Looking for a good accurate neutral gray card that has true 18 % reflectance.
If it were me, I'd skip the card and get an expodisc.
Color checker passport...
Invest in a ColorChecker Passport if you shoot in RAW.
It will transform your photos color accuracy.
Best,
Todd Ferguson
jamesl wrote:
I am for an accurate neutral gray card that has true 18 % reflectance. I want to use it to accurately set correct exposure. I may vary the exposure one way or the other for creativity but I want the truely accurate initial exposure. Does anyone here use a gray card to set or check for accurate exposure and if so, could you suggest one or more good reliable ones? Any help will be greatly appreciated.
The Kodak card has been the standard for many decades.
jamesl wrote:
I am for an accurate neutral gray card that has true 18 % reflectance. I want to use it to accurately set correct exposure. I may vary the exposure one way or the other for creativity but I want the truely accurate initial exposure. Does anyone here use a gray card to set or check for accurate exposure and if so, could you suggest one or more good reliable ones? Any help will be greatly appreciated.
I use the Gary Fong gray dome to set white balance, but you can use it to set exposure as well.
I have a gray card, use it occasionally, works fine. But one thing that you may find is that unless you calibrate your monitor, and the printer, you will still not get quite the right colors. It all has to be done properly to get the best pictures. That said, I have found that for important pictures, I get the colors right on my computer, and then take it to Walgreens to print, and get a good result. For everyday pictures, not that critical, I can use my printer and get ok results, but not as good as a professional printer. Part of the issue of course is I do not use OEM ink, I use a third party ink, which may not be completely compatible with the photo paper.
I too carry one of the WhiBal credit sized cards. It 2 or 3mm thick plastic so pretty robust. As others have mentioned the grey is handy for checking exposure, and the whibal has a white patch also handy for colour balance. Don't use it much but useful for weird lighting conditions.
jamesl wrote:
I am for an accurate neutral gray card that has true 18 % reflectance. I want to use it to accurately set correct exposure. I may vary the exposure one way or the other for creativity but I want the truely accurate initial exposure. Does anyone here use a gray card to set or check for accurate exposure and if so, could you suggest one or more good reliable ones? Any help will be greatly appreciated.
If you use an 18% gray card, you are under exposing by 1/2 stop. This is because the standard for photographic exposure is 12.5%.
Kodak made a mistake in the text describing use of their 18% gray card in 1979. While this was corrected in 1999, the error has continued to be made.
See this link for a discussion:
https://www.adorama.com/catalog.tpl?op=article_050503
lamiaceae wrote:
Yes, sometimes I'll go old school and use a 18% Grey Card. I've found my cameras anyway are pretty damn accurate for exposures, even going back to my film Pentax K2 DMD to say nothing of my Pentax DSLRs (Hell, even my CellPhone makes accurate exposures). Most often I find I'll use a grey card is if I am using a totally manual lens and find I don't like my initial starting point exposure with a digital camera. I use grey cards only for exposure setting with either the camera's meter or a hand held light meter.
For setting White Balance (if done manually) I may use a White Card. I find the various Kodak Grey cards I have adequate. I have not settled on a white standard; printed card or white piece of paper.
Yes, sometimes I'll go old school and use a 18% Gr... (
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That's why I still carry a good incident light meter.
AndyT
Loc: Hampstead, New Hampshire
How far off can a gray photo bag be?
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