How to White Balance a Canon GL2

The Canon GL2 camcorder features an automatic white balance system with settings for two major modes. The indoor mode works great when you are using studio or halogen lighting, or for close-ups. The outdoor mode is more useful when using the camcorder with natural daylight. Occasionally, however, you may get better results by manually setting the white balance. Properly setting the white balance on your Canon GL2 camcorder will allow all the colors of the rainbow to appear quite natural.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Canon GL2 camcorder
• Sheet of white paper

1. Locate the "Program Selector" on the lower left-hand side toward the rear of the body of the Canon GL2. Set the "Program Selector" to “P.”

2. Locate the "White Balance Select" button on the lower left-hand side toward the front of the camcorder. Press the "White Balance Select" button to select Indoor Mode, Outdoor Mode or Auto Mode. Auto white balance normally provides better results during normal outdoor shooting. To set the white balance manually, proceed to Step 3.

3. Place a plain white sheet of paper in a convenient location near the camcorder. Point the lens of the Canon GL2 toward the plain white sheet of paper. Press the “T” side of the Zoom button, located on the top of the carrying handle, to zoom in until the white paper entirely fills the display.

4. Press the "White Balance Select" button. A white balance icon will appear in the display. Press the "White Balance Set" button and the white balance icon will flash quickly in the display and then remain lit. This indicates that you have correctly set the manual white balance.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not use two light sources. The white balance cannot correctly compensate for more than a single source of lighting.

• The Canon GL2 camcorder automatically resumes auto white balancing when you turn the power on, and when the Program Selector is placed in the “Easy Recording” setting.

• Manual white balancing is not available when the Program Selector is placed in the “Easy Recording” setting.

• Turn the digital zoom off to get a more reliable white balance setting.

Resources

• Information on the GL2 from Canon