XTi: How many people shoot with AWB?

[john v.]

<p>When the camera's in the bag, it's in AWB mode (and P mode as well). That way, if I have to pull it out quickly to capture a fleeting photo opportunity, those settings should give me the best chance to get a shot. If I have time to change settings, then I'll pick the appropriate WB and/or use RAW.</p>

[craig_shearman1]

<p>I only use AWB when I'm in mixed light and don't have time to do a custom WB. My default WB setting is daylight/5500K because I'm usually shooting under either daylight or flash (which are generally the same color plus or minus a few hundred degrees on the Kelvin scale). I go to fluorescent if I'm shooting under fluorescents, and to tungsten/3200K if using studio hot lights. Under standard household lightbulbs I go to 2800 or so, or do a custom WB. I almost always shoot RAW, but I believe in trying to get the settings right in the first place to save myself work later. The problem with AWB is similar to the problem with auto exposure: while there's lots of fancy computer work in current cameras that can recognize certain color patterns and so forth, they both have to work off the basic assumption that the subject matter is an 18 percent gray card. So if you're shooting a beautiful, warmly lit scene near sunset, the AWB is going to try to "correct" it back to neutral mid-day colors. Same on a bluish looking winter day. this is much like when you send such pix to the lab and the lab "corrects" them back to "normal." Keeping the camera on daylight (except for tungsten and fluorescent situations) keeps the camera in "neutral" and makes you more likely to get what you seen rather than having the camera try to "fix" it for you.</p>

[fred_labounty]

<p>i can't imagine anyone not shooting raw if it is available. Or, at least shooting raw + jpeg. That's like using a pencil to add large sums when a calculator is handy.</p>

[ndt_photo]

<p>Shoot RAW, use AWB when time is of the essence, when you have the time set a custom WB, especially when the lighting will be used for many shots... If you are someone who shoots and moves then custom WB's would be a pain.</p>

[arie_vandervelden1]

<p>If you think about it, having the camera guess color temperature from a limited suite of colors in the frame is a pretty tall task. Is that amber color a white wall lit by tungsten, or is it a cloud lit by golden light? I shoot the XTi and I find I get a good reading if and only if I get a whole gamut of colors in the frame (e.g. blue sky, green trees, red flowers) or when flash is my main light source.</p>

<p>I think there is no "correct" light temperature - sometimes you want the color cast caused by colored light (e.g. golden hour) and sometimes you don't (skin tones in the shade). Sometimes I like two different color temps in one photo. I'm very picky about white balance, and sometimes I process a single photo with two different WB settings and mix them. I like juxtaposing warm and cold colors.</p>

<p>Therefore I shoot raw.</p>

[chris.sager]

<p>The Auto WB stinks IMHO. This is one place where Nikon has the advantage. I only use Auto WB but shoot RAW 100% of the time and therefor have no issues.</p>

[christopher_blumenshine]

<p>Like what Juergan said...I only shoot RAW and don't worry about it. Now if I'm shooting with my lights, I'll shoot a gray card and then do a custom WB.<a href="../photodb/user?user_id=2071567"><br /> </a></p>

[nicholas_baker]

<p>I have an XTi and it blows at AWB. Raw is the solution. </p>