Setting custom white balance on a DLSR Camera

[bluesilver (Peter)]

Hi, just a quick basic question in regards to creating a custom white balance for a DLSR.

I have a fully modified Canon EOS 600D
This is how i set up my custom white balance and was just looking for a bit of advise if i have done it correctly.
I went outside on a sunny day with a sheet of A4 printer paper,
I take a photo of this piece of paper with the camera in automatic basic setting.
I then save this pinkish color image and use this image as my custom white balance.

To take the flat whites, I just place a white t-shirt over the telescope lens and point the telescope to a clear part of the sky on a sunny day and take 60 second exposures.

Dose all this sound correct, or am i doing it all wrong?
Any information or advise would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Peter.

[Startrek (Martin)]

Peter,
I just jumped on Jerry Lodriguss website ( Astropix.com ) and he has a stack of information on custom white balances for unmodded and modded DSLR cameras
Have a look , I think it will answer your questions

Cheers
Martin

[bluesilver (Peter)]

Thanks for the link, appreciated.
I can't say that i found anything in there related to modified DLSR cameras or creating a custom white balance though.
I must not be looking in the right place, I went through the tutorials section trying to find some information there.
It looks like if you want to find out more you have to purchase his books.

[Startrek (Martin)]

Originally Posted by bluesilver

Thanks for the link, appreciated.
I can't say that i found anything in there related to modified DLSR cameras or creating a custom white balance though.
I must not be looking in the right place, I went through the tutorials section trying to find some information there.
It looks like if you want to find out more you have to purchase his books.

Peter,

See attached .......

Astropix.com
Jerry Lodriguss
“Catching the Light”
Menu > Tutorials > Digital Astrophotography Techniques > Taking Pictures > Using a Custom White Balance
Stacks of information on Custom White Balance , pages and pages

Cheers
Martin

[bluesilver (Peter)]

Thanks for the screen shots, appreciated.
Yes for some reason on a home pc i can't seam to navigate to that page.
But typing it into google got me there in the end.
A bit weird, for me the missing link on his site was from tutorials > Digital Astrophotography Techniques, there was no Digital Astrophotography Techniques part.

Not to worry, google got it up for me, very much appreciate the time taken to get me on the right track though.

Good to know i have the settings right after all though.
Did find an interesting setting though that on his site he mentioned to click on using the cameras white balance in DSS while in Astro Blog Delta they say not to.
Will have to look into that a bit more.
Very much appreciated.
Thanks
Peter.

[JA]

Originally Posted by bluesilver

Hi, just a quick basic question in regards to creating a custom white balance for a DLSR.

I have a fully modified Canon EOS 600D
This is how i set up my custom white balance and was just looking for a bit of advise if i have done it correctly.
I went outside on a sunny day with a sheet of A4 printer paper,
I take a photo of this piece of paper with the camera in automatic basic setting.
I then save this pinkish color image and use this image as my custom white balance.

To take the flat whites, I just place a white t-shirt over the telescope lens and point the telescope to a clear part of the sky on a sunny day and take 60 second exposures.

Dose all this sound correct, or am i doing it all wrong?
Any information or advise would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Peter.

Hello Peter,

You have a Fully Modified DSLR, i.e: the Canon internal UV/IR filter has been removed and not replaced. If that's the case, and you shoot in RAW, there is nothing to concern yourself with. You've modified the camera to increase the Ha sensitivity so you will get more red channel signal - as it should be. In the Case of Canon you will likely have 3 to 4 times more Ha signal than before. If you do a white balance using a white card you will simply be turning down the signal you have fought/paid to achieve. Any corrections to colour can be be made in post processing as one wants the highest possible signal into camera's systems, short of clipping maximum ...,for potentially the lowest possible noise.

If on the other hand your desire to white balance is for daytime use, then that's another story and on a fully modified camera best achieved with an external UV/IR cut filter (similar to the one you removed internally).

On cameras that are not fully modified (UV/IR filter replaced with a broader alternative like Baader) there is more scope to white balance for daytime use and get a colour correct (natural) result.

Best
JA