Q3 43 - strange color issues

[reemas]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

This weekend I noticed my Q3 43 camera would render colors (or white balance) in a very strange way occasionally - too cool/blue. There was really no way to predict which colors or temperature the camera would "see". I had to move the camera away to a different scene and refocus many times until finally it looked normal. It was still just luck if it picked up the scene as cool/blue or normal.

Has anyone had this issue or know if I'm doing something wrong? I tried resetting it (battery pop out), I also tried changing the white balance setting from Auto to manual. When changing WB, the issue was the same just more cool or warm depending on which manual WB I picked. Regardless, it still looked completely off.

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Edited Monday at 07:53 PM by reemas
Those are fake AI generated faces for privacy :)

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[zlatkob]

There's a big orange flame in each photo. Then there's a different color light source in the rest of the room (daylight?). A big orange light source will certainly throw off auto white balance. But whether auto or manual, white balance can only match one color temperature, not two disparate color temperatures.

[LocalHero1953]

Is that a real flame? In which case, as the dominant/brightest thing in the room, the camera is adjusting WB to stop it looking too warm/yellow. That makes the rest of the room blue.

I'd expect any camera to do the same.

Edited Monday at 08:35 PM by LocalHero1953

[Doc_P]

The situation you mention is a real challenge for Automatic White Point selection, no doubt. When the Q3 43 was released, some reviews mentioned a tendency towards cool colors… Correctable of course in RAW development, but nonetheless… I really hesitated to bget the Q3 43 but finally bought it. Then i loaded my first shoots in Adobe Lightroom and found the mentioned „cooler“ colors. In Capture One as well as Dxo Photolab the color rendering was as expected and seen during exposure… No challenge for me since i still use either Capture One or Dxo Photolab. Might be worth a try… And not to forget: Congrats on your aquisition: imho the Q3 43 is a gem…

[LocalHero1953]

Strange - I've had the Q3 43 since launch and always edit in LR. I just don't see cooler colours - they look neutral to me (in conditions where I'd expect neutrality, unlike the OP's images!)

[reemas]

Good call it could be the flame. I guess the camera would get stuck for a while with one color tone and nothing would work to break it out. 
 

Luckily I haven’t this issue outside of this. What threw me off was the color was also fine in the same situation a few times. 

Edited Monday at 09:22 PM by reemas