Downloading probably won't work too well, as you must print it, and ensure your printer is calibrated. They are cheap enough online, check for the Kodak cards at B&H or Adorama.
A number if photography books, like Kelby guides, have a tearout card in the back.
Personally, I prefer the Whibal card as it is calibrated and very durable.
Either download or buy, everyone has the 18% gray card but hard to find the 12% version of the gray card.. thanks guys
Eddy
Downloading isn't going to work, unless you have an absolute method for printing that will guarantee an exact color match for 12% gray. In reality if your really concerned about using 12% gray versus 18% gray you need to buy one.
I should ask, what precisely do you need the 12% grey card for?
18% grey cards were originally used for light metering with reflected light meters. Although they are frequently discussed as a white balance target, they are not always ideal for that task, and many camera manufacturers suggest using a white target, not a grey target for a custom white balance. Andrew Rodney says many grey cards are not a true neutral also.
I am not certain I know what the 12% is preferred for.
There are two questions that need to be asked (and of engineers at Nikon that would know of what we speak, not the Nikon USA folk who read translated documentation and learned from the same Photography 101 books we did):
Does Nikon calibrate its meters to ANSI standards? (My previous conversations with Nikon engineers leads me to believe the answer is yes Would you need a 12% gray card to get the correct exposure using an ANSI calibrated meter (i.e., is the luminance setting for ANSI really equivalent to 12% reflectance?)? (I believe the answer is again yes, but we can make do with 18% gray cards. Simply take a reading with the card angled between the lens axis and light source, then open up 1/2 stop
You'll note that some recent Kodak gray cards have had a somewhat cryptic message on them about using compensation to get correct results. There have been several threads on photo.net discussing this issue without resolution:
E.J.W
Great understanding is broad and unhurried, Little understanding is cramped and busy" ..... Chuang Tsu
Don't know if this helps clarify grayness but Sekonic sells gray cards that correspond to the gray their meters are calibrated against. The don't say what the % the gray is. However some of their meters can be calibrated against the camera you are using so that meter reading shows you the mid-tone aperature setting of the camera and where it falls in the dynamic range of the camera.
There are two questions that need to be asked (and of engineers at Nikon that would know of what we speak, not the Nikon USA folk who read translated documentation and learned from the same Photography 101 books we did):
Does Nikon calibrate its meters to ANSI standards? (My previous conversations with Nikon engineers leads me to believe the answer is yes Would you need a 12% gray card to get the correct exposure using an ANSI calibrated meter (i.e., is the luminance setting for ANSI really equivalent to 12% reflectance?)? (I believe the answer is again yes, but we can make do with 18% gray cards. Simply take a reading with the card angled between the lens axis and light source, then open up 1/2 stop
You'll note that some recent Kodak gray cards have had a somewhat cryptic message on them about using compensation to get correct results. There have been several threads on photo.net discussing this issue without resolution:
Comments
You want to buy one or download one?
Sam
A number if photography books, like Kelby guides, have a tearout card in the back.
Personally, I prefer the Whibal card as it is calibrated and very durable.
Eddy
Great understanding is broad and unhurried, Little understanding is cramped and busy" ..... Chuang Tsu
Downloading isn't going to work, unless you have an absolute method for printing that will guarantee an exact color match for 12% gray. In reality if your really concerned about using 12% gray versus 18% gray you need to buy one.
Sam
And they're pretty cheap too.
Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
TY
Eddy
Great understanding is broad and unhurried, Little understanding is cramped and busy" ..... Chuang Tsu
18% grey cards were originally used for light metering with reflected light meters. Although they are frequently discussed as a white balance target, they are not always ideal for that task, and many camera manufacturers suggest using a white target, not a grey target for a custom white balance. Andrew Rodney says many grey cards are not a true neutral also.
I am not certain I know what the 12% is preferred for.
Moderator of the Technique Forum and Finishing School on Dgrin
Just trying to figure out why Nikon Usa and Japan have 2 different answers for WB..I do prefer the 12% but i wanna be 100% sure
http://bythom.com/graycards.htm
There are two questions that need to be asked (and of engineers at Nikon that would know of what we speak, not the Nikon USA folk who read translated documentation and learned from the same Photography 101 books we did):
Does Nikon calibrate its meters to ANSI standards? (My previous conversations with Nikon engineers leads me to believe the answer is yes Would you need a 12% gray card to get the correct exposure using an ANSI calibrated meter (i.e., is the luminance setting for ANSI really equivalent to 12% reflectance?)? (I believe the answer is again yes, but we can make do with 18% gray cards. Simply take a reading with the card angled between the lens axis and light source, then open up 1/2 stop
You'll note that some recent Kodak gray cards have had a somewhat cryptic message on them about using compensation to get correct results. There have been several threads on photo.net discussing this issue without resolution:
Great understanding is broad and unhurried, Little understanding is cramped and busy" ..... Chuang Tsu
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