Custom White Balance

I am using a G12 with the canon housing and I have a question about using custom white balance. (btw, I am a freediver)

Some people tell me that when you do the white balance, the LCD needs to be filled with white, while others tell me it doesn't matter.

Can someone fill me in on this? I am a little confused. Does this apply to pics and videos? If I don't use a white balance slate, are there other options?

Essentially any largish area of constant light colour will suffice to WB.

If you are not diving with gloves then your hand will work fine as will light coloured fins, sand or coral.

It needs to pretty much fill the viewfinder for best result and have the camera pointed in much the same direction as the subject - sun behind you often works best.

Myself I have never had to use a slate and being on scuba I can carry all sorts of crap, freediving - no way would I bother.

If you have decent light levels then check out Magic Filters - and post some results!

Shoot RAW if your camera supports that mode - much more lenient in post.

Would assume video is similar but I am far too dumb to understand video.

Paul C (permanently in awe of all freedivers)

Essentially any largish area of constant light colour will suffice to WB.

 

If you are not diving with gloves then your hand will work fine as will light coloured fins, sand or coral.

 

 

Paul C (permanently in awe of all freedivers)

Shouldn't the object you set your white balance be white or gray? You are setting white balance not exposure so you can use white to gray. Why don't you paint part of one of your fins white. That will give u a constant reference. I have a whibal card its small and can go underwater.

Thanks for the replies guys !

So assuming I'm in 30 feet of water, I could just fill my lcd screen woth my bare hand to set the white balance?? How far does my hand, or any other white balance slate have to be from the lens to have the proper white balance?

Thanks !

If you want to do it right shoot your white balance on something white or gray. Gray to a camera is the same as white its just underexposed. You are telling the camera what is white. I doubt your hand is white, but it might give you a close wb underwater. Do an experiment with your white balance topside. Shoot one with a white sheet, take some shots. Next try your hand to set the wb and shoot the same shots. See what you get.

I found that with my ixus my hand was sufficient, and for the best results shoot your hand / fin or even white-ish sand at the same distance and angle that you would shoot the subject and of course at the same depth. There is no point tryin to set the wb before u dive down

Say you are shooting a nudi on sand, just WB from the sand right next to it. White arm slates also work and much easier than a white fin, esp if free diving.

I found that my hand only had to fill the metering square in the center, not the full frame. And if you are shooting with flash, then wb with flash, (not as some manufactuers recommend with the flash off). If you cant get ur hand far enough away as you are shooting a wreck or something... the internal flash wont matter to the shot anyway.

Hope that some help, as i said it was with my ixus but should be similar with the G series.

Olly