Calibration hardware/software

This being the most active/professional forum, hope you don't mind me posting this here.

I am just on the brink of buying the ColorVision Spyder PhotoSuite Pro and wonder if anybody knows something better, comments, tips. I've researched pretty thoroughly, searched this site, etc., but experience is everything.

My purpose I guess is the same as anybody's, that is getting the subjective out of the picture and knowing that at least what I am seeing/working with is technically correct and the rest is a matter of taste.

My equipment:

Dual Sony GDM-F520 21" monitors
Matrox Parhelia 128 graphic card
Canon BJCi9100 printer
Canon Canonscan 9900F scanner
P4 3GHz, 1GB RAM, 400GB HDs
S/W: XP, Corel, PS & suchnot

Working with film, digital & video in usual formats & output media.

Cost is not the first criteria.

I got the Spyder Pro just recently. It tweaked my ViewSonic VX800 LCD a little bit, it made a few adjustment I might not have thought of. The huge difference was on my IBM CRT (trinitron tube). It allowed me to adjust each of the RGB guns individually and it was a night and day difference.

My only real problem is that I run dual headed display and you can only adjust one. Even though this is the case, adjusting the guns on the crt was worth it. I guess I should recalibrate it each month. When you think about it, it's worth it if your doing any kind of color tweaking. What the use if what you see isn't really the true colors that a calibrated monitor would see?

Believe me, I struggled with this because I don't want to spend this kind of money for it, but I'm happy with the purchase. Check out the colorvision web site, they where doing a $70 rebate on the pro version and I'm pretty sure it's still running.

Colorvision Rebate

Thanks Todd, that's what I like to hear. I also run dual, sometimes triple head. The special runs September-October.

I talked to ColorVision last week and they will be coming out with a dual head module/upgrade shortly. They have just released an update for XP which improves matching profile with monitor. Maybe that's it, because Display Properties/Settings/Ad​vanced/Color Management in XP couldn't do that before. It's actually a Microsoft problem.

Any other comments?

Are there any less expensive products available?

Regards,
Andy

Hi Andy. Here is their URL:

http://www.colorvision​.ch/

They have a number of solutions, depends on what you need. There are some things, like monitor accuracy, that have so many ramifications and consequencial headaches that I just close my eyes and hand over my credit card. What annoys me no end is buying something that doesn't quite fill the bill, which means reading the fine print and asking people with experience.

That's great to hear about the dual monitor support. Well, then I don't have any complaints then.

I think the Pro version is worth the extra money. It comes with 3 license of the "optiCal" software, and I put these on my other machines and laptop. It comes with the other software "PhotoCal" which doesn't have the tweaking as OptiCal does. It also comes with a full version of Adobe Photoshop Album. So if your planning to get this at all and the rebate, it's not too bad of a deal.

...credit card is itching, so the gavel comes down, SWOCK! Sold!

Let us know how it all works out too John T...

Nice setup with those dual Sony's and the Matrox. A man after my own heart.

Thanks CDS, I certainly will.

This morning I realized since I ordered from my Swiss address they will assume I want it in German, as they offered no launguage options and the confirmation e-mail came in German. Now I've got to call them up and try to sort them out. Making such assumptions, as many others do, is a strike against them in my book.

...Oooops! I spoke too soon. All ColorVision stuff is multilingual! Big plus!