Minolta Dimage 5 Digital Camera User Manual


 
59
AUTOMATIC WHITE BALANCE
PRESET WHITE BALANCE
The automatic white balance compensates for the colour temperature of a scene. In
most cases, the AUTO setting will balance the ambient light and create beautiful
images, even under mixed-lighting conditions. When the built-in flash is used, the white
balance is set for the colour temperature of the flash.
The daylight and cloudy settings are primarily for outdoor shooting conditions. Daylight is used
for sunny weather when the light is relatively warm. The light during overcast conditions is much
cooler and requires a different white balance: cloudy. Office lighting will produce a strong green
cast in photographs; the fluorescent setting restores the natural colour under these conditions.
Traditional household light bulbs emit very yellow light, which can be corrected with the tungsten
setting.
Auto and manual white balance will not change the colour of neon signs. White balance cannot
correct high-energy vapour lighting: sodium-vapour (yellow highway lights), or mercury vapour.
For portraits under these lighting conditions, the flash can be used to overpower the ambient
light. With landscapes containing these types of lights, set the white balance to the preset day-
light setting.
Shooting tips
Preset white-balance settings must be set before the image is taken. Once set, the
effect is immediately visible in the EVF and LCD monitor.
The built-in flash can be used with preset white-balance settings, but will create a
pinkish or blueish cast with the fluorescent and tungsten settings. The flash is daylight
balanced and will produce excellent results with the daylight and cloudy settings.