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H4D40 , some thoughts

Iskander

Member
Hi Peter (6x7),

what do you mean with "AWB: just spot on !!!"?

I'm using a H4D-40, but there is NO AWB!

regards
Michael
 

Jeffg53

Member
Will, it doesn't have AWB but daylight works most of the time. I never change it when shooting. The camera does have a grey balance function so you can use that if you wish.
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Will, it doesn't have AWB but daylight works most of the time. I never change it when shooting. The camera does have a grey balance function so you can use that if you wish.
In the Grip menu of the H camera you can assign a short cut Manual White Balance to a user button.

On the H4D/40 I changed the Stop Down Button on the front of the camera to MWB. This allows you to swiftly take a Manual White Balance reading. All you have to do is aim the camera at a grey card (or something white) and press that button.

Very fast and easy to get accurate WB, and in turn, that makes the exposure evaluation more accurate.

-Marc
 

6x7

New member
thank you all for the detailed explanation. looked through the files again. even in the studio shooting with flash and having enabled daylight-WB the colors were accurate !!
 

Iskander

Member
Marc,

does MWB work for you?

I changed the Stop Down Button too to MWB and used a WhiBal Card.
When I open the pic in Phocus the colors are off - a little
bit greenish.

But when I use the grey card 'normally', i can correct post in Phocus and the WB seems to be correct.

Did I make a mistake? MWB with my Nikon D3 works well, as expected. But Not with my H4D40.

regards
Michael
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Marc,

does MWB work for you?

I changed the Stop Down Button too to MWB and used a WhiBal Card.
When I open the pic in Phocus the colors are off - a little
bit greenish.

But when I use the grey card 'normally', i can correct post in Phocus and the WB seems to be correct.

Did I make a mistake? MWB with my Nikon D3 works well, as expected. But Not with my H4D40.

regards
Michael
I'm now using a new wipeable plastic "Digital Grey Kard" ... what are you using? My older card stock grey card had slightly color shifted over the years from exposure to the sun.

Also, do you have Phocus WB set to "as shot"? If not, it won't show the Manual White Balance you did.

I use MWB as much to evaluate the exposure as much as anything. Too much cool cast or warm cast can actually be underexposed when corrected in post ... and since I shoot at ISO 400 and 800 a lot, this is not desirable.

My evaluation criteria for Manual White Balance tends to be skin tones and the white subjects like a wedding dress or tux shirt. But just using those white subjects is not always accurate as some wedding dresses are not true white ... or the type of fabric has an odd reflectance quality in mixed ambient light ... so I try to use the Digital Grey Kard as much as possible.

One way you could check your MWB would be to shoot a controlled scene both ways (MWB with a grey card in the scene, and without MWB shoot a Grey card in the scene using the appropriate WB setting ... and then in Phocus, see if using the WB eyedropper on grey card in the Manual White Balance scene favorably changes the cast.

I'd do this as an available light test in mixed ambient light where Manual White Balance is needed. Using strobes in studio, or daylight on a bright clear day, will be pretty accurate without Manual White Balance.

If you are consistently getting a slight green cast with Manual White Balance no matter what, you can calibrate a Phocus preset to adjust for it ...

Under the Adjustments tab > Color Correction you can neutralize the color balance, and then click on the little arrow to create a Preset which you can name Manual White Balance. :) Then just batch all manual WB shots with that one click adjustment.

There is also Scene Calibration where a Preset can be done ... but I don't quite understand how to use that yet. Always something to learn. It's endless :ROTFL:



-Marc
 

Iskander

Member
Many thanks, Marc.

I'm using the WhiBal Cards. Usually they are very correct (i.e. with my D3).

Your post is very helpfull and I will try your recommendations.
Especially your idea with the color correction in Phocus. That's new to me.

Michael
 
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