Blue Tint

aaronjamesgray · 09-24-2013, 04:27 PM

I love the K-30 so far, but I notice that all of my pics seem to just have a slightly blue tint to them. In broad daylight it's not that bad, but I just did some evening shooting and it stood out to me. I haven't touched any of the color settings on the camera, so I'm curious as to why it's doing it. I hope it's not a dud. Maybe it's my exposure levels too... perhaps I'm not getting it right.

The evening shot was underexposed, but it's pretty blue. The daytime shot just seems to have a slight sheen of blue throughout the picture... am I seeing things or is this legit?

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VoiceOfReason · 09-24-2013, 04:30 PM - **1 Like**

Check your white balance settings. Also, if you shoot in RAW and have photoshop play with the blue/yellow slider.

aaronjamesgray · 09-24-2013, 04:32 PM

Right now, until I get fully used to it, I'm just shooting JPEG 16 ***. The evening shot was using a M 50mm 1.7. The day shot was using the DAL 50-200 zoom.

SpecialK · 09-24-2013, 04:47 PM - **1 Like**

Open shade is blue. It looks like that is what you are shooting in. Open shade causes blue snow in shadows, too :-)

I also recommend shooting RAW and using Photoshop Elements or similar. It's as easy as processing jpgs. Click "Auto", slide a few sliders to adjust exposure/brightness and contrast to taste, level the horizon (please), crop as needed, clone out the beer can, baby stroller or wires. I can do it, so can you :-)

Last edited by SpecialK; 09-25-2013 at 11:49 AM.

aaronjamesgray · 09-24-2013, 04:50 PM

I couldn't find the open shade setting on the camera. I just looked through all the menus. I did, however, set it to natural in "custom image". I always used natural on the Nikon I had and it worked. I shot RAW on the Nikon for the most part. I will too eventually on the Pentax, I just want to get these little odd things fixed first.

Steve.Ledger · 09-24-2013, 07:15 PM

Looks to me that your WB settings are just wrong because the EXIF shows you have set 'White Balance - Manual'

ScooterMaxi Jim · 09-24-2013, 07:28 PM

Not that I have given it a lot of thought, but I am going to confirm the point made by the OP. I'm a 90%+ RAW shooter, and still it is an issue that requires more correction than I have noticed in the past. It reminds me of my Ektachrome slide shooting days (and that really was a situation you could not easily correct). It is an image quality issue because it isn't very easy to fix perfectly with the way Adobe LR/PS are set up for color correction. Fortunately, there are far superior color correction options out there for finishing (such as Picture Window Pro - which is my mainstay for final editing). Still, its a hassle.

**dms** · 09-25-2013, 12:26 AM

Open shade w/ blue sky has a temperature of about 10,000K. Overcast cloudy sky about 7000K. As opposed to about 5500K for sunlit. Presume you can set temperature with K30.

Or take a white surface (in the lighting you have) and use it to set the white balance.

**rbefly** · 09-25-2013, 03:10 AM

Originally posted by aaronjamesgray

I couldn't find the open shade setting on the camera. I just looked through all the menus. I did, however, set it to natural in "custom image". I always used natural on the Nikon I had and it worked. I shot RAW on the Nikon for the most part. I will too eventually on the Pentax, I just want to get these little odd things fixed first.

The white balance selection function isn't on the menu, it's on the four-way controller (circle-dial, right side middle). The bottom button on the K-30, the left-hand button on the K-5 + K-7.
After turning the camera on in any mode, press the 'WB' button and a menu will show (from the top) Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Fluorescent, Tungsten, Flash, CTE, Manual 1, K3. The default is Auto, it can be user-set to manual. If you scroll ("up" or top button) back to Auto and press OK, it will work pretty well for most lighting, including artificial lights.
Ron

aaronjamesgray · 09-25-2013, 06:42 AM

Thanks for all the feedback, especially you rbefly. That sounds simple enough to fix. I'll try it tonight when I get home.

SteveB · 09-25-2013, 10:46 AM

I have noticed that AWB doesn't work too well with old lenses, it's best to use the fixed WB options I find for these.

aaronjamesgray · 09-25-2013, 01:10 PM

White balance is something I haven't played much with, so I just want to confirm. If I set it to auto and then focus on a white object, it should fix itself, yes? I actually didn't realize I had it set to manual until you guys pointed it out in the exif. I should have paid more attention.

**rbefly** · 09-25-2013, 05:57 PM

Originally posted by aaronjamesgray

If I set it to auto and then focus on a white object, it should fix itself, yes? I actually didn't realize I had it set to manual until you guys pointed it out in the exif. I should have paid more attention.

Sort of. It depends upon what temperature the ambient light illuminating the white object is. I'd suggest just trying the 'auto' pre-set for awhile, and see how you like it. JMO
Ron

6BQ5 · 09-26-2013, 07:58 AM

What lens are you using? As SteveB said some lenses add their own tint. I find the 50-200mm DAL L kit lens renders cooler images. It's an easy fix with a single slider bar in post processing.

aaronjamesgray · 09-26-2013, 09:33 AM

Originally posted by 6BQ5

What lens are you using? As SteveB said some lenses add their own tint. I find the 50-200mm DAL L kit lens renders cooler images. It's an easy fix with a single slider bar in post processing.

I used the M 50 1.7 for the fountains. DAL 50-200 for the portrait.

09-25-2013, 03:10 AM	#9
rbefly Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Denver, Colorado Photos: Albums Posts: 2,030	Not On The Menu? Originally posted by aaronjamesgray I couldn't find the open shade setting on the camera. I just looked through all the menus. I did, however, set it to natural in "custom image". I always used natural on the Nikon I had and it worked. I shot RAW on the Nikon for the most part. I will too eventually on the Pentax, I just want to get these little odd things fixed first. The white balance selection function isn't on the menu, it's on the four-way controller (circle-dial, right side middle). The bottom button on the K-30, the left-hand button on the K-5 + K-7. After turning the camera on in any mode, press the 'WB' button and a menu will show (from the top) Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Fluorescent, Tungsten, Flash, CTE, Manual 1, K3. The default is Auto, it can be user-set to manual. If you scroll ("up" or top button) back to Auto and press OK, it will work pretty well for most lighting, including artificial lights. Ron

09-25-2013, 05:57 PM	#13
rbefly Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Denver, Colorado Photos: Albums Posts: 2,030	Sort Of... Originally posted by aaronjamesgray If I set it to auto and then focus on a white object, it should fix itself, yes? I actually didn't realize I had it set to manual until you guys pointed it out in the exif. I should have paid more attention. Sort of. It depends upon what temperature the ambient light illuminating the white object is. I'd suggest just trying the 'auto' pre-set for awhile, and see how you like it. JMO Ron

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09-24-2013, 04:30 PM - 1 Like	#2
VoiceOfReason Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Mishawaka IN area Photos: Albums Posts: 6,124	Check your white balance settings. Also, if you shoot in RAW and have photoshop play with the blue/yellow slider.

09-24-2013, 04:32 PM	#3
aaronjamesgray Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Indianapolis, Indiana Photos: Albums Posts: 190 Original Poster	Right now, until I get fully used to it, I'm just shooting JPEG 16 ***. The evening shot was using a M 50mm 1.7. The day shot was using the DAL 50-200 zoom.

09-24-2013, 04:47 PM - 1 Like	#4
SpecialK Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: So California Photos: Gallery Posts: 16,480	Open shade is blue. It looks like that is what you are shooting in. Open shade causes blue snow in shadows, too :-) I also recommend shooting RAW and using Photoshop Elements or similar. It's as easy as processing jpgs. Click "Auto", slide a few sliders to adjust exposure/brightness and contrast to taste, level the horizon (please), crop as needed, clone out the beer can, baby stroller or wires. I can do it, so can you :-) Last edited by SpecialK; 09-25-2013 at 11:49 AM.

09-24-2013, 04:50 PM	#5
aaronjamesgray Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Indianapolis, Indiana Photos: Albums Posts: 190 Original Poster	I couldn't find the open shade setting on the camera. I just looked through all the menus. I did, however, set it to natural in "custom image". I always used natural on the Nikon I had and it worked. I shot RAW on the Nikon for the most part. I will too eventually on the Pentax, I just want to get these little odd things fixed first.

09-24-2013, 07:15 PM	#6
Steve.Ledger Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Far North Qld Posts: 3,301	Looks to me that your WB settings are just wrong because the EXIF shows you have set 'White Balance - Manual'

09-24-2013, 07:28 PM	#7
ScooterMaxi Jim Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Minnesota Posts: 1,520	Not that I have given it a lot of thought, but I am going to confirm the point made by the OP. I'm a 90%+ RAW shooter, and still it is an issue that requires more correction than I have noticed in the past. It reminds me of my Ektachrome slide shooting days (and that really was a situation you could not easily correct). It is an image quality issue because it isn't very easy to fix perfectly with the way Adobe LR/PS are set up for color correction. Fortunately, there are far superior color correction options out there for finishing (such as Picture Window Pro - which is my mainstay for final editing). Still, its a hassle.

09-25-2013, 12:26 AM	#8
dms Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: New York, NY Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,192	Open shade w/ blue sky has a temperature of about 10,000K. Overcast cloudy sky about 7000K. As opposed to about 5500K for sunlit. Presume you can set temperature with K30. Or take a white surface (in the lighting you have) and use it to set the white balance.

09-25-2013, 06:42 AM	#10
aaronjamesgray Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Indianapolis, Indiana Photos: Albums Posts: 190 Original Poster	Thanks for all the feedback, especially you rbefly. That sounds simple enough to fix. I'll try it tonight when I get home.

09-25-2013, 10:46 AM	#11
SteveB Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: U.K. Posts: 685	I have noticed that AWB doesn't work too well with old lenses, it's best to use the fixed WB options I find for these.

09-25-2013, 01:10 PM	#12
aaronjamesgray Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Indianapolis, Indiana Photos: Albums Posts: 190 Original Poster	White balance is something I haven't played much with, so I just want to confirm. If I set it to auto and then focus on a white object, it should fix itself, yes? I actually didn't realize I had it set to manual until you guys pointed it out in the exif. I should have paid more attention.

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09-26-2013, 07:58 AM	#14
6BQ5 Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Nevada, USA Photos: Albums Posts: 3,348	What lens are you using? As SteveB said some lenses add their own tint. I find the 50-200mm DAL L kit lens renders cooler images. It's an easy fix with a single slider bar in post processing.

09-26-2013, 09:33 AM	#15
aaronjamesgray Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Indianapolis, Indiana Photos: Albums Posts: 190 Original Poster	Originally posted by 6BQ5 What lens are you using? As SteveB said some lenses add their own tint. I find the 50-200mm DAL L kit lens renders cooler images. It's an easy fix with a single slider bar in post processing. I used the M 50 1.7 for the fountains. DAL 50-200 for the portrait.