Gray Card White Card ???

[dlwalke]

I recently bought some magic filters. They suggest, and I have heard this elsewhere irrespective of filters, that you can use your slate or the sand to manually set the color balance. Elsewhere, however, I have read that you should purchase a gray card for color balancing (in various publications talking about above water photography). So I'm wondering if it's better, worse, or inconsequential to color balance with a gray card versus a white card (slate)? I'm just getting into this and it's all still a bit confusing.

Also, on a slightly different note (I think), I have read that your camera will try to make the 'average' color gray, so if you are shooting a scene with a lot of snow, for example, you may want to increase the exposure a stop or so so that it will come out looking white rather than gray. Is this a different fish altogether from adjusting the color balance? Could you arrive at the same end through these 2 different means? Or does color balancing literally affect color only and no amount of color balancing will lighten up gray snow (or I presume darken up a scene with alot of artificially gray black in it)?

Many thanks for any input,
Dave

 

[Hidroj]

Hy Dave!
At professional TV Stations, white balancing the TV Camera is a common procedure. It's not the same filming inside a building with artificial light or beeing outside during a sunny day. There's even a noticeable difference between cloudy and sunny light conditions, That's the reason you've got to adjust the camera's color balance to the present light conditions. Allthough I also read the story about grey cards, with TV cameras the usuall system to "white balance", is placing a sheet of white paper in front of the camera and press the white balance button. (maybe because it's difficult to find a sheet of grey paper? maybe because practically nobody takes a grey card with him when he's going to film someplace abroad?). Finally the most important is to check if the colors your camera is recording are the ones you think are correct. And with photography, having the LCD Screen, it's also easy to check instantly. If you don't like the colors, you can always repeat the white balance holding your white (or grey) card with another angle towards the light. There will be slight changes, white balancing on the shadow side of your card. I know many cameramen (and also photographers) which, while shooting pictures on a sunny day, do the white balance in the shadow. It's a way to produce warmer tones under direct sunlight, and if some clouds appear on the sky the balance is correct.
Which is the finall conclusion? Of course there will be people who will consider an offense to traditional/professional photography not using a grey card. I use white cards and haven't tried to do it with the sand (but will do). The important is to have pleasing colours on your LCD Screen.
Hope it helps!
Jordi

 

[The Kraken]

Dave,

When I got my digital camera, one of the board members, Alcina, recommended taking a big slate along on the dive and setting the white balance in the surrounding conditions.

And besides, not only can the slate be used to set the white balance, it can also be used as a slate . . . go figure !!!!!

the K

 

[Mike Veitch]

The Padi uw digital photography course includes a great slate which is white on one side and grey on the other.

I prefer the grey side for tropical blue conditions

 

[victor]

My understanding is that if you are saving in raw then you don't need to worry about white balance until you process the photograph on the PC.
Thus one less thing to worry about while diving