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06-20-2011, 05:54 AM
manthing manthing is offline
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further to your recommendation of a spyder monitor calibrator - is that THE one to get?
or will a "eye-one display" monitor calibrator do as well?
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02-07-2012, 05:02 AM
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lordsmurf lordsmurf is offline
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There's really three primary choices for calibrating a computer monitor:
  1. Datacolor Spyder products, like the current Spyder 3 and Spyder 4, in the $100-200 range
  2. Pantone/X-Rite Eye-One (aka X-Rite i1) products, in the $150-250 range.
  3. Pantone/X-Rite Colormunki products, in the $200-500 range.
Note that this is a case where spending more doesn't necessarily mean better quality.

I've always been satisfied with that the Spyder products do. I've not used the Pantone/X-Rite calibration units, but I've spoken with photographers, and read feedback from photographers. This was part of dinner conversation with a friend maybe two weeks ago, in fact. We were discussing our next strategic moves on photo/video gear.

I've always used a Spyder 3, and it was fine.

Here's a few quotes that stand out from online discussions:
Quote:
The ColorMunki system is marketed for those that have little or no understanding of color management and is not that configurable.
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ColorMunki doesn't do CRT monitors
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I have the Spyder and not happy with it on my LCD, but a friend bought the Colormunki and I was finally able to calibrate it.
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I've used the Spyder (I or II can't remember) in the past and have the Color Munki and an X-rite i1. The results from all three are comparable and good. I remember the Spyder software was a bit better then the X-rite software which is has a horrible interface.
Quote:
If you want real accuracy then the ColorMunki is the better option as it is a spectrometer rather than a colorimeter. It will provide better accuracy but whether that is apparent, I could not say.
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I've seen quite a few reviews that say the ColorMunki is targeted at consumers, whereas the Spyder3 kit is for professionals. Ultimately the results of each are very similar, but the Spyder has a lot more options. I've also heard of horror stories where the ColorMunki simply won't profile a paper if it's too yellow, leaving you simply out of luck.
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Spyder3 calibration for monitor and printer profiles is top-notch. Many many many more color swatches than what the Color Munki provides, and thus printer profiles produced should be much more accurate.
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If you are making prints or projecting images as well, the Colormunki is definitely worth it. If not go with the i1 Display 2.
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The Spyder3 colorimeter is a good one --color management professional Scott Martin has noted unit to unit variations -- the results are quite similar, sort of like do you like asking do you like French Vanilla ice cream from one dairy or another.
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Unit to unit variation with these devices (Colormunki) is a big problem.
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I find the profiles with both the Datacolor software and the Blue Eye Pro software to be roughly as good or slightly better than the ColorMunki
Based on these discussions, it very much appears as if Spyder is #1, Eye-One is #2, and Colormunki is #3 -- except under certain conditions where you need to calibrate prints/projections, in which case the Colormunki is the only viable option. But for the application of calibrating a monitor, look at a Spyder as being the best.

As is the case with photography gear, only buy these from reputable online photography products stores:
I've always gotten the best deals on the Spyder from Amazon.





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