Customer Reviews

ExpoImaging ExpoDisc 77mm Digital White Balance Filter - Neutral

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you struggle trying to "fix" your images' white balance after your digital capture, this item is your answer. Put it on over your lens, point it toward the dominant light source (such as that funky incandescent / fluorescent light mixture in most homes), take a photo, and set the Custom White Balance in your camera. That's it! I have captured photos using home/indoor lighting, stage lighting, etc. NO MORE TWEAKING WHITE BALANCE IN PHOTOSHOP! It's dead-on every time.

I take this with me wherever I know there will be mixed lighting and use it before I photograph. You will be impressed as I am.

I don't remember how I came to learn about this tool, but I bought it in a store for my Nikon D300 without reading any reviews. I did try it out in the store and I was immediately impressed with the results so I bought it on the spot.

The disk is amazingly well packaged. It's packaged just like an iPod that I received some years back. It doesn't have the scrimpy, we-don't-care Made-In-China feel. It comes with a lanyard, a semi-rigid pouch that you can attach to your belt, a CD with all of the PDF instructions in multiple languages and a how-to video.

Their web-site also has instructions on how to set the Nikon D300 pre settings.

For years, from the time I got my first DSLR I've been plagued by color balance issues. It seems that I have to color correct each and every photograph in Photoshop. I shoot in RAW so that I have more control but it takes so much more work and time. I'm also not very good with color correctly with PS. I have all the instructions and I follow them carefully, but I always had problems getting the hang of it.

I own gray cards but they're bulky and I don't walk around with one. I also haven't had very good luck with them either. I'm sure it's my technique but I never did get the hang of it.

Shooting under artificial light is a real pain. Auto WB never really works.

I first tried the ExpoDisk in a room lit with CFs (Compact Fluorescent) bulbs. I used the ExpoDisk as directed and I received absolutely perfect results the first time. Then I tried another room lit with LEDs. Again, perfect results. I put a Gretamacbeth colorchecker chart in each of my test shots. Every time, the whites are whites and the blacks are black. Zero color cast.

I've never been able to photograph granite and achieve the correct color. After using the ExpoDisk, the granite color perfectly matches the first time. When photographing faces, I'm utterly clueless obtaining the correct tones unless I have a Gretamacbeth colorchecker chart in the photograph and fiddle around with Photoshop. Again, ExpoDisk to the rescue.

Maybe it's the camera or maybe it's me, but I also have problems with color casts using a flash with the color balance set to flash. The ExpoDisk washed those problems away.

Shooting under different lighting sources is a challenge. Which do I aim at? Unfortunately, the ExpoDisk never addresses that issue. I probably have to use colored gels on the flash (I have the SB-900 and SB-800's) to neutralize the fluorescent bulbs.

I don't intend to use this while casually walking around but when I want to be certain that the color balance is perfect, then I use the ExpoDisk. Even at 77mm (the size of my largest lens so that it will fit all my other lenses) it's small enough to carry around in my pocket. I don't know if I'm dorky enough to put it on my belt.

The hardest time I had with this was getting the lanyard cord through the hole. The only way I could get that thick cord through the tiny hole was to take a sewing thread to make a loop and pull the lanyard cord through the hole.

I've spent thousands of dollars on camera equipment but I've had so many problems getting the color balance correct and this relatively small investment has already saved me a lot of grief. So perhaps I'm incompetent with Photoshop and gray cards, but this resolves so many of my problems to begin with.

I can now shoot in RAW/JPG and directly use the JPGs when I don't need to adjust the exposure. Another time saver.

I strongly recommend the ExpoDisk if you're serious about photography and want perfect color balance the first time.

I read a lot of reviews of the expo disc and decided to give it a try. It is so easy to use and the results are sooooo much better than auto white balance. Like anything else in this world, it is only a tool; it doesn't do miracles. But, when it is used correctly, it helps make your photos look fantastic. Initially, I hated having to pay $100 dollars for it. I thought, "What a rip-off for such a little lens" But, after I saw the results I quickly realized how valuable it is to me. Once you get accurate colors, you'll never want to go back to auto and presets again!!! Imagine being able to shoot jpgs that have correct color. I hate shooting Raw because the file sizes are huge and there is always the extra step of converting them to a format that anyone can view. When I use the expo disc I can get the color right the first time and not have to sit in front of a computer tweaking the color of thousands of photos! Even if you like to shoot Raw, it still saves you time because you won't have to edit the white balance on every photo taken indoors.

This is a lot more convenient than using a gray card and it is more accurate.

The Expo Disc has really been a great asset in getting great colors in-camera. It has been a very useful tool when I am in a mixed lighting situation. I really like that it acts and works as a incident light meter as well. A very useful tool to have when out in the field.

It is very easy to use as well. I have read in other reviews that it can be a bit cumbersome or even difficult to use. It has been easy to use a joy to point and set my custom WB with just a click of a few buttons, and then get great colors and great exposures. A must have gadget.

As other reviews have already said, this thing is accurate and convenient when dealing with mixed lighting or when you just want a dead-on white balance.

For me, it's greatest strength isn't actually the fact that it gives you an accurate white balance - there are other products that can do it, too. It's about how FAST it is to use this.

I also own a PhotoVision Calibration Target and an X-Rite ColorChecker Passport. While both of those play their own role, neither hold a candle to how fast you can use the ExpoDisc, and on a fact-paced shoot (ie: wedding day), speed is key. Pop it on the lens, take a picture, DONE. Change lighting - pop it on, take picture, DONE.

Usually, I don't even bother setting custom WB in-camera. I batch apply the WB of the still ExpoDisc picture to all the photos that follow in Lightroom. When I get to a new picture taken using the ExpoDisc, I know to apply that new WB to the next batch of pictures. SO EASY.

As a side note, you don't need different sized ExpoDiscs for your different lens sizes. It works just fine to buy for your biggest lens and manually hold the disc over smaller lenses.

All you do is put this filter on your lens, point the camera to the main light source at your location and set your camera's white balance to that light source and the pictures come out with perfectly-balanced colors.

If you own a Canon SLR and shoot mainly in JPEG format (Canon's auto white balance-especially in low-lit scenes, gets it wrong every time!), this makes getting good results very easy.

I can't speak for the auto white balance capabilities of cameras other than Canon since I don't have any experience with them. I know that some cameras do very well on their own. Check your photos: If your JPEGs appear to have unnatural color and the whites are off, you may benefit from Expodisc's prowess.

If you shoot RAW images and do your own post-processing, you will most likely not have much of an need for this gadget as you will be able to adjust the white balance to your liking regardless of the camera's default settings.

The first thing I did when I bought the Expodisc was shoot a yellow wall with incandescent lighting. This is the most dramatic example of how the Expodisc makes you realize your camera's auto WB is worthless. Your camera sees a yellow wall with yellow lighting and overcompensates by making everything bluer than it should be. Expodisc only cares about the color of the light source, so it only removes the yellow cast of the incandescent light.

In the example above, a grey card may have been SLIGHTLY more accurate due to the yellow walls surrounding the light source and therefore some ambient color cast infiltrating the disc's view. But in 95% of normal scenarios, this little tool will be just as accurate and far more convenient.

Another note: if you are new to color calibration, be sure to thoroughly read the instructions for the Expodisc. Because used improperly, this tool could produce horribly inaccurate results. Used properly, however, you'll find that it's as useful as a grey card without the hassles of a grey card. Just pop it on your lens, aim toward the light source, and you've got yourself accurate color balance!

I don't know how it does it, but the ExpoDisc works. Among other places, I have tried it in indoor hockey rinks where the lighting can be tricky, and it gives me good readings on my Nikon gear.

This is EASILY the most intelligent investment you can make in your work. This will save you COUNTLESS hours by giving you CORRECTED white balance in EVERY frame (so long as you remember to do a NEW custom balance EVERY TIME).

Couple this with shooting a QP reference card in the first frame of a series... and you will NEVER have an issue in correcting and adjusting your levels again.

The ExpoDisc definitely makes getting the white balance out of your camera much easier. I can't say that it gets it right everytime, but is much better than auto white balance. I would recommend this if you are used to manually setting white balance.