M8 Green files

[gurtch]

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My M8 was purchased end of Dec. It has the latest firmware. My RAW and JPGs are horrible green color. I don't remember when I noticed this, but I think it was when I upgraded to the latest firmware. I can fix them by including a WhiBal card, then individually converting in C1 using that white balance, but what a pain that is! Anyone else have this problem? Or do I need to send the M8 back to Leica. BTW, using non coded lenses, and lens recognition turned to "OFF", and NOT using auto white balance, but setting white balance to daylight (or tungsten, as the case may be).

Thanks in advance....

Dave G in NJ

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[ho_co]

David--

You say the camera was purchased end of December; are you certain it underwent the hardware upgrade?

 

The green output sounds like an un-fixed camera.

 

Do you recall what firmware it had when you bought it? That could give you some insight into whether it has been updated.

 

For a possibly similar case, see http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m8-forum/29113-newly-purchased-refurbished-m8-old-problems.html.

 

For firmware ID, see post http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m8-forum/29113-newly-purchased-refurbished-m8-old-problems.html#post304977 in that thread.

 

--HC

[gurtch]

David--

You say the camera was purchased end of December; are you certain it underwent the hardware upgrade?

 

The green output sounds like an un-fixed camera.

 

Do you recall what firmware it had when you bought it? That could give you some insight into whether it has been updated.

 

For a possibly similar case, see http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m8-forum/29113-newly-purchased-refurbished-m8-old-problems.html.

 

For firmware ID, see post http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m8-forum/29113-newly-purchased-refurbished-m8-old-problems.html#post304977 in that thread.

 

--HC

 

HC: It was one of the new batch, as it had the notice of free filter etc. I will check your links. Thanks

Dave

[AGeoJO]

The hardware fix/upgrade did not change the white balance issues you are experiencing, which is more a firmware issue. If you shoot in DNG/RAW mode, the final results can easily be adjusted. Yes, it is more an inconvenience than anything else and to a certain degree, embarassing actually if other people want to take a look at the LCD display after you have taken some shots and the colors are off. Most of them think that the colors are final, of course .

[gurtch]

The hardware fix/upgrade did not change the white balance issues you are experiencing, which is more a firmware issue. If you shoot in DNG/RAW mode, the final results can easily be adjusted. Yes, it is more an inconvenience than anything else and to a certain degree, embarassing actually if other people want to take a look at the LCD display after you have taken some shots and the colors are off. Most of them think that the colors are final, of course .

 

Yes I agree. I took a bunch of shots of a dear friend's museum opening party, and made many shots of he and family. Another relative was shooting a Canon (looked like a 1DII or 1DSII), and showed the family the pics as they were being shot. Mine were green. I showed no one, and had to one by one balance them in C1 with the Whibal card I had shot. I also use a 1DSII, and I never take it off of auto white balance (no need to).

 

Because I have mostly non Leica lenses (CZM and CV) that are non coded, and cannot shoot critical color reliably (such as a black tux or coat, etc), I'm really thinking twice if I should keep the M8. My big impetus was it is small and light, a great travel camera. However a 1DSII and 24~105 IS lens probably weighs no more than an M8 and all my lenses (15, 21, 24, 28, 35 and 50)

 

Dave

[osera]

Hi Dave-

 

Very odd. I have only seen really bad colors on the screen when I have mistakenly left the camera's WB on the wrong setting.

 

So the images on the camera's screen are green as you're taking them? Is there any change if you retake the same image with a different WB set in the camera? When you bring the raws into C1, are they green when the WB is set to "as shot"? Do they look OK or any better or even any different when you change the C1 setting to, say, daylight or tungsten?

 

Of course, you could put the camera in a case, hide the screen, and just tell the people that it's a film camera... nothing to preview.

[gurtch]

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Hi Dave-

 

Very odd. I have only seen really bad colors on the screen when I have mistakenly left the camera's WB on the wrong setting.

 

So the images on the camera's screen are green as you're taking them? Is there any change if you retake the same image with a different WB set in the camera? When you bring the raws into C1, are they green when the WB is set to "as shot"? Do they look OK or any better or even any different when you change the C1 setting to, say, daylight or tungsten?

 

Of course, you could put the camera in a case, hide the screen, and just tell the people that it's a film camera... nothing to preview.

 

 

The screen is green when I am taking the photos, and green when opened in C1. I will try to attach a DNG RAW image.

Thanks

Dave

[psquared]

Strange. A few more questions for you.

 

What does the color temp read when you bring the DNG into C1?

Do you get any pictures with correct colors?

How about when you use auto WB?

Have you tried in-camera manual WB with your Whibal cards? Do you still get green cast?

[AGeoJO]

I also experience, from to time, what Dave is describing. I set the camera on AWB and shoot away. I can understand if the lighting situation is tricky, like mixed tungsten/fluorescent at a big window, it can throw the WB off. But I have encountered cases outdoor where out of a series of 4-5 shots taken within minutes from each other that the WB of one is off, mostly green or cyan. Yes, when I pull them up using C1, the color temperature of that image is different than the rest of the series.

[Jamie Roberts]

Without seeing the file I can't really tell what's going on here, but...

 

1) Even a 1ds2 is not very good in tungsten (at least mine weren't, and neither is my 5d). On AWB they're a world away form the M8, but that's because AWB is broken right now and Leica knows it

 

2) If your shots have a green cast, that might mean you're under fluourescent light, not tungsten. Remember, a lot of places are replacing tungsten for energy efficiency reasons.

 

3) If you want better than Canon AWB from your M8, it's simple. Get an Expodisc and make a custom WB. You can can still shift the WB in C1, but you probably won't have to touch white balance.

 

4) In C1 you can change the WB (and every other processing option) all at once from one click. I don't know why you'd need to tweak every single shot for WB, unless the light was changing so fast you couldn't react to it!

 

The custom white balance is going to better than any camera's awb. You don't have to change the custom WB till the light changes. Indoors that's not going to happen.

 

works like a charm--you can show everyone your LCD

[gurtch]

Without seeing the file I can't really tell what's going on here, but...

 

1) Even a 1ds2 is not very good in tungsten (at least mine weren't, and neither is my 5d). On AWB they're a world away form the M8, but that's because AWB is broken right now and Leica knows it

 

2) If your shots have a green cast, that might mean you're under fluourescent light, not tungsten. Remember, a lot of places are replacing tungsten for energy efficiency reasons.

 

3) If you want better than Canon AWB from your M8, it's simple. Get an Expodisc and make a custom WB. You can can still shift the WB in C1, but you probably won't have to touch white balance.

 

4) In C1 you can change the WB (and every other processing option) all at once from one click. I don't know why you'd need to tweak every single shot for WB, unless the light was changing so fast you couldn't react to it!

 

The custom white balance is going to better than any camera's awb. You don't have to change the custom WB till the light changes. Indoors that's not going to happen.

 

works like a charm--you can show everyone your LCD

 

Thanks all:

Jamie-the green pictures occur when shooting outdoors and "Daylight" white balance is selected in camera . (It also happens when shooting in tungsten, and the appropriate white balance is selected). Pardon my ignorance, but how can I white balance on a Whibal card in one frame and automatically have it apply that white balance to every frame selected?

I tried attaching a typical file of the RAW DNG image with my last post, but it did not work.

Thanks again all

Dave