The color accuracy of all digital cameras today is a Chimera

LLB! · Joined: 26 Aug 2020 Posts: 58 Location: Belarus

As I discovered when copying paintings by artists of the 19th and 20th centuries (this was my work), no digital camera can convey the exact color.

The Best Cameras for Color Reproduction, Ranked
By Greg Scoblete
https://pdnonline.com/gear/cameras/the-best-cameras-for-color-reproduction-ranked/

Teemō · Joined: 07 Apr 2016 Posts: 578 Location: Australia

Would have been more interesting with a Foveon camera tested, and even Provia film. I would have thought there is better colour accuracy using a filtered RGB or monochrome sensor and then recombining the images. Most cameras are just using Sony sensors nowadays, so the results shouldn't be too different and without any explanation, then maybe the differences actually come down to the image processor in each camera.

Given the importance of the task, isn't there any commercial-\industrial-grade archival scanner that prioritises colour accuracy?

calvin83 · Joined: 12 Apr 2009 Posts: 6494 Location: Hong Kong

I read the article below in the past. It may give better idea for those who will use the camera for color critical works. I think a lens with good sharpness and minimum chromatic aberrations is perfected.

Use of commercial off-the-shelf digital cameras for scientific data acquisition and scene-specific color calibration
https://www.osapublishing.org/josaa/abstract.cfm?uri=josaa-31-2-312

LLB! · Joined: 26 Aug 2020 Posts: 58 Location: Belarus

"I think a lens with good sharpness and minimum chromatic aberrations is perfected."

As far as I remember, there is a numbers that all lenses must follow: 11-0-0. Deviations from these values indicate whether the lens will give a warm or cold shade.

ylyad · Expire: 2013-12-05

Not exactly but closely related, it reminded of this article I read recently: https://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2020/08/18/fujifilm-film-simulations-definitive-guide

visualopsins · Expire: 2021-06-22

DConvert · Joined: 12 Jun 2010 Posts: 692 Location: Essex UK

LLB! · Joined: 26 Aug 2020 Posts: 58 Location: Belarus

Color vision is a unique natural gift. Few creatures on Earth are able to distinguish not only the contours of objects, but also many other visual characteristics: color and its shades, brightness and contrast. However, despite the apparent simplicity of the process and its ordinariness, the true mechanism of color perception in humans is extremely complex and is not reliably known. To this should be added only the doctor who checks your vision is able to determine whether you feel all shades of color at all or not. It is also obvious that camera manufacturers are not serious about the problem of color accuracy. People prefer bright colors, delicious food, and so on. Reality and truth are uninteresting.