Spyder3Pro
Aimed at serious and professional photographers who need to ensure high color fidelity in their work, Spyder3Pro is Datacolor's mid-range monitor calibration system. It comes with the Spyder3 colorimeter, a precision instrument with a 7 detector color engine, large light aperture and an embedded ambient light sensor. It differs from Spyder3Elite in being substantially less expensive, but lacking the Expert Console and many advanced features.
Spyder3Pro offers dual monitor support, works equally well on Apple Macs or PCs, and offers 4 gamma choices: 1.8, 2.0, 2.2, and 2.4. It also offers 4 color temperature choices: 5000K, 5800K, 6500K, and native -- giving 16 target combinations. What the vendor calls a SpyderProof Function lets you zoom into images to analyze highlights, shadow detail, color or tonal response. You can check for saturated colors, skin tones, gradients and black-and-white, all on the same screen using four quadrants, then softproof the images with your profiles.
Comment
If you don't require all the sophistication of Spyder3Elite, Spyder3Pro is the less complex and easier-to-use option. The Spyder3 colorimeter is a joy to use with any monitor. You can remove the suction cap, which is useful only for increasingly obsolete CRTs, and back-tilt your flat panel display to ensure good contact. Because monitor color changes over time it is best to calibrate fully every month, then use the fast ReCAL option to perform a quick check before important shoots.
Tech info
- OS: Windows XP onward; Mac OS X
- Price level: Approx. $170
Datacolor
Founded in 1970 with operational headquarters in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, Datacolor provides affordable, easy-to-use digital color control products for photographers and other users who require accurate color.
Note: see the Amazon deal on this great product (right panel).
From the same vendor:
- Spyder3Studio
- Spyder3Elite
- Spyder2express
- ...and many others
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