Color bias in Digital Cameras????

[Steve Helmick]

"Take a look gang...AT THAT AWESOME INTENSE BLUE SKY and how beautiful that long line up of amazingly crafted and finished stunt models looked under that rare bright sunshine." (Schultzie Quote)

I've noticed several times that my digital camera can produce strikingly blue skies on a picture. I know that filters and film color bias (i.e., Fujicolor) can change the true color to something very unlike the real deal. I'm wondering if anybody would know if Canon might bias their colors someway (lens tint or coating, or electronically?) to make this happen, or am I just not noticing the blue sky as much? I suspect the camera, but also note that I do wear dark tinted prescription glasses with Polarized and tinted clip-ons for double-darkening when I'm flying or judging. I can look straight into the sun for a few seconds without watering or agony. This breakthrough was one factor in getting me back flying. Anybody know anything about any color biasing on digitals?  Steve

[EddyR]

Steve most digital cameras have the ability to do a white card "Color"set up. Most people don't do it and most results are OK with out it. One advantage of digital pictures over film is the image is not degraded by atmospheric haze  in the air like film. Here in NC if you take a picture in the mountains you need a haze filter with film but not with a digital camera. I have two digital Canon Cameras and the sky is right on. I have used these cameras in Utah Arizona Florida NC and just about every place in the US.Maybe your monitor is off or the printing is off. More than likely you can adjust your camera for better color balance. I must admit that many times planes look better in a online photo than they do in real life.People are just the opposite they don't like there online photo!!
Ed
Ed

[Richard Grogan]

"Take a look gang...AT THAT AWESOME INTENSE BLUE SKY and how beautiful that long line up of amazingly crafted and finished stunt models looked under that rare bright sunshine." (Schultzie Quote)

I've noticed several times that my digital camera can produce strikingly blue skies on a picture. I know that filters and film color bias (i.e., Fujicolor) can change the true color to something very unlike the real deal. I'm wondering if anybody would know if Canon might bias their colors someway (lens tint or coating, or electronically?) to make this happen, or am I just not noticing the blue sky as much? I suspect the camera, but also note that I do wear dark tinted prescription glasses with Polarized and tinted clip-ons for double-darkening when I'm flying or judging. I can look straight into the sun for a few seconds without watering or agony. This breakthrough was one factor in getting me back flying. Anybody know anything about any color biasing on digitals?  Steve

Not knowing what type of Canon you have(DSLR or point and shoot) kinda limits the respose here. Using the correct WB(white balance) is a must regardless- ie. selecting the sun symbol in you WB menu for outdoor shooting, lightning bolt for flash ect.set it to match the enviroment you are shooting in. Your film emulation speed (ISO=film sensitivity) is also important.Your CCD element replaces the film in the camera. The higher the ISO setting, the noisier the image thus less color definition.ISO 200-400 is a safe place to be.Using a DSLR with interchangeable lens allows you to use screw on filters such as a circular polarizer allowing you to dial in the amount of blue sky intensity and the colors seem to "pop". Downside of the filters is you lose light(anywhere from .5 to 2 f -stops) causing need for slower shutter speeds and blurring of in-flight shots.More tweaking with ISO,f-stop and shutter speed ect..
The WB adjustments in either case is where you need to start. Feel free to pm me if you need more splain'in!

[Steve Helmick]

Ed & Richard: Thanks for the information. The camera is a Canon SD450 PowerShot....tiny little thing...but surprisingly effective and very convenient. And obsolete, of course. I suspect the camera is doing a pretty good job of showing the true blue of the sky, but my eyeglasses are not letting me see the same thing, because of the extra darkening of two layers of grey tint. I'll have to pull them aside and get a new perspective. And I'll try poking around in the menu some more. This little bitty camera has two books with it that are about equivalent to two Reader's Digests. My plot is to use the camera, and if I have a problem I can't solve by pushing buttons, then I consult the books. Did that a couple of years ago...  Steve

[Paul Smith]

Apart from the cameras, you can manipulate the colouration with the editing programs in your PC. 
Same results.

[Richard Grogan]

Apart from the cameras, you can manipulate the colouration with the editing programs in your PC. 
Same results.

Not really.If its not captured with the correct WB, it will be noisy after corrections are attempted.Fix it with the camera, and enhance it with software to tweak it a little.
Steve:
I bet if you go poking in the menu for the WB, you will find it set at "A" which is the automatic detection of light type(usually the default setting).Sometimes it works, sometimes not. For outdoor shooting its best to overide that A setting with the correct setting of sunlight. For everyday indoor/ shaded photography the automatic setting will suffice and throw a flash when low light is metered thru the lens.Without flash it needs to know if you have fluorescent, tungsten(incandesent) or whatever the camera's light balancing circuitry is capable of doing.The automatic setting just kinda' ballparks the settings for a representable image-sorta.

[Leo Mehl]

Steve, In most cases be it digital or film the bluness of the sky is determined by the weather conditions and the altitude that you take them at. I have taken pictures in SD that had a very blue sky in both digital ao film. No film or digital sencor records true colors. It's like the eagle or the hawk who can trim thier flight bettern than any human can. I think digital records more than film does but is very sensitive to light colors and it is easy to over expose the highlight in order to get the details in the shadows. This is easier to control in Black and white film. In any case digital lacks contrast so most cameras that are digital record flat pictures and it is up to the photo program on your computer to enhance the contrast and sharpness of the picture. I hope I answered some of your questions.
 Another thing that happens with the blue in the sky is the angle and how high the camera is pointing into the sky. The sky is always lighter at the horizon than it is higher up and that is because of the haze tha seems to always be there. Most haze will make your picture have a blue cast especialy in mountiaous regions. I give you an example of haze and the color of the sky at different altitudes! Also the sky is darker at right and left angles of the sun. In this Picture the sun is shinning from my right side and the sky is bluer at the top left because of it!

[Leo Mehl]

Not really.If its not captured with the correct WB, it will be noisy after corrections are attempted.Fix it with the camera, and enhance it with software to tweak it a little.
Steve:
I bet if you go poking in the menu for the WB, you will find it set at "A" which is the automatic detection of light type(usually the default setting).Sometimes it works, sometimes not. For outdoor shooting its best to overide that A setting with the correct setting of sunlight. For everyday indoor/ shaded photography the automatic setting will suffice and throw a flash when low light is metered thru the lens.Without flash it needs to know if you have fluorescent, tungsten(incandesent) or whatever the camera's light balancing circuitry is capable of doing.The automatic setting just kinda' ballparks the settings for a representable image-sorta.

Most Cannon Cameras have a white balance setting that is on your program. I usually has a bunch of settings for automatic which works very good on Cannon cameras. It also has light bulb setting a flouresent setting a b& w setting and a tint setting. Looking thrugh tinted glasses will distort the color a whole bunch. If I wear my sunglasses and look at a plane that is painted metallic Blue it will look purple to me. Thats a real trip when you take them off!