Day 5: 25 Insights in 25 Days Holiday Marathon
Extremely Accurate Calibration Resetting The Price Point Boundary
Anyone who has met me, knows that I’m pretty keen on perfection – it might be the knot on my shoelaces or how good the carwash is on my car, I crave perfection, and in no place in my life is this more apparent that monitor calibration!
However, in my defense, accurate, calibrated monitoring is something to actually desire in the world of color correction!
While calibration software like Light Illusion’s LightSpace CMS or Spectracal’s Calman are an essential component in the calibration hardware chain, no more single item (at least in my opinion) is as important as the calibration meter (also known as a probe) you are using.
A while back (and yes, its been too long since I’ve done another calibration Insight) I wrote a general overview of hardware and software needed for calibration.
In that Insight, I discussed colorimeters and spectroradiometers, what they are, what they do and how they’re often used in combination with each other.
I also noted in that Insight how high quality meters – both colorimeters and spectroradiometers are expensive! Costing depending on the model, between $7,000 – $30,000!
Well, things have just got much more interesting with the introduction of the Colorimetry Research CR-100 Colorimeter and the CR-250 Spectroradiometer
Who is Colorimetry Research?
I asked myself the exact same question!
As a colorist and someone who cares deeply about accurate calibration I knew of the main probe/meter companies like Klein, PhotoResearch, Xrite, and Jetti but had not heard of Colorimetry Research until my to good pals Juan Salvo and Bram Desmet from Flanders Scientific mentioned them to me.
The team that runs Colorimetry Research has an impressive pedigree, with years of working at the very top of the industry and a deep background of color science and manufacturing at other meter manufactures prior to starting their new company.
Additionally, it seems they actually have a sense of how to explain highly technical concepts to both new users and seasoned color pros. Just take a look at their website the first thing you’ll notice it looks nice AND it’s not all jargon!
That all sounds great, but what does it really translate too?
Experience, know how and the ability to make a fantastic product.
But as I told Juan and Bram, that wouldn’t do me much good if the products cost as much as a good quality car!
Cost my friends told me, was where Colorimetry Research was striving to really break some ground.
Is That The Right Price?
At $4990 for the CR-100 Colorimeter and $6990 for the CR-250 Spectroradiometer you might be thinking:
“Robbie, that’s still pretty darn expensive”
You’re right, but you have to put those prices in perspective, and compare these units to other similar quality meters on the market.
The Klien K-10a which is a fantastic colorimeter, lists for about $7000. The Jetti Specbos 1211 Spectroradiometer about $9000 and it’s all up from there.
For example, Minolta Colorimeters can cost $12-14k, PhotoResearch Spectroradiometers can cost as much as $25-30k !
So, while still quite a bit of cash, if color accuracy and trust of your monitors is of the utmost importance and you want reference grade measurement devices, it’s hard to beat the new Colorimetry Research meters.
Don’t Take My Word For It!
When it comes to the technical aspects of monitors and calibration there is one person that I trust implicitly – Bram Desmet from FSI.
Of course Bram runs Flanders Scientific, has been a great friend to Mixing Light, Tao Of Color and me personally, but is also just a wealth of information when it comes to anything monitoring and calibration.
Since I was so excited about these new meters, and I knew Bram had spent quite a bit of time putting them through their paces (probably better than anyone could) in the labs at FSI, I asked him if he’d be a guest and record an interview discussing the CR-100 & CR-250.
The Good News? He agreed!
In the interview below, Bram and I spend about 30min talking about these new meters and various aspects of them including:
- How do colorimeters and spectroradiometers compare?
- What makes a “high quality” colorimeter or spectroradiometer?
- How he would compare the CR-100 to the popular Klein K10-A & the CR-250 to high-end spectroradiometers
- Do these meters work with popular calibration software?
Of course, sprinkled throughout, there are some other great pieces of info that Bram shares.
Don’t forget to visit the Colorimetry Research site as well as head over to the Flanders Scientific site to purchase top quality reference monitors and everything you need for calibration.
– RC
Members Only Discount! GOOD UNTIL JANUARY 6th 2015 !
The fantastic teams at Colorimetery Research & Flanders Scientific are offering MixingLight members 10% off the already low price of either the CR-100 or CR-250. Want the killer combo of both a colorimeter and spectroradiometer? Members can also get 10% of the pair when purchased as a bundle which gives you a HUGE overall savings
To use your 10% discount head over to the probes section of ShopFSI.com select the Colorimetry Research meter(s) you want and then at check out use the following code:
MXLCRI
This is a very special discount ONLY for MixingLight.com members so please keep the discount code private and don’t distribute.