Grey Card Plus

patch29

I was looking around the web today and came across a new grey card from Kodak.

Gray Card Plus

A standard reference for exposure evaluation and grading. The card is comprised of a large 18% neutral grey area bordered by 3% and 90% black and white patches to provide further reference for grading. The surface is specially treated to minimize glare.

Available in two sizes: 9 x 12 inches, 18 x 24 inches

Kodak Source

Has anyone seen one in a store? I looked to buy one but could not find it at B+H or Calumet. It would be more useful for a digital photographer who is shooting RAW to be able to set your levels and color balance. Kodak lists it as a cinematographer tool. I may try to track one down to see how well it works. The larger size would be useful in certain situations too.

patch29

A product that I do use is a Digital Calibration Target. It is a medium sized pop open reflector. It has three equal sized patches, one white, grey and black. The reverse is all white. The patches match Macbeth's values. It works very well, just tends to be a little large for some shots, where the grey card plus would work better. I have no association with the business, only a happy customer.

Source

wxwax

Why not just carry around a white card? Videographers only use white for white balancing. What is the benefit of having black and grey?

patch29

wxwax wrote:

Why not just carry around a white card? Videographers only use white for white balancing. What is the benefit of having black and grey?

You can get a white balance, since usually you only need a neutral value. The white, grey and black let you set your levels to a known value. If you shoot equal parts of all three you can also set your exposure in camera.