I did buy the Expodisc Neutral and used it this weekend at a volleyball tournament. It was nice to be able to set WB from the area I was shooting from and not have to try and get on the court with a white card. The colors turn out great, and that takes one step out of my post processing. I wanted to post a pic of the difference but I deleted the pictures by mistake. Anyway, thanks for all of your input and I will be at a couple of different gyms this week and will post a few auto vs custom vs expodisc.
Thanks again.
millsart wrote:
Honestly in most venues I shoot anymore, the AWB on the Nikon D3 is about as good as I can get it using any other means.
Your D3 must be different than mine because on mine the AWB can't even cope with normal classroom fluorescent lighting. It's very frustrating because while the D3 has TONS of white balance presets, none of them ever seem to match any lighting I'm ever shooting in. :-)
I have not yet loaded the latest firmware release which I understand is supposed to help AWB.
For non-cylcing light arenas like Pauley Pavillion or Magness Arena (two places I've shot and it has helped tremendously) it is great. Otherwise it just needs to be done in post often times.
george malamis wrote:
what color are the coffee filters? Are you sure? Are they the same color every time filter to filter?
+1
Oh, you can be sure. If you look closely at the coffee filter box, you'll see where they guarantee they the color stability of each filter over time AND where they give the actual color balance numbers for each filter in the box.
This is what drives my nuts. People get crazy about white balance such that they are willing to spend the time getting it "exactly" right - then they use a thing that has no known color balance or stability and claim it is great. It's just trading one color shift for another.
The reason one buys an Expodisc or a whibal card or any of the other accurate color standards is to get accurate color precisely. That is going to cost money because someone has to assure that the color is correct and that it remains so over time. That is a nontrivial problem.
If you just want it close, heck - use anything that is a pleasing shade of "white" (to you) and it will be as close as the thing you picked. I mean, just carry a "white" sheet of paper in your pocket that you picked up on the way out the door. If you want it precise then spend the money and do it right.
Nice review. Regarding the calibrated design of the ExpoDisc, that won't matter to the Pringles lid fans. They don't understand the importance of calibration.
You might add another very important attribute of the ExpoDisc... it can be used to measure incident light. I've used this feature on several different bodies and they all gave correct exposure easily within 1/3 of a stop.
bitmaker wrote:
Nice review. Regarding the calibrated design of the ExpoDisc, that won't matter to the Pringles lid fans. They don't understand the importance of calibration.
coffee filter and similar stuff... works , but you just can't rely on them in all lighting situations. basically, you simply don't know whether it's gonna give you the correct white balance next time you shoot.
You might add another very important attribute of the ExpoDisc... it can be used to measure incident light. I've used this feature on several different bodies and they all gave correct exposure easily within 1/3 of a stop.
Greg
Yep. Incident. I do mention that in the review but omitted here. Thanks!
bitmaker wrote:
Nice review. Regarding the calibrated design of the ExpoDisc, that won't matter to the Pringles lid fans. They don't understand the importance of calibration.
Greg
But they know the importance of reliable taste! The lid contributes to factory freshness.
I got one (nuetral) and it has been a lifesaver for me... much easier for me to use than a card as it fits on the lens like any other filter... I had a wedding in a church that had lighting designed by satan himself, just a nasty mix of everything and then to top it off they opened the cutains in the back so I got a mix of sunlight in as well
expo disk really saved me a ton of work on that one.... it also works well as an incident light meter also.
Savas K wrote:
What about shooting distant sunsets? Are we SOL when it comes to getting those colors correct?
If you do a custom white balance shooting distant sunsets, you are basically going to be throwing away all of those beautiful orange and purple colors. I would consider shooting using the daylight preset in order to preserve them. Shoot in raw using daylight and then try out a custom white balance, but I think you will find that the sunset is not a place you would typically want to neutralize the colors.
I wanted to post a pic of the difference but I deleted the pictures by mistake. 
Anyway, thanks for all of your input and I will be at a couple of different gyms this week and will post a few auto vs custom vs expodisc. 
Feb 09, 2010 at 01:55 PM
, but you just can't rely on them in all lighting situations. basically, you simply don't know whether it's gonna give you the correct white balance next time you shoot.