I'm just starting with filmmaking, and I wanted to know how white balancing works. I know it gives a sharper image, but how does it work?? What is the principle behind it??

Also..
I know this question has been asked again and again.. but I'm buying a camera next week-end. I thought I would go for the DVX, but now I'm not sure anymore.
So does the XL2 is really worth the price difference compared to the DVX??
I heard there was some problem with the interchangeable lens?? Is this true??

Oh yeah.. and concerning the sound.. Is the boom mic a must, or can I do without and still have a decent enough sound to start?? If not.. how much will it cost to equip myself(mic, stick, headphones..).

Thank you very much for all the answers you can give me.

White balancing doesn't give a sharper image. What it does is attempts to record the colors in your scene as realistically as possible. You show the camera a piece of white paper and say "this is white!"

Now, if you're outside chances are the paper is blueish looking on the screen, and if you're inside it will look yellow. Once the camera knows what white looks like under the current lighting it adjusts all of it's colors.

You can show it colors other than white to tint your shots. if you show it a blue color and white balance to that, your shots will be tinted golden.

leolo

White balancing is basically telling the camera what color is white. The simplest way to set it is to hold a piece of white paper or posterboard so that it fills the range of vision, punch the "white balance" button, and let the camera adjust its color temperature accordingly. What this does is to shift all the colors (red, green, blue) depending on the lighting conditions under which you're filming. There are usually presets for normal indoor and outdoor light, but white balance will almost always give you superior color definition. You can also achieve different "looks" by white balancing on colors other than pure white (such as yellow, gray, beige, etc.)

As for the choice of camera, it all depends on your own requirements. I have an XL1s, and I couldn't be happier with it. I bought it, though, as much for its aesthetics as for its capability; I use it for some commercial videography as well as for fun (movies), so I needed a camera that "looked" professional. If you simply want a workhorse of a camera, you'll probably be fine with a DVX (though I personally have never used one, so maybe some other people on the site can be of more help).

If you're going to be spending $3500-$5000 on a new camera, then YES, a boom mic is worth the extra peanuts. The XL actually has a decent factory mic, though you'll find better results with dialogue if you invest in a boom and a shotgun mic.

And I've never heard of any problem with the XL lens. Speaking of that, however, I have a standard 16x XL lens for sale, if anyone's interested. It's a spare I bought at a local camera shop, and I never used it.

Dam Dirty Apes!

Thank you very much for the information.

Speaking of white balancing, does anyone know if, when working with film, you still need to white balance? If it's even a function you can do with the camera?

The equivalent of white balancing happens after the film is developed. So, no, it's not a camera function.

Although it is a function of the video tap of a film camera. But, now we're back to talking about video.