On Tue, 11 Jun 2002 01:37:52 -0230, "Chris" wrote:
>"Neuman - Ruether" wrote in message
>news:3d055c4e.10001926@newsstand.cit.cornell.edu...
>> On Tue, 11 Jun 2002 01:55:10 -0230, "Chris"
>> wrote:
>> >"notjustjay" wrote in message
>> >news:ae3heq$449$3@driftwood.ccs.carleton.ca...
>> >> Kaman Wong wrote:

>> >> > Based on my understand, there is no manual white balance on this
>> >> > camcorder. What does the HOLD option of the white balance mean?

>> >> I was understanding that the HOLD option holds the white balance
>setting
>> >> at whatever it happened to be when you pressed the button.
>> >>
>> >> Is this not manual white balance?

>> >Manual white balance means that you "show" the camera a white surface,
>and
>> >"tell" it that it's white, and it adjusts it's colour levels that that it
>> >*is* white. If the "hold" option holds the white balance where it is,
>then
>> >it's still not really manual.

>> Why not? Show it a white (or off-white, to bias WB)
>> surface, let it auto-balance, and "hold" that - a
>> virtually identical operation to setting manual
>> WB on most camcorders, if not pro gear...

>I wasn't aware that's quite how an auto-white worked... actually, I always
>found that with older auto-white cameras, while shooting hockey, they had a
>tendancy to go red or yellow on the ice...

That could be from overexposure (highlight
tinting with overexposure is less of a problem
with DV...), or it could be from off-color AWB...
(and many cameras have built-in color biases
that can be quite strong - see:
www.David-Ruether-Photography.com/vid_pict_characts.htm).
With the new little camcorders, using either
the "hold" function or the "manual-WB" function
works the same way, but it, and the provided
DWB and TWB presets, may not produce the best
WB, alas (though with Sonys, almost invariably
the DWB preset produces the best color balance
for daylight shooting...). As I mentioned above,
you can use slightly-colored sheets for biasing
the manual WB to taste. You can also use filters
over the lens for biasing manual WB, or you can
use slightly-colored gels or glass filters left
on the lens to bias the presets...