Recently, in our laboratories, a set of color-matching functions (cmfs) has been formulated for small fields by using two groups of real observers: JAM, MM, CF and AY, JR, MR, JL, JA, FP. The measurements of these cmfs have been made using different experimental devices and methods and it has enabled us to propose a New Deviate Observer for small fields (JF-DO). This new JF-DO was derived from the average observer of our nine real observers, following the technique used by the CIE to establish the Standard Deviate Observer (CIE-1989 SDO), which was established for fields of 10 degrees despite the CIE's assumption that it can be applied to smaller fields. In the present work, we report experimental results of the JF-DO using metameric reflectances in comparison to the CIE1931 Standard Observer and to the CIE-1989 SDO. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.