White Balance - Not

[andyz]

After the sun had set I thought I'd try setting a custom white balance on my 7D. I brought along a sheet of white copy paper and took an image of that. (I did leave the lens on AF and didn't focus, but did fill the frame as I was using a 300mm lens.) I set the camera menu to Custom White Balance, selected the last image, that of the paper, and put the WB to the Custom setting. Then the shots looked like this. Well, that didn't last long.

Could the fact that I didn't manually focus have caused this?

[srwatters]

I don't know what happened here, but remember that some lighting will pulse (like fluorescents) and you may have caught it with your shutter in an 'off' cycle. This is even more of an issue when you're shooting a high shutter speed. I would try to slow down the shutter by lowering the ISO or reducing the aperture to get a true white balance reading. Remember too that the exposure should be pretty good to get accurate WB. If the page is too close to 255,255,255 it won't be able to correct properly.

Also remember that white paper isn't really white. It's usually a bit blue and out eyes automatically adjust to get that crisp white. A true white target would be a better source for setting WB.

[shutterfire]

Andy I am assuming that you were using flash? flash has a kelvin 5500-5800 dependent on the the flash the stronger the flash the more bluish tint the light will have. tungsten lights are usually 3200-3400 k which have a orange appearance, or when you were setting your white balance you had 2 conflicting light sources or the setting was from a color cast on the white paper instead of gray. high pressure sodium lights can add a green cast.and flourescent lights do also Solution try setting your camera 3200-3400 kelvin or add a red gel to your flash which will neutralize the green.

[andyz]

No flash, but I didn't focus so I think that may have been part of the problem. Trying to fill the frame with a 300mm wasn't worth it. I now switch lenses and use my ExpoDisc. I'm pleased with it. The images are brighter too with custom white balance.

[Tom]

Focusing it won't have any bearing on white balance.

Most stadiums I have shot in are around 4700 Kelvin.

[andyz]

I didn't think it was an issue either, but I did this twice with the same results.

[Rson]

Originally Posted by srwatters

Also remember that white paper isn't really white. It's usually a bit blue and out eyes automatically adjust to get that crisp white. A true white target would be a better source for setting WB.

+1, That is white color calibation cards are usually 16% gray.

I personally use a WhiBal card.

[andyz]

I have a WhiBal card but have only used it shooting RAW. How would you use it shooting JPGs? I shoot JPGs for football. I'd rather not add a step to post processing, which is one reason I went white.

[Rson]

Originally Posted by andyz

I have a WhiBal card but have only used it shooting RAW. How would you use it shooting JPGs? I shoot JPGs for football. I'd rather not add a step to post processing, which is one reason I went white.

Same procedure as you did with white paper, shoot the card instead of paper.

[markfh]

Originally Posted by Rson

Same procedure as you did with white paper, shoot the card instead of paper.

Bingo. I use the WhiteBal card when ever I need to get it as close as possible. I usually take several shots with it in the frame through the shoot. That way I can mitigate any adverse lighting issues.

[andyz]

With the white paper the idea is setting a custom white balance in the camera. The WhiBal card is in one shot and then used in post to set the white balance for each successive shot, until your light changes and you shoot the WhiBal card again. Is that not correct?

I wanted to avoid setting each photos white balance even with batch processing.

[brad]

The focus isn't part of the equation, but exposure is. You have to have the right exposure on your paper to get the proper results.

Also, stadium lights are designed to light the field, not the sidelines. At the sidelines and stands, you are getting a portion of the edge of the lighting, which may be a different color than what comes out of the front of the light. Assuming the exposure was right for your white balance frame and that the paper is actually pure white, you might have to actually stand in the center of the field to get the right balance.

[Rson]

Originally Posted by andyz

With the white paper the idea is setting a custom white balance in the camera. The WhiBal card is in one shot and then used in post to set the white balance for each successive shot, until your light changes and you shoot the WhiBal card again. Is that not correct?

I wanted to avoid setting each photos white balance even with batch processing.

YouTube - EzyBalance-Why you should use an EzyBalance-TT1.mp4

[mgphotos]

Andy
I posted a simular post the other day on the WB issue in the sports section. Looks like the cycling of the lights is an issue. I never really paid that much attention to it until the last few games I shot.

Mark

[picman]

An interesting problem without a cut and dry answer.

SportsShooter.com - Color Shift under stadium lighting
SportsShooter.com - Stadium Light Color Shifts: The Low-Down