The colorimeter measures the transmitted light, calculates the absorbance value, and uses this to determine the unknown concentration. They are fast, budget-friendly, and perfect for routine pass/fail checks on the factory floor. The instrument mainly. The two most advanced color measurement instrument types are colorimeters and spectrophotometers, both of which use sophisticated technologies to accurately and precisely quantify and define color. While closely related, these instruments have unique qualities that may make one more suitable than. A Spectrophotometer (Figure 2. It works by comparing the color of the sample with a standard reference, providing data in terms of color coordinates, typically in CIE Lab or XYZ color spaces.