Depth of Options
The CBL is not really a big multi-tasker (unless you use the lens for a coaster for your soda). The main elements are the front lens, which is used as a traditional white balance surface, and the back of the lens, which is made of a special 11-compound polymer that yields a pure gray coloration for measuring studio/soundstage lighting. As such, when you're in the field, you use the front of the card to quickly white balance your camera and, when you're in the studio or a soundstage, you use the back to gray-balance your cameras.
They have 3 sizes available: 85mm, 110mm, and 220mm. The 85mm is designed for hobbyists and folks who want a smaller lens for use with small digital camcorders and DSLRs. The 110mm lens is for folks who need a larger card for cameras with lower zooms and for the DV/HDV/HD cameras used by most of our readers. The 220mm lenses are designed for the large format HD and RAW cameras like the Varicam, Viper, and REDOne.
Auto white balance (Left) vs. Manual White balance of white card (Middle) vs. CBL (Right).
When I first captured these, I thought that the white balance card vs. the CBL were virtually identical. However, as I compared them in post, I found the CBL image did have truer color. To see the full rez comparison of these, download it here.
Performance
The performance for the CBL is a bit hard to explain. This is because, if you compare it to auto-white balancing in any camera, the CBL looks like a super star. However, if you compare it to traditional white balancing, the difference isn't always so black-and-white. Generally, colors were more authentic when the CBL was used in regular lighting as compared to a white balance card. (Especially, if you don't own a professional white card, which is specially formulated to be a true white, as opposed to off-white like most paper or card stock.) In mixed lighting, the CBL was able to present a noticeably different perspective on light, as it was able to differentiate two separate types of light distinctly. (Notice the picture of the wreath on the door, which is a mixture of early morning daylight and incandescent lighting.)
Auto white balance (Top) vs. Manual White balance of white card (Center) vs. CBL (Bottom).
This was the toughest challenge for the CBL, since it was forced to work with both early morning daylight and incandescent lighting. However, the CBL image actually shows true representations of both light sources, which are lost in the basic white balance shot.
