topic Re: S110: what purpose does the Flash white balance setting serve? in Point & Shoot Digital Cameras

S110: what purpose does the Flash white balance setting serve?

Involute — Mon, 22 Jul 2013 04:44:26 GMT

I assume if you're using the flash for a shot then the camera knows it, so why would you have to set it in the WB menu. If you don't need to set it, what's it for? When I shoot with flash and WB set to Auto, everything comes out fine (except when zooming; see a separate post ont hat nearby). Thanks.

Re: S110: what purpose does the Flash white balance setting serve?

hsbn — Mon, 22 Jul 2013 04:55:30 GMT

Sometimes you shoot flash but you want to set the WB manual for creative purpose. For example, when you shoot with flash, the camera set the WB to FLASH (if you turn on AWB). However, the flash light is sometimes a little "cold" for your taste and doesn't look natural. So you can change the WB to Cloudy, to make the flash photo to look warmer. Especially if your subject is in the shade during daytime, with Flash wB, your subject can look a little bluish.

Re: S110: what purpose does the Flash white balance setting serve?

ScottyP — Mon, 22 Jul 2013 17:54:51 GMT

If you are shooting underexposed in order to kill all the ambient light, leaving only the flash light to show in the picture, then you need this. On AUTO WB the camera would have still been thinking the background/ambient light color is relevant so it would give you a bad color.

That is something "strobists" in particular do a lot.