3CCD camera's capability for measuring color differences: experiment in the nearly neutral region

• Published in: Applied optics (2004) Vol. 43; no. 36; p. 6523
• Main Authors: Millán, María S, Valencia, Edison, Corbalán, Montse
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 20.12.2004
• Subjects: Color; Colorimetry - instrumentation; Colorimetry - methods; Equipment Design; Equipment Failure Analysis; Image Enhancement - instrumentation; Image Enhancement - methods; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted - instrumentation; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted - methods; Information Storage and Retrieval - methods; Photography - instrumentation; Photography - methods; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted - instrumentation
• ISSN: 1559-128X
• DOI: 10.1364/AO.43.006523

A method to assess the discrimination capability of a camera to measure small color differences is proposed. The method helps to fix the working conditions of the camera and analyzes the reliability of the measurements through comparison with a reference instrument. Attention is paid to the camera's performance in the nearly neutral region of color space. The color differences are calculated using the Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage L*a*b* (CIELAB) deltaEab* and CIE 2000 color-difference formula metrics. The Sony DX-9100P 3CCD camera results are very close to those obtained by the Photo Research PR-715 spectroradiometer. Their absolute discrepancy is lower than the suprathreshold of visual discrimination (0.887 CIELAB unit).