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Author Topic: i1Pro vs i1Pro2. Is it worth upgrading? Need a little help.  (Read 6432 times)

sngraphics

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i1Pro vs i1Pro2. Is it worth upgrading? Need a little help.
« on: April 02, 2013, 05:33:56 am »

Currently we are using an i1Pro (UV Cut) which was first being used with Eye-One Match (purchased as i1Xtreme package) and now with i1Profiler 1.4.2.
At first I was just using i1Pro & i1Match to make profiles for our scanner. (couldn't believe the difference & improvement in the scans!)
Soon after our purchase i1Profiler was released and then I started making profiles for our printer. (Epson7900)
We pretty much use only one type of paper for our work here. (Epson Premium Glossy Photo)
This was the main reason for getting the UV Cut version of the i1Pro.
For the Eizo CG243W I use the bundled Color Navigator software with the i1Pro. (Haven't used any other software till now. Unless I should?)
Now that i1Profiler includes scanner profiling without the option to do a custom measurement of a reflective scanner chart, the Spectro is not needed for that anymore.
(Unless X-Rite includes that feature in future releases or I keep using i1Match)
So for now I use the i1Pro just for monitor & printer profiling. Haven't got into camera Profiling yet.
Also, I don't use it everyday. About every month for my monitor and every 2-3 months for my printer

The questions I have are:
- With the way we use our i1Pro here, is it worth upgrading to the i1Pro 2?
- Will we see any real or noticeable differences in how our prints will look or how images will appear on our monitor using the i1Pro2 as compared to the i1Pro?

Note:
Because we really don't have a budget for color management here (Non-Profit) I would have to sell the i1Pro to cover as much of the cost of the i1Pro2 as possible.
From what I understand this would have to happen after the purchase of the i1Pro2. (License Transfers etc)
- Is there still a market for i1Pros in excellent condition?
- Would anyone have an idea of their approx. value?


Any advice, comments or info would be much appreciated.
Thank you.
« Last Edit: April 02, 2013, 05:44:46 am by sngraphics »
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rickhatCHROMiX

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Re: i1Pro vs i1Pro2. Is it worth upgrading? Need a little help.
« Reply #1 on: April 02, 2013, 01:39:33 pm »

It sounds like you're doing everything right. And if you're NOT experiencing any problems, my overall advice is don't change a thing.

I don't think you'll see any difference measuring your Eizo monitor between an i1Pro (Rev1) and an i1Pro2. Nothing essential has changed with emissive mode. There's no justification to change devices because of monitor viewing.

On the other hand, if you feel there is some compromise with gamut of your printer (reduced), you may benefit a little bit from measuring without a UV filter. Your current i1Pro with UV filter could be filtering out some of the dynamic range. I seem to recall that Epson Premium Glossy Photo has low UV content, so you really shouldn't need a UV filtered measurement with this media. Conversely, the i1Pro2 has both UV included and excluded capability. But unless this is noticeable, I wouldn't make a move for only a 1-5% improvement.

If your i1Pro device is older than ~4-5 years (or so)... then you can make a case for replacement. At that point you should have already sent the i1Pro into X-Rite for recalibration and recertification. Minimally thats about ~$250 plus shipping. Its hard to say what your current i1Pro will fetch on eBay or craigslist, but rarely does anyone get more that $600-700 'with' software, or $250-$400 hardware only. Until June 30, 2013 you can get an i1Basic Pro2 for around $950 net with rebates applied. So, you do that math.
Finally, don't forget that that your i1XTreme i1Match software license is tied to the dongle inside of your i1Pro and likely you will need to replace that component too.

Hope this helps.
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sngraphics

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Re: i1Pro vs i1Pro2. Is it worth upgrading? Need a little help.
« Reply #2 on: April 04, 2013, 06:19:02 am »

Hope this helps.
Yes! VERY helpful and informative. Thank you for your reply Rick.
Didn't know about the rebates. That makes things a little more tempting!


Your current i1Pro with UV filter could be filtering out some of the dynamic range. I seem to recall that Epson Premium Glossy Photo has low UV content, so you really shouldn't need a UV filtered measurement with this media.

I'm a little surprised with your comment about the Epson Premium Glossy Photo Paper having low UV content.
(By using the term UV content does that mean the same as having OBA's?)

The reason for the surprise is because I actually bought the original i1Extreme package from Chromix, with you as the sales rep helping me, back in 2010.
(excellent service and advice by the way!)
I was using the same paper back then as well and together we actually based our decision on the i1Pro with UV cut.

Am I using the correct combo of paper and spectro?
So far my results have been better than the Epson supplied profiles.
(at least from what I could see in the darkest blacks as an example)
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digitaldog

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Re: i1Pro vs i1Pro2. Is it worth upgrading? Need a little help.
« Reply #3 on: April 04, 2013, 09:32:36 am »

I doubt you'll see any differences unless the old instrument needs service/calibration, stick with what you have. If it ain't broke....
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jaclarkaus

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Re: i1Pro vs i1Pro2. Is it worth upgrading? Need a little help.
« Reply #4 on: April 11, 2013, 02:57:27 am »



If your i1Pro device is older than ~4-5 years (or so)... then you can make a case for replacement.

My i1Pro (RevB) was bought circa 2006 I think, so has the iMatch software which hasn't been upgrade in years (and does not support multiple monitors)

Question is, am I better off upgrading to i1Pro2 Design, with a new specto, plus all the software and add-ons, or just upgrade the software package?

Mainly used for monitor calibration, but useful for printing, etc. I don't think my unit does the UV-cut or whatever, as it is much older.
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neil snape

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Re: i1Pro vs i1Pro2. Is it worth upgrading? Need a little help.
« Reply #5 on: April 22, 2013, 02:16:05 am »

I would say just upgrade the software, as long as the device seems reasonable in it's measures compared to a standard that you know well. I still have an old i1 Pro as well that works perfectly well. And, it works perfectly well in i1 Profiler, albeit cannot of course measure various UV separated data.
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