ALL: Am I the only one who finds setting white Bal on an AC90/130/160 absurdly confusing?i

[True North]

So as some might know I was searching for a new camera. I recently rented an AC160 for a weekend. Nice camera but since my needs aren't corporate or paid, I just don't need a form factor that big to impress people. I ended up purchasing an AC90 which had a smaller form factor but really incredible detailed imagery as has been posted on this forum. The menus on these camera's (90/130/160) are all very similar.

Am I the only one who finds the process of choosing the white balance to be very confusing?

I am coming from a Canon HF-G10 - where to set the White Balance you can just press a screen icon and it auto sets a starting point (auto). From there you can go to custom raise or decrease the temp from 2000K to 15000K - super easy and intuitive

Here is the Panasonic Method;

To set the White Balance in accordance to the recording scene
1 Fill the screen with a white subject or place a white piece of paper in front of
the lens.
2 Press the W.B. button to display Ach.
≥ When the operation icon is displayed and is touched, it will switch to . (l 64)
3 Keep on pressing the W.B. button to start the White Balance adjustment.
≥ The screen goes dark momentarily, “WB SET OK” is displayed, and the adjustment ends.
≥ When the mode of White Balance is set to something other than Ach/Bch, the Black Balance
adjustment is performed by pressing and holding the W.B. button. Setting is completed when the
screen goes black momentarily and “BB SET OK” is displayed.
≥ When the White Balance/Black Balance cannot be performed, an error message “WB SET NG”
or “BB SET NG” is displayed on the screen. In such case, use other mode.
≥ The contents previously set are maintained in the Ach/Bch. Perform the setting again when the
recording condition has changed.

Why is this convoluted and confusing? "The screen goes dark momentarily" Really??? That is how you know its working??? I mean it's an LED screen after all, why not just say "It's working" on the darn screen.
I don't know, maybe I am making this more confusing than needs to be but and it is still early yet, but I detest how the AG-AC series deals with managing and setting white balance. It seems counter-intuitive and cryptic. I still don't quite understand how its supposed to work. My screen doesn't go 'dark momentarily' and I don't get a "WB SET OK" message.

If anyone has any pointers on how to make the process easier or better then I am all ears, thanks.

 

[nothing]

Agreed. I find many aspects of Panasonic's UI to be needlessly complex. I shot a documentary with a 160 last year and never felt the camera to be at all intuitive.

 

[ELN614]

I find the white balance is not very accurate. I wish I could fine tune it once the camera has made a suggested balance.

 

[Lou Bruno]

Yes you can. It is right in the manual.

I find the white balance is not very accurate. I wish I could fine tune it once the camera has made a suggested balance.

 

[True North]

Yes you can. It is right in the manual.

It's ALL in the manual - What's funny is I can tell you very clearly how to make fine adjustments to the white balance BUT I can't tell you with any degree of certainty HOW to actually set it to Ach or Bch. I did by accident once, but haven't been able to replicate the result. Regardless, when I follow the directions to the T, I don't get the same camera messages and cues that the manual says I should. One of the cues that you are setting the camera white balance correctly is that "the screen goes dark momentarily" ??!! What kind of nonsense is that? My point is that it shouldn't have to be so confusing - it's completely unnecessary.

My consumer camera - the Canon HF-G10 - actually gives you specific manual colour temp controls. Keep in the mind that this is an $1100 camcorder.

The Panny's from the 90 to the 130 to the 160 on through only allow you to set AWB to Ach or Bch and then make adjustments to a scale (+7 to -7) that Panny arbitrarily created themselves. I understand that the 90 is more prosumer than pro but come on, that is mickey mouse. Keep in mind that this is the same for the 130 and the 160 - which while they are not at the high end range of Camcorders you should definitely be able to set a specific color temp if you so desired...not 3200K +3 on the Panasonic Scale.

I see you own an AC-90 , maybe you can explain what you do to set up the white balance to Ach or Bch?

 

[Lou Bruno]

It is not a menu setting for the 130 and 160. In Barry's book it will also explain the procedure using the WB switch button plus the preset coupled with the function button. You will actually observe the color temperature readout on the screen. This is for those who own the 130 and 160.

The 90 does not have this feature. Sad. You are correct, only a menu setting to add "tint"" to the material as an overall and steady adjustment. Also be careful and never WB on the fly otherwise you ill observe the black screen on the finished scene.

For 130 and 160 owners:

Go to the PRST WB switch. Press the front button once. You will now see the color temp in "K" as a readout. When observed, simply use the function button to change the temp up and down. NOTA BENE: Make sure that the PRST button s NOT. Assigned as ATW in the SW menu. I use ACH for ATW. I use BCH for manual WB and preset to adjust the color temperature via scrolling with the function lever/button.

I always advise folks, during my video camera lectures ,to grab the manual and in this case Barry's book and then relax with a cup of java and read the manual and book to get a grasp of the functions. That is what I did before tackling all the overwhelming menus and buttons on both my 90 and 130. Good luck.

It's ALL in the manual - What's funny is I can tell you very clearly how to make fine adjustments to the white balance BUT I can't tell you with any degree of certainty HOW to actually set it to Ach or Bch. I did by accident once, but haven't been able to replicate the result. Regardless, when I follow the directions to the T, I don't get the same camera messages and cues that the manual says I should. One of the cues that you are setting the camera white balance correctly is that "the screen goes dark momentarily" ??!! What kind of nonsense is that? My point is that it shouldn't have to be so confusing - it's completely unnecessary.

My consumer camera - the Canon HF-G10 - actually gives you specific manual colour temp controls. Keep in the mind that this is an $1100 camcorder.

The Panny's from the 90 to the 130 to the 160 on through only allow you to set AWB to Ach or Bch and then make adjustments to a scale (+7 to -7) that Panny arbitrarily created themselves. I understand that the 90 is more prosumer than pro but come on, that is mickey mouse. Keep in mind that this is the same for the 130 and the 160 - which while they are not at the high end range of Camcorders you should definitely be able to set a specific color temp if you so desired...not 3200K +3 on the Panasonic Scale.

I see you own an AC-90 , maybe you can explain what you do to set up the white balance to Ach or Bch?

 

[steve4505]

Yes you can. It is right in the manual.

The manual doesn't say what these fine adjustments are. Numbers (in Kelvin) are a lot easier to understand than -1 or +3 as example. Panasonic needs to up their game with menu settings and revise their entire process. Way too complicated compared to what I could be.

I was using paper or white foam to white balance and sometimes it just did not dial it in right either. I was personally thinking I needed a real white balance card, but from what others are saying its not just the card.

 

[m4/3]

I was personally thinking I needed a real white balance card, but from what others are saying its not just the card.

I bought a real white balance card to use with the TM900 I owned last year, but still got less than satisfactory white balance results. Ended up selling the camera partly because of it. So I'm not sure a special white card is necessarily going to solve chronic white balance problems with cameras that have the problem. It's definately not a problem with all Panasonic models because my Panasonic LX7 point and shoot camera delivers good white balance both indoors and out.

 

[True North]

This white balance options for this camera are extremely disappointing. I finally figured out how to set the white balance to Ach and Bch. It's a silly process and the biggest problem is you are always relying on the camera's auto white balance as a starting point OR you have to choose from two pre set setting of 3200K and 5600K. Once the camera sets a WB level to Ach or Bch then you can make small adjustments using a menu option where you can dial in a number from +7 to -7. I'm sorry but that is just unacceptably bad for a supposed pro camera. I am pretty sure that I can get what I need out of it but considering that most of my work is shooting hockey games....which entails shooting footage on a giant white sheet of ice, it goes without saying that good white balance controls are pretty darn important to me.

I haven't completely given up hope yet but I will have to test it out further and see if I can dial in a good image with the given limitations of the camera. I feel like I am battling more with this camera than I have with my Canon HFG10....which has better white balance controls and was rouglhly half the price

 

[dee123]

i'm afraid i have to agree on this, i managed to find the B-channel once.. so confusing. and the auto white balance seems less stable and precise than my little SD700. which proofs panasonic can (or, could) do it.
an option to wb lock and then adjust in e.g. 200 degrees steps (by user buttons, not lcd menu!) would help a lot.

david