How you do guys set your white balance? I film skateboarding, so i have someone who is wearing a white shirt stand still when I set my white balance to their white shirt. But sometimes its looks kind of off. Do you guys hold the button down until the screen turns black switching over. or do you just press it for 1 or 2 times?? And doesnt this camera have black balance? if so who uses it. and when is it good to be used??

It looks like you've been using the black balance, Mike.

If you hold the white balance button down for an extended period of time, the cam will white balance and then black balance (that's when your screen is turning black). This is explained in the DVC80 manual, but I can't vouch for the DVX100 manual.

I've read differing opinions on black balance -- some say do it often, some say do it only when you the cam for the very first time, most seem to say do it occassionally and don't worry too much about it.

On the DVC80, you set the white balabce to channel A or B, then briefly press the while balance button while shooting at something white (or grey, if you're into that). The screen should read something like "Ach (or Bch) preset OK" (I must've white balanced 10 times yesterday and I can't even recall what it says...sheesh...)

Yesterday, I was white balancing to the back of the script. Anything white(ish) should work fine. How does it look off and what are you viewing when it looks off? The LCD screen or a regular ol' home television?

lcd, but sometimes it looks blue. SO when i HOLD the button for a few seconds thats the black balance, and when i just press it once thats the white balance.????

Well, you press it only once, but you do hold onto it -- just not as long as you do for black balance.

The way the DVX100 manual describes it -- available online at ftp://ftp.panasonic.com/pub/Panasonic/Drivers/PBTS/manuals/OM_AG-DVX100.pdf -- on page 30 is:


"The WHITE BAL switch can be set to the A or B position and white balance values here can be stored in the memory. Set the switch to the position (A or B) where the white balance adjustment value is to be stored, and press the AWB button.

It takes a few seconds to complete the adjustment. (The following messages appear on the screen.)

*Message that appears while adjustment is underway:
AWB Ach ACTIVE

*Message that appears upon completion of the adjustment:
AWB Ach OK"


I think I encountered your problem, though, when I first used my DVC80. I white balanced through to the black balance and for some reason it cycled through to the the 3200K auto WB setting, which makes outside shots blue. Try white-balacing using the above directions (without black balacing) and see what happens.

Also -- have you tried just using the 5600K preset for all of your outdoor shots and 3200K for indoor?

NO I have not. Thanks.