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What is the most accurate color renditioning Nikon?

color accuracy copy artwork

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10 replies to this topic

#1
laughingcamera

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Been having some issues copying artwork. Using a D300s, shooting in RAW, have tried different lens and lighting sources (high CRI LED, flash, hot lights). Just not getting accurate color reproduction. Some colors are way off, others are fine. Happening with oil paintings, watercolors, and pastels.

 

I spoke to NPS to ask what Nikon is the most accurate and was told each camera model has a different CMOS in them and they all reproduce differently. Not much help.

 

Can anyone suggest a Nikon to look at with the best color reproduction accuracy from experience in shooting artwork?

 

Thanks.



#2
Merco_61

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Both the D300 and the D300s work well for repro use.

 

What you need to do is to profile your light using a colour chart, I use an X-rite ColorChecker. When you have a shot of the chart, just use it according to the instructions for your software and apply your new correction curve to the whole session in a processing batch. X-rite's software works well with Adobe software, PhotoNinja has its own profiling software built-in and so do some others.



#3
Nikon Shooter

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Peter is right to the points:

  1. get the proper profile
  2. control the WB with a reference card.

My RAW converter comes with the profiles supporting
more than 400 camera models.



#4
laughingcamera

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I tried using the DataColor SpyderCheckr to create a profile, it helps very little. I have sent them my files and they claim it is working as it should, it is just that certain colors will never fall into place.

 

BTW, when I flatbed the same artwork I get perfect color.

 

This morning tried same tests with my D800, same results, bad.



#5
Merco_61

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Which raw converter do you use? How old is the colour chart? If you use a Picture control aware raw converter, what Picture control is the camera set to? Do you convert the file to DNG before profiling or not? What profiling software do you use? What version?

#6
laughingcamera

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Adobe Camera RAW. (have also tried Capture One, ON1, and a few others)

About two months old.

Picture control???

Do not convert to DNG first, should I?

Profiling software: Monitor - DataColor - Spyder 5(latest)

                              Camera - DataColor ColorCheckr (latest)

                              Printer - BasICColor 1400 patches (older version)

 

Photoshop color space: Adobe RGB 1998



#7
Nikon Shooter

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Do not convert to DNG first, should I?

 

 

Never! Never! Never! Never! Never! Never! Never! Never! :P



#8
laughingcamera

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Not go off topic from my issue, but why? I usually convert all my personal files to DNGs.



#9
Nikon Shooter

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… but why? I usually convert all my personal files to DNGs.

 

  1. because this conversion cannot be undone
  2. this .dng conversion I would agree to only if you RAW converter does not support your RAW files
  3. some information in the original .NEF files are not coming along

Do not convert to DNG first, should I?

 

 I usually convert all my personal files to DNGs.


What should I understand from these opposite statements?



#10
Merco_61

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Why AdobeRGB? If you want a wider gamut than sRGB can handle, ProPhotoRGB works better. Neither monitors nor printers perform their best with AdobeRGB.

 

A raw converter with built-in support for a colour chart might work better than DataColor's plug-in. I usually use PhotoNinja for colour-critical raw conversion.

 

What is the ambient lighting? A spike somewhere in the spectrum can do screwy things with colour renditions, especially if you use shutter speeds faster than ~1/45 or so.



#11
laughingcamera

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I was just stating that my personal, not work files, I convert to DNGs to store them because the file size is smaller, I never did it because it was better or worse. Just was not sure when you asked if that would make a color difference when I am copying artwork for work.