Auto White Balance, Nature and why not to do it!

[jonoslack]

Hey, I'll take a pat on the back whenever I can get it - justified or otherwise

John:

Wrong Rob

Robert

Deary Me
Senility setting in here
I apologise to both of you guys!

(at least I'm glad you agree with each other!)
:ROTFL:

 

[gogopix]

WB that is mostly cool-warm adjustments (and most are) have conflictying perceptions; the bluer 'looks' more defined and sharp. However, esp on a hot day the wrmer is likely more what one sees and remembers.
With humidity the blue shift takes out haze and seems better. But I wonder what most people would rather.

Remember, what people perceive may be different from what the camera sees.

BTW, Zeiss lenses tend to be 'cooler' and Leica warmer

 

[jonoslack]

HI There

WB that is mostly cool-warm adjustments (and most are) have conflictying perceptions; the bluer 'looks' more defined and sharp. However, esp on a hot day the wrmer is likely more what one sees and remembers.
With humidity the blue shift takes out haze and seems better. But I wonder what most people would rather.

Remember, what people perceive may be different from what the camera sees.

My experience is that most people like warmer - which is probably why Nikon (and most of the other Japanese camera manufacturers) seem to make the resulting images too yellow.

More problematically, what one person sees and perceives may be different from another - it really is rather a minefield.

We have an internal white balance system, which results in perceiving what we know to be white, whatever the light temperature. Whether we all do this the same is quite another matter.

BTW, Zeiss lenses tend to be 'cooler' and Leica warmer

I agree, and both are warmer than Nikon lenses.

 

[neils]

Then again just to different you could shoot AWB and then select those shots you want to convert to "Daylight" and batch (or write an action) those. I might find myself doing that more often than not as in general I either go with AWB or do a way different interpretation for my own use/version.

Just Jono's idea in reverse.

Neil

 

[jonoslack]

Then again just to different you could shoot AWB and then select those shots you want to convert to "Daylight" and batch (or write an action) those. I might find myself doing that more often than not as in general I either go with AWB or do a way different interpretation for my own use/version.

Just Jono's idea in reverse.

Neil

Well, it wasn't really my idea (Rob's) and I don't think that this is doing it in reverse. The pictures in the original post show quite clearly that the AWB is fluctuating wildly from one temperature to an other, whereas using daylight is giving you a consistent standard (there's no such thing as a 'correct' white balance in such conditions, so you can then pick what you want).

I guess you are doing the reverse in that you are electing for the inconsistent over the consistent?

 

[Terry]

Well, it wasn't really my idea (Rob's) and I don't think that this is doing it in reverse. The pictures in the original post show quite clearly that the AWB is fluctuating wildly from one temperature to an other, whereas using daylight is giving you a consistent standard (there's no such thing as a 'correct' white balance in such conditions, so you can then pick what you want).

I guess you are doing the reverse in that you are electing for the inconsistent over the consistent?

Jono,
I'm traveling and can't check this but the problem seemed to be in large part a tint issue. When you shoot AWB and come back load it on the computer and change the WB to Daylight, does Aperture change just temperature or temperature and tint? I know if you preset daylight you get both correct but AWB gets both wrong.

 

[jonoslack]

Jono,
I'm traveling and can't check this but the problem seemed to be in large part a tint issue. When you shoot AWB and come back load it on the computer and change the WB to Daylight, does Aperture change just temperature or temperature and tint? I know if you preset daylight you get both correct but AWB gets both wrong.

Hi Terry
Aperture doesn't have 'daylight' 'cloudy' etc. presets, so you have to change the temperature and tint together.

Interestingly, I went out shooting this morning, came back and looked on the computer and thought "Oh! the colour is STILL horrible, I'll have to eat my words" . . . . then I looked at the camera and found it was on AWB (after some testing).

But I think the real point and issue here is that it's much better to shoot nature to a fixed WB - just like using slide film - you can always change it later, but if you have a bunch of shots taken in the same light, all with widely different WB values . . . . it isn't helpful!