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It’s World Photography Day this week. It’s an event which dates back to August 19th, 1839, and it’s a celebration of photography in all its forms. With the day soon approaching, maybe you want to treat yourself to a new gadget?
Or maybe you want to buy a little something for that special photographer in your life. Well, we’ve been going through the gear that we use and here are some of our favourite items that will definitely help to make any photographer’s life easier.
Well, here’s one I missed while I was away in Amsterdam for IBC 2022, but it looks like Datacolor has finally released a pocket-sized version of their Spyder Checkr (review here) for easier use on location. It’s called the Spyder Checkr Photo and contains the 48 familiar swatches found in its bigger and older sibling. The card is also swappable, allowing you to flip them around for 12 more grey scale swatches for checking brightness and contrast as well as large targets for white balancing.
It sure has taken them long enough to make it easier to get the Spyder Checkr out of the studio, although like the larger version, it still feels a little bit lacking in the software department. Essentially, it uses the same software plugin, meaning you can create a HSL profile for Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Camera RAW or Hasselblad Phocus but that’s pretty much it.
What is color? That is a physics question that will require a team of scientists much smarter than me to answer. What I can answer fairly well is what is accurate color? Hint: It’s not what your camera sees, or what your display shows you. If anything, it’s quite far from it.
Datacolor has increased their range of ColorReader products with a new low-budget ColorReader EZ. The new device comes as a cheaper alternative to the company’s ColorReader and ColorReader Pro products, allowing users to measure and match colours for better coordination and consistency in your scene.
It doesn’t have a lens, uses only a single LED to light what it’s measuring and there’s no built-in display, relying instead on a smartphone app over Bluetooth. It’s slightly less accurate than its more expensive counterparts, at “over 85%” (vs 92% for the Pro version) and offers up results in CIELAB, RGB and HEX values.
Along with camera profiling, monitor calibration is one of the most vital things a photographer can do to ensure their work looks the way they intend it to look throughout the whole imaging process. There are various devices out there for calibrating monitors, and now a new one has been added into the mix.
Yesterday, Datacolor announced the new SpyderX Pro and SpyderX Elite, adding to their lineup of monitor calibration tools. They say it’s their fastest and most accurate calibration device to date. Well, I’ve had a SpyderX Elite here for the past couple of weeks, so let me tell you about my experiences with it.
Datacolor has today announced an update to their Spyder range of monitor calibration devices with the new SpyderX Pro and SpyderX Elite, priced at $169.99 and $269.99 respectively. Designed for serious photographers who want to ensure colour consistency throughout their process, Datacolor says that the SpyderX is the fastest and most accurate colour calibration tool they’ve ever made for monitors.
This tutorial was graciously supplied by Datacolor
Using multiple cameras is common practice for some photographers. For example, wedding and event photographers often use more than one camera at a time. In some cases, there will be more than one photographer using multiple cameras. To complicate things, these photographers might be using cameras or lenses from different manufacturers. No matter how many cameras are used on a shoot, color harmony is important to help tell a cohesive visual story. Datacolor SpyderCHECKR can help make this easy and precise.
Today we are teaming up with Datacolor to share their Black Friday deals. Check them out below.
Datacolor is running a super duper promotion and if you are into colors, you definitely want in. The package is $308 value and sells for only $139. The promotion runs through the end of the month and is available via special links (US, CA, EU).
Until the end of the month is longer than a usual Flash Sale and we love Datacolor for that, but I would still jump on this before stock ends or just so you don’t forget and find that it has expired. You would need to show that you own an older calibration unit (from any brand), but this should be a no brainer *cough, cough*. Here are all the details:
Udi 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 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
Dave 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 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 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.
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