Grey Card who uses one and which one ??

I have been thinking about getting a grey card to cut PP time....

I am in Aus and havn/t had much luck finding one on a google search....

Any got any advice on which one to get and how much it should be

Or any advie on an alternative solution....

I used either a cheap Kodak card (about $12.00) or an ExpoDisc. They both work well.

I use a Whibal. You can also get the Digital Gray Card, which is made from the samer material. The good thing about these two items for WB is that they are spectrally neutral.

I just brought a lastolite one - it folds up small enough to fit in a big pocket or easily fit in a gear bag, pops out like the lastolite reflectors. One side has white/black/18%, the other has just 2 shades of grey which I haven't really figured out the use for yet. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm sure it's as good as a card and more portable if that's a concern.

+1 for WhiBal. It is expensive, but it works well and is very durable. If you watch the videos on there site, there quality control is excellent.

whibal here. Works great! It is made out of a solid grey material with a black and white sticker on one side I use to set my curves in CS3.

If you mean to WB before the shot, you really don't need to buy a gray card. For our purposes, gray is nothing more than underexposed white, no?
If you shoot white paper ON THE METER READING, it will photograph gray, just what the cam needs for Custom WB. Use that exposure for the Custom WB set-up in the camera. See Post #47 for a white envelope shot on the meter reading. It comes up gray & will work for a WB exposure, except I usually like to fill the frame with it more that that.

Gray Card…White Paper. What’s best?

If you mean for exposure, it's pretty good for adjusting exposure too, when there are bright highlights that aren't important in the frame.
Need an exposure crutch?

LIGHT METERING = The basics of metering systems

If you mean to WB after the shot in post processing: Just save the white paper WB image & use that.

Without reading the posts in my links, someone will say "But it's not exactly accurate!"
1/ Answered in my second Gray Card link.
2/ The "correct" WB for a shot isn't always the "Right" WB for a shot. You're the judge of what your image should look like.

Here's an example of a "right" WB that isn't the "correct" WB. Imagine what the "correct" WB would have done to the sunset?
What do you think?
Mustang & B-17 + PS

AWB? Why I don't use it:

Outdoors: Wilt ran a test in sunlight & found that the color temp ran from 4424K thru 5895K.
https://photography-on-the.net …p?p=12259856&po​stcount=11

Indoors: I ran a test indoors & have never used it since. Notice that the very last exposure in the 2nd image of tests was of a gray card, & it's way off.
https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=54281

I use a 18% Kodak card. its about 15 years old. Looks like new. The one I bought had 2 cards in it so I cut the corner off one, So I have a 8X10 gray and a 3x3 gray. What one I use depends on how far I'm shooting from my subject. ala... wide angle... plenty of room in the frame-big one. Close up or head shots- small one.

I used to use a grey card all the time. They were not easy to find. Since I bought a light meter I haven't used it at all.

Another vote for WhiBal, but I guess my avatar gives that one away!
It's not cheap for a bit of grey plastic, on the other hand it's a quite specific bit of grey plastic. It's the kind of thing that you aren't going to wear out so it'll last for decades and you're actually much more likely to lose it first. So on balance, it's well worth the money. Delivery was only about a week from the USA to the UK so I shouldn't think Australia would be any longer.

cheers

PhotosGuy...
Thanks for the helping hand...LOL...
Great idea i will try the hand...I am thinking of WB for PP in DPP

PhotosGuy wrote in post #5618214
If you mean to WB before the shot, you really don't need to buy a gray card.
If you shoot white paper ON THE METER READING, it will photograph gray, just what the cam needs for Custom WB. Use that exposure for the Custom WB set-up in the camera. See Post #47

Gray Card…White Paper. What’s best?

If you mean for exposure, it's pretty good for adjusting exposure too, when there are bright highlights that aren't important in the frame.
Need an exposure crutch?

If you mean to WB after the shot in post processing: Just save the white paper WB image & use that.

Without reading the posts in my links, someone will say "But it's not exactly accurate!"
1/ Answered in my second Gray Card link.
2/ The "correct" WB for a shot isn't always the "Right" WB for a shot. You're the judge of what your image should look like.

Here's an example of a "right" WB that isn't the "correct" WB. Imagine what the "correct" WB would have done to the sunset?
What do you think?
Mustang & B-17 + PS

I'm attempting to purchase a whibal via their website however the link doesn't work... is there a place that I can get a whibal from? I've contacted them via email and am awaiting their response. I see that the creator is pretty active on the forum but I'm in newbie timeout mode before I can post.

EDIT: it seems as though the site it working again.. I've ordered mine and eagerly awaiting it's arrival

The Whibal is an excellent choice.

Another for whibal

in fact i'm thinking of getting the larger ones...the small ones are fine, but you can make life even easier with the large ones.

Robf wrote in post #5659460
Another for whibal

in fact i'm thinking of getting the larger ones...the small ones are fine, but you can make life even easier with the large ones.

I have the medium sized one. I opted for that one so that it was easier to use the in camera custom white balance.