Anyone tried using an expo disc with their M8

[Eikonphoto]

Sorry if this question has already been addressed. Has anyone out there tried using an expo disc with their M8? I routinely use one on my D2X's and the white balance it creates are spot on. I know many have complained about auto WB, which frankly is IMHO not great on any pro level digital, so I am thinking someone must have tried.
BTW - Of course, I should mention that I don't know whether M8 allows you to create a custom white balance (my M8 is on the way I hope ) - but I have to think you can. Just wondering.
Thanks
Karen Sayre

[gravastar]

I've used translucent white plastic sheeting with the M8 and it seems to work well. So I don't see why the expo disk shouldn't work as well if not better. Since this seems to work it would probably indicate that no other information other than data from the CCD is used to determine manual white balance.

What bugs me about the M8's manual white balance is if you change to any other balance such as daylight you lose the previously saved manual balance. You have to go through the manual balancing proceedure again. That's a real bind when you have to move backwards and forwards between rooms with different light sources. Am I missing something or is it really like this?


Bob.

[Eikonphoto]

It's definitely not convenient. Mind you, it's all too easy to forget which nikon preset wb is which sometimes. I wonder what the logic was behind deciding not to allow you to save the presets you create? Surely the folks at Leica must have 'looked' at the main nikon and canon dslr's ..... but then again maybe not.
Karen

[Eikonphoto]

That's great to know. That last paragraph just makes it so much more convenient. I am forever moving in and out of mixed lighting. Thanks ....... just goes to show it's worth reading the manual - who knew!!
Karen

[gravastar]

A clear case of me not RTFM lol. Last paragraph on page 99, two presses of the set button recalls the stored value.

I must admit I would have read the manual in more detail if it had an alphabetically arranged subject index.


Bob.

[Eikonphoto]

Bob
Maybe you could read it and give me a sort of ADD persons digest.

[wparsonsgisnet]

Karen, This is a neat solution, but could fail if the lighting is different at the image compared to that at the camera.

I have chosen to purchase a WhiBal card that gives the same benefit and can also be placed in the area of the image. Check it out. Many here use if and are happy with it.

I can't figure out how we could white balance a raw image useing the Expodisc.

[innerimager]

I'm using the exposdisc with the M8. Thanks Bob for pointing out how to recall a manual WB setting! I do hope Leica makes it possible to save and name several settings in future firmware updates. But I find the expodsic is working really well. I'm getting near perfect, (by the numbers) neutral WB. Bill, the easiest way to use the disc for raw images is to set a WB in your converter using the actual expodisc image and paste it into all the images that correspond to the light. Also, you can balance the light source (incident) or the subject (reflective) and the latter seems as good as having a card in the frame and obviously more convenient. best....Peter

[Eikonphoto]

Peter
Excellent news ..... for those of us that have the need to shoot jpegs, and prefer accurate WB from capture.
Thanks ...... now which lenses to buy

[gravastar]

Originally Posted by innerimager

................................... Bill, the easiest way to use the disc for raw images is to set a WB in your converter using the actual expodisc image and paste it into all the images that correspond to the light. Also, you can balance the light source (incident) or the subject (reflective) and the latter seems as good as having a card in the frame and obviously more convenient. best....Peter

Just to add, I think you have to take a normal image of the disk if you want to use it to set the converter software balance. Although the image used by the camera for a manual white balance does get written to the SD card it isn't read properly by C1. It appears as a black rectangle. If you display this image in the camera it displays correctly for a few seconds and then goes black, so it's not a normal DNG file.

Bob.

[innerimager]

Bob- This is interesting. I have had an expo disc image appear as black in Raw Developer, but only once. All the other DNG expo disc images appear as they should, a grey field. I wonder what's going on when it appears black? best.....Peter