Camcorder Tutorial: How Do I Set the White Balance on a Sony DXC-D30

Camcorder Tutorial: How Do I Set the White Balance on a Sony DXC-D30
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Sony DXC-D30 Overview

The Sony DXC-D30 is a high-end camcorder, designed with the independent filmmaker in mind. This camcorder is highly sensitive, and it captures 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratio images. It also has an automatic white balance feature.

White balance ensures that your colors look more true. But, if you own the Sony DXC-D30, you may be wondering one thing: How do I set white balance on Sony DXC-D30?

Importance of White Balance

It is a good idea to set the white balance every time the lighting changes. You can’t just use one setting for all light settings. If you do, while one shot will look fine, the next shot might look extremely washed out, or your whole shot will be white.

One issue with this camera is that it can quickly go from balanced to unbalanced. So, if you are shooting one scene that is slightly in the shadows, adjust the white balance for that scene. If your next scene is in bright sunlight, change the white balance for that scene. If you don’t, your camera can easily get confused as to what the white balance should be. You can have someone wearing a white dress be perfectly balanced and someone wearing a black dress be unbalanced.

Setting the White Balance

Now, it’s time to manually set your white balance. To do this, you need a white piece of paper. You can locate a section of white in the area where you will be filming. But, it has to be perfectly white. So, it’s just easier to use a piece of paper.

Follow these below instructions to set the white balance on your Sony camcorder:

  1. Go to the location where you will be filming with your Sony DXC-D30.
  2. Hold the piece of white paper in front of the lens.
  3. Switch to manual white balance, and hold down white balance feature. Usually this takes a few seconds while the camera adjusts to the settings.

Remember, you must do this every time that you switch lighting conditions. If you forget to change the white balance, your video clips may not look right. If you have to, you can correct these issues during post-production.

Post-production Adjustments

You can use programs like Final Cut Pro and Avid to correct the white balance, gamma and luminance. These programs will improve the look of the video clip, but it may also compromise the quality of the video.

You also need to consider how the new and improved video clip will look up against the rest of your clips. If it looks out of place, your audience will notice. If you do decide to adjust the look of a single clip, you may want to wait until you have finished the video itself. Then, change the look of the entire video. This will prevent a single clip fromt standing out that much.

References

Mirage Productions, https://www.mirage-productions.fr/d30.pdf

DVInfo.net, https://www.dvinfo.net/forum/open-dv-discussion/475006-problem-auto-white-balance.html