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View Full Version : Anybody know for Spyders?

Baldy
Jan-09-2004, 03:44 PM
I gots me a new LCD that I'm running on a two-monitor system alongside my trusty CRT and oh_my_gosh what a difference.... First, you see jpeg artifacts and stuff much more prominently :woof: , but there's also quite a difference in color and saturation with both monitors calibrated with Adobe's software.

So it's about time I got a Spyder, I guess... Can anyone give guidance on the serious amateur model for $169 and the really serious amateur/pro model for more like $249?

Dpreview has a good review from early 2001 but I dunno how much has changed.
patch29
Jan-09-2004, 04:11 PM
I just bought the Eye-One Photo (http://www.eye1color.com/) system. It both calibrates and creates profiles for both monitors and printers. It has worked very well so far. They make an Eye-One Display model that sells for $250. I bought a set and DoctorIT is going to get the display model from me. He can probably tell about it in a week or so. The Eye-One system is very easy to use.


LCD's are great for space, but not as good for color correction. I would really like a new Sony Artisan, but will settle for two 22" Lacie monitors.

Chromix (http://www.chromix.com/) has good pricing and info.
wxwax
Jan-09-2004, 06:14 PM
22" monitors... :bow:
patch29
Jan-10-2004, 04:39 AM
22" monitors... :bow:

I am saving up for those. They are on my list. :deal:
Tugrik
Jan-14-2004, 03:48 PM
22" monitors... :bow:

If you can still find it, a great 22" monitor for the price with good color control were the IIyama 22's. I've had one for about three years now and it's my favorite for color-checking photowork.

Later this spring I'll be purchasing a hardware color calibration system; so far no selection yet. I'll be watching your results, Baldy! Right now I'm still reeling from a few new prime-lens purchases.
zero-zero
Jan-15-2004, 01:33 AM
I have a LaCie Electron Blue IV 22". Short of the Artisan, it's the best display I have seen, and much better than my 21" Sony's. Seems to be easier to calibrate, too, and drifts less. You'll like it a lot.

Baldy, I use the Colorvision CRT/LCD spyder and am pleased with it - great bang for the buck when coupled with OptiCal. However, the very savvy guys at Robgalbraith.com warn about Russian roulette, in the sense that it is very easy to get a dog instead of a spyder. Consensus seems to point to the EyeOne as the best product.

Good luck with that LCD. I have not had luck calibrating them to exacting specs.

Oh, and don't forget to kill Adobe Gamma when you have a proper profile, or they will fight each other like cat and dog... DAMHIK
DoctorIt
Jan-21-2004, 01:41 PM
Oh, and don't forget to kill Adobe Gamma when you have a proper profile, or they will fight each other like cat and dog... DAMHIKHow do you "kill" Adobe Gamma? I think it may be the reason my brand spankin new profiles sometimes flickers or goes away...

I noticed patch mentioned it above - I got the EyeOne Display from him. For the non-pro, it ROCKS. I've seen the OptiCal and it seems much more cumbersome. I just wanted what I saw on the screen to come out from the printer at Ritz. And now it does - visibly, can put past prints next to the monitor and the colors look correct. And my results are even on a crappy little 15" laptop display.

Baldy: if you have specifics about the EyeOne you want to ask, shoot - i've played with it quite a bit at this point.
zero-zero
Jan-22-2004, 02:44 AM
Assuming you're on a PC, check your startup items - you should find something called "Adobe gamma loader". Nuke it and you're golden.

On the mac, just turn the extension off by moving it to the inactive extensions folder (this is off the top of my head).
DoctorIt
Jan-22-2004, 08:14 AM
Assuming you're on a PC, check your startup items - you should find something called "Adobe gamma loader". Nuke it and you're golden.

On the mac, just turn the extension off by moving it to the inactive extensions folder (this is off the top of my head).Done. For posterity, or it anyone else is reading, need to run "msconfig" from the start line in windows. That brings you to the whole list of crap that starts as soon as you power up. Damn Windows.
zero-zero
Jan-22-2004, 11:16 AM
Actually, I thought about that after I had replied. Good thing you got there on your own. Any improvement so far?
DoctorIt
Jan-22-2004, 11:35 AM
Actually, I thought about that after I had replied. Good thing you got there on your own. Any improvement so far?Seemed better, but i only restarted once since then. All week, my calibrated profile always won out, just did some extra flipping during user profile changes (winXP) and what not. Guess now its a little cleaner.