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Archive 2012 · What brand colorimeter or spectrometer are you using and ...

dalite
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p.1 #1 · What brand colorimeter or spectrometer are you using and why?

Years ago I had a Monaco Optix XR colorimeter for an older laptop. Now that I have upgraded to a iMAC desktop with newer LCD screen I am thinking of upgrading to a better colorimeter. X-Rite offered me, under their customer loyalty program, the i1Display Pro at a 25% discount, or $201 + tax and shiping. I found out that one can get the same at Amazon.com for the same price, so no big deal from X-Rite.

I also read a review that someone running on the MAC OS X (Lion) platform claims that this colorimeter has a "memory leak problem" which he claims X-Rite acknowledges in a telephone conversation. The ColorMunki, a betterpiece of hardware, is twice as expensive and probably exceeds my need for what I want to do, which is merely to profile my monitor. I send all print enlargements to a print lab, so I don't need profiling of the printer. I've read extensively on both pieces of hardware and am familiar their features, but I would like to know what people's experience are with the two major manufacturers, X-Rite and Datacolor.

Any bit of information is much appreciated.

Mar 11, 2012 at 05:25 AM

Peter Figen
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p.1 #2 · What brand colorimeter or spectrometer are you using and why?

For monitors, you probably won't find a better unit than the i1Pro. It's much better at monitors than the 'munki. I'd go for the Pro. I wouldn't worry about a memory leak, if it exists as you're only going to be using the software once a month and then quitting it. It's unfortunate though that their upgrade offer to you is so lame. It's X-Rite and that's how they are. Oh well.

Mar 11, 2012 at 05:34 AM

PV Hiker
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p.1 #3 · What brand colorimeter or spectrometer are you using and why?

I have the i1 Display Pro and use it on Windows 7 desktop and find it is easy to use. Loaded the software on a Windows XP and i-MacAir 13" to calibrate the digital projector and does a good job and easy to use. I just came back from "Shooting The West" photography symposium at Winnemucca Nevada and the Epson rep was showing the X-rite ColorMunki Display and said it was around $150.00. The unit looks just like the i1Display Pro unit. May or may not use the same software to drive it, I don’t know.

But here is the link to both and you can research them.

http://www.xrite.com/product_overview.aspx?ID=1454

http://www.xrite.com/product_overview.aspx?ID=1513

Patrick

Mar 11, 2012 at 10:49 PM

dalite
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p.1 #4 · What brand colorimeter or spectrometer are you using and why?

Thanks guys. The difference between the ColorMunki Display and i1Pro is that the latter's speed is claimed to be 5 times faster, in addition to some software enhancements. Otherwise, the hardware is the same. I'll see if X-Rite is willing to give me a better break.

Mar 13, 2012 at 05:02 AM

Rodolfo Paiz
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p.1 #5 · What brand colorimeter or spectrometer are you using and why?

After doing a whole lotta reading a month or two ago, I found several color-calibration reviews and articles whose conclusions all matched: get the device that's appropriate for your monitors, and note especially that "older" colorimeters are not very good with wide-gamut monitors. Based on those, and knowing that I have wide-gamut P-IPS Asus monitors, I bought the i1 Display Pro.

Have had it for a month or so (don't recall exactly), but I'm very happy with it.

Mar 14, 2012 at 02:16 AM

Alan321
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p.1 #6 · What brand colorimeter or spectrometer are you using and why?

I use the x-rite i1 display pro. It took 8 minutes to make up a detailed icc version 4 profile. I would not want it to take 40 minutes with a colormunki. You could be doing several profiles if you want to have one for each of several different brightness settings. And you could/should do them again occasionally. You might get a second monitor one day and will have to profile that too. The extra price of the display pro is not so great.

Here is a link to a detailed review:
http://www.drycreekphoto.com/Learn/Calibration/MonitorCalibrationHardware.html

Note that you might want to use version 2 profiles if you intend to attach them to image files that will be shown on the web because Firefox cannot handle version 4 profiles. IE cannot handle any at all but Safari seems to work ok.

- Alan

Mar 14, 2012 at 04:06 AM

Peter Figen
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p.1 #7 · What brand colorimeter or spectrometer are you using and why?

Version 4 profiles cause so many problems, that there's no real reason to use them at the moment. There are just too many application where they are incompatible.

Mar 14, 2012 at 04:57 AM

skibum5
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p.1 #8 · What brand colorimeter or spectrometer are you using and why?

dalite wrote:
Years ago I had a Monaco Optix XR colorimeter for an older laptop. Now that I have upgraded to a iMAC desktop with newer LCD screen I am thinking of upgrading to a better colorimeter. X-Rite offered me, under their customer loyalty program, the i1Display Pro at a 25% discount, or $201 + tax and shiping. I found out that one can get the same at Amazon.com for the same price, so no big deal from X-Rite.

I also read a review that someone running on the MAC OS X (Lion) platform claims that this colorimeter has a "memory leak problem" which he claims X-Rite acknowledges in a telephone conversation. The ColorMunki, a betterpiece of hardware, is twice as expensive and probably exceeds my need for what I want to do, which is merely to profile my monitor. I send all print enlargements to a print lab, so I don't need profiling of the printer. I've read extensively on both pieces of hardware and am familiar their features, but I would like to know what people's experience are with the two major manufacturers, X-Rite and Datacolor.

Any bit of information is much appreciated.

i1 Display Pro has tested out REALLY well even better than the i1Pro nevermind the Colormunki spectro
(I also got to try two copies and they both read every to 0.0005 difference or less for just about every reading, maybe one was like .001 different, I forget, but that is some fine copy to copy variation)

not sure the xrite software is the greatest

version 4 profiles can be much better and should cause less problems since a lot more is written in stone so it's kind of sad that somehow they can cause more problems, that really shouldn't be at all, but for now it can be at times

Mar 14, 2012 at 06:41 AM

UCSB
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p.1 #9 · What brand colorimeter or spectrometer are you using and why?

I don't know if you have any of the new HDTV's in your home, but if you do, then you might want to confirm that whatever sensor you purchase can be used to calibrate your HDTV's. I have an i1 Pro and use Calman software to calibrate my two HDTV's. I got excellent results. It is a way to get much more utility out any sensor you purchase.

Mar 14, 2012 at 06:54 AM

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