elementary white balance question

[Sam Post]

I'm going to shoot a short film and I plan to use a soft focus, warming filter (Tiffen 58mm Warm Soft/FX 1 Glass Filter). Hoping to bring out flesh tones.

Should I white balance before putting on the filter, or with the filter?

Ten percent of the film will be shot outside. Should I certainly remove the filter outside?

How stupid are these questions?

[Ken Tanaka]

These are not "stupid" questions at all, Sam. In fact I don't recall them ever being asked here.

If you are using a "warming filter" and you plan to set your white balance manually you'll want to do that before you mount the filter. Reason: the "warming" effect will be negated if the white balance is set with the filter mounted. Of course, if you're going to use a camera preset white balance it will make no difference since there's no lensing involved.

Whether or not you need to remove the filter for your outdoor shots is entirely an aesthetic judgment. To some degree, your decision will also depend on your weather conditions and time of day. If, for example, it's a gray day you might find that the warming effect of the filter takes some of the coldness from your shots. Alternatively, if you're shooting in early morning or late afternoon ("magic hour") sun you might find that your shots get a bit too golden with the filter. To decide, take time to make some test shots under various conditions to learn to judge the filter's effects.

Have fun!

[Rick Bravo]

Take a look at http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...threadid=22168

This thread addresses some of your question.

RB

[Ken Tanaka]

Never trust the memory of someone 50 or over. Heck, I hardly remember what I had for breakfast.

Thanks for that, Rick.

[Rick Bravo]

Don't feel too bad Ken...trust me, you're not alone! At 45, at least my dog remembers how to lead me to my bed when the GPS batteries go out!!!

[Ken Tanaka]

This is how bad it gets.

When I'm not playing with, or discussing, cameras I participate in a "prominent" investment board. One morning several weeks ago I discovered that I had spent perhaps 20 minutes writing a very articulate treatise on yield curve relationships for variable-rate bonds...in a DVInfo posting page! Fortunately I caught myself before posting. The thread's owner would have thought me insane.

[Sam Post]

Thanks for the help with this, Ken.

Another related question. I assume as long as I leave the camera on, in a location, the white balance stays set. When I turn it off, it needs to be set again.

I'm hoping to shoot for seven hours on Saturday with two batteries (one of the small ones that comes with the camera, and a 6000MAH). I ordered another large one, but it looks like it won't be here until Monday.

[Ken Tanaka]

Actually, the camera will remember your most recent manual white balance setting, although it will also revert to "Auto" white balance when you cycle the power. To return to your manual setting press, but don't hold, that "W"-like button on the wb controls.

Tip: Beyond the manual white balance setting, the trick to ensuring that all of your current settings are not lost during a shoot is to use the "Standby" switch rather than powering-off.

[Sam Post]

A thousand thanks for that tip. I thought all I could do was change the auto-shut down thing. Now I think I might have wasted some money on that battery.

[Rick Bravo]

Don't fret...you can NEVER have too many batteries!

RB