Spyder2, Optix XR, EyeOne 2 ???

[thejaybird]

Is there any general consensus on which colorimeter is the best, or which to avoid? There doesn't seem to be much useful information out there...

I got a new monitor recently and I've noticed the dark tones are quite a bit different than my old monitor (laptop LCD). I'm pretty sure the new monitor is closer to "correctness" but I want to get a calibrator for peace of mind.

Here are a few shots processed on the new monitor. The blacks should be deep and rich but not clipped. On my laptop they are noticeably lighter and appear too weak. How do they look to you?





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http://www.pbase.com/thejaybird

 

[Pev]

Haven't personally used any callibrator so cant anwser your question but really nice shots. How did you process them? I love the tone of these images.

Great wrok.

--
Paul E. Valadez
http://www.pbase.com/pev2235/300d

 

[thejaybird]

Haven't personally used any callibrator so cant anwser your
question but really nice shots. How did you process them? I love
the tone of these images.

Thanks Paul, I'm glad to hear it because I'm testing a new post processing methodology. I used Calculations, lots (and lots) of tweaking via Curves, just a tiny bit of Adaptive Levels action (trying to reduce my dependency on it), and finally CS2's wonderful "Smart Sharpen". I also applied Photo Filter to warm up the tones a bit. Both of these shots were iso800 so I mitigated noise by careful application of CS2's Reduce Noise filter mostly to the shadows.

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http://www.pbase.com/thejaybird

 

[olnavarro]

That first one is absolutely incredible. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
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--olivia
There is no friendship, no love like that of the mother for her child.

 

[kevin logan]

Throw the Pantone Huey (best bargain$$$) into the mix. I have both the original spyder, and the Eye One Photo. They both do a very good job, as I suspect the Pantone Huey would do as well. I am certain a measurebator would argue that one is better than the other. My contention: without SOME sort of monitor calibrator, your monitor is SO far off it's almost useless.

That said, I would say you probably won't go wrong with any of them. I have a friend who recently got the Pantone Huey (about $80 @ Amazon), and he reports that it seemingly worked fine. My only bugaboo RE the Huey, is that the actual unit acts as a dongle, and the profile will only load IF the Huey is attached to the computer. This prohibits sharing the Huey amongst computers.

In Any Event, do seriously consider getting a monitor calibrator. It is VERY important, and work as GOOD as yours deserves the proper monitor attention!!!
All the best & loved your work,
Kevin Logan
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Kevin Logan
http://WindowsToIreland.com

 

[thejaybird]

That first one is absolutely incredible. Beautiful, beautiful,
beautiful.

Thanks Olivia, they're so much easier to shoot when they're not moving

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http://www.pbase.com/thejaybird

 

[thejaybird]

Thank you Kevin, I wasn't familiar with the Huey. I'll have to check it out. I also discovered there's a new Spyder2 Express which sells for about $80. More choices, just what I need :-/

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http://www.pbase.com/thejaybird

 

[mrbl8k]

wow I still have alot to learn. I have not even heard of these. How do they work? I noticed that the Spyder hangs on the monitor?

 

[PiousPoet]

I use the Spyder2 and have no problem with it. It works great. Just make sure you follow the directions...

 

[thejaybird]

wow I still have alot to learn. I have not even heard of these.
How do they work? I noticed that the Spyder hangs on the monitor?

Right, you stick it on your monitor and run the calibration software, and it programs the LUT of your video card and/or generates an ICC (ICM?) profile. It only needs to be stuck to your monitor during the calibration procedure, not all the time

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http://www.pbase.com/thejaybird

 

[thejaybird]

I use the Spyder2 and have no problem with it. It works great.
Just make sure you follow the directions...

Thanks for sharing your experience. I wish I had read it sooner because I just let a good auction slip away

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http://www.pbase.com/thejaybird