The colour enthusiasts who have been critcising the MER images have conversely been waxing lyrical about the Mars Express images. the real reason for this is the blue and green tones in thr Mars express images, which fit their expectations, and the absence of them in the MER images.

Ironically the colour images from Mars Express's HRSC are made using the following bands:

Blue 430 +/- 45 nm
Green 530 +/- 45 nm
Red 750 +/- 20 nm

http://www.linmpi.mpg.de/~hoekzema/mars03.htm

These bands are very similar those used by the MER Pancam for most the colour images

Blue 480 +/- 10 nm (L6)
Green 530 +/- 10 nm (L5)
Red 750 +/- 10 nm (L2)

The main difference is that MER uses a slightly longer wavelength blue and the HRSC had broader bands. Therefore any colour differences between MER and Mars Express imagery must arise from processing, presentation, and perception differences, plus the fact that one is orbital and the other surface.

Any suggestions for the apparent green and bluish tints in the HRSC imagery which are almost certainly artefacts?

Jon