Luminous Landscape Forum

Raw & Post Processing, Printing => Colour Management => Topic started by: PetterStahre on September 28, 2009, 05:18:14 am

Title: Professional viewing light
Post by: PetterStahre on September 28, 2009, 05:18:14 am
I'm in the process of upgrading both the screen and to buy some kind of viewing light, which I haven't had before.

I'm qurious about if any of you have experience or opinions about the two products I'm interested in:

Just Color Communicator 2
vs
Just Color Master 2 DI

Link to Justs site (http://www.just-normlicht.de/uk/shop/shop.asp?wag=Desktop+Viewing)

It will be used for comparing images to the screen during editing as well as for customers to view printouts from ongoing photosessions (at least an A3 image must fit).
Since I work in an open studio environment the light varies to some extent during the day (daylight) even though my workstation is not exposed to direct light and well away from nearest window.

CC2 seems to be an interesting product, but is it worth approx 2x the price? And how much of a convenience is the automatic (via USB) dimming functionality in practice? It seems to mean that the CC2 dimms itself to the same level as the screen. For it to work, will I have to use Just's software (adJUST) for screen calibration/profiling or can I use software from Eizo/Nec/.... depending on what screen I buy? Maybe the required information is in the .ICC-file, then it should work regardless of what software did the calibration/profiling. If not, can adJUST do hardware calibration for Eizo/Nec/...-screens (not just profiling)?

Is the CC2:s cabinet a lot better than the open (and portable) solution CM2 represents?

Or should I wait for the LEDs to become finalized? More info (http://www.just-normlicht.de/uk/Hot_News.html)

Many questions   Any opinions/recommendations?


// Petter
Title: Professional viewing light
Post by: walter.sk on September 28, 2009, 07:32:34 pm
I have the Just Normlicht Color Master 3 DI and I love it.  It has 3 powerful light tubes, and I have been able to dial it down to match the light on my NEC 3090WQXi display.  I print on an HP Z3100, often printing a pair of 11x17 pictures on a 24x17 section of roll paper.  I can fit the sheet on the CM 3.I have the CM 3 separated from my monitor by a very tall desktop tower, and cover the sides of the CM 3 with a sheet of black matt foam core on each side.  That keeps spill-over light from influencing my vision when looking at the monitor.  I pause for a couple of seconds when peering from monitor to print display and the similarities in color and tone are eerie.  Yes, I know that they are not the same, but I have no trouble adjusting my softproofed images and trusting that the print copy will look the same on the CM 3.

Construction seems to be at least as good as that of the GTI, and I don't regret what I spent on this viewer.  I would have no hesitation of showing prints to customers on it.
Title: Professional viewing light
Post by: neil snape on September 29, 2009, 01:51:25 am
A long while back Andrew Rodney and I compared the spectrum or distribution if you like of his GTI and my Just. The GTI tubes have better output according to our i1 pros measured and graphed in i1 Share.

Quality of materials , the Just are top quality, reliable, and attractive lights. The only thing on both GTI or Just that leaves me wondering, is inkjet prints just look better in tungsten lights like Solux albeit the white point will not be as high as the screens. The eye adapts so quickly to the white point that matching across Solux to screen is smoother than the effect of OBA and lightboxes. Something to keep in mind.
Title: Professional viewing light
Post by: jjlphoto on September 29, 2009, 05:35:13 pm
I went with the Solux as well.
Title: Professional viewing light
Post by: Thomas Krüger on September 30, 2009, 01:08:59 am
I built my own with plain Philips Colour Control 5000 D50 Graphica Pro lighttubes. Just seems to use selected tubes of this type.
A supplier in Europe is lichtlieferant.de in Berlin
Direct link: http://bit.ly/jzxdv (http://bit.ly/jzxdv)
Title: Professional viewing light
Post by: Fixingshadows on September 30, 2009, 08:56:58 am
If money is no object kit out your workspace with  a JUST  viewing booth and even fit them into your standard florescent housings with the tubes it will make a great deal of difference. Other wise look at the Solux they are a very clean light with no spectral spikes that even the best multi phosphor tubes can show
Title: Professional viewing light
Post by: PetterStahre on September 30, 2009, 09:04:44 am
Thanks a lot for the replies so far. Interesting read.

The effect of OBAs in lightboxes, I haven't thought about it. Is it a big problem?

// Petter
Title: Professional viewing light
Post by: Tim Lookingbill on October 01, 2009, 03:18:21 am
For those wondering about the light quality of the Solux compared to fluorescent tubes I've taken shots of prints of two standard color targets showing the differences. The one on top is a print off a Komori sheetfed press on coated stock of the Ole No Moire file and on the bottom an Epson 2200 inkjet print of the Photodisc skintone section. The fluorescent used is a 15 watt GE Sunshine (Chroma 50) CRI 90 and the Solux is the 50 watt 4700K/D50, CRI 98 black clip-on lamp.

Keep in mind I had to edit both to get them to appear exactly as MY eyes sees these prints due in part to the low luminance from these lights throwing the color off on my Pentax K100D DSLR. I've been editing images for quite some time and am pretty good at matching colors, so take that for what it's worth. I think I did pretty good. And yes I used the same Raw shot for both and edited in ACR to mimic their unique looks. ACR's HSL and color temp sliders are a god send for these types of precise adjustments.

You'll see that the green spikes in the GE's diffused quality of light kind of dulls the color where as the Solux delivers a very good match as well as very vibrant colors mainly due in part to it's spot light style of lighting. Straight beams of light bounce straight back to the eye with no diffusion. The neutralizing filter Solux uses is a mystery of the ages. I don't know how or what materials they used to create it.

For practical purposes both lights work just fine for quick checking of color with the Solux better for precision especially for B&W. However, for B&W to come across neutral you shouldn't be staring at the print for long periods of time under the Solux due to adaptation caused by staring at a 6500K calibrated display. The eyes will start to see the slight yellowish amber tint of the Solux. This is what I started noticing trying to edit these two images to look accurate glancing back and forth between the display and the print but then this will happen with any light. It's all relative.

Solux
[attachment=16923:OleNoMoi...kinSolux.jpg]

GE
[attachment=16924:OleNoMoi...kinGED50.jpg]