Nikon S2H05000501 manual Keeping Colors True White Balance, What Is White Balance?

Keeping Colors True: White Balance

Menu Guide

—The Shooting Menu

What Is “White Balance”?

The color of the light reflected by an object depends on the color of the light source. The human brain is able to detect and compensate for such changes in color, with the result that a white object will look white to humans whether viewed in sunlight, under overcast skies, or indoors under incandescent or fluorescent lighting. To a camera, however, the “whites” produced by these different sources of light vary in color, some being slightly blue and others yellow or red. A digital camera can adjust colors according to lighting so that colors that appear white to the human eye also appear white when viewed in the final photograph. This adjustment is called “white balance.”

Choosing a White Balance Setting

In P, S, A, and M modes, white balance can be adjusted using the white-balance option in the SHOOTING menu (in and scene modes, white balance is adjusted automatically).

Option

Auto

White Bal Preset

Daylight

Incandescent

Fluorescent

Cloudy

Speedlight

Description

White balance automatically adjusted to suit light- ing conditions. Best choice in most circumstances.

White object used as reference to set white bal- ance under unusual lighting conditions.

White balance adjusted for direct sunlight.

For use with incandescent lighting.

For use with most types of fluorescent lighting.

Use for pictures taken under cloudy skies.

White balance adjusted to match light produced by Nikon Speedlights.

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