A700 JPG color balance problem

[mattio]

Hello to all, first post here. I got a month ago new Sony A700 and have had color balance problems with firmware v4.

JPG-color has greenish/yellowish tint, even outdoors in sunny conditions (though only slightly comparing with flash or tungsten). I have used autoWB, preset WB and custom WB. If I use custom WB, colors are too pale and has greenish tint. This tint makes difficult adjusting custom WB right in first place. Reducing green-channel and a bit red-channel I get colors okay in PP. A700 LCD colors are about right.
I have not had this kind of problems with my Sony A200 or KM A200. My display is calibrated with GretagMacbeth Eye1Display2-calibrator. I have not used RAW much yet with A700. A700 is great for handling.

I wonder can Sony service adjust the color balance or could they mess things worse. There is no user hue adjust in A700. Or do I have to go back to firmware v3 (by Sony service), if that would make color tint cooler. I upated very soon to fw v4 and have not got a lot of experience with v3.

Best regards
Matti

[Dr. Harout]

Hi Matti and welcome to the forum.

First of all, do you use RAW, if yes, does it show the same problem with ACR or Lightroom?
2- Where do you live? PAL or NTSC area?
3- Have you tried with RAW + JPEG?
4- Do you use on the camera "function" methods, such as "Vivid" or "Neutral" or ...etc.?

[mattio]

Thanks Dr. Harout

I have mainly shoot JPGs. With RAW there is no real problem, but I would like to have JPGs and WB
about right in first place, and also in A700 LCD. My computer display is calibrated.

I only have oldy PSE 5. I have mainly used neutral or standard creative styles.
My Sony A200 I have not got color problems, JPG colors are usually better than with RAW .

_Matti

[pakodominguez]

JPG-color has greenish/yellowish tint, even outdoors in sunny conditions (though only slightly comparing with flash or tungsten). I have used autoWB, preset WB and custom WB.

Do you mean it is even greener when using flash? the on-bord flash or an external flash? I read some people have problems with V4, AWB and Flash, but I never experienced it -I don't use AWB...

If I use custom WB, colors are too pale and has greenish tint. This tint makes difficult adjusting custom WB right in first place. Reducing green-channel and a bit red-channel I get colors okay in PP. A700 LCD colors are about right.

I have not had this kind of problems with my Sony A200 or KM A200. My display is calibrated with GretagMacbeth Eye1Display2-calibrator. I have not used RAW much yet with A700. A700 is great for handling.

When I got my 28~75 f2.8 it came with a (supposedly) clear filter but every time I used it the pics had this warm cast. the filter wasn't "clear" at all but had a yellowish tint. I don't use it anymore... I guess if you have a warm/yellowish filter on your lens, the AWB will compensate that cast. Same goes for the coating cast of the lens. Have you tried taken a photograph of the same scene with both the A200 and the A700, same exposure, same lens, same WB (no AWB but Daylight or set it to 5500K)?

I wonder can Sony service adjust the color balance or could they mess things worse. There is no user hue adjust in A700.

Yes, there is a hue adjust on each WB setting (+/- 3 stops). If you still have problems with the white balance, call SOny Service and ask them to fix your camera.

Or do I have to go back to firmware v3 (by Sony service), if that would make color tint cooler. I upated very soon to fw v4 and have not got a lot of experience with v3.

No way back to V3.

Regards