[magnum1]

If I know the color temperature of the lighting I am using, and I set my camera to that value, will I get true colors of my subject?

[Ex Finn.]

You should.

[Lowell Goudge]

While the temperature and wb may be correct you may like the picture a little warmer looking. Sometimes perfect wb leaves people looking a little washed out

[BigDave]

Where are you viewing the image? "True colors" is something photographers have been trying to attain since the development of color film (Kodak's moniker, "see the true colors shinning through...)! If you are trying to get the true colors on a print (ink jet or photographic from digital), then the white balance is one piece of the puzzle, but the color balance of the device creating the image, its color reproduction profile, will also effect the "true color" equation. If you are trying to get true color on your monitor, then you need to profile your monitor or the image will look too bright/cold/warm etc. depending on how the monitor is set. To understand this better, try these sites:

Windows Color System

Color management and color science: Introduction

Color Management: Color Space Conversion

http://www.apple.com/pro/pdf/Color_Management_in_Mac_OS_X.pdf

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These should get you going in the right direction. If you set the white balance correctly and you are still not getting "true color" don't be surprised, and don't be discouraged with the medium (photography). There is a lot involved with color reproduction and, as I stated, White Balance is only a piece of it.

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Last edited by BigDave; 10-01-2010 at 08:28 PM. Reason: typo

[Rondec]

White balance is something that is quite subjective. Say, if you are shooting under tungsten lights, you can completely eliminate the yellowish tone from the photos, but you may also choose to leave a little bit behind. As I recall, the K7 has two tungsten settings --one which corrects more strongly than the other.

Mixed lighting situations are particularly tough, because often if you correct one are of the room, the other parts of the room have odd white balance. Shooting RAW tends to make the adjustments easier and allows for small tweaks that might be difficult otherwise.

[Parallax]

Setting the color temperature of the light will get you very close. The final color will be determined by how the lens transmits the light. If you shoot the same scene twice at the same color temp setting, but with two different lenses, you will likely have some variation in color.

[KxBlaze]

While the temperature and wb may be correct you may like the picture a little warmer looking. Sometimes perfect wb leaves people looking a little washed out

+1. In the book "understanding exposure", the correct white balance is not always the right white balance. I most of the time prefer my pics to be a tad bit warmer than normal.

But if your sole purpose is to achieve "correct" white balance then yes you should achieve that.

[magnum1]

Thanks for your input everyone.