Grey cards - Expendable? « Nikon Rumors Forum

Nikon Rumors Forum » Nikon DSLR

Grey cards - Expendable?

(14 posts) (12 voices)

Started 1 year ago by phaedarus
Latest reply from DaveyJ
Related Topics:

Tags:

phaedarus

new member
Joined: Dec '11
Posts: 3
offline

Hello everyone,

I just purchased a grey card for the first time (made by Novoflex).

Almost immediately after purchase it suddenly dawned on me that what was supposed to be a relatively cheap investment could end up being anything but as it was about $30 a pop.

This particular 18% grey card includes both grey and white on one side for each. The grey should hold up for awhile but the white will probably lose its "pureness" in short order.

What happens, however, if my grey card suddenly sinks the mud after being blown by the wind? Would I have to chuck it away or can grey cards be cleaned?

How often do you guys replace your grey cards?

Posted 1 year ago #
msmoto

big gun cougar
Joined: Mar '10
Posts: 2,736
offline

In the old days a grey card was to obtain a reflected light value which would give a starting point for calculating the exposure settings.. The "color" of a grey card is almost useless as to calibrate good color one needs to first have a monitor which is calibrated, Then you can start trying to figure out what you want your final product to look like. This all requires a color calibration card, the one I use is X-Rite MSCCC ColorChecker Chart which is about $70. Then one finds out how difficult it is to have a final product which reproduces all the colors acurately.

What am I saying? Wash off your grey card and reuse it. The white card will most likely be fairly accurate even if a bit dirty. As I said, real color balance requires more than just a grey card.

Ms. Tommie Lauer

Posted 1 year ago #
adamz

The Predator
Joined: Mar '09
Posts: 3,461
offline

if it's a good quality grey card than after rinsing it should be fine

Posted 1 year ago #
Gareth

preferred member
Joined: Sep '10
Posts: 591
offline

whibals and many others are made of plastic.

Posted 1 year ago #
kyoshinikon

preferred member
Joined: Jan '10
Posts: 1,200
offline

Another forum member a while back had an Idea for a camera bag at 18% grey... That would be so awesome...

Posted 1 year ago #
jerl

preferred member
Joined: Dec '10
Posts: 425
offline

For me, my grey card is a cloth that can just be washed by hand if it gets dirty. A cloth isn't as accurate as a well made card though, so take that for what you will. Personally, I don't really need to set manual white balances anymore, since most of the time, the camera does a pretty good job, and for the more difficult lighting situations, I have to use layer based color balancing anyway.

Of course, having an accurate white balance is much more critical for other shooters, for instance, product photographers who have to get their shots exactly the right shade of blue/red/etc.. or very picky landscape photographers who insist on having the print colors the exact same as the original. If that's something that applies to you, you will need to be more careful with what you do.

Posted 1 year ago #
kyoshinikon

preferred member
Joined: Jan '10
Posts: 1,200
offline

Mine is the same material as a matte board. I really need to buy a good one

Posted 1 year ago #
TaoTeJared

preferred member
Joined: Apr '10
Posts: 2,422
offline

I just use an Expodisk WB tool. You never have to worry about any of this.

--Sorry kind of a smart a** today >;)--

Posted 1 year ago #
dslr

member
Joined: Aug '11
Posts: 12
offline

Instead of a grey card (or white card) I use a ClearWhite white balance filter. It is translucent white filter you put over the lens and point to the light source to set the white balance. Sometimes a grey card can be helpful if your subject is lit from multiple light sources from different directions, but in most situations I find the ClearWhite easier to use.

Posted 1 year ago #
proudgeek

preferred member
Joined: Oct '10
Posts: 222
offline

+1 on the Expodisk. A friend of mine bugged me about it for months, giving me crap about the WB in my images all the time. Finally bought one just to shut him up. Worth the $99.

Posted 1 year ago #
msmoto

big gun cougar
Joined: Mar '10
Posts: 2,736
offline

I just had to jump in again on this. If one is really interested in the color of the images, understanding the light source is critical. I had a party in a garage which is lighted by Na vapor lights. And some daylight coming through the windows. This is unresolvable color wise unless one places big color gels over the windows or blocks them altogether. And, Na vapor lamps put out a line spectrum I believe, making it almost impossible to find the color in the final product, i.e., skin tone. If I would have shot with maybe a 10 cyan,+ 10 magenta filter it may have been easier to find the color in the final product. The point, is color balance with a gray card is probably just fine unless it has been sitting under your car tire in the grass. Once again, the color monitor and end user of the file will determine what they need.

Happy Holiday.... see my profit and website for thousands of photos

Ms. Tommie Lauer

Posted 1 year ago #
donaldejose

preferred member
Joined: Mar '11
Posts: 1,043
offline

I have been using a ColorRight Pro instead of the Expodisk with good results. Like the Expodisk it comes in neutral and warm (ColorRight Pro Portrait) for warm skin colors. There is also a version (ColorRight Pro MAX) that lets you adjust the warmth of the color balance with different inserts.

Posted 1 year ago #
andrewz

preferred member
Joined: Jul '10
Posts: 143
offline

Expodisk

Posted 1 year ago #
DaveyJ

preferred member
Joined: Jun '10
Posts: 452
offline

Sure agree on the Expodisk! I have stopped using standard grey card. I use them less with digital than film as I MYSELF adjust color if necessary. For what it is worth I think you better get WB pretty close on the original exposure.

Posted 1 year ago #