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Taking Photographs—White Balance
White Balance
Keeping Colors True
The color of light refl ected from an object varies with the color of the light
source. The human brain is able to adapt to changes in the color of the light
source, with the result that white objects appear white whether seen in the
shade, direct sunlight, or under incandescent lighting. Unlike the fi lm used in
fi lm cameras, dig i tal cam er as can mimic this adjustment by processing in for -
ma tion from the 1,005-pixel RGB sensor, LBCAST image sensor, and ambient
light sensor according to the color of the light source. This is known as “white
balance.” For natural coloration, choose a white bal ance set ting that match es
the light source before shooting. The following options are available:
Auto white balance is recommended with most light sources. If the desired
results can not be achieved with auto white balance, choose an option from
the list above or use preset white balance. In auto and preset modes, the
cam era uses “through-the-lens” (TTL) white balance measurement to ensure
that white bal ance is set correctly even when the camera and sub ject are
under different lighting.
Approximate
color
tem per a ture
Color temperature measured using 1,005-pixel
RGB sensor, LBCAST image sensor, and ambient
light sensor and white bal ance adjusted auto-
matically. For best results, use type G or D lens.
With SB-800 Speedlight, white balance refl ects
conditions in effect when Speedlight fi res.
3,500–
8,000 K
Auto
Use under incandescent lighting.3,000 KIncandescent
DescriptionOption
Use under fl uorescent lighting.4,200 KFluorescent
Use with subjects lit by direct sunlight.5,200 KDirect sunlight
Use with Nikon Speedlights.5,400 KFlash
Use in daylight under overcast skies.6,000 KCloudy
Use in daylight with subjects in the shade.8,000 KShade
Choose color temperature from list of values
( 56).
2,500–
10,000 K
Choose color
temp.
Use subject, light source, or existing photo-
graph as reference for white balance ( 57).
—
White bal.
preset