point well made...so i guess i gave away my own shooting style hahaha

Stupid question by me but just wanted to double-check with you all before I film tonight - if I were to completely remove a tape and battery during the course of filming, when I insert a new battery and tape do you think the custom white balance will still be preserved?

The manual says "as long as the built-in rechargeable lithium battery is charged, the camcorder retains the custom white balance setting even if you turn it off."

Yes, it will be preserved, I do it all the time. The manual here is referring to a different battery hidden away somewhere in the camera, probably one of those little button cells that last for years.

How about using the ExpoDisc ? I shoot outdoor / hunting situations most of the time. I am not able to place the white balance card into the subject area ( animals tend to be where they are & moving ) and want to obtain my best WB . I also find myself using manual set at 5600k for sunlight/outdoor lighting. When in trees - mixed lighting - I usually balance in a sunny spot. It seems to work much better than shade balance in that situation.

Any tips/suggestions ?

Thanks !

On a sunny day, if you white balance manually and use a white card that is in the shade, it tends to give you a warmer look. On the other hand, if you have the white balance card exposed to the direct sunlight, your image tends to look cooler. BTW, my first pro camera said you should have a white object that fills at least 80% of the viewfinder and it should be out of focus. I know I often ignore the out of focus part and I have never really been able to see a difference.

I use the Expodisc, much better for varying lighting conditions, much faster and you feel more confident using it. Bought both models but haven't used the 'warm' one much.

Saw tips on buying the 82mm size for use on all your cams with step down rings, but using it with the A1 would mean taking off the lens shade etc.

So I bought the 72mm versions, very quick and easy to use, they clip onto the lens rim and its pouch clips to your trouser belt. Even use it as a short time lens cap in some situations.

Cheers.

they definitely need a hard dial on the camera(s) to dial up or down the color temp. Kinda like the overcranking dial on the EX3. I don't like auto white balance and it would be nice to (easily) just dial up/down until I like what I see.

The A1 does have that feature. In manual WB you can select "A" , "B" , or preset, the preset is available with the flip of a switch in auto indoor , auto outdoor , and "K" - where you can use the dial to scroll to whatever you like.

See I knew it was a good idea. :)

I use the tungsten and daylight presets only. I find myself thinking more filmy that way (film stocks are set in their whites - and lighting, gels and filtration become the way they deal with differences on set).

white balance k
 

what scroll wheel do you move to change k light?

The same wheel that messes with your shutter speed, down on the left, up by the lens.

Set the WB selector to "preset" , set the preset selector ( under the lcd ) to "K" , then press the manual WB button - you can then dial in your desired K by using the scroll wheel in front of the exposure lock button.

I was filming outside in the sunlight on Christmas Day and successfully white-balanced a white sheet of paper on the way to the beach. I then activated the PANALOOK2 customised preset (was very nice by the way!). Once I reached the beach, I decided I wanted to do a fresh white balance, so I deactivated the PANALOOK2 to DEFAULT and then tried a new white balance with a white sheet of paper. Despite my best efforts, the camera white balance indicator kept flashing. This was weird, I thought, because the conditions were bright and clear for the camera to be able to white balance. Assuming perhaps that the XHA1 wouldn't allow a 'fresh' white balance due to the light quality perhaps being the same as earlier, I executed the PANALOOK2 and started filming anyway.

I thought perhaps that the camera would only prevent a manual white balance occurring if the conditions were too dark or the camera wasn't able to read a clear sheet of white paper. Just thought it was unusual the camera wouldn't allow a manual white balance in clear, bright conditions. Any suggestions appreciated about why this might have occurred.

By the way, the eventual footage I shot with the 'flashing' white balance indicator and PANALOOK2 looked excellent.

Here are my two biggest mistakes I have ever made setting the white balance. Both of which were with an XL2 but the lessons still apply.

#1) Always set the white balance to a know white color or Grey card.

Once, I was doing a simple basketball game in a new gym. The wall was white and I used it and everything came out great. The next week I shot another game in the same gym as this was the main game. The first one was preparing me for this game. I used the same wall as before and shot the game.

However, what I did not know was that the wall had been painted and was not white. It was an off white. The game before was in primer and had the perfect color...but it changed. Therefore never assume have white in front of you.

#2) I was shooting a football game and during the game I went from sun to dark. I did not realize this until the darkness. So we go from sun light to overhead bad lighting and the color was out of whack. This second by second changing environment should have been shot in Auto.

Lesson learned considered the how the lighting will change though out the day. This also will apply outside on sunny/cloudy days. If clouds roll in if can impact your setting.