ExpoDisc + EX1/EX3 = Win

adamr316

adamr316

Well-known member
My Expo Disc had been sitting in a drawer collecting dust for about 2 years. The first time I tested it I wasn't happy with my white balances.

Two minutes away from purchasing a 18% reflectance (50 IRE) gray card and I figured I'd look at the ExpoDisc product description. Lo and behold the ExpoDisc is actually a GRAY CARD and not a white card like I thought.

With my first outing I think I set the exposure to +2 or +3 stops on my Nikon D300 and that's probably what caused the white balance issue. Should've just put it in auto because back then I "thought" I knew what I was doing to expose the ExpoDisc properly.

Finally had a chance to test the ExpoDisc on both my EX1 and my D300. Setting the D300 to 0 on its exposure scale and the EX1 to 50% on its spot meter.

Beautiful results when used properly!

A tad (1/3 stop) underexposed on the EX1 and a tad overexposed on the D300. Both well within acceptable exposure ranges though. White balance was marvelous outdoors with the Tiffen T1 filter on and indoors under flourescent daylight balanced bulbs. As well as a blinded (shaded) afternoon living room. Exposure was pretty decent as well.

I dropped the ExpoDisc earlier right on its face/back and the three pieces came apart. Nothing shattered though and I was able to put everything back together. Seems to be working fine. My only complaint is the lanyard string is a PITA to thread through otherwise it was $100 well spent. No more guessing whether my zebra stripes are accurate or that I angled the WarmCards' white side properly towards my light source.

Compared to exposing/white balancing with my Vortex Warm Cards it was right up there. In some circumstances I can see using the WarmCards over the ExpoDisc and am happy I have both options.
 
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There is and there isn't.

http://www.expoimaging.com/product-overview.php?cat_id=1&keywords=ExpoDisc

Essentially the expo disc turns your camera into an incident meter. So instead of white balancing off of your white or gray card while placing the card in the spot your subject will be, you point your camera toward the light source. Just like using a light meter seen typically on movie sets. If direct sunlight is your light source don't aim the camera right at it but towards it so as to not damage your camera's sensor (this is even noted in the packaging). The exposure is still fine that way.

Some people have used a Pringles potato chip lid and it works for them. But the ExpoDisc's are calibrated to be exactly neutral gray so I'd trust that over a Pringles lid. For white balance especially.

On my LCD screen it appears as if the footage was a tad underexposed. However viewed on my LCD TV which I calibrated to color bars as best I could everything looks great...spot-on even. Details in the whites, details in the blacks. This is with CINE Gamma set to 4 (I'm using the Vortex Media's picture profile).

The color balance definitely appears natural both indoors and out however which is fantastic. For interviews I will probably stick with my Warm 1/4 or Warm 1/2 cards but for all other times the ExpoDisc looks like the way to go. I could get the Portrait version of the expodisc but I already spent a hundred bucks on the warm cards, LOL. No more relying on zebra stripes unless I'm shooting run and gun. Even in those situations I should still have time (it doesn't take too long) to use the ExpoDisc.

So again indoors under my daylight flourescents, in the shade and on a sunny day with a Tiffen IR filter the white balance and exposure were great. I'm waiting for an overcast non-rainy day to see how well it works in those conditions. Worth every penny and I would buy one again if I broke it (which I almost did the other day). Did not use a production monitor and the LCD screen would have definitely mislead me.
 
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Expodisc Pro

Expodisc Pro

If I understand it right, its basically a prismatic diffusion filter to average out overall exposure mounted on a filter ring?

The texture looks surprisingly like a florescent light diffuser panel.

(I bet someone with a heavy DIY streak experiments by cutting a piece of florescent light cover to 4" x 4' and sticking it into a filter frame for their matte box. Of course that's not necessarily going to give the same color.)
 
That's pretty much exactly what it is! And yes I bet it's the same type of diffuser material, you aren't the first person to observe the similarities.

It's four parts. The ring, the diffuser, a blue gel and the white translucent material. OK technically 5 parts if you include the filter ring that holds everything in place.

A DIYer would need some gadget to read the gray intensity/balance for it to work correctly for color balance. For exposure I bet it'd work real well. For me it pays for itself easily and it's my born again "secret weapon". Now where's my royalty check, Expo Imaging? LOL...


Seriously though after a second look my D300 pictures are a bit too neutral. That's OK though because I can either bump up the red/warmth in-camera or just add it in post (100% RAW shooting). The EX1 colors are spot on though, probably because I'm using a HiSat color matrix.
 
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