Observing and Managing Color: Dealing with Color Vision Anomalies

Observing and Managing Color: Dealing with Color Vision Anomalies

August 17, 2023 ·

Charles S. Johnson, Jr.

The camera versus the human eye
Superficially, the human eye appears to be similar to a camera. Here looks certainly deceive because, other than a few shared components, the two differ both in operation and in purpose. Consider first the camera. A camera records a scene all at once and in an instant. What is actually recorded is a projection of the scene by a rectilinear or fisheye lens onto a flat sensor. Furthermore, the modern digital camera and the associated post processing computer algorithms are designed to:

Provide maximum resolution with an adjustable depth of field.

Provide enough brightness to reveal some detail in shadows while maintaining detail in bright areas.

Match the color perception of the standard human observer by sampling the image at different wavelengths.

When successful, this setup yields a simulation of standard human vision that stands up to inspection in any part on the image. Each part of the camera’s lens, sensor, a...

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Charles S. Johnson, Jr.

See all articles by Charles S. Johnson, Jr.

Charles S. Johnson, Jr. received a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from MIT. He taught at the University of Illinois at Urbana, Yale University, and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he is now Professor Emeritus. He has published approximately 150 papers on magnetic resonance and light scattering as well as books on laser light scattering and quantum mechanics. His interest in photography goes back to the 1950's; however, for many years his career in science left little time for serious photography. Now he is an avid nature photographer, and he blogs about photography here. In addition, he is making use of his scientific background to research and write about the physical and psychological bases of photography. His recent book, Science for the Curious Photographer, 2nd Ed, includes discussions of light and optics, sensors, factors that determine image quality, and the human visual system.