ExpoDisc vs. PhotoVision Digital Calibration Target

Last night I went to the Ed Pierce Captivated By Light seminar in Raleigh, NC. Ed was sharing with us his invention to digitally calibrate your custom white balance with his Calibration Target (http://www.photovision​video.com …_Code=P&Categor​y_Code=DCT). Some folks around me swore by this thing and do not go anywhere without it.

I have been an ExpoDisc user for about a year and thought that this was a very accurate custom white balance. Can anyone explain to me the differences either pros or cons between using the PhotoVision product and the ExpoDisc? Thanks in advance.

I carry both ExpoDisc and Photovision. I prefer to use Expodisc in single light situations or in controlled light situations like in studio. I find I can get more consistent WB with it. However, I use PhotoVision when I use bounced flash or in multiple lighting situations.

cant you just use a white sheet of paper?

Canon Soldier wrote in post #5481763
cant you just use a white sheet of paper?

Well, I certainly wouldn't. I spent so much $$$ on good dslr and lenses. I want my photos to free of color cast. White papers have different color cast to them. What I want is accuracy and consistency of white balance. For me, it's the consistency of skin tones across the series of photos. If I go with Auto WB route or something less than neutral, I tend to spend more time tweaking each shots in RAW converters. I rather spend doing something else than trying to match up skin tones shot after shot.

Canon Soldier wrote in post #5481763
cant you just use a white sheet of paper?

ever go and look at the "white" paint chips at the paint store? There is a gazillion of them. Same problem with the "white" of paper. You can just be trading one color cast for another.

J.

Jason Kim wrote in post #5481962
Well, I certainly wouldn't. I spent so much $$$ on good dslr and lenses. I want my photos to free of color cast. White papers have different color cast to them. What I want is accuracy and consistency of white balance. For me, it's the consistency of skin tones across the series of photos. If I go with Auto WB route or something less than neutral, I tend to spend more time tweaking each shots in RAW converters. I rather spend doing something else than trying to match up skin tones shot after shot.

You could still use paper, just use the same piece of paper if you need consistency. You are using the same target all the time, same principal. I do wonder about the photographers that use the same target all the time and shoot on location with it possably getting dirty.. That could itself cause all sorts of white balance as well.

I went to see the Ed Pierce show as well, and I did not get an explanation to my satisfaction on what is so dam special about the white he uses. I did hear about the grey, and black though.

I have both the target and the Expo disk (Won one of them as a door prize and the other for raising my hand at different seminars than the one he was at), they both get you close enough. Color cast means you are not seeing the color as it is or something in your post process may need to be looked at possibly one of your light sources could be off as well, and / or muixed lighting.

We have Light room, DPP, Photoshop, ect to correct white balance issues and I will agree it is nice to not have to touch each image.Getting it right in camera is a huge time saver, and both the target and the expodisk will let you set it in the camera.

Jason Kim wrote in post #5481531
I carry both ExpoDisc and Photovision. I prefer to use Expodisc in single light situations or in controlled light situations like in studio. I find I can get more consistent WB with it. However, I use PhotoVision when I use bounced flash or in multiple lighting situations.

This is confusing to me. I went to a seminar here in Indy and they demo'd the expodisc. They had a flash, a florescent light and a tungsten light on the model and showed how the expodisc worked, and it was excellent. Why wouldn't you use it for multiple light sources?

I'll have to go back and do some reading, but I thought that was one of the benefits of expodisc, it sets your whitebalance based on available light..

Thanks all for replying to my thread.

a521...good question and hopefully someone will be able to answer it.