Color Correction

November 26th, 2008 · 1 Comment · Tools and Tech

Sypder

One of the things that has kept us busy the last couple months is color calibrating our computer monitors, which means getting a colorimeter. Oh my gosh. These things make a HUGE difference. I had no idea I was looking at such bad color before. 

We've tried three systems: an older Monaco OPTIX ($400 4 years ago), a new Spyder 3Elite ($300) and a newer top of the line system a friend has that I can't remember the name of (it's so expensive–something like $1500–that the name doesn't really matter: only publishing companies can justify it). 

Conclusion: the new Spyder 3Elite is by far the best bang for the buck. It easily bests the older colorimeter and it's close enough to the pro model to not lose sleep. To be fair, the pro model produces visibly better grays, but not $1200 better. I'd say it like this: the older colorimeter is 70% better than a non-corrected monitor, the Spyder is 80% better and the pro model is 83% better (and of course these numbers reflect a gut feeling, not a scientific approach). 

The real conclusion: if you are a photographer and you don't have a colorimeter then you need one asap. 

Category: Tools and Tech

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