Choice of Monitor Calibration hardware/software

[L.David]

I am going to be purchasing monitor calibration hardware software for the first time and would like any thoughts/advice on what to purchase. After looking around a bit I'm considering:

• X-Rite ColorMunki Display
• X-Rite i1Display Pro
• Datacolor Spyder4Pro
• Datacolor Spyder4Elite

In particular I've not found found much on the web that compares X-Rite and Datacolor hardware and software. It seems like everything I find focuses on one vendor or the other. I'd appreciate any and all thoughts.

[afx]

As my experience with Datacolor products (Spyder2 Elite or whatever it was called was a disaster for print profiling) , I tend to recommend not using their products.
For screen only the consensus seems to be that the X-Rite i1Display Pro seems to be the device of choice.

cheers
afx

[Simon Garrett]

Some reviews at http://www.drycreekphoto.com/Learn/Calibration/MonitorCalibrationHardware.html and http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/reviews.html#Monitor_profiling.

I use the ColorMunki Display and I've been very pleased with it.  I've had a few others before (various Spyders and Eye One Display 2), and this seems the best I've used for monitor calibration (I don't calibrate my printer - I use profiles supplied by printer or paper makers). 

[digitaldog]

• X-Rite ColorMunki Display
• X-Rite i1Display Pro
• Datacolor Spyder4Pro
• Datacolor Spyder4Elite

If your budget permits, go directly to the i1Display Pro. The ColorMunki hardware is identical but you end up with crippled software that also slows down measurements which seems silly to me. You can't upgrade the software so you might as well get the best package from the get-go.

[Scott Martin]

I travel around the country calibrating hundreds of displays every year and have all of these, and the i1DisplayPro is my favorite of them all. The size of the device, speed of calibration, smoothness of gradations, extreme shadow detail, and consistency across a variety of display types are all big in my mind.

[L.David]

Thanks everyone, this has been very helpful. The articles that Simon posted were especially helpful.

It looks like I'll be going for the i1Display Pro, I may have to wait a bit to fit it in the budget, but for the price difference I can't see going for a lesser model if I'm going to eventually want to upgrade.

[DaveDn]

I have a Dell U2711 and a Spyder 3 pro. I cant say Im that impressed with the Spyder 3 /Datacolor software on the the wide gamut display.

Looking at getting a X-Rite i1Display Pro rather than a Spyder 4.

[AndrewD]

A quick follow-on to the advice to go with the X-Rite i1 Display Pro. I was considering upgrading to this and currently run Color Eyes Display Pro v1.6 software on a Mac with OS X Mountain Lion.  Would it be best to stick with the Color Eyes software for monitor calibration or to use the software that comes with the X-Rite?

Many thanks


Andrew

[tho_mas]

A quick follow-on to the advice to go with the X-Rite i1 Display Pro. I was considering upgrading to this and currently run Color Eyes Display Pro v1.6 software on a Mac with OS X Mountain Lion.  Would it be best to stick with the Color Eyes software for monitor calibration or to use the software that comes with the X-Rite?

the former X-Rite "i1 Match" software was mediocre at best. I am not quite sure but AFAIK Color Eyes is basically a basICColor Display clone ... if so, it's a probably much more advanced and sophisticated software. Then again - since you have both just try them and compare ...

[Czornyj]

the former X-Rite "i1 Match" software was mediocre at best. I am not quite sure but AFAIK Color Eyes is basically a basICColor Display clone ... if so, it's a probably much more advanced and sophisticated software. Then again - since you have both just try them and compare ...

The present software - i1Profiler - is not that bad, builds nice profiles and also has several interesting features.

[donbga]

If your budget permits, go directly to the i1Display Pro. The ColorMunki hardware is identical but you end up with crippled software that also slows down measurements which seems silly to me. You can't upgrade the software so you might as well get the best package from the get-go.

Does your recommendation/assessment apply to users of NEC monitors and Spectraview software?

Thanks,

Don Bryant
 

[digitaldog]

Does your recommendation/assessment apply to users of NEC monitors and Spectraview software?

Yes, SpectraView supports the use of the X-rite device.

[sngraphics]

I apologize if I am off topic a bit, but after reading this entire thread I was just wondering if I could ask how an X-Rite i1Pro
compares with the i1Display Pro for monitor calibration. (hopefully someone else will find this info useful as well)
I use ColorNavigator 6 for my Eizo and i1Profiler to profile my printer, scanner and my Dell U2410.
Any comments would be much appreciated. Thanks.

[digitaldog]

I apologize if I am off topic a bit, but after reading this entire thread I was just wondering if I could ask how an X-Rite i1Pro
compares with the i1Display Pro for monitor calibration.

The Spectrophotometer versus the Colorimeter? You'll be slightly better off with the Colorimeter, it is a tad better at measuring dark emissive patches.

[Quentin]

I upgraded to a Spyder 4 elite, and it does a very good job - it coped with a tricky monitor much better than the Spyder 3.  It's a good solution for not much money.

[mouse]

If your budget permits, go directly to the i1Display Pro. The ColorMunki hardware is identical but you end up with crippled software that also slows down measurements which seems silly to me. You can't upgrade the software so you might as well get the best package from the get-go.

I chose an alternative solution.  Using the ColorMunki hardware one can get around the "crippled software" problem by substituting Argyll program driven with dispcalGUI.  Bit more of a learning curve but the results are very good.

[Fred Salamon]

I recently purchased the i1 Display Pro.
Unfortunately, I was not aware that it is not compatible with my Wacom mouse and tablet.

http://www.xritephoto.com/ph_product_overview.aspx?ID=1454&Action=Support&SupportID=5521

There is a workaround,according to the above link, which is to use a regular mouse, or switch the tablet to pen mode.
Just something to factor into your purchasing decisions.

[David Eichler]

I recently purchased the i1 Display Pro.
Unfortunately, I was not aware that it is not compatible with my Wacom mouse and tablet.

http://www.xritephoto.com/ph_product_overview.aspx?ID=1454&Action=Support&SupportID=5521

There is a workaround,according to the above link, which is to use a regular mouse, or switch the tablet to pen mode.
Just something to factor into your purchasing decisions.


Cant stand the Wacom mouse anyway. Just use the stylus, and I use a trackball in place of the mouse.