ExpoDisc 2.0 Review

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Having proper white balance in your photos can help make the difference between a good shot and a great shot. If you’re shooting RAW or in studio with a gray card or color passport, it’s pretty easy to adjust the white balance in post. However, if you’re shooting JPEG or shooting scenes where you can’t place a grey card then it’s probably best to get the proper white balance before you even start shooting. One of the best ways that I know to do this is with an Expoimaging ExpoDisc. I’ve used this product for years. I was pleased to see that they came out with a new version. The ExpoDisc 2.0 has been redesigned to make a good thing even better. The first thing I noticed and fell in love with is that it now clips on to your lens. There are two buttons on the outside that when depressed with your thumb and index finger retract the clips that hold it in place on your lens. This means that it’s very quick to put on and keep in place and take off. The older model didn’t have this feature and I would just lay it on my lens to set the white balance and of course it could fall off very easily. The other nice enhancement is that it comes with a set of warming filters too. This is great if you’re doing portraits. When photographing people you tend to want your subjects a little warmer than “standard/proper” white balance. These filters simply slide right on to the front of the ExpoDisc 2.0.

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Installing the warming filter

Once you have the ExpoDisc 2.0 in place with or without the included warming filter all you have to do is (depending on your camera model) put it in the mode for capturing a custom white balance. On the Nikon DSLRs you do this by putting the white balance selector on “Pre” and then holding down the white balance button until “Pre” starts blinking. You’ll have a few moments to take a shot. Now aim the camera at the light source and press the shutter. If all is well the display will now flash “Good” if not it will flash “No Good”, which means you’ll need to simply point at a different spot and try again. A couple of nights ago I did a portrait session in studio and used only the ExpoDisc 2.0 for my white balance. No adjustments to white balance in Lightroom. The results are below:

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The shot above was captured with Auto White Balance and as you can see the skin tone is a little cooler and the wall behind is a little bluer.

 

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The shot above was captured after using the ExpoDisc 2.0 and using one of the warming filters. This makes the skin more natural looking.

 

The Bottom Line

Professional photographers will tell you that it’s usually better to get things right in the camera rather than relying on post processing. I agree! If we are to agree on that then it makes sense to get white balance right in the camera as well. The ExpoDisc 2.0 is one of the best if not the best way of doing this. ExpoDisc 2.0 – Get one below:

ExpoDisc 2.0 77mm – B&H Photo

ExpoDisc 2.0 77mm – Amazon

Yongnuo YN-565EX ETTL Speedlite Flash for Nikon Review

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If you’re a photographer and you shoot on location chances are you’re going to have the opportunity to use a speedlight flash from time to time. My first speedlight was a Nikon SB600, and then I bought the SB800 and finally an SB 900/910. The latter currently goes for $546.95! That’s a lot of money for a small battery operated flash. As a matter of fact you can get this Elinchrom BRX 250 Studio Strobe for only $524.99. I know that smaller electronics usually cost more than larger ones, but the cost of speedlights has always been a mystery to me. With that said I have a lot of new up and coming photographers following me that are making their first equipment purchases. I really like my Nikon SB 800 (discontinued) and my SB 910. They’ve never failed me. The only problem is they may easily be out of the reach of new photographers because of the cost. So I figured I would give the Yongnuo YN-565EX Speedlite a try as an alternative. I would love to have 3 SB 910s but I can’t justify the expense. Yes both Nikon and Canon make lower cost models, but those models typically have fewer features and lower output. Even with those limitations the lower cost models easily go for $300 or more. The Yongnuo YN-565EX ETTL Speedlite Flash for Nikon goes for a mere $143.99 (Canon version here). So basically I could get almost four of the Yongnuo speedlites for the price of one Nikon SB910. However, let’s keep one thing in mind…you get what you pay for.

Initial Impressions

For almost a quarter of the price of my professional speedlight I really wasn’t expecting very much in terms of quality. I also have read the reviews and heard from others both good and bad experiences with Yongnuo flashes in general. However, I remained optimistic that this unit should at least work, but the question is for how long? It’s too early for me to tell if this flash will last me for the months/years to come, but at least initially I’m pleased. When I took it out of the box my first thought was “low cost plastic”. I don’t like to use the word “cheap”, but it definitely has a “low cost” feel to it. However, it did have all the things on it that I wanted and would expect. It has a diffuser and bounce card in the head just like my SB910. The head swivels just like my SB910. It also has a sync port on it for external triggers just like my SB910 and most importantly this model supports Nikon’s TTL protocols. The controls on the back are very easy to operate and from what I can tell they pretty much copied the button layout from one of the Canon speedlites. I put my four AA batteries in, fired it up, and took some test shots. It worked perfectly. I tried both TTL and Manual modes. I also like the recycle beep (which you can disable). It’s very distinctive. While I’ve only tested this flash for a couple of days now I have had no problems with it. Recycle time is about 5 seconds.

The Bottom Line

My only concerns are those that have been voiced by others that have used Yongnuo speedlites. The main concerns I hear are that they drain the batteries faster than the manufacturer’s models and that eventually they simply die. Only time will tell on the latter and so far I haven’t exhausted a set of batteries yet and don’t feel that, at least at this point, that they drain that much faster than my Nikon SB910 does. Another thing to consider is that these won’t do high speed sync. Now on the plus side there are others that have sworn by these speedlites including Scott Kelby, who uses them on his tours. The other thing I like about them is that I’d be a lot less concerned if something happened to it in the field. For example, if it were stolen it would be a lot easier to swallow a $144 loss than a $547 loss. This is also the case if I were going to use it in less than ideal conditions such as wading out in a lake or the ocean to get a shot. If it fell in the water or off a cliff it would be a lot less traumatic. While they’re not quite disposable, they are a lot less to have to “worry” about.

The question you’re asking right now is, “should I get one?”

The answer to that is probably yes. You have a lot less to lose and if it works for longer than a year then you can probably feel like you got your money’s worth. Also even if you want a better quality more expensive speedlite as your main speedlite then the Yongnuo’s can be used as your second or third speedlite. That’s exactly how I plan to use them.

You can get the Yongnuo YN-565EX ETTL Speedlite Flash here for Nikon and here for Canon.

 

Need a light modifier?

Speedlites are great, but you’ll get much better results using good modifiers. I recommend the Westcott Rapidbox Octa 26″ here and the Impact Quikbox here. Also check out my Westcott Terry White Travel Portrait Kit here.



ExpoImaging RayFlash 2 Review

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Ring lights are often used in fashion photography. However, unless you plan to use one on a regular basis they can be expensive and cumbersome. The RayFlash 2 is designed to work with your speedlight to provide a more attractive, flatter, shadowless feel to your images as opposed to just the pop-up flash or direct speedlight alone. Traditional ring light configurations come in all sizes and different specifications. Some of the newer LED based ones are lower cost. However, the professional ones tend to cost a few hundred to several hundred dollars. I like the looks of ring light photography, however not enough to invest hundreds of dollars in one. That’s why the RayFlash 2 is very attractive to me. It’s small enough for travel and low cost enough not to break the bank. You can see my original RayFlash review here that I did 5 years ago. Time flies. Since that time ExpoImaging has made some nice improvements on the RayFlash and introduced it as the RayFlash 2. The first enhancement is that it’s now much easier to attach and adjust. The head expands to fit around your speedlight easily. Also the channel slides up and down to accommodate the height of your DSLR and speedlight. Although it’s very adjustable it does come in two sizes. One for larger DSLR bodies like my Nikon D4 and D600 and a smaller model for smaller DSLRs. I wanted to try out the RayFlash 2 and here are my results:

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This image of Dior was captured just using the on camera flash. NO RayFlash 2.

The image above was taken without the RayFlash 2 and just using on camera flash. As you can see there are definitely some distinct hard shadows under the chin. There’s a reason why so many photographers shy away from on camera flash. The results are usually less than desirable.

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This image of Dior was captured using the RayFlash 2.

The image above was captured using my Nikon D600, SB 910 and the RayFlash 2. If you compare the shadows you can see that the RayFlash 2 produces a flatter more flattering result with softer shadows.

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The RayFlash 2 produces a distinctive catch light in the eyes.

 

The Bottom Line

If you’re looking for the “ring flash look” and you have a speedlight then the RayFlash 2 is definitely worth considering. This is especially true if you don’t need to use a ring flash for every shoot. I also really like how portable the RayFlash 2 is and that it easily fits in either my backpack or regular luggage for travel. I would say the only downside is that it’s not as big as some of the more expensive units out there. It would be nice to have a bigger one that produces an even softer light and bigger catch light. Otherwise, I really really like it.

You can get the large RayFlash 2 here.

You can get the small RayFlash 2 here.

 

An Evening with Sting and the Sony Alpha NEX-3N

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I resisted buying a mirrorless camera until the prices came down on certain models and I could no longer resist. I ended up getting a Sony Alpha NEX-3N. The price was right and it came highly recommended from my colleagues at work. My main use of this camera will be for travel when I’m not traveling specifically to do a photoshoot and for concert photography. By no means do I consider myself a concert photographer, but I do enjoy it.

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A couple of nights ago I got a chance to shoot Sting and Paul Simon in concert. I decided that this would be a good chance to give the Sony NEX-3N a good workout.

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I love that I have the option of shooting in Manual mode as well as RAW with this camera. However, if you do shoot in JPEG you have the option of using digital zoom. In RAW the digital zoom seems to be disabled. I only took the 16-50mm lens.

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I was very pleased with the results as well as the low light performance at both 800 and 1600 ISO.

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Although I did buy an additional lens, the 55-210mm lens I didn’t want to run the risk of security viewing it as a “professional” camera and stop me from shooting. Maybe I’ll try it next time I go to a concert. In any case I’m really impressed with what this camera can produce especially for the relatively low cost. As far as camera settings go, I shot at f/5.6, 1/80th, 800-1600 ISO for most of the evening. I did start on Aperture Priority, however I wasn’t happy with the results especially in the bright lights.

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The Bottom Line

While I won’t be giving up my Nikon DSLRs anytime soon, I can certainly appreciate the Sony Alpha NEX-3N as my new “walk around with” camera. While the newer models offer built-in WiFi, I was happy using my Eye-Fi Pro X2 card for wireless transfers directly to my iPhone 5s during the concert.

Get the Sony Alpha NEX-3N here, it comes with the 16-50mm lens.

Get the 55-210mm lens here.



4 Hidden Gems in Adobe Photoshop CC

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In this episode of Adobe Creative Cloud TV, I’ll show you 4 hidden gems in Adobe Photoshop CC that I bet most of you didn’t know were there.

Are you missing out on my Bonus Content?

See more of my Adobe Creative Cloud Videos on my Adobe Creative Cloud TV and get the App below. It features EXCLUSIVE CONTENT that no one else gets to see. This episode has a BONUS CLIP that is available only in the App! My iOS App is a Universal App for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. I also have an Android version on the Amazon App Store:

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Nikon D4s Announced and Available for Pre-order

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Seems like only yesterday that I announced that I was buying/upgrading to a Nikon D4 from my trusted Nikon D700. Believe it or not that was just over two years ago! Time flies… Well here we are in February 2014 and Nikon just took the wraps off the rumored Nikon D4s. At first glance it looks just like a Nikon D4. However, there are some new things going on on the inside that count.

  • 16.2MP FX-Format CMOS Sensor
  • EXPEED 4 Image Processor
  • 3.2″ LCD Monitor
  • Full HD 1080p Video Recording at 60 fps
  • Multi-CAM 3500FX 51-Point AF Sensor
  • Native ISO 25600, Extended to ISO 409600
  • 11 fps Shooting for 200 Shots with AE/AF
  • 91k-Pixel RGB Sensor and Group Area AF
  • 14-Bit RAW Files and 12-Bit RAW S Format
  • 1000 Base-T Gigabit Wired LAN Support

What makes the D4s better than the D4? Basically it boils down to a faster camera with better video support and better low light performance.

Will I be upgrading? While I may get a review unit to test, I most likely will not be upgrading to the D4s. This camera is more geared towards photographers who shoot sports or photographers that constantly work in low light situations (wedding photographers, etc.). Since I don’t focus on either one, I’ll probably be sitting this one out. Now if Nikon sends me one and forgets to ask for it back, I won’t complain either. hint hint, LOL

I’m actually waiting to see what they do with the D800 upgrade.

You can pre-order the Nikon D4s here.



My 3 New Online Classes on KelbyOne are Here!

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Hey everyone, I just wanted to give you a heads up about my three NEW Online Classes on KelbyOne. I visited KelbyOne studios a couple months back and recorded three in-depth online classes and now all three have been released.

Adobe Muse CC for Photographers

You probably know that you need a website, but you’re not really into writing code. That’s why Adobe Muse CC was created. In this class Terry White shows you how to get started and create a complete website from scratch without having to write a single line of code. You can have your own website and more importantly update it as often as you need.

Adobe Premiere Pro CC for Photographers

You would be hard-pressed to buy a camera that doesn’t shoot video today! However, as a photographer you probably never got into video editing. Now with Adobe Premiere Pro CC it couldn’t be easier to tell your story with photos and videos. The problem has been that all the other Premiere Pro classes out there are geared towards video people. In this class Terry White shows you how to go from start to finish with your videos, photos, and music without all the video jargon. Let a photographer show you how to use Premiere Pro CC.

Intro to Adobe InDesign CC

InDesign CC lets you bring your photos, text, and graphics together in a seamless integrated workflow. In this class Terry White shows you how to get started from scratch even if you’ve never launched InDesign before. After this class you’ll be able to lay out just about any document that you want to create. Brochures, newsletters, magazines, business cards, flyers, and books are just a click away.

I’m really happy with the way these classes turned out and I hope you like them too!



Thanking My 125,000+ YouTube Subscribers!

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I just wanted to take a moment to thank my 125,000+ YouTube subscribers. I just received this award/recognition from Google and I’m quite honored. I couldn’t have done it without you. Also thanks goes out to so many of you who take the time to come up to me at conferences to thank me for my content as well as the shoutouts on social media and my blog. More content to come!

Subscribe here if you’re not already a subscriber.

Thanks again!

Save $50 on Photoshop World with my Promo Code TWHPSW414

photo by Jason Lykins
photo by Jason Lykins

My favorite training conference and expo is coming up soon! Photoshop World is coming April 8-10 in Atlanta Georgia. I’ll be there doing a series of classes. What makes this Photoshop World even better is that I get to give you $50 off your Full Conference Pass! That’s right, just register for Photoshop World here and enter promo code TWHPSW414 and $50 will be knocked off your price right on the spot. I look forward to seeing you all there!

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Bonus Deal

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In the market for a Nikon D7100? Well now you can save $500 on the D7100 kit. Check it out here.