White Balance

White balance

The color of the light reflected from an object varies with the color of the light source. The human brain is able to adapt to such changes in color, with the result that we see white objects as white, regardless of whether they are in the shade, direct sunlight, or under incandescent lighting. Digital cameras can mimic this adjustment by processing pictures according to the color of the light source. This process is known as a “white balance adjustment.”

 

 

Option

Description

 

 

Auto

White balance automatically adjusted to suit lighting condi-

 

 

tions. Best choice in most situations.

 

 

 

 

 

White bal. preset

Gray object used as reference to set white balance under un-

 

 

 

usual lighting conditions.

 

 

Daylight

White balance adjusted for direct sunlight.

 

 

Incandescent

Use under incandescent lighting.

 

 

Fluorescent

Use under most types of fluorescent lighting.

 

 

 

 

Cloudy

Use when taking pictures under overcast skies.

 

 

Speedlight

Use with the flash.

Preset White Balance

Preset white balance is used with mixed lighting or to compensate for light sources with a strong color cast (for example, to make pictures taken under a lamp with a red shade look as though they had been taken under white light). When (White bal. preset) is selected from the white-balance menu, the camera will zoom in and the following options will be displayed:

WHITE BAL PRESET

Cancel

Measure

Exit Confirm

The Shooting Menu

Option

Description

Cancel

Recalls the most recent value for preset white balance from the memory

 

and sets white balance to this value.

 

To measure a new value for white balance, place a neutral gray object, such

 

as a piece of cardboard, under the lighting that will be used in the final pic-

 

ture. Frame this object so that it fills the square in the center of the menu

Measure

shown above. Highlight Measure and press the center of the multi selec-

 

tor to measure a new value for white balance (shutter will be released and

 

camera will return to original zoom position, but no picture will be record-

 

ed). Note that preset white balance can not be measured with the flash.

 

 

White Balance

At settings other than (Auto), white balance is shown by an icon in the display ( 4–5).

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Nikon 27706, 27698, 27697, 27699, 27696 manual Preset White Balance