HC9 Video Ambient Light White Balance

The Sony A1U is a single chip camera, and I'm usually able to manual white balance with the color filter in the Amphibico housing well below 60 feet, and often aproaching 100 feet if the water is clear and the sky sunny as it often has been in the Caribbean (Bonaire, Roatan, Bahamas). I usually white balance on the white platic lens protector that came with the housing, and color seems good. I have considered getting a proper slate, but this is working so far.

HC7 with Gates. I use it in very clear waters (El Hierro, Canary Islands) and never got it WB below 15-18 meters, and always with red filter on. Without filter it´s not possible WB below5-7 meters, and I´ve been trying with white slates, white plastic, hands,...guess it´s a camera matters

BTW I´m new here. Congratulations, this is a great forum!

David

HC9 + Ikelite housing here. Like the rest of you, I've never been able to MWB past a few feet, filter or not. Tried, sand, hand, slate and even a pair of white fins I specifically bought for that (waste of money!). It's actually a relief to find out that it's not just me (or my cheaper housing).

Someone suggested white-balancing using lights, but I don't see the point of that, if you use lights the outdoor setting works very well and the Auto setting is just perfect for night shooting.

Also, if you use lights for white-balancing and shoot without them it's pretty much like white balancing on the surface, isn't it.

Has anyone tried using the sun? It's free and you won't lose it.

Just point to the sun and zoom in so it covers at least 50% of the screen, then MWB. It helps to do this repeatedly every few meters as you descend.

Good luck.

HC9 + Ikelite housing here. Like the rest of you, I've never been able to MWB past a few feet, filter or not. Tried, sand, hand, slate and even a pair of white fins I specifically bought for that (waste of money!). It's actually a relief to find out that it's not just me (or my cheaper housing).

 

Someone suggested white-balancing using lights, but I don't see the point of that, if you use lights the outdoor setting works very well and the Auto setting is just perfect for night shooting.

 

Also, if you use lights for white-balancing and shoot without them it's pretty much like white balancing on the surface, isn't it.

I use the generic "outdoor" setting when first prepping my rig prior to the dive, an use that during the inital dive moments, but still make the effort to WB to a slate often, if its possible and workable.

I've noticed that setting WB when shooting with lights only.. (id for a night dive or deeper dives) actually does differ with the varying distance between the light source and the subject. Its subtle, but it is there.

Remember, the light travels from your light source, to the subject, reflects colors, and travels back to your lens. All during that total distance, the warmer tones from the light source are absorbed. It happens with your camera lights or strobe as well. If I'm shoting a close subject, say 1' foot away, I set the WB on a slate for that average distance, and farther subjects will become more cooler as the increased water distance absorbs some reds... So I WB often..often on a white slate and try to set with a slate at the subject shooting distance. I've even had a diver at 3'-4' away hold the slate, and WB on it from that distance. This gives me the best WB result, but it is more work.

Now I personally dont like auto WB as I dont personally like seeing subtle changes in color temp of my subject during a particular shot. But, there is some merit in using the Auto WB for the reasons mentioned prior.

I have difficulty getting WB to lock on to the sun with my HC7 (very similiar to the HC9), when deeper than say 80' in tropical waters. Thus, the lights come on, and they become my primary source of light at that depth. And the WB is set to them. Perhaps I did not fill the frame enough on the sun, I'll try that again.

The Sony HC9 does not manually white balance underwater most of the time, unless at little or no depth. Regardless of clarity, zooming on any color slate, splitting the field proportionally between slate and background, white sand, color correction filter or not, white garbage bag over the lens, white disk inserted in place of correction filter, or shooting at the sun or moon. It is woefully deficient and in my mind manufacturers who are selling housings for the camera are not doing the consumer any favors by not being aware of or mentioning this. With lights there is little problem. The camera is fantastic for macro as the color is balanced and makes for stunning and phenomenal color images. DP