Coin Photography and White Balance Expodisc

23Pairer

Has anyone used this product when doing coin or portrait photography for determining white balance?

Expodisc.com

notwilight

Edit: I'm not familiar with this product before this thread.

--jerry

mrearlygold

23Pairer

<< <i>I'm no expert but sounds like a gimic. They compare it to a photo using auto white balance and then say with this product and custom white balance you'll get better shots. I'd say the improvement is the auto white balance. They seem purposely vague about the product.

do you currently use autowhitebalance?

--jerry >>



No, I always set the WB for each shot I take, against an 18% gray board. Seems to get the best results.

JapanJohn

I have a few comments that can taken or left.

First off if you're shooting RAW you probably don't need to do anything with the white balance except adjust it in software after taking the shot.

That being said I own an expodisc and find it to be remarkably spot on. Essentially it's a real expensive gray or white card. Essentially you point it at the light source and you get an 18% gray.

Again, I think the expodisc is exceptional. The Nikon D200 and D300 have the most remarkable auto white balance you've ever seen so I shoot and adjust in RAW software. Every once in a while I still use the exposdisc when I shoot straight in JPG.

Six of one. Half dozen of the other. I wouldn't call it a gimmick. Just an expensive white balance tool.

John

notwilight

John,
I don't like to adjust after the shot so I shoot autowhitebalance and call it good. Do you think the expodisc would be an improvement (Canon Digital rebel XTi entry level DSLR). --Jerry

JapanJohn

If you shoot RAW I'd say not to spend the money. Go to the local photo store and buy a white or gray card. Same same. For me the expodisc is easy and doesn't get beat up. I bought a 77mm one so I can hold it over any lens of any camera I have.

John

BECOKA

I shoot RAW and use an 18% gray cloth that can double as a cleaning cloth for the lens.

Frankcoins

Since you have to resize and compress the photos into something reasonable anyway, the auto color balance in software is adequate (since the odds are 100 to 1 that the viewer is seeing the image on an uncalibrated monitor)

notwilight

reply. I'll go edit my above post. even though I think I made it clear it was a guess, it was wrong and someone might read it and not read the rest of the thread.

Here is a coin on the neutral grey baseboard of my copy stand that I use to set whitebalance.

RWB

This product is one of several used by professional photographers to set a neutral white balance in situations where an 18% standard gray card cannot be used. For coin photos, you can almost always use a gray card, and that is preferred.

(Photographers use integration filters for setting white balance on stage shows, interiors, sporting events, etc. They work well even when there is a dominant color in the image – called “subject failure.” For best overall results, set white balance in the camera, make sure all the lights are of the same color temperature, and avoid extraneous light. Make final adjustments with your imaging software.)

stephunter

Do you guys set the wb after getting the lighting set properly and turned on the spot that you intend to take the picture?

notwilight

<< <i>Do you guys set the wb after getting the lighting set properly and turned on the spot that you intend to take the picture? >>



exactly. Set it for each photo session.

edit: unless you have a setup that uses the same lighting every time. I don't have a dedicated photo room so the lighting in the room can vary plus different coins need different lighting. Pres dollars are hard for me to get lit right and proofs need diffuse light with a black ceiling are two examples.

RWB

Lighting involves color (spectral output of the source), quality (diameter of source relative to subject – diffuse, point, etc.) and angle/elevation (position of the source on the hemisphere above the subject).

Set your white balance first, preferably at the beginning of each photo session. Adjusting the other two parameters will not change the color balance (use a gray card background to check this); however, the surface of a coin may look different depending on how quality and angle are combined. Use software to adjust the final image to produce the appearance you want, regardless of color balance.

MajorDuty

Man, the stuff they come up with. A gray card is typically a buck or two. A white piece of paper is basically free, and in a pinch you can use your hand, so I'll stop just short of referring to this tool as a gimmick.

mgoodm3

For photos wuith a fixed camera such as coins, a white card is pretty easy and cheap. I shoot everything RAW which allows me to change/adjust the WB after the fact.