Datacolor Launches Spyder5: Next Gen Devices for Perfecting Your Monitor’s Color
Color management company Datacolor has just announced Spyder5, a new line of devices for making sure the color seen on your monitors is accurate to ensure that your photos look the same across screens and match your prints.
The new series contains three versions: EXPRESS, PRO, and ELITE. Each of the versions adjust your monitor’s colors to match an industry reference standard. “With true screen color, photographers can more accurately edit their photos and achieve better print matching,” Datacolor says.
The Spyder5 improves on its predecessor with a redesigned optical engine that contains 7 detectors. Datacolor says the new system delivers a 55% improvement in tonal response for more accurate shadows and smoother gradients.
Using the Spyder5 system involves hanging the device on the front of your monitor, matching it up with an on screen guide in the included software, and running the calibration software to analyze and tweak your monitor’s colors.
The Spyder5EXPRESS is an affordable tool that delivers calibration with a simple 4-step interactive process. Photographers can compare what their monitors looked like before and after, as well as do calibrations on multiple displays.
Spyder5Pro includes some advanced features, including an integrated ambient light sensor in the device for seeing the light in your room, more precise calibration settings, display analysis, and an option for importing images for evaluating before and after results.
Finally, the top tier Spyder5ELITE is geared towards professional photographers in studio environments. There’s a built-in tripod mount for calibrating projector displays, an “unlimited range” of calibration settings, comprehensive display analysis, advanced before and after comparisons, monitor matching and tuning, and optimized gray balancing.
The Spyder5EXPRESS, Spyder5PRO and Spyder5ELITE are now available from Datacolor and other retail outlets for $129, $189, and $279, respectively.
