What is the right AWB with flash ?

[PeterBM]

I own an A80, but I suppose the problem is the same for others cameras.

What is the right AWB setting for flash shots?

For example I had indoor shots with the following settings: AWB for "tungsten light", mode Night, ISO 50, speed was about 0.3". Colors were good but with some blurring due to low speed. In mode P with same AWB and ISO, I had a 1/60s speed and colors were frankly blue. Clearly the ratio of flash light was not the same and explains it.

So, in a black indoor (no matter the focusing problem), what is the good AWB setting for a shot with flash?

Peter

[sdommin]

You should use "daylight" settings with flash.

[scottbergerphoto]

AWB is Automatic White Balance. You want to set your white balance manually not automatically. If your primary source of light is the flash, you should set your white balance to flash. If your primary source of light is incandescent lamps you want tungsten. A problem arises when you combine two different type of light sources, such as incandescent lamps and flash. In a situation like that, your best bet is a custom white balance. I don't know if your A80 has that option. I suspect that your shots looked blue because the camera expected tungsten lighting, but got mostly flash. It treated the flash as if it was incandescent/tungsten light. In a dimly lit room, where the flash provides most of the lighting(unless your setting the exposure manually to expose for the background)the flash overpowers the ambient lighting.
Scott

[PeterBM]

The A80 has the following AWB capabilities:
- daylight sunny
- daylight cloudy
- tungsten light
- fluo
- fluo H (By the way, I do not know when select this from the preceding),
- manual.

OK, blue was due to flash with a "tungsten" setting. But there is no "flash" setting for AWB. So, next time, I'll try the "daylight sunny" one (trying, trying, trying, ...) as suggested by Scott/sdommin.

Using manual setting seems to me very difficult with mixed flash + tungsten lights, because the flash ratio can be very different for a white paper and for people with dark clothes . I got very poor results in the past with it.

Peter

[Ronnie Valentine]

I've found that I get the best results with cloudy. Flash or most strobes are set to be around 5500 kelvin however, Canon sets the default to be around 6000 kelvin which is the same as cloudy.

[PacAce]

The A80 has the following AWB capabilities:
- daylight sunny
- daylight cloudy
- tungsten light
- fluo
- fluo H (By the way, I do not know when select this from the preceding),
- manual.

OK, blue was due to flash with a "tungsten" setting. But there is no "flash" setting for AWB. So, next time, I'll try the "daylight sunny" one (trying, trying, trying, ...) as suggested by Scott/sdommin.

Using manual setting seems to me very difficult with mixed flash + tungsten lights, because the flash ratio can be very different for a white paper and for people with dark clothes . I got very poor results in the past with it.

Peter

Wny not just set it to AUTO and see how that turns out? Or have you tried that already? I'd think 90% of your shots will turn out fine with AWB in AUTO.

[PeterBM]

Thank you everybody for your help. I have still a lot to learn for getting good shots using flash with my A80.

Sorry, my wording was not good. I had to write about White Balance (instead of AWB) capabilities. And I forgot the auto (AWB) capability.

So, I'll try (...) also the cloudy setting. Where can we find temperatures used by each setting? And these of flash?
It's not in doc. Are they the same on all Canon Digital Cameras?

I was reluctant to use AWB because I read it was poor for indoors scenes with tungsten lighting (see http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/A80/A80PICS.HTM).

Peter

[Yance]

Even under mixed lighting conditions where you are using flash, it is a good idea to use the daylight or flash white balance. The tungsten lighted areas may appear more yellowish but this is more agreeable than having the areas lighted with the flash appearing too blue.