1. An electronic color image capture system for producing an accurate color reproduction of an input image, said system comprising: an imaging section for capturing the input image and generating a plurality of color image signals from the captured image, said imaging section having predetermined spectral sensitivities defining the spectral response of the imaging section; an optical section for separating the input image into its separate color content and directing the separate color content toward said imaging section, said optical section having specific spectral characteristics which define the spectral response of the optical section; wherein the spectral responses of the optical section and the imaging section are selected so as to cascade together to provide all-positive, symmetrical system curves modeled upon red, green and blue color matching functions representative of the human visual system, said color matching functions being derived from three monochromatic light sources and containing no more than three positive lobes as well as one or more negative lobes, and whereby the areas under the color matching functions determined by (a) summation of all negative lobes and (b) overlap between the green and red color matching functions are minimized; and a processor including a color correction matrix with coefficients optimized for signal-to-noise performance for producing an output color image from the color image signals exhibiting an accurate color reproduction of the input image.