Expodisc worth buying???

I see them for sale here on POTN, which makes me think they are not such a great buy.

I'd like to hear from users if I should buy one, neutral/portrait Expodisc or another options like a "Lally Cap" or one of the plastic discs on Ebay.

I shoot indoor portraits with strobes and or available light and anything outdoors.

i think people are selling it because they are shooting RAW, and they feel that they can do the changes in Lightroom or another processing program w/o needing to use one of these. If you are shooting indoor. one thing you can do, and have work great for me is to shoot a WHITE cardboard or piece of paper.. then you can do a custom white balance. save you some money... i do have a whiBal that works great too

My take on them has always been that they're weak when you're in "mixed light" situations, since you need to aim them at the primary light source (if you're sure what that is). A regular grey card's more versatile, IMO.

I have used an Expodisc before, but I found that I prefer a WhilBal card better. That's just me though.

I have an expodisc, bought it used, and it's ok, i guess...According to the online "how-to" videos, they're primarily for controlled conditions in consistent lighting with a very locational light source, i.e. studio strobes/ the sun etc.
Youre supposed to sit where the subject is and shoot toward where you (the photog) will be, thus capturing the light falling on the subject.
I used mine at a wedding and got pretty consistent results shooting up toward a chandelier to get the WB of the incandescent lighting. I shoot RAW too, and it saves time in PP. But if the light somewhat changes, you have to reshoot the WB again.
I think i could get just as good results if not better from a gray card.
Bottom line, save your money...they're highly overpriced. (Used ones can be found relatively inexpensive, however, that's why I decided to try one)

Expodisc was invented way back in the days of film, as a means of turning the reflected meter in the camera into an incident light meter! Then, when digital photography was launched, they reinvented themselves into a color balance tool.

As a color balance tool, it is OK, as long as you understand its limitations. If you have two color balance lights falling onto different parts of the scene, it will not magically 'blend' them together. Are there lower cost alternatives that do not take as much time to use (to mount, use, then remove)?...Yes, a simple white or gray card shot in one frame, to serve either as a custom white brightness for shooting JPEG or as a sample for the color balance tool in RAW convertors. And a gray card works as an exposure setting tool, too.

BottomBracket wrote in post #6396403
I have used an Expodisc before, but I found that I prefer a WhilBal card better. That's just me though.

+1 Whibal and it's easier to use.

I use a grey divider out of my case--darn close and always with me.

A thread on various choicesHERE.

I use the Photovision Digital Calibration Target. I have the small one in my bag. IIRC, it's 24". Here are the results of a quick test I did.

https://photography-on-the.net …php?p=6361743&p​ostcount=1

I think people use what they find works for them. Some swear by a gray card and some swear by Expodisc. I like the calibration targets.

Used one at a recent outing - hated it. Didn't see much value and the constant shooting of a custom white balance ticked me off!

Was shooting with a Nikon guy and really saw how easy a custom WB was with Nikon.

Further ticked me off!

From the results, I didn't see that much difference - and I took several 'examples' before/after so that I could compare.