White balance issues with the Canon EOS 400D

[great_guns]

Hi,

I've lately been finding it very difficult to get the correct white balance in indoor yellow light. I use the "Tungsten" white balance mode but it still leaves that ugly red/orange tinge. The "AWB" preset is slightly better but quite unpredictable.

I've used the manual white balance option using a white paper or a white wall and even then, the effects have been far from satisfactory.

Could any of you kindly give me any tips on how I can get good white balance in such situations? I don't think I could afford to buy those funky $40 grey cards (or grAy cards, as they are spelt).

Thanks.

[GaryS]

I agree that the Tungsten setting on the 400D doesn't go far enough in some rooms, and that your photos will still look too yellow.

My solution has been to shoot RAW, and process in Canon's DPP (actually, there are more reasons I like RAW). This way you can fix it after the fact.

[Spookonthe8ball]

I agree with GaryS, shoot in RAW. I find it easier that way to correct white balance issues. Sometimes I'll even shoot a picture of something white that is illuminated by the same light as the room and set a custom setting in DPP just for that set of pictures.
It can go either way though.
Example,
I shot some Christmas pictures for some friends and color corrected the photos, but the ones they chose for their cards had the red look from their tungsten lights. They chose the warmer mood. Shooting in RAW allowed me to show both ways and go from there.
Spook

[great_guns]

If I do shoot RAW, would I also need to shoot a photo of a blank white object which I can provide as reference in DPP? If that is so, do you think there is any advantage of this approach over just using the blank white object's photo as a reference in my in-camera manual white balance setting?

Secondly, if I shoot RAW, does DPP allow me to do a one touch estimation of the correct white balance (like the auto-correct options in some image editors). It might not be spot-on but I can do that and then fine tune things a bit to get the perfect white balance that I want. I suppose it would be very difficult for a DPP novice like me to adjust the tone curve from the very base photograph taken in abnormal light.

[Geoff Chandler]

Looks like the Tungsten setting is a touch too high for your needs at 3200K
Does the camera have any plus and minus adjustments to the White baance??
If not it is back to the sheet of white paper - but remember not all white paper is the same white - so if you don't wish to shoot raw you may need to get a standard white reference card - or find a sheet of white card or paper that works ok for you..

[downtrodden]

I have the same problem with my 40D I have yet to get a correct white balance in ANY light at ANY setting even custom. I always have to adjust white balance afterward. And now that I have more memory I am starting to shoot in RAW. Still though, pretty disappointing to not be able to get an accurate white balance in the camera. My point and shoot rarely had problems with that and cost 1/3 the price...

[Geoff Chandler]

I have the same problem with my 40D I have yet to get a correct white balance in ANY light at ANY setting even custom. I always have to adjust white balance afterward. And now that I have more memory I am starting to shoot in RAW. Still though, pretty disappointing to not be able to get an accurate white balance in the camera. My point and shoot rarely had problems with that and cost 1/3 the price...

I find this suprising - even worrying with a 40D, have you tried playing with the White balance in kelvin values? maybe take a few experimantal test shots all the same with a few different kelvin settings. If it is normal daylight centre around 5200 and maybe try a range from 4000 to 6000 and note the differences - 4000 should make it distinctly blue looking whereas 6000 should be warm - but that would be good on a cloudy day...
Good luck - I am sure it must be possible to nail this with this camera.

[griptape]

I find this suprising - even worrying with a 40D, have you tried playing with the White balance in kelvin values? maybe take a few experimantal test shots all the same with a few different kelvin settings. If it is normal daylight centre around 5200 and maybe try a range from 4000 to 6000 and note the differences - 4000 should make it distinctly blue looking whereas 6000 should be warm - but that would be good on a cloudy day...
Good luck - I am sure it must be possible to nail this with this camera.

Unfortunately, the XTi doesn't have an option to set your white balance in degrees kelvin. It's just the presets and then lets you set it manually (by shooting something white/a gray card and telling the camera that's what white is). It's one of the big reasons I shoot raw most of the time.

[Geoff Chandler]

Hmm, I don't know much about either the 400D or 40D personally
looking at the 400 - it does seem to have a fairly usefull menu -
and the ability to reproduce it's colours in different styles:

However - there doesn't appear, in the reviews I have seen, to be a fine
tuning of colour - or if there is I missed it.
If you can find one - fine tuning from Red to Blue would be most helpfull. I would be shocked if they didn't have this as both my Point and shoot digitals did.

[talkingdog]

Hmm, I don't know much about either the 400D or 40D personally
looking at the 400 - it does seem to have a fairly usefull menu -
and the ability to reproduce it's colours in different styles:

However - there doesn't appear, in the reviews I have seen, to be a fine
tuning of colour - or if there is I missed it.
If you can find one - fine tuning from Red to Blue would be most helpfull. I would be shocked if they didn't have this as both my Point and shoot digitals did.

Yes inside the picture style is the color tone adjustment