Minolta 7i instruction manual Automatic White Balance, Preset White Balance

AUTOMATIC WHITE BALANCE

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 immedi- ately 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 excel- lent 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 conditions.

Traditional household light bulbs emit very yellow light, which can be corrected with the tungsten setting.

Auto, preset, and custom 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 pre- set daylight setting.

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