Diffuser for use with C1 Pro?

[Jan Brittenson]

What's a good diffuser to use for automated lens corrections and dust spotting in C1 Pro? Would an oversize ExpoDisc white balance filter work?

 

[Bob]

I would worry a bit about the expo disk since it has a bit of a rim which is not totally even on a wide-ish lens. It also seems to have a slight pattern.
A simpler diffuser works just fine, a piece of ****e plastic sheet.
Capture Integration sells one like this "C1 pocket lcc" on this page http://www.captureintegration.com/solutions/featuredproduct/

 

[Jan Brittenson]

Ah! I have some white frosted plastic I use for various things, maybe I'll try to cut a rectangle out of it... I'm a bit concerned with this though because if I hold it up I can see lights behind it as light areas, which suggests it's semitransparent (a mix of diffused and transparent light). I also don't know how neutral it is, but I guess I wouldn't use it for white balancing.

 

[Bob]

The sheet I use is milky-white and very neutral and about 0.1 inch thick
I can see nothing through it.
-bob

 

[Jan Brittenson]

Well, this worked well enough to be worth field testing!

Here's my test; M9 and CV 12 - just a quick test with a little bit of wall and ceiling to tell gradients. Before and after apply the LCC correction:

Basically, it looks like even a fairly plain piece of milky plastic will work just fine! No need to spend $100 on an ExpoDisc...

 

[dougpeterson]

Well, this worked well enough to be worth field testing!

Here's my test; M9 and CV 12 - just a quick test with a little bit of wall and ceiling to tell gradients. Before and after apply the LCC correction:

Basically, it looks like even a fairly plain piece of milky plastic will work just fine! No need to spend $100 on an ExpoDisc...

Based on a quick look it looks like the center of the image has been disproportionality reduced in brightness. This indicates to me that the plastic is not thick enough to overcome the subject-center-brightness. Ideally the panel should be thick enough (and of the right material/finishing) to only show LENS fall off rather than subject falloff.

That's not to say it won't work 90% as well, just that I do see evidence that it's not ideal.

Expo disk is actually a poor choice for this application as the outside edge of the frame is often slightly vignetted from the edge of the filter. You want something that fits entirely overtop of the lens (so your fingers aren't blocking any light either).

There is a reason we sell a lot of our "cheap plastic" LCC Panels - it's the right balance of portability and opaqueness - the sleeve to keep it clean and the strap to hang from the tripod head or around the wrist are nice bonuses. I assure you it's not exactly a large "profit center" for a small company (where logistical overhead of shipping/stocking/charging/invoicing is not minor) - we sell them because they work well and solve a real world problem and hopefully the customer remembers us the next time they buy a Leica, Phase, Leaf, Arca, Cambo etc.

Doug Peterson (e-mail Me)
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