Which would you get first?

Forgive me if this is the wrong section. I'm looking at getting a new IPS monitor, but I'm curious if I should get a monitor calibrator first? Currently I edit photos on my mid 2011 13" MacBook pro. I can either get the monitor calibration equipment now, or the a 23" IPS monitor. What would be the more logical choice?im leaning monitor, but if the calibration would be a better choice then I'll go that route.

Personally, I would go for the calibration first. I can PP photos perfectly well on a calibrated but smaller or cheaper monitor. In contrast, a photo PP'ed on a non-calibrated but big IPS monitor is still possibly going to ultimately come out off color, too dark or light, etc--which will then live with the pic whereever it is displayed, online, printed, etc.

I know the new, bigger monitor is the more fun purchase. But I would go with calibration.

plawren53202 wrote in post #14644732
Personally, I would go for the calibration first. I can PP photos perfectly well on a calibrated but smaller or cheaper monitor. In contrast, a photo PP'ed on a non-calibrated but big IPS monitor is still possibly going to ultimately come out off color, too dark or light, etc--which will then live with the pic whereever it is displayed, online, printed, etc.

I know the new, bigger monitor is the more fun purchase. But I would go with calibration.

I could grab an older version of the Spyder and the monitor at the same time, but I wasn't sure if it was even worth getting an older one.

whmeltonjr wrote in post #14644739
I could grab an older version of the Spyder and the monitor at the same time, but I wasn't sure if it was even worth getting an older one.

That would be a question for someone else, as I have only used the Spyder 4 express. I will say, I have been battling white balance and skin tone issues on two different monitors (with my Mpix prints looking different than the on monitor view), and the Spyder 4 express took care of that for me. Older versions may work well too, I just had never used any of them.

Thanks for your advice. I'll wait and see if anyone has used the older ones to compare.

How about an NEC monitor w the built in calibration?

Bigger monitor first, unless you do critical color matching work for customers. For your own work factory settings or perhaps one of the software calibration systems with human help is good enough until you get a calibrator.

Spyder 4 express is about $100 and works well. Be careful which calibrator you choose with an LED screen, Spyder's good, DTP94 not so much.