White Balance Tools - Advice?

What has been the best white balance tool you folks have used before shooting?

I know in post you can adjust the WB but to me I think before the shoot is best?

Thanks

Just about any durable and accurate target will do. I use a collapsible Lastolite target, and recently started to use X-rite passport. The X-rite passport is invaluable to me now as it allows me to make custom profiles for my cameras under diffrent lightning conditions, but also to set the white balance and tweak it of the passport target in post.

Kindest

Don't you have to have a laptop on-site when you use the X-Rite?

WhiBal.

I've been think about the xrite passport, but was wondering if it would work for landscape work as well as portrait?

Simon

Thats my thought I think the X-Rite is for portrait work where someone can hold it for you or you can place it on top of something?

For landscapes or wildlife shooting I think something like the Expo Disc might be better?

picworx wrote in post #10175640
Don't you have to have a laptop on-site when you use the X-Rite?

No, why ?

Brno BaLens

I watched the X-Rite vid and it involves post work, how would you use it in the forest shooting landscapes?

I bought the PhotoVision 14" target last year based on recommendation of a pro I was shooting with one day. It's so easy to use, and was relatively cheap. For what I currently shoot outdoors I never use it at the moment, but indoors under strobes I *never* do a shoot without it.

http://www.photovision​video.com …en=CTGY&Categor​y_Code=DCT


I got mine from Amazon...

http://www.amazon.com …ics&qid=1273798​337&sr=1-1

picworx wrote in post #10176244
I watched the X-Rite vid and it involves post work, how would you use it in the forest shooting landscapes?

Of course it involves post work how would you else create a custome profile for your camera ? As i said this is not about the whitebalance but to get a custom profile for your camera.

picworx wrote in post #10176244
I watched the X-Rite vid and it involves post work, how would you use it in the forest shooting landscapes?

Well if I was in the forest shooting landscapes and there was a model there I'd want to use it to make sure the skin colours are correct. Take that model away and I'd want to use it to make sure that the colours with in the forest are correct.

Its not about what your shooting, its about making sure the light is represented correctly with in the photo.

Simon

Unless shooting indoors, product and/or under artifical lighting, I would find little use for doing any white balance to a target (grey card etc.) . More often I am trying to capture the light that exists not change it to look like "daylight".

Even indoors, such as concerts, I don't want to balnace it to "daylight".

Really, unless shooting what could be considered product, I see no use for white balance targets.

I looked at the X-Rite and knew righ away it served no purpose for what/how I shoot.

Someone can enlighten me, please.

I love my x-rite passport. Warming and cooling after the fact is an option.
The alternative is to let your camera decide, then tweak later. You still have that option. Using masks, you could get a model's skin tones right on the money and warm or cool the rest of the image.
The x-rite will help you to accurately portray subtle colors too.
I don't work for them...I just love mine.

How would you use an X-Rite in the forest for landscape photos?