Which white balance preset to use?

[Eric Cartman]

Hi guys.

I've got a Sony HC1 camera with a Top Dawg housing and as there's no white balance control for this set underwater I was wondering which preset would give better results? Should I go with the automatic, outdoor or indoor?
Thanks!

 

[xSandman3]

Outdoor seems to work best.

 

[GottaDive]

If you use auto, make sure that you turn the camera on underwater. Most cameras set the auto color balance right when they are powered up. The color temperature of the light will be different undewater than top-side.

Steve

 

[MarkH]

I find that with "colour corrected" white balance, the shadows that are supposed to be black end up red. Does this happen when you manually set your white balance underwater with a card? How does the camera know to add red in some places and not in others (like black shadows)? I gave up and went back to "auto" white balance set on the surface.

 

[GottaDive]

How does the camera know to add red in some places and not in others (like black shadows)?

That's the tough part about it. The camera doesn't know. We all know that we lose colors as we descend, because of how the light penetrates the water. The problem is that even if you do a manual balance at say 25ft and then go down another 10ft the color temperature has changed, so your colors will be off.

The best advise that I can give is to know the depth you are going to shoot and do a manual balance at that depth. If you change your depth significantly do another balance. If you add a red filter in front of the port, do another balance. If you turn your lights on (regular incandesent or HID) do another balance.

If you are not able to do a manual balance because of a camera or housing restriction, you will have to experiment with either auto or outdoor setting. You might even try powering the camera down and turning it on again at different depths, because it sets balance when it is powered up (depending on camera).

When all else fails (as we say in TV)... fix it in post! Some of the edit programs can do wonders....but that's another thread.

Experimentation is key. Shoot lots! It's only videotape!

Hope this helps.

Steve

 

[larsdennert]

Auto WB works surprisingly well on the HC1. A UR filter would be a good addition inside the housing if you have no lights.