Digital Video - September 2008 - (Page 38)

IN REVIEW EXPODISC (continued from page 10) is a little odd — and not always practical. My first objection to it was a misunderstanding that I would put the ExpoDisc over my lens at my normal camera position and then white balance through it. The issue there was that the light falling on my subject would not necessary pass through the ExpoDisc to get a proper color balance! I mean, I’m not normally in the habit of lighting my camera in the same light I light the talent. Generally you’d put a neutral gray (18%) or white card out IN your scene, IN your lighting, and focus on that to set your white balance. Well, that’s exactly how ExpoDisc wants you to work. You take your camera to your subject’s position, point it back where the camera will be when you shoot the scene, put the ExpoDisc over the lens and take your white balance reading. In essence, you’re moving your whole camera and ExpoDisc to the point where you’d normally place a gray or white card for balance. This way you’re getting the same light falling on your subject to fall on the ExpoDisc, and you get a solid reading. The issue with that, of course, is that you have to take your camera off whatever it is on, move it to the position of your subject and use the ExpoDisc. This is totally fine if you’re shooting with a DSLR camera, but if you’re working with a larger digital video camera, or your camera happens to be on a jib or crane or rigged someplace where it can’t be moved, the ExpoDisc is of minimal use. If you are able to move your camera into the proper position, then ExpoDisc is a fantastic tool that works very quickly and doesn’t require a second person to stand someplace with a gray (or white) card for you to balance off of. The second function of the ExpoDisc, since it is precisely calibrated to 18% transmission, is that if you take it to the position of your subject and point your camera toward your light sources or where the camera will be when you shoot, the ExpoDisc on the lens turns your camera into an incident light meter so that you can get unbiased exposure readings — exactly the way you’d use an incident meter. This is a very interesting feature, but one that I would rarely (if ever) use. The ExpoDisc is well-made, rugged (indeed, it took a spill on my account and came out unscathed), lightweight and has a fantastically protective case to keep it safe. At the end of the day, the ExpoDisc delivers exactly what it promises. It’s compact and, in many situations, very easy to use. However, in some situations it just isn’t practical and, unfortunately, at those times you’ll have to resort to old-school balancing. DV You’ll find an extended version of this review on our site. Visit DV online. ADVERTISEMENT PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT ATH-M50 PROFESSIONAL STUDIO MONITOR HEADPHONES “Fantastic-sounding headphones. Period.” Visit audio-technica.com to see more of what Grammy®-winning engineers and producers are saying about AudioTechnica’s new flagship ATH-M50 Studio Monitor Headphones. CONTACT: www.audio-technica.com, mediaproduction@atus.com, 330-686-2600 http://www.dv.com http://www.audio-technica.com http://www.audio-technica.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Digital Video - September 2008

Digital Video - September 2008 Contents Discproducer PP-100 Frameforge 3D Studio 2 First Cuts Expodisc Bird's-Eye View Instant Expert Inside Outsource Red in Combat Tools & Technology My Studio DV101 Production Diary

Digital Video - September 2008

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