Camera Tint in Low Light

[FerroFlux]

So i just received my Z5 (black) on Friday and while taking some low light and night photo shots I noticed a blue/purple tint to the top left corner of images. Testing the camera against a black background confirmed the discoloration. Photos were taken 16:9 8mp in auto mode. I have attached to samples taken while the camera was covered to produce the tint. Anyone else experience this?

Edit: Flash was off for both of these. The first photo was ISO 6400 and the second 12800

 

[itsjustJOH]

That's commonly seen when the ISO used is too large, usually in low light photos. Like there's some light coming out of the camera sensor. Could you check the ISO on those photos?

 

[FerroFlux]

That's commonly seen when the ISO used is too large, usually in low light photos. Like there's some light coming out of the camera sensor. Could you check the ISO on those photos?

I updated the first post with the ISO values. I didn't see this behaviour with my Z3+ so I was curious as to hardware versus software problems.

 

[schecter7]

Well, my Z3+ does the same if I try to shoot in a completely dark room (I was trying to make my own black wallpaper lol) . It's caused by the high ISO. You could shoot in manual with lowest ISO in a dark place to get pitch black output.

 

[FerroFlux]

Well, my Z3+ does the same if I try to shoot in a completely dark room (I was trying to make my own black wallpaper lol) . It's caused by the high ISO. You could shoot in manual with lowest ISO in a dark place to get pitch black output.

Interesting. Do you get more tinting on one side of the image versus the other? Even with the high iso the output colour is not random and seems concentrated on the upper left side. Just want to make sure it isn't a sensor/lens issue. Thanks for the reply!

 

[joe_dude]

Try Night portrait and Night scene. They both use much lower ISO (especially Night scene).

 

[King p1n]

Same issue plagued the Z3 sadly, looks like no improvement in this regard.

I've seen the tint in many samples over the past few weeks

 

[FerroFlux]

Try Night portrait and Night scene. They both use much lower ISO (especially Night scene).

Can confirm with night scene the output is nearly all black

 

[schecter7]

Interesting. Do you get more tinting on one side of the image versus the other? Even with the high iso the output colour is not random and seems concentrated on the upper left side. Just want to make sure it isn't a sensor/lens issue. Thanks for the reply!

I did a 180 degree test earlier on Z3+ to make sure it's not a lens/sensor issue. Z5 does the same. You also need to make sure it's equally dark on both sides. Try it out. FYI, high/12800 ISO is not a bad thing. It's actually the best feature for shooting in 'low' light.

 

[FerroFlux]

I did a 180 degree test earlier on Z3+ to make sure it's not a lens/sensor issue. Z5 does the same. You also need to make sure it's equally dark on both sides. Try it out. FYI, high/12800 ISO is not a bad thing. It's actually the best feature for shooting in 'low' light.

Just by testing the camera in different orientations (i.e., 180 degrees between pics) it seems like the brightness is not the same on both sides. While rotated 180 the bottom right corner exhibits the same slight blue tint as the initial top left corner.

 

[itsjustJOH]

Just by testing the camera in different orientations (i.e., 180 degrees between pics) it seems like the brightness is not the same on both sides. While rotated 180 the bottom right corner exhibits the same slight blue tint as the initial top left corner.

Just don't use SA when shooting low light photos. It ramps up the ISO way too high that causes that and also over exposes a shot and blurs the photo because of too much noise. Try testing it in a moderately lit (artificial light) room and try SA, manual with different ISOs and Night Mode on scenes.

I did a 180 degree test earlier on Z3+ to make sure it's not a lens/sensor issue. Z5 does the same. You also need to make sure it's equally dark on both sides. Try it out. FYI, high/12800 ISO is not a bad thing. It's actually the best feature for shooting in 'low' light.

12800 ISO is not a bad thing, unless you're using a phone. Cameras on mobile, including the Z5, are just way too small compared to real cameras with large sensors and better hardware that just can't fit (yet) in a phone. Sony thought they would win the low-light mobile phone photography contest by introducing that insane high ISO, everyone else thought otherwise. It overexposes (way over) the shot and blurs everything to reduce too much noise. That's in the auto mode, which all tech review sites use in their reviews and that's why the Z5 (since the 12800 ISO was introduced in Z3) gets trashed in their comparison. At least you could still shoot a proper low-light photo using the manual controls by controlling the exposure and ISO levels, or choosing night mode.

 

[schecter7]

Low-light means low light - you need high ISO. There's no way around high ISO in low-light when you're shooting from mobile phones. Using that, you can take shots from Xperias with relatively higher details in 'low' light.

What you're saying is a entirely different thing. The camera sw abuses the ISO when it shouldn't - those are moderate/challenging lights. That's not low light & it's a different discussion.

Here are some shots from Z3+ & S6 (read again - this is 'low' light) I posted earlier. Definitely, higher ISO came handy this time.

http://fortheloveoftech.com/2014/10/24/sony-xperia-z3-vs-nokia-lumia-1020-the-gold-standard-test/

 

[FerroFlux]

Could anyone post a pic of their Z5's performance with the lens covered? I was going to exchange mine but the seller provided a picture taken using another in-stock Z5 that shows the same issue (strong blue tinting on the left side) at 12800 iso. Just curious if it could be fixed with an update to the camera or if it is a permanent hardware issue.

 

[schecter7]

Z5 -> http://s1083.photobucket.com/user/schecter_7/media/DSC_1086_zpsbdtdubhk.jpg.html

Z3+ -> http://s1083.photobucket.com/user/schecter_7/media/DSC_1148_zpslikyyway.jpg.html

 

[LitoNi]

Same issue here. Theres going to be a bit no matter what, even what schecter posted I can still see the tint in a dark room

 

[King p1n]

Yep, heres a video skip to 1:10 which shows the elevator scene Sonys camera is PURPLE

 

[sophony234]

The Sony Xperia Z5 is a product in japan and its all feature is outstanding that is why i think there is no reason to be worried .Use the best product and love you very much .

 

[dtran2412]

Is this a hardware or software issue? I have a similar problem with my Z5 Compact, and am thinking whether I should exchange it...

 

[3vilhomer]

i have the same issue too, no matter how i adjust i am unable to get rip of the purple tint in auto or Manual mode while taking a pitch black picture. at first i thought is my case but i remove the case still the same problem. day time takes great pictures