DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

DIYP reviews the newly annoucned Datacolor Spyder5 Elite+

Nov 29, 2016 by JP Danko 3 Comments

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

datacolor spyder5 elite+ review

Datacolor has just announced a big software upgrade to their current line of monitor calibration tools – the Spyder5PRO+ and Spyder5ELITE+, which go with their Spyder5 product family. We reviewed those here.

Ahead of the public release, I had a chance to test out the new software and I think that Spyder5 users are going to be pretty excited about a some of the new features unlocked with the Spyder5 Elite+

Continue reading to find out what’s new and my thoughts on the upgrade…

The Datacolor Spyder is a line of monitor calibration tools used to make sure that the colors you see on an electronic display are as close as possible to their true color.  If you’re new to monitor calibration or the Datacolor Spyder line of monitor calibration tools, you will want to take a moment to read our previous reviews:

  • Hands on Datacolor Spyder5 Elite Review
  • DIYP Reviews the Datacolor Spyder5 Capture Pro Suite

Three models of the Spyder5 are currently available: Spyder5EXPRESS, Spyder5PRO, and Spyder5ELITE. Software upgrades are available for both the Spyder5PRO+ and Spyder5ELITE+

Here is a feature list that shows some of the new features available with this upgrade and the differences between the Spyder5PRO+ and Spyder5ELITE+

spyder5-elite-vs-pro

Device Color Calibration with the Spyder5 Elite+

The monitor calibration process with the Spyder5 Elite+ software upgrade is pretty much the same as it was before with the Spyder5 series, with one big update and two smaller updates.

The big update is called “Automatic Room Light Switching” which allows your monitor to automatically adjust it’s brightness levels relative to your room’s ambient light level. I really like this feature because during a bright sunny day my monitor will now automatically brighten up to display images properly with a brighter ambient light level – but when I am working with the normal ambient light level in my office (ie. at night with the lights dimmed), the monitor will dim to accordingly.

The only downside is that you have to keep the Spyder5 sensor connected to a USB port and sitting on your desktop – adding clutter and wires.

The other two new features are “Profile Management”, which allows you to easily turn on or off, switch, delete, and rename existing profiles and “One Click Calibration” which allows you to re-calibrate your monitor with a single click.

Soft Proofing & Device Simulation

The Spyder5ELITE+ update includes improved “Screen-to-Print” matching with new workflow and tools to simulate how images will look on any printer or device – including home printers, online or retail printers, and various mobile/tablet devices.

This isn’t a feature that I use very often – but it could certainly be invaluable to users who are outputting images that are going to be used on a specific device.

The process for soft proofing is simple enough, you select an image to soft proof and then select a device to simulate. However, I found the user interface to be a little clunky and only three mobile device profiles came pre-installed (“Lenovo”, iPad3 and “Google Nexus”).

The screen shot below shows an iPad3 simulation with the Gamut Warning enabled – showing that some of the red in the model’s shirt would be out-of-gamut for that particular screen.

spyder5-elite-soft-proofing

Studio Match

The Spyder5ELITE+ update also includes an updated studio match feature with a visual verification step to ensure more precise monitor matching and take the guess work out of making all displays look alike.

This is another feature that I won’t use much personally, but could be very useful for larger studios working across many different displays.

Conclusion

The cost to upgrade from Elite to Spyder5ELITE+ is $29.99 (or more if you want to upgrade from the pro or express levels), so the real question is: are these upgrades worth thirty bucks?

Personally, I like the automatic room light switching feature along with one click calibration and color profile management, but I won’t use the soft proofing or studio matching capabilities very often (if ever).

If you already use a Spyder5PRO or Spyder5ELITE I really don’t see the value in spending $30 on this update.

If you specifically need soft proofing and/or studio matching, you might see more value in this update – but my gut feeling is that Datacolor should have really released this as a free upgrade to its loyal customers and not a standalone product.

If you use a Datacolor Spyder, please leave a comment below and let us know what you think!

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

Hands-On-Datacolor-Spyder5-ReviewHands On Datacolor Spyder5 Elite Review DIYP tests out the new SpyderX Elite – Datacolor’s “fastest and most accurate” monitor calibrator DIYP Reviews the DataColor Spyder5CAPTURE Pro Suite Datacolor releases the new SpyderX Pro and Elite monitor calibrators

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: color calibration, datacolor, datacolor spyder, monitor calibration, review, Spyder, spyder5 elite review

JP Danko: from diyphotography.net

About JP Danko

JP Danko is a commercial photographer based in Toronto, Canada. JP
can change a lens mid-rappel, swap a memory card while treading water, or use a camel as a light stand.

To see more of his work please visit his studio website blurMEDIAphotography, or follow him on Twitter, 500px, Google Plus or YouTube.

JP’s photography is available for licensing at Stocksy United.

« Photography, one of the most expensive and addictive drugs there is
Advanced video stabilisation with Premiere and After Effects »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • Jollylook Pinhole SQUARE DIY pinhole camera kit shoots Instax square film
  • The “Digitally Analog Polaroid” runs ChatGPT code on a Raspberry Pi
  • My first year with the Mamiya M645 medium format film camera
  • 2023 Milky Way Photographer of the Year contest unveils jaw-dropping winning photos
  • Rare albino giant panda caught on camera in China

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy