Why is setting a custom white balance on Canon DSLRs more cumbersome than on video cameras?
Asked 2/9/2012
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On Canon DSLRs, setting a custom white balance usually means photographing a neutral target, then going into the menu to select that image as the custom WB reference. On many video cameras, and on some Nikon bodies in PRE mode, it seems much quicker.
Why did Canon design it this way? Is custom white balance simply less important for still photography because many photographers just shoot a reference frame and correct white balance later in post?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
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I was also wondering why the setting is created this way, then a senior photographer explained to me that it has several reasons:
- this way, the calibrating image is saved on your memory card and you can capture more of them, one for each scene and then eventually swith between them (however, I find this quite uncomfortable as I would need to browse the card a lot and I often use more then one card, so the calibrating image might not be saved on my actual card at all)
- the main reason I suppose is that it keeps it saved for post-production. If you accidentally change your WB settings (and that can happen very easily, because Canon camera remembers WB settings for each capture mode individually), the whole rest of the picture set can go wrong and you need to repair WB settings in post-production. In that case, you can load the calibrating image and correct pictures with its help in a much easier way. Otherwise you would need to guess the WB and the result would depend on your screen setting, PC-room light conditions etc.
BTW, I can recommend using a WB calibration cap - it is very small (it has the same size as a filter), it is made from a white translucent plastic and works like a charm. Much more comfortable to carry around than a white balance card, toilet paper or whatever. You just need to take a picture with this cap on your lens using manual focus and the result image can be used as the WB calibrating image.
Jakub
Originally by user8443. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user8443
14y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Canon’s workflow is slower, but it does have a couple of practical advantages. By using a captured reference image, the camera keeps that calibration frame on the memory card. That means you can retain a record of the lighting reference for later post-processing, and in some cases keep multiple reference shots for different scenes.
In still photography, many shooters don’t rely heavily on in-camera custom WB because it’s common to shoot a neutral reference frame and fine-tune white balance afterward, especially when processing RAW files. So the DSLR design may reflect that still-photo workflow more than the fast, one-button operation expected in video.
If you want better out-of-camera color, photographers often use a calibrated accessory such as an ExpoDisc, or simply shoot a white/gray reference target and apply the correction later. So yes: compared with video cameras, Canon’s method is more cumbersome, but for many photographers it’s acceptable because white balance is often handled in post.
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