Forensics Source 6-3810 Vinyl 6" Ruler (10 Pack), White

I wanted to make a few points regarding photography with this product because there is some misinformation in other reviews like "White adversely affects a camera's light exposure in daylight when photographing dark objects." In fact, this is exactly the tool required for such a job whether you're using an iPhone / Point and Shoot or a commercial DSLR. [1] This ruler has a known white point which enables you to correct colors in-camera during the shoot, without post-processing. [Brief explanation of white balance: Light sources (e.g. sun, light bulbs, etc) put out a different color "temperature" that alter how the camera sees the colors of an object. For example, indoor shots with incandescent bulbs often result in an exagerrated yellow tint over everything even though our eyes see the colors correctly. Normally the camera auto balance corrects for this and the images are fine, but if you're doing product photography where colors need to be accurate, you really need to set the white balance manually. This is not hard using either an app in the iPhone, a point-and-shoot camera (go into Settings> Set White Balance Manually), or a pro DSLR. It can also be done in almost any basic photo editing software. Take an image, tell the camera you want to set the white balance, and then select a pixel or area of white on the ruler. Now the camera then knows what to do for the rest of the image, because you told it what should appear white, which is the key to correct color rendition. This is simple to do and much more accurate than any proprietary auto-white balance most people rely on, including "Daylight" or "Indoor" auto white balance settings. A better tool is a Gray Card, google this for more information.] [2] The black / white portions of the ruler allow for accurate exposure control. Take the image and zoom into the ruler to see if you can still see the detailed markings in the white space. You will see loss of detail in an overexposed image. [3] The circle allows for correction of distortion in post-processing and ensuring the image is appropriately focused / depth of field isn't too shallow. [4] The contrasting block measurements allow someone to see the scale at a distance.

White rulers with black scale lines on one side. A bit surprising since the product photo has them in colors, but that's ok. Sold as rulers for forensic work, but they're great for placing against small specimens (insects, botanical specimens, etc) when doing macro photography. Inches and metrics. The rulers are durable enough for lab and fieldwork. Bonuses: No logo or words on the scale side, and they have a matte finish (vs. a shiny, reflective finish).

Picture is deceiving, you only get the white ones... i needed various colors for contrast in crime scene photos.

Nice portable references. I use them for mushroom photo scale.

The product description does say they they will be white, but the photo above makes it appear you will get 5 different colors. The rulers themselves are just fine, just be sure you know you're only getting them in white. The seller should really change the photo or create additional listings if they offer the rulers in multiple colors.

I purchased these rulers to use in technical photography, specifically metallurgical failure analysis. They work very well for this purpose. The markings are easy to read and they do not glare under photo lights or flash. They were inexpensive enough that I don't mind when they inevitably disappear.

Very good product and precise.

You don’t get any of the different tones or colors - it’s only WHITE. Beware