Expo Disc at DVinfo.net

Ashok Mansur · October 7th, 2007, 09:05 AM

Does any body used this filter for setting white balance & how do you find it.
Plz go through this site
https://www.expodisc.com/products/products.php?
catid=2&category=ExpoDisc_Video

Ashok

Kevin Randolph · October 7th, 2007, 12:28 PM

I've seen it online before, but haven't used one. I too, would be very interested in reviews and opinions on this.

Thanks,
Kevin

Chris Soucy · October 7th, 2007, 08:05 PM

Well, I've Googled this in some depth, certainly an interesting little item.

In fact I'm very tempted to get one for my Nikon D80 dSLR which, away from natural daylight, has probably the worst WB system ever designed into a camera (IMO).

Whether it would be of much or any benefit to me with the Canon A1 is another matter, as most (all?) of my shooting is outdoors in good natural daylight, the very circumstances where WB systems usually get it right, straight out of the box, as attested to in most of the reviews I read and I have observed from my own footage.

Still, if you shoot in somewhat more challengeing environments it could be a life saver I guess, sure beats the hassle of playing with white cards and the like.

I haven't posted any links as a simple Google of "expodisc" will trawl up about a dozen reviews in the first couple of pages.

CS

Paul V Doherty · October 7th, 2007, 10:30 PM

I've been using a white card with my Nikon D100 for years....
If I'm doing a pre-planned shoot I will pack a decent white card in with my gear.
For everyday shooting and vacations I just pack a few sheets of ordinary A4 paper into my camera bag.
I've even been known to borrow the backs of people wearing white shirts!
I'm actually amazed looking back on drunken party photos to find a white balance frame of someone's shirt or a table cloth at the start of the image sequence - how did I remain congniscent enough to remember to do that? I guess it just becomes a hard habit, even when hammered!

I think Japanese gear has terrible white balance presets for the rest of the world.... for example I find the D100 daylight setting to be too blue for Australian skies.
Likewise the cloudy and shady settings are never quite right, no matter where in the world I shoot.
Even the flash preset on the D100 is not right!

The auto white balance on the HV20 is actually rather good 90% of the time, even in mixed light. But I still manual balance to a white card for important shoots.

I've been tossing up getting the expodisc - it's expensive for what it is, although their claimed tolerances are VERY high and they are hand-made.
Considering the initial outlay I think it could save a lot of hassle with cards or scrounging around for something resembling white in the field.

I can't stress enough the importance of manual white balance - in ANY conditions, even in broad daylight.
The colour cast varies from city to city, season to season, and from the weather itself - even in clear skies. No camera has an inbuilt daylight setting that is 100% spot on for your location.
You will be shocked by the difference between the daylight preset and a manual white balance.

I can see how the very fine tolerances of the expodisc plus the almost 180 degree coverage would truly turn your SLR into a proper incident light/colour meter.
I can only imagine the expodisc would provide superior white balance compared to cards, table cloths, t-shirts etc.

October 7th, 2007, 09:05 AM	#1
Ashok Mansur Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Dharwad Karnatak India Posts: 115	Expo Disc Does any body used this filter for setting white balance & how do you find it. Plz go through this site https://www.expodisc.com/products/products.php? catid=2&category=ExpoDisc_Video Ashok

October 7th, 2007, 12:28 PM	#2
Kevin Randolph Major Player Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Columbus, Ohio Posts: 423	I've seen it online before, but haven't used one. I too, would be very interested in reviews and opinions on this. Thanks, Kevin __________________ "... the drama is on your doorstep..." - John Grierson www.grvideo.net

October 7th, 2007, 08:05 PM	#3
Chris Soucy Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Fairfield, Dunedin, New Zealand Posts: 3,688 Images: 18	Hi guys............ Well, I've Googled this in some depth, certainly an interesting little item. In fact I'm very tempted to get one for my Nikon D80 dSLR which, away from natural daylight, has probably the worst WB system ever designed into a camera (IMO). Whether it would be of much or any benefit to me with the Canon A1 is another matter, as most (all?) of my shooting is outdoors in good natural daylight, the very circumstances where WB systems usually get it right, straight out of the box, as attested to in most of the reviews I read and I have observed from my own footage. Still, if you shoot in somewhat more challengeing environments it could be a life saver I guess, sure beats the hassle of playing with white cards and the like. I haven't posted any links as a simple Google of "expodisc" will trawl up about a dozen reviews in the first couple of pages. CS

October 7th, 2007, 10:30 PM	#4
Paul V Doherty Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: USA Posts: 64	Japanese gear has horrible white balance presets I've been using a white card with my Nikon D100 for years.... If I'm doing a pre-planned shoot I will pack a decent white card in with my gear. For everyday shooting and vacations I just pack a few sheets of ordinary A4 paper into my camera bag. I've even been known to borrow the backs of people wearing white shirts! I'm actually amazed looking back on drunken party photos to find a white balance frame of someone's shirt or a table cloth at the start of the image sequence - how did I remain congniscent enough to remember to do that? I guess it just becomes a hard habit, even when hammered! I think Japanese gear has terrible white balance presets for the rest of the world.... for example I find the D100 daylight setting to be too blue for Australian skies. Likewise the cloudy and shady settings are never quite right, no matter where in the world I shoot. Even the flash preset on the D100 is not right! The auto white balance on the HV20 is actually rather good 90% of the time, even in mixed light. But I still manual balance to a white card for important shoots. I've been tossing up getting the expodisc - it's expensive for what it is, although their claimed tolerances are VERY high and they are hand-made. Considering the initial outlay I think it could save a lot of hassle with cards or scrounging around for something resembling white in the field. I can't stress enough the importance of manual white balance - in ANY conditions, even in broad daylight. The colour cast varies from city to city, season to season, and from the weather itself - even in clear skies. No camera has an inbuilt daylight setting that is 100% spot on for your location. You will be shocked by the difference between the daylight preset and a manual white balance. I can see how the very fine tolerances of the expodisc plus the almost 180 degree coverage would truly turn your SLR into a proper incident light/colour meter. I can only imagine the expodisc would provide superior white balance compared to cards, table cloths, t-shirts etc.