Priority AWB (auto white balance) in the Sony A7riii
Sony introduced so many great features in the A7riii that unless you have read the manual cover to cover, many of them get lost in Sony’s still-confusing menu system. Pixel shift was the new feature that got all of the attention but there are many other new features that are even more helpful on a daily basis. While not heavily advertised, I find priority AWB to be more helpful on a daily basis.
This blog previously explained how to use new customization features to program an Instant Reaction Button on the Sony A7riii. Another fantastic feature is further customization of white balance settings with Priority AWB.
One of my complaints about the Sony system in general has been the AWB settings, especially indoors with artificial lighting. I often found the Sony AWB to be much too warm, making everything look unnaturally yellow. If you shoot RAW, you may be accustomed to tweaking white balance anyway but I found my Sony photos requires more tweaking of white balance than other brands.
Sony has fixed this issue for me with Priority AWB. It took me sometime to realize Sony had included this feature as it is not found in the regular white balance menu.
Where to find Priority AWB:
As shown below, you will find this new setting underneath the regular white balance settings. It can be found in Camera 1: Page 12 of the menu system:
If selected, it brings you to the below menu, with 3 choices. You can now prioritize your AWB with the regular standard setting, ambient priority or white priority.
What does Priority AWB do?
Priority AWB is very helpful fine tuning of AWB, hopefully making your post-processing that much easier. Ambient-priority will prioritize the warmth of artificial lighting (leading to very yellow images which I don’t personally like). White-priority will use cooler temperatures to insure that whites look white. Standard falls in between, attempting to give some ambient warmth without excess. I’ve always found the standard AWB a bit too warm for my tastes. By using white-priority AWB, I can start with a nice neutral white. I can then add in just a tiny bit of warmth if I choose. As long as I was shooting RAW, I can always reduce the warmth anyway . I prefer starting from a neutral white and adding warmth as opposed to starting with a yellow image and trying to take away the excess warmth.
So here is what I’m talking about in practice (click for larger):
Each photographer or viewer may have a subjective preference of the white balance they prefer but at least now you have these choices. I find the ambient priority to be much too warm for my tastes. The standard isn’t bad but I actually personally prefer the white-WB priority. Ideally, in this set, I want something just a bit warmer than the white-WB priority. Starting with the white base, it’s easy for me to dial in just a bit more warmth in lightroom:
So starting with priority-white and then just warming it just a tiny bit more gave me the best looking skin tones, in my opinion. Another set of examples:
Conclusion
By using Priority AWB, the photographer can hopefully get closer to their ideal white balance more often. It’s yet another element that really makes the Sony A7riii stand out as a professional tool.
The Sony system has really matured over a short amount of time. If you are planning on buying the Sony A7riii, please consider supporting this site and purchasing with this Amazon Link – Sony A7riii.
If you’re a novice to using Lightroom (for adjusting white balance or any other type of processing), this is one of the best guides you will find:
Click here to learn how to set up an instant reaction button on the Sony A7riii. I’ll share more hidden features in the future so follow this blog. If you have any hidden features you have discovered, please share them in the comments.
