Olympus E-300 Advanced Manual

6
Exposure, image and color
White balance—Adjusting the color tone
Color temperature
The spectral balance of different white light sources is rated numerically by color
temperature—a concept of physics, expressed using the Kelvin (K) temperature
scale. The higher the color temperature, the richer the light in bluish tones and the
poorer in reddish; the lower the color temperature, the richer the light in reddish
tones and the poorer in bluish.
It follows, then, that the color temperatures of fluorescent lights make them
unsuitable as artificial light sources. There are gaps in the hues from the color
temperatures of fluorescent light. If these differences in hue are small, they can be
calculated with color temperature and this is called correlated color temperature.
The 4000K, 4500K and 6600K preset settings in this camera are correlated color
temperatures, and should not be considered strictly as color temperatures. Use
these settings for shooting conditions under fluorescent lights.
94
Candle frame
More Red More Blue
Hot white light
bulb
Intense white
fluorescent
White fluorescent
Clear day
Overcast
Shade on clear
day
Daylight
fluorescent
TIPS
White balance with a flash:
T Auto WB is recommended when taking pictures with the flash. If you intend
to use preset WB, select the color temperature 6000K.
When shooting with the flash, be sure to play back your pictures and check
the color on the screen. Various conditions affect color temperature and how
color is reproduced on the screen.
Note
The color temperatures for each light source indicated in the above scale are
approximate. They are not an accurate indication of color. For example, the
actual sunlight is not exactly 5300K, nor fluorescent lights 4000K.