P: Nikon Z5 II - White Balance Issue

@BP1510 

The issue has been fixed. Changing from 'As Shot' to one of Adobe's own WB settings, such as Daylight, no longer results in an unexpected colour cast. As already explained, the Temperature/Tint values presented by LrC for 'As Shot' WB do not correlate with the values Nikon's own software give. That doesn't mean they are wrong.

You didn't provide an example NEF file for others to check.

In your opinion, the Tint might be too high, but it is just a number. Does the photo look too magenta? Setting the Tint to 0, does that make it look too green?

@Rikk Flohr: Photography 

Hi Rikk, I noticed that you have changed this Bug post to Fixed

Does this mean that the current way LR 14.5 is interpreting the Nikon Z5ii NEF raw files is seen by Adobe as correct??

As I have already posted, the new update 14.5, there is now a heavy magenta tint bias (from +15 to +25) on NEF files. Can this please be addressed by development team ASAP.

many thanks

I hear you. My take is this. Avoid AWB. I've shot Fuji and Nikon for years. They both don't play well with Adobe AWB. Yes, they "fixed" the issue with Adobe Standard V2 but it still looks better using Nikon's SOOC white balance, which (at least on the Z5 II) is INCREDIBLY good. I'm going to adjust to my eye, and ignore what the tint slider says. I shoot for a living, and I shoot headshots, so if the skin looks good, and the colors look good, client is happy, I am happy. Now, I'm just trying to figure out how to get the dozens of presets I have to play with the Z5 II files. Best answer I've found, avoid AWB. Still, this is all frustrating. I wish they would ACTUALLY fix the issue!

I hear you. My take is this. Avoid AWB. I've shot Fuji and Nikon for years. They both don't play well with Adobe AWB. Yes, they "fixed" the issue with Adobe Standard V2 but it still looks better using Nikon's SOOC white balance, which (at least on the Z5 II) is INCREDIBLY good. I'm going to adjust to my eye, and ignore what the tint slider says. I shoot for a living, and I shoot headshots, so if the skin looks good, and the colors look good, client is happy, I am happy. Now, I'm just trying to figure out how to get the dozens of presets I have to play with the Z5 II files. Best answer I've found, avoid AWB. Still, this is all frustrating. I wish they would ACTUALLY fix the issue!

@BP1510 

Nikon has never given its proprietary WB details to Adobe, so LrC has to calculate it's own WB Temperature and Tint values from EXIF data that it can read that is set by the camera, namely WB_RBLevels for NEF files. These are multiplier factors for RBGG with both Greens’ set to 1. Red and Blue are set according to the sensor's characteristics and the WB camera setting.

For my Z8 with Sunny WB, WB_RBLevels is set to 1.8515625 1.42578125 1 1 which results in LrC Temp/Tint of 5100/+14

For my D750 with Sunny WB, WB_RBLevels is set to 1.94921875 1.34375 1 1 which results in LrC Temp/Tint of 5300/+7

I investigated this a long time ago because NEF combined in camera using the Image Overlay function set the WB_RBLevels to 1 1 1 1, LrC interpreted this as Temp/Tint 2880/-119.

You can read about it here from 2018:

https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic-bugs/p-strange-white-balance-for-overlayed-nef/idi-p/12249375 

Nothing ever came of it because it was Nikon's DSLR Image Overlay function that destroyed the WB settings that LrC could read. Nikon's own software could read the correct WB Temp/Tint, but this information is deliberately hidden from LrC/ACR

The Z series cameras have an Image Overlay function too, but it is disappointingly bad. It only produces JPEG output, so bakes in the WB settings and cannot combine two images with a gain of say 75% each; it's like a seesaw 75/25, 50/50, 10/90. Simply awful from Nikon for such high level cameras.

@drtonyb 

I import file with White Balance left "As Shot", until I edit file.

+15 Tint imo is quite excessive. I havn't experienced that level of Tint bias in any of my other Nikon cameras, except from the Z6 when it was launched, which was later corrected by Adobe.

The same files (shot with AWB) that I am importing into LR, that is either being represented by -25 green or +15 magenta depending on the LR version.... these files imported in Nikon NX software barely have any tint shift, maybe 1 or 2 units either way.

LR by default should have 0 tint bias if you set manual kelvin temperature to say 5600K. This doesnt always happen, as each developer, Adobe included, subjectively decides that 5600K manually set on the camera, should be represented in a RAW file editor as for example 5700 temp -2 green, or 5550 temp +1 magenta

@BP1510 

So that I can test a Z5 II file. A friend has just bought a Z5 II and provided me with two NEF files: the Tint in those is +15, which is not excessive. I'm wondering what WB setting you are using?

drtonyb   "Can you provide a sample NEF file with this problem?"   why do you require this? 

freberg    "Profile" is a different setting to that of White Balance and Tint. Whatever Profile you choose to apply to an image does not change White Balance and Tint numbers

I have noticed some issues as well, but if you use "Adobe standard V2" it seems to fix the problem. Try it?