X-Rite Eye-One Display LT by Xrite
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Digital camera reviews of X-Rite Eye-One Display LT
Digital camera Review: It looks good.
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased one to calibrate multiple displays in my home. Calibrating computer monitors is very quick and easy with the included software. With just a few clicks the automated process begins. When it's finished, your display has bright, vibrant coloring. Very pleasing to the eye, but I have no method of checking accuracy other than "it just looks right".
It's construction seems a little on the cheap side, and they should have made the counterweight attachment stronger or included a storage compartment for it in the unit itself. I'm sure it will be lost the next time I need to use it.
Digital camera Review: Mixed review (now with Windows 7 update)
Summary: 3 Stars
(Reviewed in August 2008)
First, the good part. I have a hopelessly old monitor whose color was completely off and all my prints were coming out greenish. This unit didn't make the monitor good-as-new, but it did bring about a noticeable improvement that I had been unable to produce by tinkering with the controls and Adobe Gamma for hours.
Now the bad part: There is a quick start guide that is, basically, useless. There is no manual or help menu or any sort of guidance provided either in or on the box or in the software cd. If you visit the manufacturer's site, and search for "manual" or "user guide" or any term for that matter, you get "no results".
There are times, during the calibration (especially the manual one), that the process seems to stall, nothing seems to be happening for long periods. There is no guidance as to what you're supposed to be doing and no way of knowing if something is wrong and you should press the "stop" button or not. (The stop button is the only control on the screen other than a scale with green shading that never seems to change).
Once you have completed the process and saved your profile, there is no guidance as to whether you're supposed to leave the unit plugged in w/the ambient top on (for continuous calibration?) or if you can unplug it and put it away until next time. (This is a lid that has the double purpose of protecting the unit and filtering ambient light during the calibration process). There is no way to find an answer to this stupid question on the website.
When you start the program there is a button to click on for updates. By all means, get the update as it is more efficient (but equally uninstructive) than the cd contents. However, it takes rebooting and a couple of tries before the upgrade installs.
I was fortunate that, during an analysis early in the process, my monitor passed the test as one of those that can be calibrated "automatically" (w/o my having to fiddle with contrast and brightness controls on my monitor). Not all monitors qualify. The first time I tried, I didn't know this and the non-automated process is very prone to stalling and leaving you with a blank screen and an equally blank stare.
During my first attempt to calibrate manually (before I realized that I qualified for automatic) the process seemed to stall, windows flashed a message about a corrupted file, then another message that windows was shutting down the program due to a conflict with the system, then a blue screen memory dump, then a diagnostic re-boot. All in all, not a pleasant experience.
Still, I tried again and it worked (or I guessed right) I got what I paid for. This is probably not the best calibrator out there, but it was the best I could afford right now and it did as well as I had hoped within the limitations of an old monitor.
UPDATE, January 2010: First, the good news: there are now updated drivers that make this software compatible with W7. You can download them here. I'm entering the link because I couldn't find it in the X-rite site, and the page I've been checking since October 2009 says they are still working on the new driver. This link was provided by customer service via e-mail: [...]
Now the not so good: Since my new monitor was not among the select monitors that is eligible for the automated system I used above, I had to go through the manual calibration which tested my patience to no small extent. The first screen RGB something, had me stalled there for well over two hours, almost three, before I pressed stop. It was doing something, but I don't know what because a slider would move forward another would move backwards and the total amount in the bottom also went back and forth, never showing more than a 10% improvement over the beginning number. I pressed the stop button since we were getting nowhere slowly. The second screen (white balance, I think)--same thing. I stopped this one after one hour. (This incarnation of the software does have visual progress references and stop buttons, at least). I proceeded to the final part called measuring, in which color blocks keep appearing under the probe. That part completed within a few minutes. A profile (based on two aborted processes and one completed one) was created and saved. The monitor looks pretty good, the colors seem fine (but they weren't too bad before on this monitor).
I really can't recommend this system with a clear conscience. There has to be something better out there.
Digital camera Review: Not too bad for projector calibration.
Summary: 4 Stars
I use this to calibrate the grayscale and colour gamut of my JVC DLA-HD750 projector to D65 and Rec709 standards. It works great with the free ColorHFCR software.
However, when I use the included software to calibrate the colour on my Dell 24" LCD screen (2407WFP), it created a very odd looking picture and worse than the out of the box settings. Can't figure out why yet. The driver included in the CD is also very very old, you're better off downloading it off their website.
Digital camera Review: Really good for the money!
Summary: 5 Stars
I own the Eye-One and owned its nominal predecessor, the SpyderPro. No question; the Eye-One if vastly superior. When I have it engaged and a am using an up-to-date profile, my prints match my screen essentially every time, first time. [yes, calibrating every few weeks is useful if not necessary] It is sometimes hard to see the actual change in colors just looking at the screen (and if your screen is far out of calibration, it is a painful adjustment to get used to the calibrated ones -- for half an hour or so). The latest version of the software is very good indeed; the first one was pretty rough around the edges.
It clearly shows just how bad "eyeball-based" calibration programs are.
A shortcoming: I wish they had used to photometer in the sensor head to monitor ambient light the same way the Huey ($69.95) does, but the Eye-One gives you a better profile. The next version up is better, but for anybody who doesn't have to prepare copy for commercial publication, the LT offers all the control you'll need!
Digital camera Review: So glad I bought this!
Summary: 5 Stars
I am not very gadget saavy, but this was so easy to use that even I could do it.
You install the software, then set the calibration device on your monitor and it does EVERY thing for you.
The end results were great. I had set my calibrations manually and they were obviously too blue and the contrasts too heavy. This is MUCH better. I had no idea my menu bars were the color I am seeing now. Much more natural tones, hues and contrasts.
This will really help me in my photo-editing.