White Balance Issue

[MBuzzy]

Ok, I'm using a Nikon D300, with an SB-900 External Flash unit and SB-10 battery pack. My problem is that when I take the SAME picture, with the SAME light and all other setting equal (on a tri-pod, pictures taken back to back), the camera is wildly adjusting the white balance. If I take 3 photos back to back, each one will come out with different lighting and the white balance different on each one. Generally the camera auto sets the white balance, but even on Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, or Full Manual I have this problem. Even when I take pictures 5 mins apart, but leave the camera in place, the white balance changes. Any suggestions?

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Ok, I'm using a Nikon D300, with an SB-900 External Flash unit and SB-10 battery pack. My problem is that when I take the SAME picture, with the SAME light and all other setting equal (on a tri-pod, pictures taken back to back), the camera is wildly adjusting the white balance. If I take 3 photos back to back, each one will come out with different lighting and the white balance different on each one. Generally the camera auto sets the white balance, but even on Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, or Full Manual I have this problem. Even when I take pictures 5 mins apart, but leave the camera in place, the white balance changes. Any suggestions?

You can set your WB manually, and I often do. There are two general methods. One is to take a photo with a gray card in the frame. You can later use that to set WB in post-processing.

I use an Expo Disc, which allows me to set WB in the camera prior to taking photos. If it works correctly, no WB post-processing is required. I have been pleased with it to date. There are less expensive alternatives on eBay, etc, but I haven't tried those.

http://www.expoimaging.net/

 

[MBuzzy]

So you only need to use the disc itself for one picture before you start and let the camera auto set the white balance, then lock it in and take all of the rest in that setting?

 

[Bill Mattocks]

So you only need to use the disc itself for one picture before you start and let the camera auto set the white balance, then lock it in and take all of the rest in that setting?

As long as your light does not change, yes.

EDIT: Correction. You use the 'manually set my WB' first with the disc, and THEN take your photos. No auto WB setting after that, or you will lose your custom WB setting.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

What Bill Said. I got a balance card and a light meter and solved most of my problems.

 

[MBuzzy]

Got it! Easy enough.....although not cheap.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Got it! Easy enough.....although not cheap.

A white balance card (or gray card) is cheap, but you have to take the photo with the card in the photo, and then manually set WB in post-processing. I use the Expo Disc to set WB in the camera and NOT have to do post-processing, so there is a difference. Depends on what you want, I guess.

And as mentioned, there are people selling clone expo discs on eBay for cheap, but I don't know how well they work. I got mine cheap from the Expo Disc company because I got a closeout. Works really well for me. I also find it useful when photographing MA events in school gymnasiums under available light. Gym lighting is always wonky, with metal halide or sodium lights and orangish gym floors. Everybody ends up looking like they've been rubbed with that cheap suntan in a bottle stuff. The Expo Disc does a lot towards fixing that.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Got my grey card from a local shop.
It's these guys 6" unit : http://www.photovisionvideo.com/ Cost about $40 locally, they have it on sale for $23 right now, but I'd suggest going with a larger one as the one I got is a pain to focus on (more for macro work than portrait work)

Also picked up a Sekonic L-358 Flash Master Light Meter.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Also picked up a Sekonic L-358 Flash Master Light Meter.

That is the meter I use as well. Very nice one. Several years ago, my wife was kind enough to get me the 1 degree spotmeter attachment as a Christmas gift. I love it.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

A white balance card (or gray card) is cheap, but you have to take the photo with the card in the photo, and then manually set WB in post-processing. I use the Expo Disc to set WB in the camera and NOT have to do post-processing, so there is a difference. Depends on what you want, I guess.

And as mentioned, there are people selling clone expo discs on eBay for cheap, but I don't know how well they work. I got mine cheap from the Expo Disc company because I got a closeout. Works really well for me. I also find it useful when photographing MA events in school gymnasiums under available light. Gym lighting is always wonky, with metal halide or sodium lights and orangish gym floors. Everybody ends up looking like they've been rubbed with that cheap suntan in a bottle stuff. The Expo Disc does a lot towards fixing that.

Bill,
You take 1 shot with that to set your balance then remove it, or do you shoot with it on?

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Bill,
You take 1 shot with that to set your balance then remove it, or do you shoot with it on?

It is semi-opaque, you can't shoot through it.

So what you do is tell your camera to set a custom WB. It generally says something like "Point your camera at a white object and press the shutter." Every camera make is different, but most of them work something like that to set a custom WB.

Instead of pointing my camera at a white object, I hold the expo disc over the end of the lens, and point it in the general vicinity of my subject. Then I press the trigger. The camera either says "OK" or "NG" (no good) if there wasn't enough light.

I then take the expo disc off the camera and begin shooting. I don't change any settings unless my light changes. Indoors at events, that's usually not a problem, so I'm good for the day.

You can use the expo disc with RAW or JPG. If you use with JPG, your WB is set for you, and probably not a lot you can do if the expo disc messed it up - just like when you have to futz with auto WB gone horribly wrong on your camera. If you set your camera to RAW, then the WB is saved as "camera WB setting" when you edit, as opposed to "automatic WB setting," etc. I run Linux, so my editor is different that yours probably.

So anyway, if my expo disc does the trick, then I'm good to go as-is, right out of the camera. If I still need to mess with WB and I shot RAW, I still can - nothing gets lost.