Custom White Balance

With custom white balance, you can manually set the white balance for the specific light source of the shooting location. Make sure to perform this procedure under the light source at the actual location of the shoot.

Up to five custom white balances can be registered to the camera. You can also add a name (caption) to registered custom white balances. Register separate ones for still photos and movies, as needed.

Registering Custom White Balances

To register custom white balances, you can either register a picture taken during this process or register an image recorded on a card.

Shooting and registering white balances

  1. Select [Shooting: Set Custom WB].

  2. Select a custom white balance number to be registered.

    • Press SET.
    • Turn the Quick Control Dial dial to select a number from 1 to 5 for Manual*, then press SET. The custom white balance will be registered to the selected number.

  3. Select [Record and register WB].

    • The screen now turns off, and the selected number blinks on the top LCD panel.

  4. Shoot a plain white object.

    • Look through the viewfinder and aim the outlined area over a plain white object, so that white fills the area.
    • Focus manually and shoot with the standard exposure set for the white object.
    • You can use any of the white balance settings.

Caution

  • If the exposure obtained in step 4 differs greatly from the standard exposure, a correct white balance may not be obtained.

Note

  • Custom white balances can also be registered as follows.
    1. Press the White balance selection button, then turn the Quick Control Dial dial to select Custom ().
    2. Next, turn the Main Dial dial to select a number to register the custom white balance to.

    3. Press the Protect button.

      → The number selected in step 2 blinks on the top LCD panel.

    4. Shoot a plain white object as described in step 4.

      → The custom white balance will be registered to the selected number.

  • If [Correct WB may not be obtained with the selected image] is displayed in step 4, return to step 1 and shoot again.
  • Your shot in step 4 is not recorded to a card.
  • More accurate white balance can be obtained by shooting a commercially available gray card or standard 18% gray reflector instead of a white object.

Selecting an image recorded on a card

  1. Shoot a plain white object.

  2. On the [Shooting] tab, select [Set Custom WB].

  3. Select a custom white balance number to be registered.

    • Press SET.
    • Turn the Quick Control Dial dial to select a number from 1 to 5 for Custom*, then press SET. The custom white balance will be registered to the selected number.

  4. Select [Select image on card].

    • Images recorded on the card are displayed.

  5. Select an image to register as the custom white balance.

    • Turn the Quick Control Dial dial to select the image captured in step 1, then press SET.

  6. Select [OK].

    • The custom white balance will be registered to the camera.
    • Check the message and select [OK] to return to the screen in step 3.

Caution

  • These images cannot be selected in step 5: Images captured with the Picture Style set to [Monochrome], multiple-exposure images, HDR images, Frame Grab images from 4K movies, and images shot with another camera.

Note

  • To shoot with a registered custom white balance, first select the number of the registered custom white balance.

Selecting and Shooting with Custom White Balances

  1. Select the custom white balance number.

    (1) Registered image

    • On the [Set Custom WB] screen, select the number of the registered custom white balance.

  2. Select [Set as white balance].

    • The white balance setting changes to Custom*.

  3. Take the picture.

    • The picture is taken with the Custom* setting applied.

Note

  • You can also select registered custom white balance numbers while viewing the top LCD panel. To do this, press the White balance selection button, then turn the Quick Control Dial dial to select Custom. Next, turn the Main Dial dial to select a registered custom white balance number.

Naming Custom White Balances

You can add a name (caption) to the five registered custom white balances (custom white balance nos. 1–5).

  1. Select the custom white balance number.

    • On the [Set Custom WB] screen, select the number of the registered custom white balance to add a name to.

  2. Select [Edit WB name].

  3. Enter text.

    • Use the Quick Control Dial or Multi-controller dial to select a character, then press SET to enter it.
    • By selecting [Input mode], you can change the input mode.
    • To delete single characters, select [delete] or press the Erase button.

  4. Exit the setting.

    • Press the MENU button, then press [OK].
    • The information is saved, and display returns to the screen in step 2.
    • The entered name is displayed below Custom*.

Note

  • As names, it may be helpful to enter the names of places where you registered the custom white balances, or the names of the light sources.