The Digital Photography Companion

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ZOOM/MAGNIFY CONTROL

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Typical white balance menu set to Cloudy

Many intermediate to advanced cameras also include a custom white balance that al-

lows the camera to find the right color correction when you point it at a white surface.

Even better, some advanced DSLRs, such as the Canon 40D, let you select specific hues

via the Kelvin color temperature scale. If your camera has this capability, be sure to see

the table titled Number of pictures to capacity of memory card reference* in the Appen-

dix for a complete listing of Kelvin degrees and their corresponding light sources.

One final thought on white balance: if you use the raw format when capturing images,

you can stick with the auto white balance setting and then fine-tune the color tem-

perature later on your computer with the raw image editor. I do not recommend this

technique as your default approach, but it is helpful in tricky lighting situations when

you’re having a hard time determining the right camera setting.

Zoom/Magnify Control

Most people are familiar with using the zoom lever (or buttons) to zoom in and out

when composing images in picture-taking mode. But magnifying the picture you just

captured on the LCD monitor for closer inspection is equally valuable.

e problem with LCD monitors is that they are very small, colorful, and sharp. What’s

wrong with that? If you don’t “zoom in” when