Washed out colours

[igpsony62]

Any idea what has gone wrong here? Took two photos of the same subject from the same location less than a minute apart. One is OK (f10@1/160) other one colours all washed out (f18 @ 1/50). 

f10 @ 1/160f18 @ 1/50 Taken on A58; weather was hot, could this have affected the sensor or has auto white balance malfunctioned?

This happened several times over the course of a week. I was taking video also & exactly the same thing happened to the video clips at the same time.

[IamNic]

Hello @igpsony62,

can you please upload the images with the EXIF data intact? If so, any community member can check which setting is the cause of the issue here.

- Nic

[igpsony62]

Both photos uploaded with full info. I've had a quick look myself & can't see anything unusual, but I'm not an expert; maybe someone else can spot something.

[Piscie]

Hey @igpsony62, it'd be really helpful if you specified the product model number you're referring to, also is it possible to find out which software version is currently installed? 

[igpsony62]

Not sure why this will help, but it is SLT-A58 camera. Software version no idea, camera just says version 1.0

[IamNic]

Hello @igpsony62,

this time the EXIF data was present for me.

To me it shows, that the images both had the same ISO setting, aside from that everything varies. So I assume you used some automatic mode, which also set the whitebalance wrong for the second image.

I'd suggest to read up on manual settings to get away from automatic modes and therefore have more control about the look and feel of your images.

Additonally it is best to shoot in a raw format and then develope your images in e.g. Affinity Photo. With raw formats you can alter the image after the fact (up to a point) - with jpeg (an already compressed format) most of the image is already "written in stone".

- Nic

[igpsony62]

Thanks for the reply, however the EXIF date shows that the first image was taken using a full auto setting with auto white balance, & the colours are OK. The second image (the washed out one) was taken on shutter priority with auto exposure & white balance. The shutter speed/aperture combination are comparable in both images, so the only real noticeable difference should have been depth of field. The two examples I have given are only a sample but as they are of the same scene at the same time they illustrate the problem perfectly. Looking at the EXIF date for the whole week I can see that the ones taken on full auto are OK, it is the ones taken on s-priority that are washed out or very dull colours. As I mentioned at first I was taking video also & the video clips have the same problem over the course of a week or more

[HannahEd01]

Hi, I'm not an expert, but I would go for the basics first, try to reset the camera, it's described here: https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/res/manuals/4459/44597051M.pdf

Page 170.

Then test again and see if there's any difference. 

I don't see any software update available on the website. 

[igpsony62]

Thanks for the advice; it worked! No idea what was wrong, I had checked all settings & couldn't see anything amiss but the camera only worked properly on full auto setting. Re-set to factory setting & all test photos are now fine.