Originally Posted by airfang
Well generally speaking - yes, but on the other hand you must remember that the processor in your camera was made specifically for image processing. Sometimes, a dedicated-for-the-task processor will do much better (in terms of speed) than a "general processor" like the one you have in your personal computer. Anyhow, I still doubt that Canon DIGIC is more powerful than my desktop PC but who knows I might be wrong (again I really really doubt that I'm wrong).
I find that the quality of color from a lens depends on its contrast first and foremost. The expensive Canon lenses all have excellent contrast, and the quality difference of pictures taken with them is immediately obvious, even when viewed at small sizes. That's not to say that the less expensive Canon lenses have poor contrast--there are no bad ones in my experience--but the "L" lenses and the expensive specialist non-L primes are all extremely good in this regard.
Now, for an example of contrast which is actually even better than that from a Canon "L" lens, here is a picture taken through a telescope (a 600mm/f6 refractor) that has only three (oil-spaced) elements and extensive baffling to prevent internal reflections. It has very nearly 100% transmission across the visible spectrum and essentially zero chromatic aberration. The colors are exceedingly pure, even in this JPEG. Because it has fixed aperture at f/6, it's really hard to use as a terrestrial lens, but with Live View I was able to get it to work.
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Note that this was shot with window light at ISO 3200! It would have been even better at ISO 400-800, but I needed the speed to get a reasonable shutter speed for indoors.
Color is relative - different lenses will show different renditions. Example: the 85L will represent colors so well that you'll hate to go back to another lens.
Regarding WB and PS, I believe the WB and PS settings are stored in fields deep inside RAW images, and are handed to the various software tools (DPP, ACR, Picasa, whatever) to guide them in their rendition. Therefore, you can correct for a wrong WB setting if you shoot RAW, since it merely changes the rendition. However, you must ensure that you don't expose so bright (or dark) that any of the color channels (RGB) hit their limits, throwing away information that might be critical to rendering the image as seen.
Related example:
In this shot, lit "entirely" by flash, I have two main lights (A, B) at a 1:2.8 balance (I think). The background (C) lights (two 430EX, gelled to "Christmas tree green") are being triggered at -1 stop relative to the A:B balance (I think). Because my 1D3 meters a little weak with flash (maybe all the time...), I dialed in +2/3 or possibly +1 stop flash compensation, so the overall flash levels are somewhat high. The background flash level, since it's only lighting a portion of the scene, was trying to compensate, and fired "too strong" for this shot. In the center of its pattern, there's so much light that the green channel hit 255 (or 100%, or 11111111111111) and the red/blue channels came close or hit max as well. As such, it comes out white, or nearly so. Oops...
We're a Canon/Profoto family: five cameras, sixteen lenses, fifteen Profoto lights, too many modifiers.
Hmmm, thanks all for the generous replies...
But actually what I was trying to ask was: "if I adjusted (the RAW file's) WB and PS in DPP, does the color coming out count? Or I have to do it in camera in order for it to count?"
Comment "nice color" would mean different things as refered to camera or lenses. I do notice a significant difference in color saturation and purity when I use different lenses. For example the 70-200/2.8L IS will produce much better color saturation. However, so far I hardly noticeany color difference among Canon DSLR bodies rather than BW balance issues or exposure difference.
I do add saturation in my post processing, and I do find L glasses produces better image for this purpose. It's hard for me to give any scientific explanation but accoridng to my observation some lens do produce better image for post processing than others. L glasses are generally appriciated.
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