Expodisc questions?

Does anyone use the Expodisc? I know some who have endorsed it, but I%26#039;m wondering about a couple of things.





First, does it work 100% the way they advertise it?





Second, if I have a few different lenses, can I just buy the 77mm size and somehow use it on various smaller diameter lenses by holding it up in front of the lens or something?





Thanks.
Expodisc questions?
Use it? I have no idea what it is? Is it a white card or a grey card? Really I%26#039;m clueless.





I do recall one person around here recommending it as the greatest thing since 110 film, and the answer to all photographic issues :)





94,000 points and you dont post a link? will go have a look soon and report back





EDIT: ok i took a minute on it. If it works for people great. Its a disc thing? cost $us79?





I find a white piece of paper costs a lot less, is easier to carry and I just put it in the light I want, meter it - using any DSLR and manual WB setting by the kelvins. Then decide if I want true cast or warmer or colder and set the appropriate tempurature manually often I hand over pegs so the WB is critical.





if you look hard enough for long enough one gets to be able to read it (kelvin) from just looking at a scene much as with exposure one can spot a f16/125 day....the secret is being able to get an accurate reading so one can choose if they want %26quot;true%26quot; temp or if they want to warm it up or cool it down -so its a creative weapon.......manual is being the master, auto is being the slave. Walk into a dining room with tungstens on at night, then the temp will be 3000-3600ish - 90% it will be 3200k. If one wanted a colder image then one would set the WB to 2000k, for warmer say 5600k. blah blah








a
Expodisc questions?
Sam, you may be interested in this article.





http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/expodisc...





Personally, I was intrigued by the idea until I learned what %26quot;pre%26quot; does in my WB presets. Works wonders, and I don%26#039;t use white or 18% gray cards either, any midtone will do. And with your D300, that should work flawlessly. My opinion...





Peace.
Reply:I%26#039;ve got one and I use it. Yes it works. Although they say that you can use it in conjunction with your cameras meter to turn your camera into an incident meter. I%26#039;ve tried it and its cumbersome.





The earlier versions clipped onto the end of your lens but the more current versions are all held in front of the lens so a 77mm will work on a 52mm lens. I do wish they made the darn thing with a handle though. Trying to hold it without getting your fingers in the way is a pain.





I currently use it more in tricky lighting situations than day to day. I mean if my pic of a rose on a coudy day is a tad bit off not many people are going to notice. If the interior of my kitchen is all yellowed out, people will notice that.





They do make a warming filter for more pleasing skin tones.





Also, I have a 77mm ExpoDisc and I can still use it on my 24-70 lens with an 82mm filter size. The glass doesnt go all the way to the edge so 77mm still covers the whole viewing area.





There is also people who use a coffee filter and do the same thing, for alot less. But I am a sucker for a perfect white balance. I do alot of shooting in RAW. I will use this to just get a shot, I wont even set the white balance and I will leave the WB in AWB. In post processing if I feel that AWB didnt cut it I will use the ExpoDisk shot as a refrence. The refrence shot can even be taken after the fact.
Reply:I am sure that Ken Rockwell is alive. Without him, I would know nothing.
Reply:I did see it advertised a few years ago when it was first released. My opinion (for what it%26#039;s worth) is that it%26#039;s a gimmick. They say it saves carrying around a greycard, but then you have to carry around an expodisc. And seriously, a greycard is much quicker to hold in front of the lens than it is to screw on the expodisc and remove it again. Also, any photographer who is any good would need neither of these. The likes of you, I, Antoni, Ace or many others here there we know, know their stuff well enough to be able to set WB without anything more than their camera and experience.





And as you say, what a pain to have to use a different one for each size lens.
Reply:From the reviews I%26#039;ve read the primary use of the ExpoDisc seems to be with mixed lighting - tungsten/daylight, fluorescent/tungsten or a mix of all three.





You might find this article interesting: %26quot;Get It Right... In the Camera... And save On %26quot;Post%26quot;- Processing Time%26quot; by Steve Bedell. You can read it at http://www.shutterbug.com. It was in the May 2008 issue of Shutterbug Magazine. In the article Mr. Bedell uses a BalanceSmarter to set his custom white balance during an outdoor, late afternoon shoot. He also swears by his incident light meter but that%26#039;s another topic.