• Sony Cameras

  Spontaneous (unwanted) color balance shift

  Posted by David Koegler on June 26, 2008 at 3:37 pm

  I have had my EX1 for several weeks
  With all settings on manual, and while filming static objects, with no change in light levels, and no polarizing filter, I have noted a color balance change towards green on three separate occasions so far. The change occurs over about 20 frames.

  There are some threads discussing the phenomenon with polarizing filters, but I have found that this happens without any filter.

  Questions: 1. Has anyone else noted this?
  2. Is there a fix or a parameter that I am missing?

  David Koegler

  David Koegler replied 17 years, 10 months ago 2 Members · 4 Replies
• 4 Replies

• 

  Tom David

  June 28, 2008 at 12:46 am

  I’ve was tricked up by a menu item where in ATW settings, preset B (the physical switch) can be set to ATW (automatic), and thus even though I could balance with Preset B, the white balance was shifting into green and purple spaces. Check that this is set to manual – otherwise, I haven’t come across this yet, and I shoot regularly with these.

  Cheers,
  Tom

  Camera Operator – Editor – Motion Graphics
  (https://www.tomdavid.com.au)
• 

  David Koegler

  July 6, 2008 at 1:48 am

  Tom,

  I like the answer because it makes sense.

  So, in the menu, the choice is CAMERA SET/White SwitchATW vs MEM, I would select MEM, then? (Assuming that this configuration will be saved in memory on the SxS card Camera data-store)?

  Thanks,

  Dave
• 

  Tom David

  July 6, 2008 at 2:44 am

  MEM setting once changed to, should do the trick – and then it should stay that way in the menus just as setting the IMAGE STABILISER or GAIN settings would stay until changed again.

  On another note – I regularly white balance by setting the physical switch to PRESET, and then in PICTURE PROFILE SETTINGS, in the WHITE menu, I can manually adjust white balance with the spinning wheel by eye.

  Balancing by eye with the little monitor on EX1 is remarkably satisfying once you get back to the edit suite – and combining this technique with some picture profile settings recommended and suggested by guys like Phillip Bloom and Raverns (settings in this forum somewhere), you can really minimise grading required in post.

  Cheers,
  Tom

  Camera Operator – Editor – Motion Graphics
  (https://www.tomdavid.com.au)
• 

  David Koegler

  July 6, 2008 at 8:42 pm

  Very nice tip.

  I’ve made the changes, and am hoping for the best. But I am perplexed that, even with ATW selected, the white balance shifts when there is no discernible change to the ambient color temperature.

  I, too, found Bloom’s posted PP’s very helpful.

  All the best.

  Dave

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