Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
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…
UPDATE: this giveaway has ended. Huge thanks for DataColor for the prize. Jump to the bottom and see if you won.
Enter to Win the Ultimate Photography Prize Package! We are giving away a Datacolor Spyder5CAPTURE PRO + Canon EOS 60D + 28f/1.8 lens. (Total Retail Value – $1,700)
One lucky winner will receive a Datacolor Spyder5CAPTURE PRO & Canon EOS 60D Camera & Canon EF 28f/1.8 USM lens.
When DataColor announced the Spyder5CAPTURE Pro package a few weeks ago, I had to get my hands on one. So we had a chat with DataColor and they sent one over for me to check out. The whole bundle includes four of DataColor’s popular calibration and profiling tools. There’s the SpyderLENSCAL, the SpyderCHECKR, SpyderCUBE and Spyder5ELITE.
My current workflow comprises a mix of X-Rite and Lastolite tools. A ColorChecker Passport, the i1 Display 2 and an Xpobalance. They’ve served me extremely well, so the Spyder5CAPTURE Pro suite has a lot to live up to. The DataColor setup does, however, offer some very distinct advantages over my current system, which we’ll get to throughout the course of the review.
So, let’s have a look at what’s in the box.
Bundles are good. We like bundles. Especially when they contain a bunch of items that are actually useful. One such bundle is the new Spyder5CAPTURE PRO kit by Datacolor. Based around the Spyder5ELITE monitor calibrator, it seems to offer a complete solution from capture to computer.
The kit also includes the SpyderCHECKR, SpyderCUBE and SpyderLENSCAL. Bought separately, this would cost around $425, and if you care about colour accuracy would be worth every penny. But right now, a special introductory price means you can everything for only $269. When you consider that the Spyder5ELITE costs $265 just on its own, that’s a hell of a saving.
UPDATE: the contest is now over and winners have been notified, thanks for playing!
If you ever had an entire shoot returned to you by a graphic department for “those are not the colors of our products”, you know that a calibrated monitor can really ease things for you.
This is why we teamed up with Datacolor to give away a Spyder5Pro ($189 Retail Value)
Datacolor was recently kind enough to send us a Spyder5 Elite to review prior to today’s official launch.
I spent the last couple weeks using the Spyder5 Elite to calibrate four of the screens that I use on a regular basis: both IPS and TN displays, my laptop and an HD TV.
Here are the results of our hands on Datacolor Spyder5 Elite review.
Recently I started adding monitor calibration to my workflow and I am grateful that I did. I am using the Spyder4 Elite to do my calibration and I am going explain what it is and how it can help save your butt.
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