FS700 white balance

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ebsseattle

Active member
Quick question on white balance:

I bought this white balance screen/card and am having issues setting WB on the FS700 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009QZDL6). I've been using the white side and hitting the White Balance button on the camera with the white filling the frame, and in focus. But sometimes it's accurate, other times has a blue or other color cast. Am I doing something wrong? Should I be using the gray side?

Thanks.
 
You could use a white piece of paper and it shouldn't do anything strange (white paper can be very slightly blue, but not enough to drive the camera crazy). White balance is about neutral color: gray to white. I've even used walls which are close enough for government work (sometimes off white) :) . Also have proper gray/white cards- but don't always have them with me (run & gun). What is the approximate color temperature & color of the light when this happens?
 
One thing to bear in mind is where you place the white card.

If you are under a tree, it will have a green cast that another part of the landscape does not have. Or if close to a red car or wall it will have a red tint.

You can check this very easily. Have a large blue object on one side of a card and a large red on eon the other. Now take a white balance close to each and you will see a very large difference.

The same thing can happen with 2 different colored light sources.

And shooting outside it makes a huge difference if you white balance in the shade or in direct sun.

So you have to use judgement, experience and experimenting is really the only way to get comfortable with WB.
 
My concern with this balance card in particular is, have I been using the wrong side? That is, will the white side vs. the grey side give me different results? Should I be using one for interiors and another for exteriors? I tend to shoot a lot of interiors and this is where I've been seeing the issues mostly.
 
ebsseattle said:
My concern with this balance card in particular is, have I been using the wrong side? That is, will the white side vs. the grey side give me different results? Should I be using one for interiors and another for exteriors? I tend to shoot a lot of interiors and this is where I've been seeing the issues mostly.
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You can use either white or gray card as long as they are good quality. Sometimes I forget my cards and then I use anything white like a piece of paper, it will work fine in a pinch. Don't sweat small differences.

I often use warm cards (slightly blue) these give a nice warmth to skin tone.

Like I said earlier just tilt the card a bit and the reading will change in most environments, this may be why you get different readings. Or you may have a bad card (one with a color cast). Also if you use a white card stop down a bit or you may get an error (over exposed).

In a way film was easier, either daylight or tungsten. I know, over simplified, lots of differences in different stocks.
 
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