Nikon D2x manual Fine-Tuning and Color Temperature, Mired

The WB Button

Press the WB button and rotate the sub-command dial until the desired value is displayed in the rear control panel. At settings other than ±0, a icon appears in the rear control panel and view- finder sidebar.

Rear control panel Viewfinder

Fine-Tuning and Color Temperature

Approximate color-temperatures for settings other than A (auto) are given below (val- ues may differ from color temperatures given by photo color meters):

			Direct		Cloudy	Shade
	Incandescent	Fluorescent*	sunlight	Flash	(daylight)	(daylight)
+3	2,700 K	2,700 K	4,800 K	4,800 K	5,400 K	6,700 K
+2	2,800 K	3,000 K	4,900 K	5,000 K	5,600 K	7,100 K
+1	2,900 K	3,700 K	5,000 K	5,200 K	5,800 K	7,500 K
±0	3,000 K	4,200 K	5,200 K	5,400 K	6,000 K	8,000 K
–1	3,100 K	5,000 K	5,300 K	5,600 K	6,200 K	8,400 K
–2	3,200 K	6,500 K	5,400 K	5,800 K	6,400 K	8,800 K
–3	3,300 K	7,200 K	5,600 K	6,000 K	6,600 K	9,200 K

*The size of the increments for Fluorescent reflects the wide variations in color tem- perature among the many different types of fluorescent light source, ranging from low-temperature stadium lighting to high-temperature mercury-vapor lamps.

“Mired”

Any given change in color temperature produces a greater difference in color at low color temperatures than it would at higher color temperatures. For example, a change of 1000 K produces a much greater change in color at 3000 K than at 6000 K. Mired, calculated by multiplying the inverse of the color temperature by 10 6, is a measure of color temperature that takes such variation into account, and as such is the unit used in color-temperature compensation filters. E.g.:

•4000 K – 3000 K (a difference of 1000 K) = 83 mired

•7000 K – 6000 K (a difference of 1000 K) = 24 mired

Taking Photographs—White Balance

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