SIGMA SD10 - Manual (Page 49)

49
ADVANCED OPERATION
This section explains the application of the more advanced functions of
your camera, when composing the expressions of your picture.
SETTING THE WHITE BALANCE（WB）
The color of light reflected by an object can vary depending on the color of the
light source illuminating it. For example, a neutral colored object will reflect
reddish light under incandescent lighting, and greenish light under fluorescent
lighting. The human brain is able to compensate for differences in the color of a
light source, allowing us to see white objects as white independent of the
lighting condition. Film cameras rely on special color-correcting filters and film
types to adjust for these differences in lighting. Digital cameras, however, are
able to use software to mimic the adjustments made by the brain, so that colors
that appear white to the human eye also appear white in your photographs.
In order for the digital camera to do the necessary
corrections, it needs to know the lighting type you
are photographing under. The "White Balance"
setting can be used to specify a lighting type from a
list of pre-defined lighting conditions. The default
setting for White Balance is Auto. In this setting the
camera will automatically adjust for the lighting
conditions. When the camera is set to Auto White
Balance, ”
” will be displayed in the top LCD
panel. If you are uncertain of the lighting conditions,
or you do not know how to set the white balance
correctly, it is best to leave the White Balance set to
Auto.