Review of Datacolor Spyder 5 Monitor Calibration Devices
Nov 8, 2016 15:39:00 #
Written in June 2015, & updated in October 2015: http://cameratico.com/articles/datacolor-spyder-5-review
Nov 8, 2016 16:32:34 #
Thanks. I have a Spyder5Pro and love it. My prints look very close to what I see on my iMac.
In 2002, I set up a color adjustment department of a major portrait lab, using nine LaCie Electron Blue CRT monitors and the original ColorVision Spyder colorimeter. We had all nine monitors matching each other, and matching our "master" printer (one of 15 Noritsu mini-labs). As monitor and colorimeter technology evolved, the folks who succeeded me there upgraded, and the calibration process got faster and more accurate. Eventually, we added an X-RITE system to make printer profiles, which really fine-tuned the output. But we liked the Spyders for monitor calibration. They just seemed to be easier to use.
If you're not calibrating and profiling your monitor, you are simply missing out on a whole world of accuracy and color reproduction predictability. If you print your own, OR use a lab for prints, the Spyder5 kit WILL save you money and improve your satisfaction with prints. Just be sure you understand how to use the OUTPUT (printer) profile as a proofing or simulation profile.
In 2002, I set up a color adjustment department of a major portrait lab, using nine LaCie Electron Blue CRT monitors and the original ColorVision Spyder colorimeter. We had all nine monitors matching each other, and matching our "master" printer (one of 15 Noritsu mini-labs). As monitor and colorimeter technology evolved, the folks who succeeded me there upgraded, and the calibration process got faster and more accurate. Eventually, we added an X-RITE system to make printer profiles, which really fine-tuned the output. But we liked the Spyders for monitor calibration. They just seemed to be easier to use.
If you're not calibrating and profiling your monitor, you are simply missing out on a whole world of accuracy and color reproduction predictability. If you print your own, OR use a lab for prints, the Spyder5 kit WILL save you money and improve your satisfaction with prints. Just be sure you understand how to use the OUTPUT (printer) profile as a proofing or simulation profile.
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