can somebody recommend a grey card?

[katia]

i've been looking for a grey card for quite some time. my local London Drugs has some, but they're right around $50 and that's beyond my budget right now.

i looked on Amazon and basically just got a bunch of arguments in the reviews, as it was marketed as a "Kodak" grey card, but reviewers said it wasn't actually made by Kodak and that the grey was a bit off, so i'm leery of ordering that one.

also preferably i'd like a DURABLE grey card, not one made out of cardboard, but a plastic one, if those exist.

any suggestions?

[autofocus]

Well, this may not be in your budget, but it's what we use. Durable, collapsible, and has a white side that also can be used as a small reflector
Amazon.com: Lastolite LL LR2050 20-Inch Ezybalance Card (Grey/White): Camera & Photo

[ceremus]

I was going to suggest the Lastolite also. They also have a 12" model if you want a smaller one, less expensive also. Lastolite EzyBalance Gray Card LL LR1250 B&H Photo Video

[milosh]

Check out WhiBal:

WhiBal White Balance Gray Card Video Tutorial by Michael Tapes

[inkista]

+1 on the whibal, although some folks consider them to be expensive for what they are.

[sk66]

How about a 18% grey lens cloth?
Of course, it's likely to blow away/flutter unless you have someone hold it. IMHO, it's probably about as good as anything. (grey cards seem to be very inconsistent these days).

If necessary/beneficial (i.e. almost never for me) I use a w/b lens cover and set a custom w/b rather than use a grey card....these are cheap and work well enough.

I know I bought a book that included a grey card in it...pretty sure it was a 3rd party camera manual...card's still in it I'm certain.

[cyber3d]

Bump.

FOund a really extensive instruction on grey card use.

http://www.mennon-usa.com/store/medi...ongreycard.pdf

[ravncat]

I can recommend the color checker passport.

It's great cause it's in a little hard case - but it's more than just a grey card and expensive (100 bucks) So, it may be more than what you are looking for.

It's the size of about 2 credit cards next to eachother and half a centemeter thick - it opens up. Inside it has color palate swatches, and a grey card and a place to write your name. It's good because it's protected from light, the elements and is plastic backed.

You can use it for accurate white balance, and can pick from it to get warming and cooling effects - but one of the other purposes is to be able to create camera profiles which I find useful. (it comes with software that plugs in rather well to ACR / Lightroom.

[Rentham]

Originally Posted by ravncat

You can use it for accurate white balance, and can pick from it to get warming and cooling effects - but one of the other purposes is to be able to create camera profiles which I find useful. (it comes with software that plugs in rather well to ACR / Lightroom.

Agreed. In fact, I think people who aren't using custom profiles are missing out on a major part of color management in their workflow. Well worth the cost.

[NathanFranke]

For $20 you can get this. It's in one of the links one of the Jims (Poor or Bryant, can't remember) when someone asks what they should charge. I've never actually seen one of these, as I have a kodak gray card from my film days--two of them actually, and I never remember to use either one.