This little gadget could be useful if your reference is in a different place or lighting scenario to your easel and accurate colour is real important to you - It works in conjunction with a smartphone and I imagine you could also have any palette swatches you like preset and even all the munsell stuff stored in there to A/B your painting against if that’s your game. The ColorReader EZ is around $59/£65 - they do have higher end more pro/accurate kit too. It looks like a cool idea, good luck getting one of these pressed up against an artwork in a museum though…
"The portable, Bluetooth® connected ColorReader EZ device works in conjunction with the ColorReader mobile app (available for both iPhone and Android). The ColorReader app displays the exact measurement data in CIELAB, Hex and RGB as well as the three closest paint colour matches from the most popular paint brands. In addition to the RAL and NCS colour standards, the app includes colour fan decks from Farrow & Ball, Sikkens and also the colour set of Savage Universal who specialise in photography backgrounds, which makes ColorReader EZ especially interesting for portrait and studio photographers. In total, up to 20,000 colours are available for convenient access.
Along with their matched colours, users can build and organize colour palettes by project as well as create signature colour palettes that they can quickly share with anyone. The greater level of colour confidence afforded by ColorReader EZ saves users time and money on reworks due to colour error. ColorReader EZ is a must-have tool for anyone whose work or lifestyle includes colour decisions.
“The colour selection process can be a challenge for all of us, since so many factors can affect how we view colour. We wanted to bring a level of ease and colour-confidence to consumers with an affordable product that they would use whenever they needed to make a decision about colour. ColorReader EZ takes the guesswork out of selecting and coordinating colours. It lets you capture colour inspiration where you find it, with an accuracy you can’t get from a smartphone image. It’s easy to then bring that colour inspiration into your own work.” said Stefan Zrenner, Director of Sales & Marketing, Consumer Solutions, for Datacolor."
Here’s a link to the:- Official Website with more info!