PantoneColorVision Spyder2PRO Studio Win/Mac review:5 stars (A must have for any serious photographer) - A fantastic product, well known and proven. And at this price - Absolutely amazing!!! A must have for any serious photographer or anyone who wants to see the true color of what they are looking at on their screen.3 stars (Pretty Good When It Works) - My Gripes with the Spyder2PRO (applies mostly to Windows platform):

1. You won't know if the unit itself is miscalibrated.
2. Although the basic documentation is good, it lacks details. Such as, "How does the ColorVision Profile Chooser program affect Window's Color Management Settings and how do the two interact?"
3. Sometimes, the Profile Chooser fails to load your profile when coming out of Windows' hibernation/standby state.
4. The other "value-add" software that comes with it is not that great. Just buy the regular Spyder2 package.

I work primarily with photoshop and web graphics and do not do any print color matching. I wanted to merely calibrate all my CRT, LCD and laptop monitors just enough so that there would be some tonal consistency. I wasn't going for professional pre-press accuracy.

The first Spyder unit I received wasn't properly calibrated at the factory so all my monitors turned out to be too red! Even after several attempts to recalibrate and profile... So after a few email exchanges with Tech support, I returned it for a new unit. (Thanks Amazon)

The second unit seemed to work fine. Except, now, I have this nagging feeling that if it wasn't, I wouldn't really know since I don't have a reference monitor.

In any case, it did a fairly good job of matching my two different LCDs as well as my CRT. (NEC 1760NX, Sony SDM-M51 and ViewSonic G90f) However, on my laptop, the Profile Chooser fails to reload the profile when coming-out of its hibernation state. When I asked tech support about this, they shot me a canned email that didn't really resolve the issue. Now, I have to reselect the profile each time I resume.

(Tech support was prompt in their response. But, it seemed like that they really didn't read my email thoroughly.)

Overall, I'm satisfied with the product and I would recommend the unit. (You really can't beat the price.) I think it could be better if it had the following:

1. Better documentation on how the ColorVision's color management software affects and interacts with the platforms (windows) exisiting color management software.
2. Some reference prints of some sort where I can compare my calibrated monitor with; so that I can know that I've come close to reference material. (I don't know if this is possible or not.)
3. Get rid of the software bugs!
PantoneColorVision Spyder2PRO Studio Win/Mac Features:
Computer software (programs)
Video
Hardware Bundles
Composting
Effects
Editing
The new standard for on-screen color accuracy.
Advanced photo sensors and color filter system provide a 5-fold increase in color sensitivity and consistent color readings.tected light baffle produces accurate LCD display characterization.
Allows you to calibrate and profile multiple monitors on a single system or across an entire studio.
Spyder2PRO software automatically reads the current white and black luminance values for use in precision targeting, providing more consistent calibration results.
Spyder2PRO software walks you through the entire calibration process with its intuitive interface. Comprehensive help screens guide you through each step to achieve your desired color setting.

PantoneColorVision Spyder2PRO Studio Win-Mac is the CD-ROM version. The full version can be purchased by clicking on the "CLICK HERE TO ORDER" button below for around Too Low ToUSD.