typical auto white balance range offered by cameras

rookie1010

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Mar 7, 2004
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Hello,

what is the typical auto white balance range offered by cameras, i was looking at this camera and they offered auto white balance upto 500)k which is pretty much dawn and dusk, my understanding is a decent camera whould provide auto white balance upto 6500K. would such a camera be expensive?
 

corkyg

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Just checked my color temp settings. Default is 5200K - but I can roll it up or down from there as I wish. There is AUTO WB and also Custom WB. And, the brackets can be set for custom WB.
 

soydios

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Mar 12, 2006
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setting white balance in Kelvins is usually a limited range, but setting white balance off a gray card usually goes further.
 

rookie1010

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thanks for the replies,

would the auto white balance have a wider temperature range which includes light at 6500K?

brackets are the settings, correct?


soydios, setting white balance is limiuted in auto or custom? what is a gray card?

 

corkyg

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For more info - my Auto WB setting has a range of 3000-7000K. There is a procedure for setting a custom WB - and that is what "God" calls the "Gray Card." That is by using a solid gray or white card to adjust to. Most all camera manuals will provide a specific list of steps to guide this process.

I use auto all the time, and if an adjustment is needed, that is easily done by an after image processor. It's a simple task with Irfanview.

BTW - the custom WB range for me is 2000-10000K
 

rookie1010

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thanks for the reply,

what is the make of your camera?

if you have an auto WB between 3000K and 7000K, is there any ponit of using custom WB within this temperature range.
and just use the white balance between 2000K and 3000K & 7000K and 10000K?


there is this high end mobile camera which is stating an auto white balance of 2800K and 5000K, is it not deficient and will take blue tinted pictures during mid-day and afternoon?
 

corkyg

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Originally posted by: rookie1010
Thanks for the reply, what is the make of your camera?
if you have an auto WB between 3000K and 7000K, is there any ponit of using custom WB within this temperature range, and just use the white balance between 2000K and 3000K & 7000K and 10000K?
There is this high end mobile camera which is stating an auto white balance of 2800K and 5000K, is it not deficient and will take blue tinted pictures during mid-day and afternoon?

1. Canon, EOS 5D
2. That's why I leave it on Auto. That way I don't forget and leave it "wrong." Color temp is easily adjust by post op software.
3. I would say is is somewhat deficient.
 

rookie1010

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thanks for the reply,

i guess one has the custom WB, to introduce the tint, if one wants that?

would it be overly deficient and would take really tinted pictures with an auto white balance of 2800K and 5000K?
 

corkyg

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Originally posted by: rookie1010
would it be overly deficient and would take really tinted pictures with an auto white balance of 2800K and 5000K?

That might be just right for available light shots indoors with tungsten-based illumination. To accept or reject such a performer would be a personal choice impacted by other factors such as cost, ease of use, and ability to batch post process.

 

rookie1010

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thanks for the reply,

but not good for outdoors shot without the ability to batch process.
I guess batch process it he use of photo editing suites like photo shop, correct?
 

corkyg

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Originally posted by: rookie1010
thanks for the reply, but not good for outdoors shot without the ability to batch process. I guess batch process it he use of photo editing suites like photo shop, correct?
That is my view. Back in the old film days, there was indoor color film biased towards blue, and we used to use a warming filter for outdoor use. Conversely, we would use a bluish cooling filter for shooting outdoor film indoors. Photoshop and similar programs can do this easily.

 

rookie1010

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thanks for the reply,

makes sense now. i thought that the higher temperatures (5000K above) had a bluish tint, hence the bluish filters would be the heating up filters, and hence you would use the other end (i suppose they are green filters)?