Using the Expodisc...

[JPS]

I just received the Ø77mm. Expodisc that I ordered 4 days ago ! Very quick !!! ...now, I tried it yesterday evening, at home, with mixed lights, eg. common bulbs-lamps, low tension (ceiling) spots, and natural light from outside !

First impression is that the Expodisc seems to give a slightly too "cold" pics, but as any in-camera setting, like AUTO WB, Fluorescent 1, 2 or Incandescent were totally wrong, the shots using the Expodisc setting are "less wrong" ! ...still, it's not yet THE miraculous solution... :(

I guess I'll have to try different ways to use the Expodisc, until I find one that give me a more correct exposition ! :o

Anyway, here's 3 pics... the first one was shot early in the evening, from the terrace into the kitchen, and the only light was the natural one. The second pic is the entrance hall, with the low tension spotlights at the ceiling, and some natural light coming from the living-room. The third pic is the living-room, later in the evening, with the mixture of lights mentionned above.

The "entrance" pic is slightly warmer than it is in reality, and the "living-room" one is quite "colder" than it really is ! :confused:

BTW, all shots with the Sigma 12-24 at f/8 and different shutter speed, on tripod.

Any tips ?
:cheers:

[Bill C]

Jean-Pierre ... I also found the ExpoDisc people to be very responsive, including a response to a specific lighting situation I ran into. I suggest that you send them a message, with links to examples. Certainly an ExpoDisc won't 'fix' all lighting problems, it does make it 'less wrong' as you said. I find that when I shoot in mixed lighting situations, I'll shoot RAW as well as with the ExpoDisc. Also, they suggested to set camera color/tone to ORG, ORG for difficult lighting conditions ... try it and see if the results are the same. Please keep us informed as to your ExpoDisc 'experiments'
By the way - I find these pics to be very pleasing with the colors!
Regards,
Bill

[JPS]

...............I'll shoot RAW as well as with the ExpoDisc. Also, they suggested to set camera color/tone to ORG, ORG for difficult lighting conditions ... try it and see if the results are the same...........
Hi Bill ! I did shoot RAW and got easely a better result after converting with EX, than the JPG with Expodisc :( ...and I ALLWAYS shoot org/org/off, even in JPG ! (as we HAVE to pass the pics thru PS anyway -for USM and the rest...-, I find it better to do all the improvements in PS than "in-camera" ! BTW, now, even shooting org/org/off, I found that I rarely have to add any color correction or color "boosting"... I just "clean" the usual dust-bunnies and give some USM treatment... :p One day, I'll end up not doing any post-process anymore... that's my dream ! :D
:cheers:

[Bill C]

...snip....One day, I'll end up not doing any post-process anymore... that's my dream ! :D
:cheers:
Ahh....I think that is part of my problem - I like spending too much time in post-processing - perhaps I should send more time taking pictures!
Bill

[HulaMike]

agree, agree, agree. ED + RAW + Org/org + CS and the wonderful new tools it contains will produce an image that's pretty much there. Much better than using the S2 pre-sets.

I have to agree with Bill in that the first three pics look pretty good on my monitor JP. Its GREAT seeing some of your wonderful shots framed and on the wall too! Looks like you have the 2100 figured out.

[bjnicholls]

The Expodisc can only work when the light that's hitting the disk is the color temp you want to balance for. If you have mixed lighting where the color temp of downwash wall lights is different from the ambient light that's hitting the diffuser on your lens (as it looks like in one of the shots) you may not be getting the balance you want. There are times when the Expodisc (or a Pringles lid) will work well, there are other times when you'll want to read a white card under the specific lit area you want to balance. Mixed lighting is, of course, impossible to neutralize across the image in one shot.

[Wichita Wayne]

Your place is so clean a tidy. You must not have any teenagers running around tearing computers apart and eating chips.

I also use the Expodisk a little and have gotten great results, but I find it a kind of a pain to use. Most of the time I only use it to shoot wierd lighting. Maybe I should force myself to use it more often.

[VA_Shooter]

To heck with the ExpoDisk . . . this house is gorgeous. Can I come live with you, JP? :)

[Linda G]

No body really lives there! It's a facade! He just rents it and keeps it that way to visit the view!!!!

[HulaMike]

An urban Swiss art gallery. He can write it off...ah, then again, does Switzerland even have an income tax?????

[JPS]

Hi all !

For Wichita Wayne: No, we haven't got anymore teenagers running around and spreading mess all over the place ! ...fortunatly, our kids are grown-ups -at least as much as we are :rolleyes: -, and now THEY have the problem of cleaning the chips on the carpets :rofl:

For Connie: No, you can't... or else just to spend a few days ;) !

For Linda: don't forget that we just moved in... and that for the sake of the photo I super-cleaned the place ! ...but it's true that we got rid of quite a few "dust-grabbers" and trying to live in an -as much as possible- tidy place, but it never lasts long... :o !

For Mike: Ooooooooh YES we do pay income tax :eek: ! I guess like everywhere in the world, except in Monte-Carlo (Monaco) ! It's about 20% -and more some years- of our income that goes down the drain... :(
:cheers: