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    Kelvin degrees

    As current EOS cameras (and also older ones) have Kelvin degrees for setting white balance, how about an article in the magazine about Kelvin degrees and how to use them? I know that you can set a custom white balance which helps in tricky light situations but using Kelvin eliminates the need to carry a grey card and it would cut out one or two steps in the procedure.

    I may be shooting myself in the foot but it would be interesting to know how many folk use degrees Kelvin.

    scotsdave
    EOS 5D; EOS 7D; 50mm f1.8 (mk I); 28/80mm f3.5/5.6 (Mk IV); 24/105mm f4 L IS; 70/200mm f4 L IS; 1.4 X TC; Sigma 10/20mm f3.5 DC HSM; Sigma 18/50mm f2.8/4.5 DC OS HSM; Speedlite 430EX II.

    #2
    Re: Kelvin degrees

    Thanks for the suggestion. I will add it to our list of future features. We did cover the subject way back in December 2001, so another visit is overdue.

    One reason for this lack of coverage is that the Kelvin scale is not very useful for stills photographers. You really need a colour temperature meter to obtain a reading and these are quite expensive. One of the white balance settings (daylight, shade, flash, etc), auto white balance or custom white balance is usually adequate.

    Colour temperature (Kelvin) settings are more useful for movies, especially when shooting with film. Two outdoor scenes which appear together in the finished movie might have been shot at different times of the same day, or even on different days. Here, is is important that the colour balance is the same for both clips. Taking a reading with a meter and adding colour temperature filters as required makes this possible.

    Does anyone use the Kelvin settings for still photography? If so, please give details and we might be able to include the information in the proposed article.
    Robert
    robert@eos-magazine.com

    Comment


      #3
      Re: Kelvin degrees

      Originally posted by Robert Scott View Post
      One reason for this lack of coverage is that the Kelvin scale is not very useful for stills photographers. You really need a colour temperature meter to obtain a reading and these are quite expensive. One of the white balance settings (daylight, shade, flash, etc), auto white balance or custom white balance is usually adequate.

      Colour temperature (Kelvin) settings are more useful for movies, especially when shooting with film. Two outdoor scenes which appear together in the finished movie might have been shot at different times of the same day, or even on different days. Here, is is important that the colour balance is the same for both clips. Taking a reading with a meter and adding colour temperature filters as required makes this possible.
      Every day's a school day! I now know 100% more about Kelvin scales than I did 10mins ago! Thanks for that Robert,
      Garry
      Garry Macdonald on Flickr
      Garry Macdonald on Facebook

      Comment


        #4
        Re: Kelvin degrees

        never used that scale ....
        :- Ian

        5D Mk III, 24-105 / 70-200 f2.8 L / 100-400 Mk II / 100 macro / 16-35 L / 11-24 L / 1.4 & 2x converters and a bad back carrying it all ;o)

        :- https://www.flickr.com/photos/fotosespana/

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          #5
          Re: Kelvin degrees

          Thanks, Robert. What made me ask the question was, although I knew in general terms about Degrees Kelvin, I thought it would be interesting to learn about it for practical purposes and to see its pros and cons. I also thought that since Canon included it in their cameras it would be worthwhile finding out more about it. I had noticed the last mention of it in the magazine and as you've said, it might be good to give it a fresh airing, even 14 years or so later!

          Like Garry I knew a wee bit more about it now and with films I can understand the reason why.

          scotsdave
          EOS 5D; EOS 7D; 50mm f1.8 (mk I); 28/80mm f3.5/5.6 (Mk IV); 24/105mm f4 L IS; 70/200mm f4 L IS; 1.4 X TC; Sigma 10/20mm f3.5 DC HSM; Sigma 18/50mm f2.8/4.5 DC OS HSM; Speedlite 430EX II.

          Comment


            #6
            Re: Kelvin degrees

            Someone has just hit my sore point!

            There is no such thing as degrees Kelvin (nor Kelvin degrees)!

            The term is Kelvin and 0 Kelvin is roughly equivalent to -273º Celsius (or about -460º Fahrenheit.)

            Absolute zero is defined as 0 K and is theoretically the coldest anything can get.

            Sorry ... when people talk about "degrees Kelvin" my teeth start to itch!
            Canon EOS 6D Mk II, 700D, Canon 24-105mm L, 100-400mm, 100mm f2.8 L Macro.

            Comment


              #7
              Re: Kelvin degrees

              Originally posted by Robert Scott View Post
              Does anyone use the Kelvin settings for still photography?
              I have done in the past - as part of a small team of togs working at an eventing event! As we had different cameras and were working at different points on the course, the object was to have all the photographs presented to any given rider to have a consistent colour balance.

              David

              Comment


                #8
                Re: Kelvin degrees

                I have my IR converted 40D set to 2800K for w/b purposes. I chose this value after reading a feature in the July-September 2012 edition of the magazine. I still refer to it when doing my IR processing.

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