calibrate monitor

[nito]

Just a brief question to the member. But, how many of you guys have those fancy moniter calibrators like colourvision spyder 2 or the consumer version called colourvision colourplus?

Do they truely work and would you recommend either of them?

Is the spyder 2 worth the price difference when compared to the colourplus mode.

Thanks

[sirhc55]

Nito - they are certainly worth using to make sure that your monitor is as accurate as is possible.

Mine is out on loan at present but you are more than welcome to borrow it once it has been returned - don’t buy one when you can borrow

EDIT: It’s a Spyder 2

[stubbsy]

Nito

I have the colour Plus. It works very well and I reccomend getting one if you are serious about getting your colours right. Unless they are a close price there is no point going for the deaer spyder.

[Matt. K]

nito
Before you commit to buying one, consider

a...if your monitor is old then spend the money on a new one. It will be close enough to spot on
b.....there are a number of methods for calibrating your monitor without a spyder
c....if it's a print problem you are having then check all other sub systems first, IE are you using the correct paper profiles etc.

Some monitor/spyder combinations do not calibrate any better than doing it by "eyeball".

[Sheetshooter]

The Spyders are the top of the bottom of the heap.

You will spend what you think is appropriate for your needs.

I prefer to have my entire workflow calibrated by industry service experts who have the best gear AND know what they are doing with it. I wouldn't have a clue what to do with anything more complex than a Spyder. And as for building scanner and printer profiles - hell I'd rather have a life!!

Cheers,

[marcotrov]

Nito
Borrowing sounds good, thanks to Chris. But for what it's worth, and as another option, my reading suggested the lower end units are not really worth spending the money they are asking as the accuracy, value for money isn't there.

To really accurately calibrate your monitor and output devices like printers, the machine to get is the greytag macbeth but you are talking considerably more than those quoted. I have just finished having mine calibrated by a guy from Brisbane who tends to do rounds up here to service the professional photogs and i happen to get on to him. I do mine about once every 6-12 months and my printer about the same. It costs me around $150-200 sounds like a lot I know but I now the job gets done accurately and I don't have to know too much about it. I guess its also down to how pedantic you want to be about the calibration.
cheers
marco

[Onyx]

If you have a CRT monitor - I'd recommend you obtain a Spyder, Monaco, Gretag Macbeth etc. calibration device. If you have an LCD, make use of the generosity of forum members and borrow one.

LCD displays are fairly stable and don't tend to drift much over time (the only issue is backlight luminosity and usually they have half-lives of 20,000 hrs or so) - probably recalibrate once every 12 months would be sufficient IMHO. CRTs on the other hand are more susceptible to colour drifts so it'd be prudent to calibrate once every month or so, more often as it ages.

Hardware monitor calibrators do "truly work", they're not just a gimmick like mAh ratings of rechargeable batteries for instance....

[marcotrov]

Onyx said:

not just a gimmick like mAh ratings of rechargeable batteries for instance....

Speaking of which I'm about to get charger and batteries. Any you would recommend to me or companies for that matter?
cheers
marco

[leek]

Onyx said:

not just a gimmick like mAh ratings of rechargeable batteries for instance....

Speaking of which I'm about to get charger and batteries. Any you would recommend to me or companies for that matter?
cheers
marco

Try Birddog...

[nito]

Wow guys, thank you for the replies.

It sounds like a good investment after all. I'm in the process of processing the rest of my NZ shots but was concerned with the accuracy of my LCD monitor. The calibration software offered by my video card is rather subjective and quite hopeless.

Thanks chris for the loan offer, but I feel that this is a must purchase. I guess I'll buy the consumer grade calibrator since all I'm really concerned about the obtaining the right exposure. Having one is better than not having one

I really appreciate all your input!