Setting white balance Nikon D3300

[Mark75]

I am having a terrible time setting the white balance on my new D3300 by shooting a white card under my tank lights!

I must have spent an hour and shot 200 images of a white card under my tank lights and I keep getting the error "no gd". I can walk into the kitchen and shoot the same card and get a setting first try.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Hey Nice Profile pic!
actinic or white? Led or t5?
and is the prb its still too blue? under the highest manual white balance?(10k kelv?) under white?

 

[Mark75]

LED, around 15k

The problem is it never "takes", it keeps giving me the error "no gd". I can walk into the kitchen and shoot the same white card under incandescent and it takes first try giving me the "gd" message.

According to Nikon the "no gd" message indicates over/under exposure but I have centered my exposure meter, adjusted ISO, adjusted faster/slower shutter speed and stepped down my apeture,....still want take!

I am about to pull my hair out.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

How high does the 3300 go at highest wb manually?
The preset wb options, and is it still too blue there?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

You may be able to take that preset and manually add to it and then save it. Check Ken Rockwells website
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d7000/users-guide/menus-shooting.htm
He has the best tips and tricks.
But others may dis agree but on some cameras you may have reached its limit for color reproduction and what the camera can do,
At the highest and best picture take it to photo processing and see if it works.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

AWB white balancing on a card works.
BUT
its a scewed system and you actually lose info on the other end. Manufacturers spend millions on color and the presets are the best as they are truly balanced on scientific analyzers.
What were doing here is trying to trick the camera to get good results.

 

[Mark75]

9050k is the highest manual pre-set I think? You also have a color grid you can adjust even more toward the 15k range.

It just seems if you can let the camera adjust to the lighting you get better results. I think I may have found the problem, the LED light shows on the white card as many different colors and the camera cant' decide which one to adjust for. I need to find away around this some how.

 

[Flashy Fins]

I have the same problem with my D3100 and have tried all sorts of things, including adjusting the color grid, using a white balance reading lens cap, in-tank white cards, and more. The camera seems incapable of taking a custom reading in my tank, and from my research, marine aquarium lighting is simply too far out of range from anything the camera is built to handle. I gave up, but if you figure something out, I'd love to try it.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I think I may have found the problem, the LED light shows on the white card as many different colors and the camera cant' decide which one to adjust for. I need to find away around this some how.

Yup exactly.

t just seems if you can let the camera adjust to the lighting you get better results.

Nope. not how it actually works. auto wb takes something from the other side. IE balance. To set you own balance you choose what you loose. More blue = less red.
letting the camera do the mix work lets it lose thing you cant controll. AWB can rob you of green magenta even though you were just trying to lose blue.
Its a bit complicated. but few in professional realms AWB, its too inconsistent from pic to pic or shot to shot. editors and labs hate it, its more work.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I have the same problem with my D3100 and have tried all sorts of things, including adjusting the color grid, using a white balance reading lens cap, in-tank white cards, and more. The camera seems incapable of taking a custom reading in my tank, and from my research, marine aquarium lighting is simply too far out of range from anything the camera is built to handle. I gave up, but if you figure something out, I'd love to try it.

play with filters. too much 450nm? go to the opposite end of the spectrum and thats the filter you need.

lighting is simply too far out of range from anything the camera is built to handle

exactly. higher end will do more cuz you pay for more. some do better by accident as thats how the color matrix was built by the colorist to create the look of the film, oops digital image.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Thank goodness we went solid state btw. The pot on a three tube were really small and Id have to wear my glasses now to decrease the gain on the blue channel to get it to work in the tank.

 

[Mark75]

@saltyfilmfolks , so should I choose the cloudy option and adjust the grid toward the orange/red instead of trying to "shoot for white balance?

 

[Harry_Y]

I just ordered an ExpoDisk 2.0 today, It may be something that may help you.

You could also try a putting a coffee filter over your lens when making your reference pic

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

you should have an option by by kelvin number. choose the highest. try to modify that. Opps looked at nikon website no preset mod.
daylight is 56k shade is 9000kish usualy

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I just ordered an ExpoDisk 2.0 today

It may be something that may help you

I just ordered an ExpoDisk 2.0 today, It may be something that may help you.

You could also try a purring a coffee filter over your lens when making your reference pic

interesting. It may be slightly warmer results due to diffusion.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

@Mark75

9050k is the highest manual pre-set I think? You also have a color grid you can adjust even more toward the 15k range.

have you done this yet? its the best thing I think. then examine the pic pre processing. you can post it here.

 

[Harry_Y]

Read up on the Expo Disk, most really seem to like it.

 

[Marquiseo]

@saltyfilmfolks , so should I choose the cloudy option and adjust the grid toward the orange/red instead of trying to "shoot for white balance?

Use shade and adjust.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Read up on the Expo Disk, most really seem to like it.

it a good thing.

Use shade and adjust.

yup. he may have tried that.

 

[Mark75]

This is "Shade" with the grid all the way orange.