JJC Hand-held Professiona White Balance Filter, Universal White Balance Handheld Disc for Digital Photography DSLR, Easy to Use, Consistent Accurate Color, for Lens Filter Diameter up to 95mm

There's almost nothing I like better than finding a (much) less expensive item that works as well - or in some ways better - than the name brand item. I've wanted an Expodisc for years, have heard good things about them, but have never bought one for 2 reasons. 1) I couldn't stand to pay that amount of money on a piece of plastic (although I didn't mind spending $3400 dollars on a 5D Mark III - haha - great investment!); 2) the Expodiscs are sized to fit onto your lens, but I have 5 different lens sizes, so I could only use it on one of my lenses and would have had to buy 5 different sizes in order to utilize them. But I haven't had very good luck with using gray cards for custom white balance, and that has been a continual frustration for me, so I came back to Amazon resigned to finally buying and Expodisc. I found this little gem instead, read the reviews (don't we just love Amazon for that reason!) and decided that the price was so reasonable it wouldn't be much of a risk. I LOVE IT. Very easy to use, fits all of my lenses and the white balance has been spot on. I haven't used it outside yet, only in several challenging indoor lighting situations, which is usually where I need custom WB the most, but the WB has been perfect every time. I have also been using it to set my exposure and it's great for that as well. As far as the reviewers who said it was too big? I don't feel that way at all as it is one of the smallest, lightest pieces of equipment in my bag and I don't see how it wouldn't fit in ANY bag because it's so slim. I could see that's it's maybe a bit too big for some pants pockets, but geez, if you can't find a way to carry this thing around, you must not be very committed to accurate white balance. And that's all I have to say about that. Oh, and for another similar substitute for a name brand item that I have used for years and LOVED - check out this flash: http://www.amazon.com/Neewer-Speedlite-Panasonic-Fujifilm-single-contact/dp/B004LEAYXY/ref=sr_1_1?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1452365121&sr=1-1&keywords=neewer+flash

I was surprised on how accurate this took is compared to shooting an 18% gray card. The trick is how to use it properly. You have to shoot your custom white balance while at the position of the subject to get the best results. Also, if using strobes or flash, especially when bouncing flash, place the unit in front of the lens while aiming it at ht wall/ ceiling your bouncing it from. It also does a great job of neutralizing color casts. For the most part, this is much easier and faster than shooting a gray card. It is also much cheaper than the expodisc! I would recommend this tool!

This is a preliminary review of the JJC white balance filter. I will also offer a basic comparison with the Expodisc (version 1 aluminum). The JJC is very large and according to the packaging, can handle up to a 100mm lens. The product does seem a little flimsy and I'm not sure of the long term durability, but I am hopeful that it will last if I do not abuse it. Compared to the expo disc it is very flexible, but as long as it holds up, that's OK with me because of the lower price point of the JJC. I also notice that the JJC has the prism type material on both sides versus the expo disc having the prism material only on the outside and a smooth translucent white material on the inside. As far as performance goes, the JJC seems to get the job done. Based on preliminary comparison testing(my Expodisc came in today from ebay), the JJC delivers accurate results, although see below for more on accuracy. One caveat with these types of filters: using these things with consistent results seems to be an art in itself. Some situation are relatively simple, while others are trickier. Doing research online should be of much help. Documentation with the JJC is sparse while the Expodisc has a nice booklet guiding me through the difficulties we will encounter under the practically infinite lighting conditions in our world. Now as to the performance differences with the Expodisc, which I assume many are interested in because of it's popularity: The JJC appears a little warmer than the neutral Expo(without blue warming gel), but a little cooler than the ver. 1 Expo with the provided blue warming gel. As for dead on accuracy, I can't say for sure which one is more so, but I present this as a comparison at this time. For those wanting Accuracy(presumably what these products are about)this is important and when/if I get a better handle on this important metric, I will update this review. These discs may not always be necessary, but there are times when auto white balance will be fooled. That's when you pull this out. However, I also think it's a good idea to get used to "eyeballing" the color temp so we are better able to "dial in" the temp using our own trained color perception to provide the image we want, whether that's dead on accuracy, a little warm or a little cool. This can be done through Kelvin or WB fine tuning as often the presets are not what we want or need. In case anyone's interested, if you can find a CTB filter light enough (1/8 or lighter), you should be able to attach it to the JJC and turn it into a warming WB filter as Expoimaging has done with their product. Conversely, If you can find a light enough CTO filter, you can cool the image. As already stated if my long term experience/results differ, I will update this review. All in all, for the price, this is a good buy, particularly for someone who wants to try it or experiment without the investment of an Expo disc. Edit September 2015: As for comparing the JJC with the Expodisc, I spoke to an Expodisc rep and she told me the warming model I have is calibrated for use with the warming gel, but not calibrated with the gel removed. In other words, taking the gel out doesn't necessarily give a neutral result. It may or may not. It seems like a small point, but I add it for sake of accuracy and clarity. On the use of these types of white balance tools in general: Back in January 2015, though not hired, I took shots at my wife's nephews wedding shower (yes men were invited). I did not have this tool at the time and ran into mixed tungsten lighting and left it on AWB. I normally shoot JPEG and found WB correction really tough and wasn't completely happy with the results, although the nephew and everybody else seemed to love the results. Going forward to March 2015, I had my WB tools and found florescent lighting at the wedding. I decided to go with the Expodisc because of the warming gel. I couldn't have been happier with the results! Beautiful and consistent JPEGs throughout! I shared them through Photobucket and he was very appreciative and happy. Recently I got a call from the nephew. He told me he was disappointed with the shots from the pro that he hired (she used digital and film Nikons and took 5 months to get the finished photos to him) and asked if I would mail a DVD to him with the full size files that I took. Needless to say, that was a very rewarding feeling. I tell this story because whether you use JJC or Expodisc, it really does work. Especially if you shoot or want to shoot JPEG. If I was going to use the JJC for people shots, I would experiment with a warming gel to warm up the image a bit, since so many people will prefer this. Then you would have more options. One more thing: I have been looking for a simple yet effective post processing tool. I have not yet climbed the sharp learning curve with Photoshop, etc. because I really don't want to spend even more time in front of my computer. For the wedding shots I used Athentech Perfectly Clear with excellent results. Many of the shots look nothing short of glamour shots! They make plugins and are also working on a standalone version currently in Beta stage.

If you're considering trying this over Expodisc2.0 do it! I bought both and did several side by side tests. There is a slight difference. The Expodisc in my opinion is slightly warmer and I actually prefer the slightly cooler white balance of the JJC. What I love is the JJC is oversized so I can use it with any of my lenses with any camera. I don't love with the Exposdisc how you have to attach it. JJC is much more convenient. You can just throw it in your bag. At the price you can throw one in all your camera bags! I LOVE getting just about the same results for way less. Two slight improvements for JJC. A carrying case and better instructions would be nice. You really should shoot from your subjects position back to where you will take the photo, but I got good results either way. You can Google Expodiscs instructions and just follow those. I will say both methods bombed in low light early morning balancing. Both results looked blue, so I guess you will need adequate light. Seriously, try this. You'll thank me.

I was sceptical at first, but I tried it last night at a large special event in a space with mixed daylight and artificial light, as the sun set, and now I'm a believer. I shoot JPEGs on a new Canon R8 full-frame mirrorless and I've found the automatic white balance to be very good overall, but a good number of the photos I shot indoors needed a little color balance tweaking. Last night as the sun went down the color of the light in the space where I was shooting changed every ten minutes. I had the item in my pocket, so I was easily able to pull it out of my pocket, shoot a new reference image, and reset the white balance. I just edited the photos and I didn't have to rebalance one of them. The images are just a tiny bit cooler than I usually like, but as they all have the same balance, I didn't touch them. I'll never shoot an indoor event again with out this little piece of photographic magic in my pocket.

I recently purchased the JJC Hand-held White Balance Filter to improve color accuracy in my digital photography. After using it for a few weeks, I've gathered some insights worth sharing. Firstly, the concept of this white balance filter is excellent. It's designed to help photographers achieve consistent and accurate colors, which is crucial for professional-looking photos. In my experience, it does a decent job in this regard. The colors in my photos have shown noticeable improvement, with more natural and balanced tones. The ease of use is another positive aspect. It's quite straightforward – you just hold it in front of your lens and set the custom white balance on your camera. This feature is particularly useful for those who are not very experienced with manual white balancing. The filter is also designed to fit lens filter diameters up to 95mm, which covers a wide range of camera lenses. This versatility is a big plus, as it means I can use it with different lenses in my kit. However, there are a few drawbacks. The build quality feels a bit flimsy for the price. I was expecting something a bit more robust. Additionally, while it does improve color accuracy, the results aren't always consistent, especially in mixed or challenging lighting conditions. I've had to make some adjustments in post-processing to achieve the desired look. Another minor inconvenience is the need to carry it separately, as it doesn’t attach to the lens. This can be a bit cumbersome, especially when you're trying to minimize the gear you carry on shoots. In conclusion, the JJC Hand-held White Balance Filter is a handy tool for photographers looking to improve their white balance accuracy without delving too deeply into manual settings. It's easy to use and fits a variety of lenses. However, the build quality and inconsistent results in certain lighting conditions are drawbacks to consider. It's a decent tool for hobbyists or those new to photography, but professional photographers might want to look for something more reliable.

I've used this product for the past few months now and I must say it has done wonders for white balancing. I always keep it in my bag and although it's big, it slides in nicely in one of the back pockets, where a laptop would usually go. It's fairly large, which can be a good and a bad thing. It's too big to carry around in your pocket, but at least you won't have to worry about lens size issues as it can fit pretty much 98% of the lenses out there. I believe it's equivalent to a 100mm ring. I've never tested products such as the popular expo discs, but without any kind of bias, I can say that the white balance is spot on just from an observational standpoint. If you've never used one before, I'd recommend switching the lens to manual so the camera doesn't get lost trying to focus on something. If you're in a dimly lit situation, try pointing the camera towards the nearest strongest/lightsource before shooting. You really can't go wrong with this as it's not easy to break and the transparency is equivalent to all other white balance filters. The best part of it is that it's very inexpensive and although you can almost get similar results using a DIY coffee filter, this looks a lot more professional, if you get what I mean.

I've used this on two Nikon DSLR's with WB preset function (D90s & D750). I ran several trials of my own comparing the auto white balance with presets using the filter. Here's the key to setting white balance using this method over your camera's auto white balance: Auto white balance looks for the brightest spot in the frame when you take the shot and assumes that to be pure white. It adjusts the color balance to make that spot white. In many photos that will work great, or at least be close enough that the colors look good. For my tests, I made sure that there was nothing white in the shot, which happens more often than you may realize. My trials were both indoors and outside. For each trial, I took two consecutive shots from the exact same position with only natural light using the exact same focal length, shutter speed, aperture, and iso - simply changing from auto white balance to a WB preset using the JJC WB-F1 white balance filter. The results were dramatic, with the preset reproducing the colors accurately while the colors in the auto white balance trials were conspicuously incorrect. In one example the brightest part of the shot was part of a beige wall in the background, and the auto white balance made it a white wall, shifting all the other colors accordingly. I love how quick and easy it is to use - and I put a lanyard on it using the hole in the handle for convenience when I'm shooting outside. I'm a Nikon guy and setting the preset is a simple as 1) change the WB from auto to preset 2) press and hold the WB button until "Pre" flashes on the LCD screen 3) face the light source* and hold the filter over the lens 3) squeeze off a shot - auto focus is inhibited, and it doesn't actually take a photo 4) look for "Good" on the LCD screen and you're ready to go! If the light changes (e.g. clouds or shade), simply redo steps 2-4. * when the predominant light falling on the subject is reflected - say, off a wall, that is the light source I understand many Canon DSLR's also have this capability, but it may take a extra step or two. Check with your camera's user guide. My tests were hardly scientific, but no reason for me to think the ExpoDisc would perform noticeably better, if any better at all. I've never held an ExpoDisc in my hand, so they may very well pass light frequencies slightly more accurately and may even be constructed more durably... I don't honestly know, Even so, I can buy three of these for the price of one ExpoDisc, and I'm very happy with the performance of the JJC filter. If you buy an ExpoDisc specifically for the size of your lens, it sits on the lens so you may not need to hold it when you take the calibration shot, but most ExpoDisc reviews advise you to buy the larger size so that you can use it with all your lenses regardless of filter ring size. That means you're holding it by hand anyway - and they don't have a handle. Even if you shoot RAW like I do, whether with the JJC or a competitor, this method is an easy way to get accurate baseline color balance in the metadata, streamlining your retouching process. I'm very happy with the JJC white balance filter, and would buy it again in a minute!

This product does its job pretty efficiently and helps you record accurate colours under most lighting conditions. Its a must have if you're very particular about accurate colour rendition.

it works really well, however my unit just came damaged and I didnt have time to send it back! so buy at your risk! hopefully if they see this, they would be kind enough to do something about it, with that being said it works well as expected.

Does not give a proper wb as much as a grey card.

If used properly its a great helper to get your colors as real as possible

it did not as it is supposed to perform. each time is shown different results