side of the bleachers, so there weren't too many witnesses. I picked them up, held them to the lens, set WB and shot away...thinking about this forum and how it's "helped" so many of us.

Jan 15, 2004 at 10:24 PM

hextor
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p.3 #10 · Yet another alternative to ExpoDisc

I see a price drop coming on the original decaff Expodisc... poor guys

Jan 16, 2004 at 09:20 AM

NickyD
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p.3 #11 · Yet another alternative to ExpoDisc

sds4kst8 wrote:
This coffee filter thread is good for some good laughs but, from what I've tried, the method seems to work. So, heading out to shoot a couple of basketball games last night I put not one, but two coffee filters in my camera bag.

I get to the gym and get my camera out of the bag and look for the filters and can't find them. I look and look and, lo and belold, they fell out my bag when I was getting the camera out and were sitting on the floor!! And, of course, they didn't fall together like I put them in the bag, they fell and separated so one could clearly see not one, but two coffee filters sitting on the floor!! Geesh, I can't even separate those filters in the morning when I'm trying to make coffee!!

Fortunately, I was actually to the side of the bleachers, so there weren't too many witnesses. I picked them up, held them to the lens, set WB and shot away...thinking about this forum and how it's "helped" so many of us.

So, Scott, how did the images look?

I tried this last night at a basketball game myself...I'll take more time to examine the images this weekend, but at first pass the images looked cold and a little too Cyan to me. It may haev been the generic coffee filters I took from the office though...

Jan 16, 2004 at 03:42 PM

Scott Sewell
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p.3 #12 · Yet another alternative to ExpoDisc

NickyD...I was fairly pleased with the results. Not sure what it was, though, I just couldn't seem to get a consistent color when working on them in PS7.

With AutoWB the pics have a strong yellowish tint to them and this got rid of that, for the most part (which is what is supposed to do, right?). However, there were a few pics that I noticed didn't look consistent...some seemed to have a touch of that yellowish tint, while others didn't. Once I started shooting I didn't change any settings, so I don't know what was up. I'm guessing it could be the different angles of photos I shot? I was sitting at the end of the court where the three point line comes to the out-of-bounds line.

You can check out what I've posted here: http://www.pbase.com/sds4kst8/wrhs_vs_hayden These have been run through PS7 and NeatImage (which I think caused the EXIF data to be lost?).

Please feel free to offer comments/suggestions.

Jan 16, 2004 at 04:05 PM

NickyD
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p.3 #13 · Yet another alternative to ExpoDisc

Looks like you have two or three different types of lights in that gym. And, I'm guessing that one of those big round ones is right above the basket. Since the quality of your light is changing, your images are going slightly differ since you have set only one specific White Balance (color temperature). If you are shooting Manual, that would be the most likely culprit, however if you are shooting in Program or Av, once you get those lights into an image, it will throw off your exposure.

Other than shooting in RAW, or letting it Auto and correcting it later, there isn't going to be much you can do.

The coffee filters did a pretty good job though, but I don't know how much better they were than a grey card. (Easier to use though since you can just put the filters over the lens and point it at the light sources.

Jan 16, 2004 at 04:20 PM

dorkus
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p.3 #14 · Yet another alternative to ExpoDisc

tried this the other night, and results were so-so. with halogen lighting, WB was much too cool. it's also highly dependent on exactly how you point the filter... i can't point directly at the bulb since i have a "torchiere" style lamp. the results were much too cool for my tastes, almost bluish - i would rather keep a little warmth of the original light source in my pictures. i may need better coffee filters (more bleached), but even then a cooling filter on top of it may be necessary to get a warmer WB.

p.s. i think a method like this combined with a cheap cooling filter might be a way to get a nice warm tonal balance to WB.

Jan 16, 2004 at 04:25 PM

Scott Sewell
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p.3 #15 · Yet another alternative to ExpoDisc

NickyD wrote:
Looks like you have two or three different types of lights in that gym. And, I'm guessing that one of those big round ones is right above the basket. Since the quality of your light is changing, your images are going slightly differ since you have set only one specific White Balance (color temperature). If you are shooting Manual, that would be the most likely culprit, however if you are shooting in Program or Av, once you get those lights into an image, it will throw off your exposure.

Other than shooting in RAW, or letting it Auto and correcting it later, there isn't going to be much you can do.

The coffee filters did a pretty good job though, but I don't know how much better they were than a grey card. (Easier to use though since you can just put the filters over the lens and point it at the light sources.

I really didn't even think about different light types in the gym. Looks like the lights in the background above the bleachers are flourescent?

I've tried RAW and just don't feel comfortable or really understand the processing yet (and I've only got the Canon software for RAW), so I'm shooting the highest JPEG mode. I almost always shoot in manual, especially in these sitautions.

Also, when I shot with the filters, I just took a wide angle shot of the gym. Should I shoot directly into the lights?

Jan 16, 2004 at 04:36 PM

NickyD
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p.3 #16 · Yet another alternative to ExpoDisc

A wide angle shot would probably confuse it since the light is not constant throughout the gym. I'd just point it at the same place you would be shooting most of your shots...

Jan 16, 2004 at 04:48 PM

Scott Sewell
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p.3 #17 · Yet another alternative to ExpoDisc

Duh, Scott. I should've thought about that. I guess I was thinking a wide angle should "cover all the bases", but that camera wants/needs specifics!!

Thanks.

Jan 16, 2004 at 04:53 PM

Tom Hicks
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p.3 #18 · Yet another alternative to ExpoDisc

AWB

Jan 17, 2004 at 01:49 AM

Tom Hicks
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p.3 #19 · Yet another alternative to ExpoDisc

#2

Three coffee filters (single layers)

Jan 17, 2004 at 01:51 AM

Tom Hicks
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p.3 #20 · Yet another alternative to ExpoDisc

Coffee filtered

Jan 17, 2004 at 01:52 AM

Tom Hicks
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p.3 #21 · Yet another alternative to ExpoDisc

Respirator filter. One , about 1/8 in thick . made of three different materials.

Jan 17, 2004 at 01:55 AM

Tom Hicks
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p.3 #22 · Yet another alternative to ExpoDisc

Respirator filter

Jan 17, 2004 at 01:56 AM

Tom Hicks
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p.3 #23 · Yet another alternative to ExpoDisc

you can buy the filters at Home Depot.or any Paint store. Here is one for a size comp. next to the 77mm filter.

Jan 17, 2004 at 01:59 AM

Tom Hicks
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p.3 #24 · Yet another alternative to ExpoDisc

you can come to your own conclusion , but i think the respirator filter give use a closer 18 % gray.

Jan 17, 2004 at 02:02 AM

Sectarian
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p.3 #25 · Yet another alternative to ExpoDisc

I agree with you 100%. I was looking at the coffee filters and comparing the whiteness to the back side of a Kodak Gray card & I say a distinct yellow tinge. That would trnaslate into a clue cast when doing an auto white balance. Fortunately for me I live less than 1 mile from a Home Depot, I'm running there now. Thank you for doing the research.

Jan 17, 2004 at 02:13 AM


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