High-end or low-end monitor calibrator?

It's finally time for me to tweak my system to standard colors. Not being a

professional but taking my imaging quite seriously, I am considering the purchase of a

spyder/software for monitor calibration. The range is wide, from the expensive

ColorVision types to the more afforable Monaco easy-color type. What will a $3K

setup give me that a $500 setup won't? There's a lot of talk around here of monitor

calibration, but when it comes to decision making time, it does get confusing.

 

Thanks, Jeffrey

Not being a professional but taking my imaging quite seriously,

I sidestepped the calibration issue by buying monitors that feature

sRGB mode. Then I apply an sRGB profile (6500K, Gamma 2.2, HDTV

phosphors) and just keep working.

Jeffrey:

 

I don't have all the answers, but some research I did on this very topic earlier today led me to this basic conclusion: The $2800 - $3200 options allow you to also profile your printer and paper/ink combinations in addition to your monitor. The $300 - $500 options do monitors only.

1. You can't evade the issue unless you have a fancy monitor that calibrates itself. Otherwise changing ambient light, temperature, and aging of the monitor forces you to calibrate and profile.

 

2. You can profile your entire system for $500, not just your monitor.

 

Basically a better setup is supposed to give you more accurate colors, a wider gamut, and more configurability (regarding gamma, and color temperature). I don't know how significant the difference is (and nor would it matter since I don't know your expectations.)

There are lots of considerations when you start thinking about calibration, that's for sure. To keep this short, I'm going to limit my comments to just monitors.

 

A hardware calibration monitor (NEC Spectraview, for example) uses a photosensor "puck" that you stick on the glass to set the monitor's hardware. That is, it tweaks the settings for the red, green, and blue electron guns themselves. What you get when calibrated is the full capability of the monitor - the largest gamut it can throw at you.

 

A software calibrator like ColorBlind Prove It! also uses a photosensor puck that you stick on the glass. The difference here is that ColorBlind's software then uses the information from the puck to modify the way the video card displays information to you. It does this by lowest-common-denominator. For example, if it displays a white that it thinks is 255,255,255 and the puck sees 240,250,255, it will set the card to display white as 240,240,240. Your monitor therefore is calibrated, but displays a somewhat smaller gamut. The final result of course depends on which monitor and which video card you have.

 

That said, I've used ColorBlind Prove It! and it works just as advertised. If you already own a monitor, this is clearly a very workable solution to calibration.

 

On the other hand, if you can swing the $1300 or so for the 22 inch Spectraview, and you can find one of the bloody things, this is the "ultimate" solution to monitor calibration. IMHO of course.

 

Now, I said I'd limit this to just monitors. But, monitors are used in a lighted space by and large, and that light changes the way they look, and it effects the way prints look. If you are serious about this calibration thing, you need to be really serious about it and toss your incandescents and cover your window (shades work) and install 5000K florescent tubes (there are doubtless other ways, but the 5000K tubes are easy to find an relatively inexpensive) for your work room. You have to do this if you want the entire workflow to be consistent. That is, you are happy with your image on screen, then you print it and tack it to the wall. You should be able to sit and look from monitor (calibrated to 5000K) to the print on the wall (in 5000K light) and see *exactly* the same thing. If you don't set the color temperature of the room, you won't see the same thing and you'll get into a long tweak-print-tweak-print iteration loop - and the whole point of calibration is to avoid the iteration loops! This is true of B&W as well as color work.

I doubt you can buy much with a $3,000 package compared to a $300-400 package. I have an article on monitor calibration on <A HREF="http://www.normankoren.com/makingfineprints1A.html">http://www.normankoren.com/makingfineprints1A.html</a>. You can often get excellent results with your monitor set at 6500k and gamma set correctly, without an expensive hardware/software package. Good resluts means your screen matches your print. But a package from Monaco or ColorVision will give you more certainty-- I'd definitely recommend it if you're working in a professional environment.

Jeffrey,

<p>

The difference a well calibrated display makes is surprisingly large. You need a good monitor to begin with, however. A hardware based calibration system has several advantages. It is consistent day to day, whereas your eyes are not. Good software offers you the option to adjust the monitor itself rather than making all the changes via the video card as Adobe Gamma requires. This preserves the maximum color gamut your system can produce. Finally, you are more likely to re-calibrate frequently with a hardware system that can measure minute shifts. All displays drift over time; for best accuracy you need to calibrate every week or two.

<p>

One solution is to buy a monitor with an included calibrator. The NEC mentioned above is good, a Barco better, and the new Sony Artisan beats them all. Other companies, including LaCie with their "Blue-Eye", have integrated calibrators. Unfortunately the measurement hardware is on the cheap end and is not worth the price.

<p>

The place to start is with the free approach. The <a href="http://www.normankoren.com/makingfineprints1A.html">test charts</a> that Norman Koren developed and mentioned above allow much better resolution than the ones included with Adobe Gamma. Use Norman's charts with Adobe Gamma or the color adjustment software included with many video card drivers and see what the results are.

<p>

If satisfaction proves elusive, a hardware calibrator is the way to go. Price does not directly go with performance here, but good calibration ain't cheap. The ColorVision Spyder + OptiCal kit, at $300, is the best of the low end calibrators I tried. Use the included software to adjust the color guns, contrast, and brightness on your display prior to profiling. Just never look at a display calibrated with an instrument such as Gretag's Eye-One ($600) or you will be forever spoiled. A $3000 kit will include hardware and software to measure and profile printed output. If you are interested, I posted <a href="http://www.drycreekphoto.com/Learn/monitor_calibration.htm">reviews and comparisons of four hardware calibrators</a> I tried, along with monitor calibration tips.

Thank you all for your kind and informed answers. It is clear that I must make many

decisions dependent on what my destinations are with my digital imaging, which are

nice large prints, at this time. I am not bad at it now, but seek the next levels of

accomplishment. That does, however, include hardware and software upgrades, and

the associated learning curves. I want to have as much control of the process as I

can afford and understand without becoming a control freak. To start, I've been using

my 6x7 format camera more, and about to try out my new Minolta Multi Scan Pro.

Whatever I do with monitors, scanners, and printers, I must start with the best

photograph I can make. It is too easy to forget that.

 

I will keep you updated on my progress, and hopefully be able to answer a few

questions on this great forum. Again, thanks for the helpful directions you have

provided.

 

Jeffrey Sipress, Santa Barbara, CA