Choice of Spectrophotometer

PiezoDN Digital Negatives
1

Hiya, I’m struggling with choosing a good spectrophotometer for PiezoDN

I have been told that the i1 pro is the best choice, but this comes in a number of different versions. The i1 pro Rev D is the last model before the i1 Pro 2, but there are also ‘UV cut’ versions. I need some clarification as to what is best for PiezoDN. Jon has suggested that it is much easier to read measurements if you have a reading board. Most on eBay aren’t supplied with one, but does it really justify a £500 difference in price? Can I get by with a Rev. D without a reading board if it will save me some considerable money?

Cheers,
Gareth

 

2

Really, just a white piece of platinum paper under the spectro will work fine.

 

best,

Walker

3

So you are saying it’s unnecessary to buy the latest model Pro 2. and that a rev D. will work fine? Cheers

4

Can some explain what is required in a Spectrometer for PiezoDN. I see X-rite “Smiles” quite cheap then moving up in $ to the i1 pros. Do I need all the feature of a high unit to do PDN calibration, what can an hack printer maker get away with or should i just stay with the scanner method?

5

Thanks Keith,

Maybe something to look into after Christmas. Happy with way things are going ATM.

Would this be OK?

Spyder 2 Pro Kit Colorvision Data Model 1005 Spectrocolorimeter Calibration Tool http://r.ebay.com/AI58AH

Cheers

Shane

6

The Smile is for displays only, not prints. You would need the ColorMunki Photo.

In my opinion, a scanner will never give you an accurate calibration, not even a really good scanner like my Eversmart Pro II. I am using a DataColor SpyderPrint3 that I’ve had for about 5 years, but only started using 2 or 3 years ago when my old densitometer (X-rite 400) failed. Not knowing anything about LAB, I only used it for density readings until last May when Walker schooled me on the benefits of LAB and how to use the thing properly. I think mine is more comparable to the ColorMunki than the i1, but I’m not really sure having never even seen an i1. Price wise it definitely is.

If that is not in the cards for you, perhaps a used reflection densitometer would work. There is a mathematical way to get from Density to Luminosity (the L* that is used by PiezoDN), Richard Boutwell uses it in his Digital Negative Curve Calculator, but that is only 21-steps. 129 steps is a lot to record by hand so I’d look for one that can connect to the computer. Actually, I think I’d only recommend this route if you already have a working densitometer and want to try it out before investing in a spectro of some sort!

The current SpyderPrint is $249USD from DataColor. The ColorMunki Photo is $510USD from X-Rite. Maybe better prices elsewhere.

7

Hi it’s time to spend some money and buy a Spectrophotometer, but I would love some Expert user-experience or Walker Jedi-Mastery help. Reading the manual (Section 11, 4. CalibratingPiezoDN, Step D) it seems that SpyderPrint ($250) works well as do the the Xrite i1’s ($1285). The Colormunki ($390) is mentioned as “coming soon”.

Question 1 - Is the Colormunki supported yet?

Question 2 - Is it worth spending the extra money and getting the i1 over the Colormunki over the SpyderPrint? I don’t want to spend all the money for an i1 if it’s not necessary. But I don’t want to feel the ‘6 month later’ regret of not paying the extra, if my results are limited by my ability to linearize , because I saved some cash. So I guess the question is what is a “good enough” Spectro. or is the i1 just that much better that I should remortgage the house and go for it?

I’m really sorry if this is answered elsewhere… I did search on the topic in the forum and FAQ but did not find this question.

8

ColorMunki is supported. I think it actually has the same hardware as i1Pro so I wouldn’t worry about using it.

The only weird thing about ColorMunki is if you have a PC. ColorPicker (the app you need to use w/ colormunki) really blows.

The screenshots and workflow for measuring with ColorMunki are in the “linearizing Piezography” section and will be added to the piezodn section soon.

 

best,

Walker

9

Perfect - thanks for the help Walker.

I’ll buy one today and keep a look out for the piezodn update.

10

Shane! I’m sorry I missed your post from 9/18. I keep forgetting that posting in a thread does not automatically subscribe me to it. Wouldn’t be surprised if I’ve missed a few others as well.

I’m using a SpyderPrint3 which is a generation newer than the one in your ebay link above. You’d have to check on the DataColor website regarding software compatibility. I’m using Version 5.0.2 of the SpyderPrint software.

It seems to work well, though I’ve never had access to a ColorMunki, i1, etc from X-rite for comparison.

I downloaded version 2.0.5 of ColorPort just to have a look at it. Is this the recommended version?

Speaking of X-rite options, Walker, are any of the older devices suitable for our purposes? There seem to be so many. From the ColorPort device list:

        DTP20 (PULSE)
        DTP70
        DTP41
        DTP45
        DTP22
        530
        SP62, SP64
        938, 939, 962, 964
        SpectroEye
        SpectroScan
        i1Pro
        i1iO
        i1iSis
        i1iSis XL
11

I’ve build charts for:

    DTP70
    DTP41
    DTP45
    i1Pro
    i1iO
    i1iSis
12

Very happy with my i1Pro2 performance! Which is rather wonderful considering my hesitancy in buying one, and that was at half the price of a new one. I got it on eBay second hand but still unopened. I’d still be interested in trying out the i1Pro Rev.D (final model) to see if the extra money was actually justified. I might do so if one comes up cheap. It’s assuring to know I’m the first one to use it though as I’ve read their accuracy drifts over time.

13

Would something like this be a good one?

 

 

14

yes

15

Hello!
I use x rite 418, can it be used for linearization?
The tools that I see take on LAB values. How can I do this with density?

Sorry for my English. I use Google translate)

16

I will provide a spreadsheet to do Density to Luminance. But it may take some time as I have a lot on my plate.

-Walker

1 Like
17

Most of the discussion on spectro is from a while ago, so maybe we could refresh. I have a data color spyder print spectro from 2015. Under Big Sur and Apple Silicon M1 it looks like keeping old hardware is out and not much seems to claim compatibility with M1 yet. Is my only choice an x-rite pro3 (love how the stuff keeps getting repackaged with a new pro or gold or super name. Is the only way to profile a printout now starting at $1700 from only one manufacturer? I don’t care about Pantone or color, just want to measure a few patches. Any suggestions?

18

Since I can’t afford any of the high-end spectro devices, my attention has been focused on DataColor Spyders and older Xrite I1 Pros that can be found 2nd-hand for cheap. I bought a Spyder3Studio kit in 2011 as a replacement for an old Xrite 400 densitometer that I’d bought used in the early '90s, and a used Xrite i1Pro (branded efi ES-1000) purchased in 2016 or '17.

Both spectros have worked fine with macOS up to Mojave. I’ve recently upgraded my 2013 MacPro to Big Sur (I still have Mojave and High Sierra on external drives to revert to if necessary) and am happy to report that DataColor has upgraded SpyderPrint software to support Big Sur and according to their support page it supports the new M1 macs as well.

SpyderPRINT 5.6 - MacOS

Posted by Carsten Tschach on 12 December 2020 11:07 PM
SpyderPRINT 5.6 Installer for Macintosh, 11.6.20

Download SpyderPRINT 5.6 (MacOS) here: https://goto.datacolor.com/download/mac/S5SR100

Requirements: Datacolor 1005 spectrocolorimeter or Spyder3Print/SpyderPRINT SR spectrocolorimeter

Operating System Support
Mac OS X Mac OS X 10.11, 10.12, 10.13, 10.14, 10.15, 11.0 (aka 10.16). (El Capitan through Big Sur)

This software works with BOTH the original Datacolor 1005 spectro and the 2nd generation Spyder3Print/SpyderPRINT SR spectro, and is a recommended upgrade for existing PrintFIX PRO, Spyder3Print, Spyder3Studio SR, and SpyderPRINT users who are running OSX 10.11 or later. It is also part of the Spyder5 Studio and SpyderX Studio packages.

PLEASE NOTE the following about OSX and system compatibility!

- If you’re running OSX 10.7.x through OSX 10.10.x, you’ll need to stay with the previous SpyderPRINT 5.0.2 software.

- If you’re running OSX 10.6.x or earlier, you’ll need to stay with the much older SpyderPRINT 4.2.3 software.

************* Highlights *************

*** 5.6 version: (NEW 11.6.20)

  • The SpyderPRINT application is now compatible with MacOS Big Sur. This is an Intel-only version which runs natively on Mac Intel systems, and also under Rosetta2 emulation on the new Mac M1 systems.

On the other hand, Xrite is no longer supporting i1 Pro devices with any software upgrades as far as I can tell. I believe this applies to all previous generation Xrite devices such as the i1Pro2, but I can’t say for certain. I guess the i1Studio (looks like a renamed ColorMunki) could be a viable lower-cost option, but I can’t tell from the info provided on the website. Maybe Walker can verify or refute.

Keith

1 Like
19

Curious what you are using now. I had a SpyderPRINT that recently died (switch on top of the unit stopped activating - no blue light) that I may replace or try to find an upgrade. My usage, while it needs to be precise, doesn’t warrant the expenditure on most X-Rite options, other than maybe the Colorbrite (same as X-Rite X1 Studio) which looks like a ColorMunki. Using Ventura on 2018 MacBook Pro.