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 enlarge | Brand: ColorVision
Category: CE
List Price: $196.99
Buy New: $137.89
You Save: $59.10 (30%)
New (44) Used (1) from $137.89
Avg. Customer Rating:  12 reviews
Sales Rank: 2504
Format: Cd-rom
Platforms: Windows Xp, Mac Os X
Media: Electronics
Memorabilia: No
Operating System: Mac OS X
Shipping Weight (lbs): 4
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 2.6 x 6
MPN: S3P100
Model: S3P100
UPC: 875720000650
EAN: 0875720000650
ASIN: B000X4X37A
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
Adaqute for the price June 2, 2008
18 out of 19 found this review helpful
I've used three other monitor calibrators and in my opinion this is a mid grade product. This item is superior to the Huey Pro since it's able to calibrate hybrid backlit monitors like the Dell Ultrasharp 2408wfp but the ultimate downfall of this product is that it does not measure luminance.
I was able to accurately calibrate color but the brightness of the monitor was blinding even when I set my brightness to ZERO, luminance level was measured at 320 cd/m2. I had to returned this item to purchase a X-rite Eye One Display Two since the calibration tool and software is similar to that of the Lacie Blue eye pro but more importantly it measures luminance for accuracy. With the Eye one display two I was able to calibrate my dell 2408wfp luminance to a comfortable 120 cd/m2 and still maintain superior color accuracy and good contrast.
If you don't have problems with brightness and just need color accurate calibration then this item is for you. But if you spend long hours in front of overly bright LCD monitors and need color accuracy without fatiguing or damaging your eyes then consider the Eye One Display or even Lacie Blue eye.
 Right on the money - big improvement EVERYWHERE May 10, 2008
19 out of 20 found this review helpful
This review won't compare this colorimeter to other brands/models. However, the capabilities of the Spyder3Pro where exactly what I was looking for, and I detail some of the results.
I bought this item after shooting my first wedding. I had noticed that previously, all of my photos had to have some additional correction to get anywhere close to what I had on screen when sending them to print, and even that was a crap shoot.
This little gem has completely fixed the issue. True, there is a *slight* variation from printer to printer (as I didn't buy the elite package that profiles your printers too), but it's not noticeable to most people.
Down to details:
* It's very nice to be able to set multiple monitors in multiple locations and know that the profiles you have will definitely work. I can match up computer LCD displays, CRT televisions (or monitors), or even wide-screen plasmas and projectors to become color corrected.
* The ambient light sensing ability is another big plus since I take my photo editing with me to multiple locations on my laptop. This is important if you're switching from working in daylight to fluorescent to incandescent light. There can also be issues when you're working in a space where bright light is being reflected off of colored walls or some other surface and can effect the color cast in which you're viewing your work. Odds are, if you care enough to be considering one of these, then you'll care about these issues.
* Since I've had my laptop for almost 4 years, you can bet that the screen's LCD had changed in hue. After correction, it was ridiculously better. Now, not only does photo output look better, but working in other types of applications is actually a little exciting with such vibrant colors that I hadn't seen in years, if ever. Before, I thought it was simply the glossy screens my friends had on their newer laptops that made them look better (I'd never get one- glare is too annoying). Now I know it was simply the color profile.
* This Spyder is much smaller than my friend's Spyder 2, and still produces the same or better results. It even includes a stand (with threads on the bottom for mounting) to sit on your desk or wherever to let you know if lighting conditions change enough to warrant a different or new color profile. The unit comes with a rather lengthy USB cable- good for desktop users- and slide-able counterweight. Both worked like a charm for me. I only wish they gave you a case to protect it inside your bag.
Some system specific anecdotes:
* Profiles can be custom named (of course) under Mac OS and will show up in the Display->Color pane of the System Preferences app in Mac OS X. Just make sure that you don't have "Show profiles for this display only." checked if you want to see your new, custom profiles.
* While the new profile for my laptop screen made a DRASTIC difference in the look of the rest of the system, Aperture seem to adjust much less. This is probably due to the associated RAW processor accounting for display settings when throwing up previews. That being said, I noticed a much larger shift when working with flattened or RAW images in Photoshop. Lesson learned: when using Mac OS, Aperture does a much better job account for display aging/profile shift.
A must for an Ametaur Photographer April 25, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
It works as advertise and now I am able to have a full color management workflow. It allow for easy calibration of dual screen setups on both my MacBook Pro and my Dell Laptop. After the calibration the image corrected look 95% in the print of a Canon i9000 as it did in the monitor. Some of the difference is like due to not using Canon paper.
 Works as advertised April 17, 2008
9 out of 12 found this review helpful
As an avid amateur photographer, I had heard much about how important it is to calibrate one's monitor, so I finally gave in and ordered this. (Not from Amazon).
The short: it installed without much hassle on my Vista box, and the software runs fine. I was able to calibrate my LCD, a ViewSonic 2030WM, in less than 15 minutes, from opening the package to calibrated profile.
I don't print at home, so I had to wait to get prints back from a professional printer in order to compare an image viewed on my calibrated monitor against the output from a (presumably) calibrated printer with its own appropriate color profile. I have used drugstore prints as well as prints from MPix.
The colors match quite well.
(As an aside, the monitor profile did not seem to change the way the monitor looked very much at all. This implies that the ICM profile that came with my monitor was not so bad to start with.)
A few nits:
I find software that adds something to my taskbar annoying. I prefer software to run when I run it, and not otherwise. The Spyder3 loads a little taskbar utility, however. The supposed benefit is 1) that the software can remind you when it's time to recalibrate and 2) that the device can adjust the display to ambient light conditions in real time. I can't say I've noticed much change, but I guess the effect is subtle, and the whole idea is that the display just looks right all the time.
The device has a bright blue LED that pulses a bit like a Cylon. It seems to serve no purpose except to annoy, especially if you are working in the near dark. In fact, it pulses even when my PC is in sleep mode, and in the middle of the night, it seems bright enough to read by. The little taskbar software has an option to extinguish this light, but the option does not appear to be "sticky" -- on reboot, the light is back on again.
That said, no major problems.
Works great and does what it is supposed to do..... So, buy it March 7, 2008
13 out of 13 found this review helpful
I don't know what some of these reviews are saying... I just received mine today and it works great! I do also have the huey, and that works ok, but the Spyder3 does a much better job and the colors look more vibrant and photos look the way you want them to when you print them.
Also I have a new iMac with a CRT on the side so i have two monitors. They are both easy to calibrate with the new updated software on the website.
Go ahead and splurge.....!!!!!!
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