BigDave Posted January 29, 2007 Share Posted January 29, 2007 What kind of filter is appropriate for shooting indoors - specifically a trade show type setting? I'll be shooting people and booths, not product. TIA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cking Posted January 29, 2007 Share Posted January 29, 2007 In old days it was called a Tungsten filter, to cut off the extra blue light. Or tungsten balanced film. Today a UV filter is all that is used and balance it afterwards. Bring a Color swath bar with you and put it in a few shots that will allow you to balance once for all the pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Sweeney Posted January 29, 2007 Share Posted January 29, 2007 Filter? Filter? All I use (when I do) is either a UV/Haze as protection, or a circular polarizer. For indoor trade shows and the like, you'll be adjusting color balance in-camera, so a filter to adjust for lighting is, is, old school. But sometimes I'm a neanderthal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nik Habicht Posted January 29, 2007 Share Posted January 29, 2007 UV always as a shoot-through lens cap. Other than that, set a custom white balance, assuming you're shooting digital. Watch the light as you move through the place ---- if the color or amount of light changes from one end of the building to the other, you'll need to re-do the custom white balance. Also keep in mind when you shoot your grey or white card, it needs to be hit by light at the same angle and intensity as the light hitting your subject..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooter Posted January 29, 2007 Share Posted January 29, 2007 Or you can shoot raw and set the white balance in PP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDave Posted January 29, 2007 Author Share Posted January 29, 2007 I will likely be shooting RAW, but I wasn't sure what benefit a lens filter had. It doesn't sound like a UV filter is a bad idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzShooter Posted January 29, 2007 Share Posted January 29, 2007 (edited) Always use a UV filter, just to protect the lens. With Digitals it's not important to use a filter for the color difference of indoor lighting but make sure you set the white ballance. Use the tungston setting or use a gray card and Preset if you can. That will guarantee the right colors. If you are using flash just set the WB to Flash. Best indoor shots would be with a very fast lens and no flash. Try a 1.8 f stop lens if you have it. That should give you pleanty of light. Edited January 29, 2007 by AzShooter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn jones Posted January 29, 2007 Share Posted January 29, 2007 isn't there a filter to offset the effects of florencent light? lynn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted January 29, 2007 Share Posted January 29, 2007 Lynn, there is, but they can be inaccurate (how many different color balances of flourescent are there??? ), and you can lose 1/2 to 2 full stops, depending on the filter. With digital, they are pointless and worthless, except as special effect filters. Actually, the "florescent" WB setting on the camera is pretty damn worthless, too.... +1 to Nik's suggestions - custom WB, double check lighting around, etc. The custom WB gives you a place to start w/ the RAW files, too. Custom WB will also give your camera proper hints so that you can judge exposures more correctly w/ the histogram on the camera. At this point, w/ digital, I really only use one filter that's not a Skylight or UV filter, and that's a polarizer. The rest of it you can make up for with much more control later in Photoshop or whatever.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nik Habicht Posted January 29, 2007 Share Posted January 29, 2007 Or you can shoot raw and set the white balance in PP. Yeah, you can, but in my humble opinion it's easier and better to do it on scene, unless you're photographing something so fast changing that you need to worry about missing the moment.... Bottom line: The GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out) process starts the moment you pick up the camera ---- the sooner you start thinking and making decisions in the process, the better your final result will be...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Sweeney Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 I suppose legions of pro shooters will hunt me down and threaten me, but I find Raw just too much of a hassle, and not nearly worth the work. Also, if you need proper color balance, there's nothing like horsepower. Get a honkin big flashgun, put a diffuser hood on it, and just fill the space with light. Color balance? Whatever Mr. Flashgun says it is. I use a circular polarizer outdoors, and a UV (when I remember) indoors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemo Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 Yamils asks: Film or digital? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ysued Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 Dave, Patrick is right... for a change!! If you are shooting digital, shoot in Auto WB!!! You should be OK, the lighting in trade shows changes so much and there's so many mix and match of lighting that using a filter is counterproductive. Color correction and Light balance filters will cut down your light, if you do Auto WB on your DSLR, you will get very close. If you are shootin RAW you have a distinct advantage, during your shoot add a frame or two with a 18% Gray Card, then when you process your RAW Files you can do a Gray balance and process accordingly!! That is what I would do. Y Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 My experience w/ Auto WB for JPEGs is somewhat mixed - my 10D didn't always do such a hot job in certain types of lighting, requiring a lot of tweaking to get white things white... The 30D, on the other hand, seems to kick ass - maybe not perfect, but it does a damn good job. I have a D2X that I'm playing with, right now - haven't had a chance to see what it can do in those situations, yet.... Pat, I understand what you're saying about RAW... I tend to shoot JPEG only for action stuff - mainly because my previous camera couldn't put stuff on a card fast enough. The 30D can, so I might investigate RAW a little more for some things.... But, yeah, there's a lot of futzing around w/ 'em afterwards - its almost exactly like the difference between negatives and chromes in film terms. The JPEG is analogous to the chrome - you get what you shot onsite, period (effectively). Also, Yamil's comments re: shooting a grey card here and there are useful for JPEG shooting, too, depending on the situation. If you're shooting a bunch of static shots of a particular booth, you could shoot a grey card with the booth for a frame, then shoot the booth, then repeat... If its more dynamic than that, it might be too much of a PITA, of course... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ysued Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 Also, Yamil's comments re: shooting a grey card here and there are useful for JPEG shooting, too, depending on the situation. If you're shooting a bunch of static shots of a particular booth, you could shoot a grey card with the booth for a frame, then shoot the booth, then repeat... If its more dynamic than that, it might be too much of a PITA, of course... Actually the Grey card works better on RAW!! When you process your RAW Images you can do A Grey Zero and process a batch of Images under the same Settings!! I use Nikon Capture NX fro Processing my D2H and D2X NEF Files into TIFF or JPG. BTW, I shot all S&W Shooter Images (Julie, Jerry and Doug) that were displayed at the SHOT Show, Magazine ADs, Autograph Posters and Flyers and S&W Catalog with my D2X, on RAW/NEF processed on Nikon Capture NX into TIFF Files (35MB each). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 Actually the Grey card works better on RAW!! Definitely - but if you need a neutral reference for tweaking JPEGs, the grey card can be useful for those, as well (but not as useful as using it w/ a RAW file to adjust WB that way...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eerw Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 (edited) I usually chimp the heck out my stuff as I shoot.. if you camera has the custom setting great..otherwise if I'm being super lazy..I auto WB and then dial +/- adjustments into the auto setting.. usually hits pretty good.. but I am not doing the commercial stuff you guys are... trade shows watch out..as you can get a mix too..the overhead may be one thing..and the vendor may have brought in another temperature of light.. Edited January 30, 2007 by eerw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 Have we overwhelmed you, yet, Dave??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemo Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 Polaroid? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJPoLo Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 I usually chimp the heck out my stuff as I shoot.. Gawd, that phrase cracks me up every time... Thanks, Xre! -Chet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ysued Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 I usually chimp the heck out my stuff as I shoot.. I'm a Obsessive Compulsive Chimper!! I Chimp big time on College Football Games You should have seen me Chimping away at the Nationals Y Have we overwhelmed you, yet, Dave??? At least he's not using Film!! I did a shoot back in 1986 when I was assisting in Dallas, we shot inside an OR, We had Fluorescent, Incandescent and a wee bit of Daylight!! We ended up turning everything into Fluorescent with Green Gels and put a magent Filter on the Camera (We were using daylight Ektachrome 100) ans we let the Incandescent spots Burn a bit of Red into the background, at least we could control the Incandescents with Shutter Speed and a Dimmer. Man, I really don't miss Film days!! Y Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 You should have seen me Chimping away at the Nationals Dude, you were chimping at a high rate of speed... What's cool about 8+ fps, though, is you can chimp and it almost looks like slo-mo animation when you advance quickly through the pictures.... heh heh..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ysued Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 You should have seen me Chimping away at the Nationals Dude, you were chimping at a high rate of speed... What's cool about 8+ fps, though, is you can chimp and it almost looks like slo-mo animation when you advance quickly through the pictures.... heh heh..... Yes!! With the D2H I was flying through RAM!! The D2X is a RAM Hog though!! I was told that Canon is coming out with another Sports Body this year at PMA!! Another Version of their great 1DMKIIn... I wonder what it's going to be called?? 1DMKIII?? I wouldn't be opposed to getting a Canon Sports camera, I need more big Expensive Glass like I need a Hole in the Head!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XRe Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Who knows what they heck they'll call it... With any luck, they'll get smart and put Lithium Ion batteries on the thing, and it'll likely be 10-12 MP, maybe a taste more... Wouldn't 16 MP be sweet on a camera that fast??? Oh, wait, that means I need many more, bigger CF cards... ugh... For my part, I still can't decide between rigs... Nikon or Canon, Canon or Nikon... The Nikon clearly has a superior UI to it, and fixes several issues I don't like about the Canon platform... and w/ HSC, it'll go fast, too... Canon is like an old familiar sweatshirt - its just comfortable. Both have good image quality, and I can take good shots with either.... I have a bigger head start on good glass for the Canon, and Canon glass is cheaper, relatively speaking.... Hmmm..... Oh well.... Have we drifted Dave's thread enough, now??? Hey, on top of that, I just inherited a bunch of cool camera gear - back to film, in some respects. I now have Hassy med format, Linhof 4x5 stuff, a Calumet C-1 "Black Beast" 8x10 camera, and a dearth of Kodak Stereo Realist cameras to play with.... I'm in camera hog-heaven over here.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ysued Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Who knows what they heck they'll call it... With any luck, they'll get smart and put Lithium Ion batteries on the thing, and it'll likely be 10-12 MP, maybe a taste more... Wouldn't 16 MP be sweet on a camera that fast??? Oh, wait, that means I need many more, bigger CF cards... ugh... For my part, I still can't decide between rigs... Nikon or Canon, Canon or Nikon... The Nikon clearly has a superior UI to it, and fixes several issues I don't like about the Canon platform... and w/ HSC, it'll go fast, too... Canon is like an old familiar sweatshirt - its just comfortable. Both have good image quality, and I can take good shots with either.... I have a bigger head start on good glass for the Canon, and Canon glass is cheaper, relatively speaking.... Hmmm..... Oh well.... Have we drifted Dave's thread enough, now??? Hey, on top of that, I just inherited a bunch of cool camera gear - back to film, in some respects. I now have Hassy med format, Linhof 4x5 stuff, a Calumet C-1 "Black Beast" 8x10 camera, and a dearth of Kodak Stereo Realist cameras to play with.... I'm in camera hog-heaven over here.... Sweet!! Many, I love old cameras!! I envy you. Y Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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