do you use auto white balance?
 

I never do. I like to set color temperature manually, so I have better control over the color tone. How about you?

Sometimes
 

It depends, in event videography while chasing the actors, you can move to various and numerous light sources, so in those cases I run in auto. But for lengthier shots, I set it myself.

No. I don't want the white balance to change during a shot.

never. i love the advanced color temp settings on the a1.
it's probably my favorite feature.

WB is another area I need to explore outside the comfort zone of full auto. What do you pros use to manually set your white balance? Please name product names/websites so I can research.

Thanks in advance

There's no product needed. Simply white balance to existing conditions, or use the tungsten or daylight preset. Or white balance and then go up or down as desired (which is fun to do just because you can).

"What do you pros use to manually set your white balance? Please name product names/websites so I can research."

I'd love give you some fancy European sounding product..but in reality, I fill up my frame with whatever is close by and "whiteish"...typically my girlfriends shirt, a table cloth, a poodle, etc.

Thanks, guys. Didn't realize it was that simple.

Yeah, what's neat is to try different items. Typically, if I'm in a ceremony, I'll white balance to the scene I'll zoom in on, i.e. the stage. White balancing to something close to you, and then zooming in 60 feet doesn't always work when the lighting is very uneven.

So just explore and test with things where you are. I'm one of those that want the most natural color, and then will adjust in post.

One of the hardest lessons I've ever learned was running a full tape with WB preset, then the sun went down. You just have to be prepared for the changing conditions.

It's pretty much to you own taste and liking. The color really adds mood to the video you make. Sometimes it requires exact tone, sometimes you can exaggerate. I set color temp using my own judgment, like how I decide tone in my painting....

On a sunny day, I use the stock sunny preset. When on auto, its a little too warm.

Mark

I use the presets whenever possible, usually daylight (I use Caselights with daylight fluorescent lamps and HMIs for a lot of interior shooting where there is ambient daylight coming in). In a studio situation or night interiors I'll use tungsten preset with 3200 lights. My reason for using the presets is that If I white balance, then I lose the warm color I've cranked into the camera's setting. At least I think I do. With the DSR500 I do, so I'm assuming the Canon would do the same thing. Makes sense that if I white balance, my color correction setup would go away because everything would reset to white being white as opposed to being slightly warmer or cooler, depending on my setup. I should probably check that out sometime.

If I'm shooting a short film I will usually use the Indoor or Outdoor Preset just so all my shots stay consistent. If I'm shooting a promo or tutorial I use these warm cards. I haven't quite gotten the hang of the temperature preset yet.