What do you use to set your WB

[Rachelsne]

I was looking at buying some WB/grey cards so I can set my white balance better.

At the moment I jsut put a bit of white paper infront of the camera to set it, but im not sure this is really giving be the best true colours.

Why do grey cards seem to be used so often, and where abouts should i be placing the paper/cards? I had been placing it near my subject as that seemed the most obvious place as thats where my camera is focussing, but say I was to do a landscae with no tripod, would I just hold it infront of my camera at arms length??

Ooops this was only going to be a one question thread and suddenly all these other questions came to me

Thanks for the help

 

[RKW3]

Aren't grey cards just used to get the correct exposure? I'm not sure if they're meant for giving you proper WB too, I dunno.

My cliche answer: I just shoot in RAW and then I correct the white balance easily in pp.

Also, I heard that it's usually best to have your white balance on "cloudy" mode, even if it's sunny out. I'm not sure if it's true, but that's what I heard.

 

[usayit]

shoot... i"ve been known just to shoot a blank white wall, or floor, or paper (like you) and set custom white balance to that. Minor adjustments can be done after the fact.. especially if you shoot RAW.

Grey cards are good to have but the 18% grey is in fact for good exposure.

 

[Rachelsne]

I cant shoot raw i jsy have a canon S3 point and shoot...ahh the grey cards for exposure, I was a bit confused about how that was going to work LOL.

Im such a silly newb still

 

[RKW3]

Oh, sorry I didn't realize you had a point and shoot.

Still, you should be able to change the white balance in PP fairly easy if it's only off a little.

 

[lifeafter2am]

In addition to providing a means for measuring exposure, a gray card provides a reference for white balance.

Grey cards are used for both WB and exposure. Just depends on the grade.

 

[jstuedle]

The closer you can get it to being right in the camera, the better the file will be you are working with. I use a white-grey-black target marketed by Ed Pierce of Photovision. It great for both exposure and WB. Be aware the Kodak grey cards that are so frequently available in photo shops are made for film. Some will say it does not matter, but the digital sensor is more sensitive to color at the ends of the spectrum than film is. The Kodak cards often have a blue cast when used for digital WB. The photovision are absolutely neutral and work great.

 

[bhop]

I just use auto and usually it comes out close to ok..although, I change it to flash mode when I use flash, and tungsten mode when i'm using lamps to light stuff i'm shooting.. of course, since I only shoot RAW now, it doesn't matter much..

 

[table1349]

This is my choice.

http://www.lastolite.com/ezybalance.php#

I set a white balance with white target, then after setting my white balance I shoot the gray target on the other side for minor color correction. Only takes a minute to accomplish the entire thing.

 

[Rachelsne]

Thanks for the info so far!

 

[photoguy59]

I have used the ExpoImaging ExpoDisc 67mm Neutral White Balance Filter for Digital Cameras. It works pretty good.

You can also use a white piece of plexi and hold it up to your light source to set the white balance. That works pretty good most of the time.

I have found you will get different results from day to day.

This is what works for me.

I hope this helps.

 

[JerryPH]

I don't bother with WB. I shot in RAW and if any tweaks are needed, I do it during the post process phase. In general, when in AUTO, it comes quite close with my camera under most cases.

 

[Helen B]

I use a variety of things, depending on how accurate I need the white balance to be. Expanded polystyrene ("Styrofoam") cups are very good, and have been used for many years. See the thread I've just started here: link.

Best,
Helen

 

[JerryPH]

In a pinch I have used to balance WB with my own hand (a trick I learned while reading Understanding Exposure). It works very well for me, if want to set it manually for any given circumstance. If you cannot shoot raw, this is an option.

 

[Rachelsne]

thanks for all the info