Camera Histogram Bug with ARW Raw Files on Sony A7S II and A7R II
Related: exposure, HDR, histogram, raw file processing, Sony, Sony A7R, Sony A7R II, Sony A7R III, Sony A7S II, Sony mirrorless, true raw histogram
Get Sony mirrorless digital camera at B&H Photo.
The Sony mirrorless cameras have a setting. This setting applies to JPEG (and presumably video). It does not apply to raw-format ARW.
BUG: when shooting raw ARW format, and the setting enabled, the histogram shown for the raw image incorporates the effect. Yet the raw file is not affected by the setting, so the histogram is highly misleading.
1. Under high dymamic range conditions, shoot one image with enabled and one image with it off.
2. On the camera, view the histogram for each: wildly different histograms.
3. Open the two images with ACR; observe that there is no difference.
SOLUTION: for raw, the histogram should not be affected by the DRO/Auto HDR setting.
Note that the histogram is affected by many things including white balance and various JPEG settings (yuck)*—but the DRO settings can cause dramatic changes to the histogram and is thus “out of bounds” as far as I am concerned. The behavior should be defeated.
* When are camera vendors going to get a clue that we need a true raw histogram for raw, not a lame gamut-clipped mess based on JPEG settings which do not apply? See also Recommended Camera Settings for Camera Histogram.
Sony A7s II + Zeiss Batis 25mm f/2
[low-res image for bot]
