diff --git a/libvips/colour/LabQ2sRGB.c b/libvips/colour/LabQ2sRGB.c
index 1a298442..706ca9c1 100644
--- a/libvips/colour/LabQ2sRGB.c
+++ b/libvips/colour/LabQ2sRGB.c
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ static float vips_v2Y_16[65536];
  * The matrix already includes the D65 channel weighting, so we just scale by
  * Y.
  */
-#define SCALE (VIPS_D65_Y0 / 3.0)
+#define SCALE (VIPS_D65_Y0)
 
 /* linear RGB -> XYZ matrix. 
  */
diff --git a/libvips/colour/colourspace.c b/libvips/colour/colourspace.c
index c403ae9a..1aa1e400 100644
--- a/libvips/colour/colourspace.c
+++ b/libvips/colour/colourspace.c
@@ -164,10 +164,19 @@ static VipsColourRoute vips_colour_routes[] = {
 gboolean
 vips_colourspace_issupported( const VipsImage *image )
 {
-	VipsInterpretation interpretation = 
-		vips_image_guess_interpretation( image );
+	VipsInterpretation interpretation;
 	int i;
 
+	/* Treat RGB and RGB16 as sRGB. If you want some other treatment,
+	 * you'll need to use the icc funcs.
+	 *
+	 * sRGB2XYZ can handle 8 and 16-bit images. 
+	 */
+	interpretation = vips_image_guess_interpretation( image );
+	if( interpretation == VIPS_INTERPRETATION_RGB || 
+		interpretation == VIPS_INTERPRETATION_RGB16 )
+		interpretation = VIPS_INTERPRETATION_sRGB;
+
 	for( i = 0; i < VIPS_NUMBER( vips_colour_routes ); i++ )
 		if( vips_colour_routes[i].from == interpretation )
 			return( TRUE );
@@ -209,6 +218,15 @@ vips_colourspace_build( VipsObject *object )
 
 	interpretation = vips_image_guess_interpretation( colourspace->in );
 
+	/* Treat RGB and RGB16 as sRGB. If you want some other treatment,
+	 * you'll need to use the icc funcs.
+	 *
+	 * sRGB2XYZ can handle 8 and 16-bit images. 
+	 */
+	if( interpretation == VIPS_INTERPRETATION_RGB || 
+		interpretation == VIPS_INTERPRETATION_RGB16 )
+		interpretation = VIPS_INTERPRETATION_sRGB;
+
 	/* No conversion necessary.
 	 */
 	if( interpretation == colourspace->space ) {
diff --git a/libvips/colour/icc_transform.c b/libvips/colour/icc_transform.c
index 0073fd1b..23a2b26c 100644
--- a/libvips/colour/icc_transform.c
+++ b/libvips/colour/icc_transform.c
@@ -234,8 +234,13 @@ vips_icc_build( VipsObject *object )
 	if( icc->out_profile ) 
 		switch( cmsGetColorSpace( icc->out_profile ) ) {
 		case icSigRgbData:
-			colour->interpretation = VIPS_INTERPRETATION_RGB;
-			colour->format = VIPS_FORMAT_UCHAR;
+			colour->interpretation = 
+				icc->depth == 8 ? 
+				VIPS_INTERPRETATION_RGB : 
+					VIPS_INTERPRETATION_RGB16;
+			colour->format = 
+				icc->depth == 8 ? 
+				VIPS_FORMAT_UCHAR : VIPS_FORMAT_USHORT;
 			colour->bands = 3;
 			icc->out_icc_format = 
 				icc->depth == 16 ? 
diff --git a/libvips/colour/sRGB2XYZ.c b/libvips/colour/sRGB2XYZ.c
index a8f8dd76..0579a1ad 100644
--- a/libvips/colour/sRGB2XYZ.c
+++ b/libvips/colour/sRGB2XYZ.c
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@
  * 21/9/12
  * 	- redone as a class
  * 	- sRGB only, support for other RGBs is now via lcms
+ * 6/11/12
+ * 	- add 15-bit sRGB import
  */
 
 /*
@@ -57,12 +59,8 @@ G_DEFINE_TYPE( VipssRGB2XYZ, vips_sRGB2XYZ, VIPS_TYPE_COLOUR_CODE );
 /* Convert a buffer of 8-bit pixels.
  */
 static void
-vips_sRGB2XYZ_line_8( VipsColour *colour, 
-	VipsPel *out, VipsPel **in, int width )
+vips_sRGB2XYZ_line_8( float *q, VipsPel *p, int width )
 {
-	VipsPel *p = in[0];
-	float *q = (float *) out;
-
 	int i;
 
 	for( i = 0; i < width; i++ ) {
@@ -86,12 +84,8 @@ vips_sRGB2XYZ_line_8( VipsColour *colour,
 /* Convert a buffer of 16-bit pixels.
  */
 static void
-vips_sRGB2XYZ_line_16( VipsColour *colour, 
-	VipsPel *out, VipsPel **in, int width )
+vips_sRGB2XYZ_line_16( float *q, unsigned short *p, int width )
 {
-	unsigned short *p = in[0];
-	float *q = (float *) out;
-
 	int i;
 
 	for( i = 0; i < width; i++ ) {
@@ -112,6 +106,35 @@ vips_sRGB2XYZ_line_16( VipsColour *colour,
 	}
 }
 
+static void
+vips_sRGB2XYZ_line( VipsColour *colour, 
+	VipsPel *out, VipsPel **in, int width )
+{
+	if( colour->in[0]->BandFmt == VIPS_FORMAT_UCHAR )
+		vips_sRGB2XYZ_line_8( (float *) out, 
+			(VipsPel *) in[0], width );
+	else
+		vips_sRGB2XYZ_line_16( (float *) out, 
+			(unsigned short *) in[0], width );
+}
+
+static int
+vips_sRGB2XYZ_build( VipsObject *object )
+{
+	VipsColourCode *code = (VipsColourCode *) object;
+
+	if( code->in ) 
+		code->input_format = 
+			code->in->BandFmt == VIPS_FORMAT_USHORT ? 
+			VIPS_FORMAT_USHORT : VIPS_FORMAT_UCHAR;
+
+	if( VIPS_OBJECT_CLASS( vips_sRGB2XYZ_parent_class )->
+		build( object ) )
+		return( -1 );
+
+	return( 0 );
+}
+
 static void
 vips_sRGB2XYZ_class_init( VipssRGB2XYZClass *class )
 {
@@ -120,6 +143,7 @@ vips_sRGB2XYZ_class_init( VipssRGB2XYZClass *class )
 
 	object_class->nickname = "sRGB2XYZ";
 	object_class->description = _( "convert an sRGB image to XYZ" );
+	object_class->build = vips_sRGB2XYZ_build;
 
 	colour_class->process_line = vips_sRGB2XYZ_line;
 }
@@ -137,6 +161,10 @@ vips_sRGB2XYZ_init( VipssRGB2XYZ *sRGB2XYZ )
 
 	code->input_coding = VIPS_CODING_NONE;
 	code->input_bands = 3;
+
+	/* The default. This can get changed above ^^ if we see a 
+	 * 16-bit input.
+	 */
 	code->input_format = VIPS_FORMAT_UCHAR;
 }