Automatic White Balance

RECORDING MODE

WHITE BALANCE

White Balance is the camera’s ability to make different types of lighting appear neutral. The effect is similar to selecting daylight or tungsten film, or using color compensating filters in conventional photography.

When setting the white

balance, “Auto” (data panel) and “AWB” (monitors) will be displayed to indicate the auto white-balance setting. An icon will be displayed on the data panel and monitors if a setting other than auto white-balance was chosen. See setting the function dial section on page 40.

AUTO

The AUTO setting will detect the type of light

display

and adjust the white balance accordingly.

Daylight

For outdoor and sunlit subjects.

Tungsten

For incandescent lighting: household filament

light bulbs.

Fluorescent

For fluorescent lighting: office ceiling lights.

Cloudy

For overcast outdoor scenes.

Custom setting

For using the custom white-balance setting.

Custom calibration

For manual white-balance calibration.

The automatic white balance compensates for the color temperature of a scene. In most cases, the AUTO setting will balance the ambient light and create beautiful images, even under mixed-lighting conditions. When the built-in flash is used, the white balance is set for the color temperature of the flash.

PRESET WHITE BALANCE

Preset white-balance settings must be set before the image is taken. Once set, the effect is immediately visible on the monitors.

The built-in flash can be used with preset white-balance settings, but will create a pinkish or blueish cast with the fluorescent and tungsten settings. The flash is daylight balanced and will produce excellent results with the daylight and cloudy settings.

Shooting tips

The daylight and cloudy settings are primarily for outdoor shooting conditions. Daylight is used for sunny weather when the light is relatively warm. The light during overcast conditions is much cooler and requires a different white balance: cloudy. Office lighting will produce a strong green cast in photographs; the fluorescent setting restores the natural color under these condi- tions. Traditional household light bulbs emit very yellow light, which can be corrected with the tungsten setting.

Auto and manual white balance will not change the color of neon signs. White balance cannot correct high-energy vapor lighting: sodium-vapor (yellow highway lights), or mercury vapor. For portraits under these lighting conditions, the flash can be used to overpower the ambient light. With landscapes containing these types of lights, set the white balance to the preset daylight setting.