# X-Rite MSCCPP ColorChecker Passport - Who uses it? Opinions please...



## cayenne (Jun 12, 2013)

Hi All,

As usual...I'm poking around looking for camera stuff...and saw on Creative Live someone showing the use of the ColorChecker Passport....

Can someone that uses this give me some details and your thoughts and opinons of how useful a tool it is?

I see it packaged with some monitor calibration too...is that worth the extra $$?

Thanks in advance,

cayenne


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## polarhannes (Jun 12, 2013)

If accurate colors are important to you you should get one. Be sure to get a screen calibrator, too. This way you make sure that the colors look right as well on your screen. Basically the color checker aids you in getting the colors of the image right and the screen calibrator makes your screen display the colors right.Color management is a huge chapter and I think every photographer crosses that path at some point.


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## cayenne (Jun 12, 2013)

polarhannes said:


> If accurate colors are important to you you should get one. Be sure to get a screen calibrator, too. This way you make sure that the colors look right as well on your screen. Basically the color checker aids you in getting the colors of the image right and the screen calibrator makes your screen display the colors right.Color management is a huge chapter and I think every photographer crosses that path at some point.



Thanks for the reply.

Curious about the screen calibrator. I bought a Dell U2711...it came with documentation that it had been properly calibrated. Do monitors often go out of calibration with use?

One of the reasons I bought the u2711, in addition to the resolution, was that it was advertised as being calibrated and correct for color display....so, curious if I'd really need the more $$ Xrite package that has the color monitor calibration hardware. They offer two of them, does it matter really which one you get?

Thanks!

C


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## docholliday (Jun 17, 2013)

I use one on location for a few shots, especially during difficult lighting. I also use a colorchecker SG for profiling my cameras. During product shooting, every final frame is shot with a passport to insure color accuracy and dead-on color temp adjustments. When I reproduce paintings, every frame has a colorcheck shot at the bottom of the frame with it also.

The passport occasionally gives hiccups, due to the patches being so small, causing a slight inaccuracy of color, but that's when I pull out a full size cc to do the work.

I also use a Minolta Color Meter to get accurate CT when necessary and to match lighting via gels.

As far as monitors go, yes, they will drift, even the best ones. I generally re-check calibrations once a month, and also right before a critical project on a daily basis. Be sure to warm up the monitor 30-45 minutes (even on the high end Eizos!) before you calibrate, and daily before usage. LED backlit units are a bit better, but I've still had them drift a bit. 

I use Dell U monitors often and for the price, they are really good monitors. But, don't trust the presets for aRGB and sRGB, they're close, but never dead accurate. That's why you profile - you should always calibrate your monitor on your own if you care about editing accuracy. It can make the difference between good shadow detail and a black blotch or pure white vs white with a touch of detail.

As far as the packaged cal/checker, it depends on the price. You can get a good calibrator separately from the CC sometimes for cheaper than the prepackaged deal. 

If you calibrate and it looks the "same", you're good for a while. But, most times, you'll be surprised how much better the calibrated monitor looks even though the factory preset one didn't look bad.

Also, if you print any of your own work, you'll definitely want a calibrator that does screen AND print. The CC insures accurate *capture/reproduction* - the calibrator insures accurate *editing/output*. I tend to set my monitors to 75cd/m2 instead of the 100cd/m2 that is commonly talked about, calibrate for wide-gamut via an i1 and get dead-on prints to all my printers. If you send out for printing, you'll still want calibration, and use an sRGB profile for best output.


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