A FREE replica ISO specification test target for testing your digital camera has been spotted on Cornell University's Web site

Read our Project: make your own digital camera resolution test chart to see our results.

Have you ever wished you could test your own camera like the professionals? Here at dpnow when we test digital cameras we use a variety of test targets, including the standard ISO 12233 resolution target for testing electronic cameras. It's a pretty standard test used by a lot of reviewers. Our target cost us over £100 (approx US$180 or EU€150) but is vital to our battery of camera tests.

Stephen H. Westin, a research project leader at the Cornell University's Light Measurement laboratory, appears to have created a replica ISO 12233 test target using ISO specifications and made a pdf version of it available for free download.

Westin explains that the ISO specifications can be used without restriction for projects like his, though the copying of a commercially reproduced target is, of course, illegal.

We've had a look at the replica target and although we haven't yet compared it with our own official target, on-screen it looks very professionally created – practically indistinguishable from the real thing.

Later this week we'll make a high quality print of the replica target and compare it with our official target and let you know how we got on.

Westin is at pains to point out that if you are serious about testing cameras you should still invest in an official target and he provides links to suppliers. There are also links to some excellent technical resources that provide information about how to use the ISO 12233 test target and interpret its results.