manual WB and a coffee filter

regken · 02-10-2007, 07:59 AM

Got a chance to try this today. What a breeze! Put the coffee filter over the lens, went to the WB manual setting, pressed the shutter and the wb was set perfectly. A real no brainer.Thanks to whoever came up with this idea. It folds up and stays in the camera bag.

Thanks,

SpecialK · 02-10-2007, 08:28 AM

That sounds even handier than a white foam cup.

xecutech · 02-10-2007, 06:37 PM

Does this really work? Is it just that easy? I have been having trouble getting th proper balance. Can you explain step by step how to do this, or provide the link for it?

regken · 02-10-2007, 08:35 PM

click FN button. push left arrow on OK for wb menue. page down to wb manual. click left arrow on ok dial. point camera in direction of the image you want to take. hold filter over lens. activate shutter. press ok. done
regards,

Mike Cash · 02-10-2007, 09:22 PM

This ought to save me a hundred bucks or so on one of those snazzy shower-door-lookin' WB adjustment filters.

xecutech · 02-10-2007, 09:36 PM

By activating the shutter, do you mean pressing the button halfway down? Please bear with me, I am a total newbie. BTW, how did you learn about this?

regken · 02-10-2007, 09:46 PM

Take a picture. Push the shutter all the way down. The display will be all white with a square in the middle. The square is what the camera will use as the sample for setting the white balance. When you click the ok button it registers that square as the wb.

Try it. it really is easy. I saw it on the dpreview forum.

regards,

xecutech · 02-10-2007, 09:54 PM

I did a google search and an extra tip is to set the camera to manual focus, so the camera won't keep trying to focus while your doing this.

oppositz · 02-11-2007, 07:28 AM

Darn,

I use natural coffee filters. Un-dyed and thus light brown!

MPrince · 02-11-2007, 07:51 AM

Originally posted by oppositz

Darn,

I use natural coffee filters. Un-dyed and thus light brown!

I usually do, too, but right now I have white coffee filters, so I'll give this a try. If I like it, I'll keep the filter in a plastic bag in my camera bag to keep it clean. (The filter, not the camera bag

)

davemdsn · 02-11-2007, 09:58 AM

I thought about this the first time I saw an ad for one of those white balance filters, but I don't drink coffee and didn't have a filter to test it out. It's cool that it works so well.

xecutech · 02-11-2007, 11:29 AM

Another thing you can use the filter for is putting it over your flash to diffuse the light.

I also seen three different places online using the coffee filter and each said a different number of filters. This forum said 1, another said 2, and another said 3! I am going to try it with 1 however.

MPrince · 02-11-2007, 12:25 PM

I only have the built-in popup flash, I use a fuji film canister for diffusion. Coffee filter is a bit large for the built-in flash, but I'll give it a try, maybe cut a filter down to size if it works better or is more pleasing to the eye than a film canister.

xecutech · 02-11-2007, 05:27 PM

Well, I just use the same filter, but keep a rubber band to hold it on the pop up flash. I used the coffee filter trick today and have been very happy with the results. I will post some pictures later tonight.

MPrince · 02-11-2007, 05:39 PM

I did some unscientific experimenting with a coffee filter as a flash diffuser vs a fuji film canister. I found the film canister works better if you are farther from your subject, and the coffee filter performs better if you are closer to your subject. I didn't measure the distance, but I would say around 10 feet and closer the filter did the better job, while beyond 10 feet the film canister did better.

02-10-2007, 07:59 AM	#1
regken Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bangor, Maine Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,377	manual WB and a coffee filter Got a chance to try this today. What a breeze! Put the coffee filter over the lens, went to the WB manual setting, pressed the shutter and the wb was set perfectly. A real no brainer.Thanks to whoever came up with this idea. It folds up and stays in the camera bag. Thanks,

02-11-2007, 07:28 AM	#9
oppositz Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Camillus, NY Posts: 39	WB Darn, I use natural coffee filters. Un-dyed and thus light brown!

02-11-2007, 07:51 AM	#10
MPrince Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: WV Posts: 1,495	Originally posted by oppositz Darn, I use natural coffee filters. Un-dyed and thus light brown! I usually do, too, but right now I have white coffee filters, so I'll give this a try. If I like it, I'll keep the filter in a plastic bag in my camera bag to keep it clean. (The filter, not the camera bag ) Last edited by MPrince; 02-11-2007 at 10:13 AM.

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02-10-2007, 08:28 AM	#2
SpecialK Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: So California Photos: Gallery Posts: 16,480	That sounds even handier than a white foam cup.

02-10-2007, 06:37 PM	#3
xecutech Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Nashville Photos: Gallery Posts: 223	Does this really work? Is it just that easy? I have been having trouble getting th proper balance. Can you explain step by step how to do this, or provide the link for it?

02-10-2007, 08:35 PM	#4
regken Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bangor, Maine Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,377 Original Poster	click FN button. push left arrow on OK for wb menue. page down to wb manual. click left arrow on ok dial. point camera in direction of the image you want to take. hold filter over lens. activate shutter. press ok. done regards,

02-10-2007, 09:22 PM	#5
Mike Cash Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Japan Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,950	This ought to save me a hundred bucks or so on one of those snazzy shower-door-lookin' WB adjustment filters.

02-10-2007, 09:36 PM	#6
xecutech Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Nashville Photos: Gallery Posts: 223	By activating the shutter, do you mean pressing the button halfway down? Please bear with me, I am a total newbie. BTW, how did you learn about this?

02-10-2007, 09:46 PM	#7
regken Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bangor, Maine Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,377 Original Poster	Take a picture. Push the shutter all the way down. The display will be all white with a square in the middle. The square is what the camera will use as the sample for setting the white balance. When you click the ok button it registers that square as the wb. Try it. it really is easy. I saw it on the dpreview forum. regards,

02-10-2007, 09:54 PM	#8
xecutech Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Nashville Photos: Gallery Posts: 223	I did a google search and an extra tip is to set the camera to manual focus, so the camera won't keep trying to focus while your doing this.

02-11-2007, 09:58 AM	#11
davemdsn Inactive Account Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Boise, Idaho Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,413	I thought about this the first time I saw an ad for one of those white balance filters, but I don't drink coffee and didn't have a filter to test it out. It's cool that it works so well.

02-11-2007, 11:29 AM	#12
xecutech Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Nashville Photos: Gallery Posts: 223	Another thing you can use the filter for is putting it over your flash to diffuse the light. I also seen three different places online using the coffee filter and each said a different number of filters. This forum said 1, another said 2, and another said 3! I am going to try it with 1 however.

02-11-2007, 12:25 PM	#13
MPrince Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: WV Posts: 1,495	I only have the built-in popup flash, I use a fuji film canister for diffusion. Coffee filter is a bit large for the built-in flash, but I'll give it a try, maybe cut a filter down to size if it works better or is more pleasing to the eye than a film canister.

02-11-2007, 05:27 PM	#14
xecutech Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Nashville Photos: Gallery Posts: 223	Well, I just use the same filter, but keep a rubber band to hold it on the pop up flash. I used the coffee filter trick today and have been very happy with the results. I will post some pictures later tonight.

02-11-2007, 05:39 PM	#15
MPrince Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: WV Posts: 1,495	I did some unscientific experimenting with a coffee filter as a flash diffuser vs a fuji film canister. I found the film canister works better if you are farther from your subject, and the coffee filter performs better if you are closer to your subject. I didn't measure the distance, but I would say around 10 feet and closer the filter did the better job, while beyond 10 feet the film canister did better.