Underwater white balance - got an idea

[pclark2]

I also normally use ambient light (except for night dives of course) and normally get great results just white balancing in post using something in the shot itself. I use Lightroom for editing and normally just use the eyedropper to try different bits of sand or rock, or sometimes even the eye of the subject. If the result looks off, I try using a different point. I can also manually tweak the sliders, but normally just the eyedropper is all I need.

I got in the habit of ambient light back when I lived in the Florida Keys and it was all very shallow diving. These days I find myself deeper, but still cling to ambient light. My next trip I'll be using a new camera and plan to use it with my strobe during the day some. The one issue I have run into with ambient light is sometimes when white balancing in Lightroom you max out the slider and it is still slightly blue. I found a way to create a custom camera profile which allowed me to essentially stack the settings and get it to a more natural color. Down deep though, there just isn't any red to enhance.

 

[divinh]

His camera does not white balance properly anyway. None of the Sony cameras in fact white balance correctly underwater and produce unpredictable results

I did run across an article about white balancing with sand using a Sony. It said while there's no positive feedback from the camera when the white balance is performed (error message), the camera does white balance.

 

[Arty]

OK my friends, I'm really sorry for dropping out - I know it's been 2 months. I entirely stopped getting reply notifications from this thread and assumed the thread was abandoned with no one showing any interest. I checked back today - wow.. 4 pages. Anyway, the idea was to manufacture a neoprene sleeve, neutrally grey in color, and wear it on the forearm. I attached a sample (please excuse phone camera quality, but it gives you an idea). I test-driven something similar last year, and it worked wonders for me personally.

Benefits are: it's always within visibility, you don't have to put it away or stow it anywhere. Problems are: neoprene is really variable in color, and most shades I found are not color-controlled, are greenish (or something else-ish), and would give a reverse color cast when used as a WB target. So finding just the right color shade (neutrally grey) proven to be next to impossible.

Which is exactly why I've done it. I found a supplier, got them to commit to a specific neutral grey shade, bought a box of these things, and I'm going to try it out this season. I can also send anyone who wants to try it a free sample or two in exchange for your honest, brutal feedback. If you tell me this was the dumbest thing since forever, I will accept it. But if it's usable - yahoo, I might put them on Etsy or Amazon or something. Obviously no warranties express or implied, use at your own risk and all the usual jazz. Please PM me if you want to try one out.

P.S. I've set up a calendar reminder to check this topic and my PMs for replies. No more lame excuses :|

 

[Jcp2]

This could also be worn by a warm water diver in a shorty or less under a dive computer to give a more comfortable fit, especially if that diver has a bungee mount or a small wrist.

 

[Ministryofgiraffes]

I always like the idea of new gear but would be concerned that neoprene generally fades/changes colour with repeated use/washing/sun fade etc.

Hiw would you prevent this ?

 

[tridacna]

I always like the idea of new gear but would be concerned that neoprene generally fades/changes colour with repeated use/washing/sun fade etc.

Hiw would you prevent this ?

Not so sure about that. My LDS has a significant number of “older” wetsuits in their rental stock. I see neoprene degradation but no color changes. Besides, these things should be cheap so buy a second as back-up or replace it if you suspect a color change.

 

[lexvil]

This is what I do, I take one of those curved wrist slates, cut it to size drill holes and put bungee on it to wear on my hand, you can see it in these pics.

 

[Arty]

I always like the idea of new gear but would be concerned that neoprene generally fades/changes colour with repeated use/washing/sun fade etc.

Hiw would you prevent this ?

I would agree with @tridacna in that these things could be packed in 2-packs (or more), and I also hadn't seen too much discoloration on neoprene yet. I'd however expect paint or dye to wear off or crackle (this happened to my wetsuit), but neoprene color seems to stay rather constant.

But at any rate, as was once said by a very good scientist I know, "there is no substitute for an experiment". That's why I bought a box of these and want to see how they really react to the somewhat hostile environment of salty water and sun. I already got a PM from someone interested, we'll work out all the details within. Any other takers?

 

[Ministryofgiraffes]

I’ll stick with my grey slate, but I hope you get a good result!

 

[hsinhai]

Interestingly to do a white balance for natural light video I point my camera (G7x mkII) out horizontally into open water so a pure blue/green background. Results seem really good and colors end up realistic