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CIE defined color matching functions (CMF) for XYZ and thus RGB colors. But of course, each camera has its own color sensitivities for visible spectrum. Is there any way to estimate this function (or a series of values by wavelengths) for a given camera?

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closed as off topic by Qmechanic♦, Manishearth♦, Sklivvz♦ Dec 29 '12 at 15:16

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Take image of 18% Kodak grey card - or just a piece of normal white office paper. Measure relative signal in red/green/blue channels.

In reality you would need a monochromator and lightsource to measure the full spectral resposnse but since there is nothing you can do to correct the shape of the RGB filters or their overlap there isn't much point.

If you know the spectral response of the camera in detail AND the spectra of the light source + reflectivity object you could calculate a correction - but if you knew all that you wouldn't need a colour camera.

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Thanks for your answer. I actually meant I want to estimate spectral response of the camera without having to measure with light source and spectrometer. I know there were some people (researchers) who successfully estimate spectral response with color charts but not sure how. Can you tell me? – Paul Mar 27 '12 at 0:51
@Paul - yes with known (or constant lighting) and a lot of single color patches you could map the response of an RGB camera. But I don't know a standard procedure, argyllcms.com is possibly a good place to ask. – Martin Beckett Mar 27 '12 at 16:41
Through the web site you recommended, I found what I want. I am so excited to estimate spectral response of my camera now. Thanks so much. – Paul Mar 28 '12 at 2:02

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