The ongoing color temperature setting issue.

J

jacotte

Carbonite Member
I am currently shooting a movie and I completely control the EX1. The only thing that keeps eluding me are the color temperature switches. I wish the camera just had and interior/exterior switch (for Tungsten and Exterior). This way I would always have the same reference points. Unfortunately for me, the EX1 has these annoying A-B-Preset options and they totally throw me off. Everyday I show up on the set I need to play russian roulette. Sometimes the camera will settle for 3100 and some other days ons 3400 and sometimes the image is all blue. I wind up just putting the switch on PRESET. I have no idea on what it means but it seems toi adjust automatically... I have no clue on how to control these functions but putting a while paper in front of the camera is really an annoying way of doing it since I don't want to change settings from one day to the next.

Please tell me how to get rid of the color temperature nightmare and get this nonesense under control.
 
If you go through the picture profile settings you can manually set A's and B's color temperatures, I think. Check it.
 
No - When you set the temp in a PP, it applies to the "preset" position of the 3 way switch. If you want a different temp to go to, make a copy of the first PP then only change the WB temp on that second PP.

A & B are for setting your own white balance with a piece of paper. If you have 2 different scenes you are going back and forth between, set one scene's WB on A, and the other on B. Then switch between them as you need. They won't change until you set a new WB.

I have my preset button 4 (Front of the camera, left side) set to take a white balance. So I put the switch to "A", point at white paper, push botton 4 - blam. New white balance. If the lights don't change you can just leave it. It's better to take a WB manually.
 
If you want to shoot a movie and be called a cinematographer, it takes a little knowledge of the camera and its functions. It not just nonsense. If you want to just turn on the camera and shoot, buy a Flip.

Sorry for rant but, being a cinematographer take knowledge and know how, you can't just buy a camera and push buttons and make it happen.

correction half asleep last night..
Switch to A go inside get WB, switch to B go outside get WB. But every environment is different, WB is always going to have be dealt with.
 
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Go into PP, go to white, go to A dial in 3200, set, go to B dial in 5600
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My EX1 lets me set only the preset white balance in the pp but not A & B. Is this an EX3 feature or are you talking about just creating different profiles?
 
I was mistaken, you can't set A and B manually, as Chad says.

But you can set a button to WHITE BALANCE (I also have number 4).

Just spend 15 minutes the day before shooting to get your "proper" A and B and that's it... although I would advise to do white balance during shooting. Daylight, for example, changes through the day. Just set button 4 to white balance so you don't have to go through the menu.
 
I would seriously consider getting a white balance card (I use Vortex Media Warm Cards and I almost always use the 1/4 Warm Card in the set). If you want consistency, much more so than presets, make sure you white balance each time there's any change in lighting. A white balance card is easy to carry and it takes no more than 5 seconds to hit the white balance button while pointed at the card.

You'll learn to love the presets.
 
Chadfish said:
I have my preset button 4 (Front of the camera, left side) set to take a white balance. So I put the switch to "A", point at white paper, push botton 4 - blam. New white balance. If the lights don't change you can just leave it. It's better to take a WB manually.
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Hola Chad... just curious, how is this different than merely switching to preset "A" as you said and hitting the front "white balance" button to get a new white balance? That's what I do, why do you need to set preset 4 to do the same thing?
 
Oh snap Buck!

It was late last night and I was a little "hazy". I do use the White Balance button. My Bad.

Now I remember that I have preset button 4 set to turn on my remote control. And I must ad that the remote situation on the EX1 is a tad lame. My preset doesn't work when the camera is in Media mode, so if I want to use the remote to watch footage from the camera on my TV I have to go into the menu to turn on the remote - every time. I have it set to "ON" but that goes away when you turn off the camera.
 
Ahhh, cool, I was just making sure I wasn't missing some fancy reason to use preset 4 for manual WB instead of the WB button, ha! I haven't even used the remote control option yet.

P.S. I was up in Eureka/Arcata a couple weeks ago, got some nice shots of Trinidad and the bay, I love it up there!
 
Boy does this all sound complicated. If Sony could just have an Tunsgten/Daylight switch I would use it and never look back. That's how movies are shot: Tungsten or Daylight. If it's good enough for million dollar movies it's good enough for me.
 
It may be good enough for you, but it would actually limit the camera. You can set A and B to whatever you want. Just get your Tungsten white balance on A and your Daylight white balance on B and that's it, never look back. Shouldn't take you more than 10 minutes...
 
I've never shot a million dollar movie yet, but even chasing my little boy around I'd hate to be stuck with just two settings. There's a big difference even in day shooting outdoors... bright sun or in the shade, it can mean the difference between 5500 K and 10000 K, and/or cloudy days and late evening.

Try a tungsten setting under flourescent lights, ugh.

Why would you want a simple two-setting switch? Even if you did, just plug in those temperatures and put Preset A as sunlight and Preset B as tungsten, and never change them. El problemo solved.

Manually white balancing is extreeeemely easy and way more accurate. What do you find complicated about putting a white card in your scene, pointing your camera at it, and pushing a button and it automatically sets it for you based on the current lighting? I guess if you have never done it before it might sound complicated (because it's something new), but do it just one time and you'll see how easy it is.

When I'm shooting with other cameramen we all balance on the same card so we're consistent, and we do it anytime there's any significant change in the lighting. Seriously it takes about 15 seconds.

When I'm shooting solo I have someone hold the card real quick, or set it down (or on something) and point my camera at it and push a button and I'm done. I even do this for home movies of my family. Add a touch of warmth from the card and it is great for skin tones and landscapes.

Try it, you'll like it. And your shots will be more consistent and look better in camera.
 
If Sony could just have an Tunsgten/Daylight switch I would use it and never look back.
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Yea that would be a step in the wrong direction. It;s not often I want to be exactly on 3.2k or 5.6k.

What I would really like is to have the option in the picture profile to dial in a temp for the A & B presets. And if you did an actual white balance on A or B it would just override what's in the PP
 
jacotte said:
Boy does this all sound complicated. If Sony could just have an Tunsgten/Daylight switch I would use it and never look back. That's how movies are shot: Tungsten or Daylight. If it's good enough for million dollar movies it's good enough for me.
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I just vomited
 
jacotte said:
I am currently shooting a movie and I completely control the EX1. The only thing that keeps eluding me are the color temperature switches. I wish the camera just had and interior/exterior switch (for Tungsten and Exterior).
Click to expand...

:grin: you just made my day...
 
"Boy does this all sound complicated. If Sony could just have an Tunsgten/Daylight switch I would use it and never look back."

If this is really what you want to do - just make a picture profile, say PP01. Set the color temp to 3.2k. Then make a second one, PP02. Set the color temp to 5.6k. Done. Leave the switch on "PRST" and simply switch between PP01 and PP01. You can do that with the joystick right on your LCD, without going into the menus. There's your no brainer switch.

Then when you want to use the brain you switch to preset A, aim the camera at something white (in the lighting you will be using) and push the "White Bal" button on the front of the camera. The camera will display what that color temp is, and I bet it will not be exactly 5.6 or 3.2. But it will be giving you an accurate color temp, which is what you want.

Is it really too complicated? Really? Because if so there is a setting called "Full Auto" that will do everything for you. Sorry, that's crass. But seriously, these are little things that take a second, and save you much more time color correcting in post. Just get the camera out right now, follow the instructions for WB, and see how hard it is. The second time you could probably do it from memory, the 3rd time - fagedaboutit... No problem.
 
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