It really depends on the camera..........most consumer cams will only allow you to manually adjust the white balance when all other functions are in manual mode as well, however most if not all pro-sumer cams will allow you to manually control the W.B. separate from the other manula settings......And yes the camera has the ability to adjust white balance automatically, but it won't always be true white given the lighting situation. It's always best to adjust white balance manually.