Monitor Calibrator.

[JonnyM]

I want to take my photographs to the next level therefore I've started looking at getting a monitor calibrator and my experience with such devices is nil. My budget is approx £100. Initial research comes up with Pantene Huey Pro; Spyder 4 Express; and the X Rite Color Munki Display. I use a single 17" NEC LCD if this makes any difference. The device needs to be suitable for a layman to operate, one who's getting more confused by colour space and ICC profiles all the time.

I know wavemachine has posted on this recently but that doesn't altogether cover what I want to know.

I keep asking myself why I hadn't done this long ago!

I've just seen another thread on this subject now, must have missed it first time round!. Well, any updated info would be appreciated.

Cheers.

[wavemachine]

Hi JonnyM,

I originally got myself a spyder 3 mainly because my prints were way of what I saw on screen, I read a few reviews and went for the spyder 3 pro. The main reason I went for the pro version is because my pc has a dual monitor setup and the express will only calibrate one monitor.

I am fairly tech savvy but have to say the spyder 3 was a doddle to use the combination of that, using canon inks for my printer and canon photo paper correctly configured in PS after a few minutes googling my prints are very accurate to what I see on screen although they will always be slightly darker as paper isn't back lit.

Later on my main monitor went died so I bought an LED monitor which I couldn't calibrate with the Spyder 3 as it did not support LED properly so as I was going to have to buy a new calibrator I looked at the Munki Display and the Spyder 4 pro but info and reviews were sparse on the Spyder 4, I emailed a couple of people and the general consensus was the Munki was a slightly higher spec than the Spyder but the Spyder was easier to use and they both did an excellent job calibrating.

In the end a decent upgrade offer came through from DataColor so I went for the Spyder 4 Pro which happily has calibrated my LED monitor fine.

I guess you need to think of your computer upgrade path in the next couple of years and look at the different calibrators and what they support, the pro is quite a step up from the express in the Spyder range it has more control, dual monitor support and ambient light adjustments. The elite does a better job at accurately matching up multiple monitors and has even more control however to go from pro to elite is just a software upgrade whereas express is hardware as well.

With regards to the huey pro I have never used one but I do know when I was initially looking the Spyder had slightly more favourable reviews but having said that there are people on here that are happy with the huey pro.

To calibrate you run start the software and are guided through with a wizard which can be as complicated as you want to make it, you tell it about your monitor it may ask you to adjust the brightness, contrast etc. and then it is a case of putting the device on the screen either with a supplied sucker or draping a counter weight on the USB cable at the back and after 10 minutes it is calibrated.

I hope that covers what you need to know, any questions please post back.

[JonnyM]

I appreciate that Dave. I'll do some more research and see where I go. i've thought about what my needs will be in the future and realistically I see me still using a single monitor.

Next up I need to get my head around colour space and colour management again! First things first, get my monitor calibrated.

[JonnyM]

Dave,

what about screen brightness does the Spyder 4 Pro cover this in the software as I don't think the Express does?

[wavemachine]

Not sure TBH as I have a multi monitor setup I dismissed the express, looking at some screenshots from a review it does not seem to have brightness support.

The Pro review is here

The Express review is here

[JonnyM]

I purchased this model after some deliberation but for my budget I didn't have a lot of choice. I installed it simply enough with the upgrade and so far so good, it certainly gives me that extra bit of needed confidence. I've only done a couple of prints so far since the calibration and was happy with the results but there was a fair bit of headscratching sorting profiles and settings. I'm sure I went through this process some 13 years ago when I had Photoshop 5 or whatever it was, my Epson Photo Stylus 700 printer and an old CRT monitor; my memory ain't what it used to be.

[wavemachine]

It took me a while to get my head around it, I did find using the printer manufacturers ink and photo paper really helped as well.