topic Canon EOS R - AWB Kelvin Counter balance question? in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

Canon EOS R - AWB Kelvin Counter balance question?

LillianNest — Wed, 06 Jan 2021 11:06:27 GMT

So my question is if the K scale ranges from 1K-10K 1K being the most yellow and 10K being the most blue. Why does the camera do the opposite? Say it’s really warm outside and I turn it to 7K wouldn’t suppose to turn it more blue?

If anyone knows or has some sort of explanation this would help thanks.

Re: Canon EOS R - AWB Kelvin Counter balance question?

rs-eos — Wed, 06 Jan 2021 12:10:17 GMT

Daylight is around 5500K. If you set your camera on 5500K and take a shot, it should be very neutral in terms of color balance. When you dial that down to 3000K, you're telling the camera that is the new balanced (neutral) value. But the scene is still 5500K which is colder (bluer) in relation to the 3000K value. So the image result is cold (blue).

When you dial that up to 7000K, you're again telling the camera that is the new balanced value. The actual scene is still 5500K which is now warmer; hence the image result is now warmer.

It's a bit like exposure compensation; you have to think about things in that opposite manner. When you push/pull settings on the camera, the camera always wants to get to that neutral middle gray so to speak.

Re: Canon EOS R - AWB Kelvin Counter balance question?

ebiggs1 — Wed, 06 Jan 2021 15:38:48 GMT

5500k is the colour temperature that will record white objects as white. The lower the K value the more orange the color of the light, and the higher the K value the more blue the color of the light. In practice, I use AWB and shoot Raw. I then set the true, or final, WB in post edit. This is a very common practice especially with more advanced photographers and anyone that wants the best results. In post and Raw you can push or pull the WB to exactly your desire.