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Datacolor Spyder5EXPRESS – Designed for Hobbyist Photographers (S5X100)
Brand | datacolor |
Compatible Devices | Desktop |
Material | Paper |
Unit Count | 1.0 Count |
Screen Size | 10.1 Inches |
Screen Surface Description | Glossy |
Number of Items | 1 |
About this item
- Advanced color accuracy solution for all of your laptop and desktop displays - See, share and print your images just as you intended with confidence. Fast and easy, full calibration takes only about five minutes to ensure color accuracy.
- Room light monitoring determines optimal monitor brightness so you see fine shadow detail and highlights in your photos, ensuring your edited images match your prints.
- “Before and After” evaluation of your calibration results using your own photographs, to focus on details that are important to you.
- Display Analysis feature lets you evaluate and compare the performance of all of your laptop and desktop monitors.
- In less than five minutes, Spyder5PRO calibrates your monitor to ensure color accuracy and consistency. Not only will photo editing be easier, you will spend less time in the “print-edit-print” cycle and waste less ink and paper.
What do customers buy after viewing this item?
- Datacolor Spyder X Elite – Monitor Calibration Designed for Expert and Professional Photographers and Motion Imagemakers SXE100FREE Shipping by AmazonOnly 1 left in stock - order soon.
- Datacolor Spyder5ELITE – Designed for Professional Photographers (S5EL100)FREE ShippingGet it Apr 1 - 4Only 2 left in stock - order soon.
From the manufacturer
Why Calibrate Your Monitor
Most monitors come out of the box with the brightness set too high and with over saturated colors – plus they degrade over time. Your display is the window into your digital image, you need to be able to trust it. Spyder5 calibrates your display to an industry color reference standard to ensure your colors are accurate for better print matching. Your image editing will be easier and faster, you’ll spend less time in the 'print-edit-print' cycle, and you’ll waste less ink and paper.
Top 5 Reasons to Calibrate Your Display
- Monitors display colors differently.
- People see colors differently.
- Prints don’t match your monitor.
- Image colors are not true to life.
- Save time and money.
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True Color in A FlashSpyder5EXPRESS creates a unique color profile for your monitor, so you can see the true colors of your photographs. Say goodbye to time wasted on manually correcting your monitor’s preset settings without success. Now skin tones are going to be accurate and the blue sky you shot is going to look blue – not cyan. |
Tomorrow's TechnologyNext generation Spyder technology comes with a colorimeter that's compact, portable and protected. It includes a dual purpose lens cap and counterweight, and guarantees improved tonal response with the industry's only patented 7-detector optical engine. |
Fast & EasySpyder5EXPRESS is extremely easy to use and takes just 5 minutes once a month. In a simple 4 step process just select your monitor type, place the Spyder5 on screen, click the 'calibrate' button, and then see your calibration results. There is no need to learn color management theory because the new interactive help provides simple to understand explanations for every step and term. |
See Your 'Before and After' Calibration Results with SpyderProof
Seeing a photo in 'Before and After' mode allows you to see your calibration results. The Datacolor standard composite photos highlight changes in color, skin tones, shadow and highlight details, giving you confidence that your monitors achieve precise color accuracy.
System Requirements
- Windows 7 32/64, Windows 8.0, 8.1 32/64, 10 32/64
- Mac OS X 10.7, 10.8, 10.9, 10.10
- Monitor resolution 1280x768 or greater, 16-bit video card (24 bit recommended), 1GB of available RAM, 500 MB of available hard disk.
- Internet connection for software download.
- USB port
What You Get
- Spyder5 Colorimeter
- Welcome Card with software download link and warranty registration.
- Software Serial Number
- Reusable storage box
Spyder5EXPRESS | Spyder5PRO | Spyder5ELITE | |
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Customer Reviews |
4.0 out of 5 stars
884
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4.4 out of 5 stars
1,564
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4.0 out of 5 stars
405
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Designed For | Hobbyist photographers seeking a simple monitor color calibration solution | Serious photographers and designers seeking a full-featured and advanced color accuracy solution | Professional photographers, studios, and calibration perfectionists seeking ultimate control of their color workflow |
Hardware Calibration Device | Spyder5 Colorimeter | Spyder5 Colorimeter | Spyder5 Colorimeter |
Software | 4 Step Process & Interactive help | Wizard, Interactive Help, Advanced Features | Wizard, Interactive Help, Expert Console, Suite of Expert Features |
Calibration Settings | Fixed (2) | 16 Choices | Unlimited choices, user-defined, and Rec.709 for videography |
Multiple Monitor Support | Laptops & Desktop Monitors | Laptops & Desktop Monitors | Laptops, Desktop Monitors, Front Projectors & Studio Match Assistant |
Before & After Calibration Evaluation | Standard Datacolor Image | Standard Datacolor Image & Imported User Images | Standard Datacolor Image & Imported User Images (Full Screen Mode) |
Room Light Monitoring | None | 3 Ambient Light Settings | 5 Ambient Light Settings |
Fast Recalibration Option | None | Yes | Yes |
Display Analysis | None | Basic | Advanced including Screen Uniformity |
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Videos
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Product information
Product Dimensions | 2.73 x 2.93 x 1.71 inches |
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Item Weight | 4.6 ounces |
ASIN | B00UBSL2TO |
Item model number | S5X100 |
Customer Reviews |
4.0 out of 5 stars |
Best Sellers Rank | #299,408 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics) #732 in Motion Detectors (Electronics) |
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
Date First Available | March 24, 2015 |
Manufacturer | Datacolor |
Warranty & Support
Feedback
Product Description
Simple color accuracy solution for monitors to help you see true colors on screen and achieve better print matching. Easy and fast calibration for laptops and desktops. Please make sure that your display has been powered up for at least 30 minutes prior to doing a calibration
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the ease of use of the screen protector. For example, they mention it's easy to setup and use the software. That said, some complain about the software, saying it leaves a lot to be desired and provides poor results. Opinions are mixed on color accuracy, calibration, and value.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers like the performance of the screen protector. For example, they mention it really works well, is easy to use, and produces excellent results. Some say the hardware works great, while others say the software is incredibly basic and limited. That said, most are happy with the performance and functionality of the product.
"...Great price, great product, and after all my research going in, I am glad I went with this product." Read more
"...Works well, with one caveat: The software takes a very long time to install itself...." Read more
"...The Spyder5express worked quite well on my ASUS laptop monitor. Night and day difference...." Read more
"...It works very intuitively. Didn't even bother with the native Spyder5 software. Don't forget the Argyll CMS instrument drivers...." Read more
Customers find the screen protector easy to use and setup. They mention that the software is simple, straightforward, and quick. Some appreciate the online instructions and videos to look at before the set up process.
"...This does a great job of that, and it is super easy to setup...." Read more
"It's simple, easy to use. Just read the instructions...." Read more
"This item did a fantastic job of calibrating my ViewSonic Monitor. It was easy. It was quick...." Read more
"...Read up on the DisplayCAL help file and you'll see how easy it really is to use (and maybe make a donation?)...." Read more
Customers like the quality of the screen protector. They say it is an excellent piece of hardware with good construction. Some say it pairs well with ArgyllCMS and is worth keeping for long term.
"As others have noted, the hardware is great, and coupled with the free DisplayCAL software, everything works great on my Windows 10 system...." Read more
"The hardware is great, the software is crap and the licensing scheme is borderline criminal...." Read more
"It is a quality product beautifully packaged. I bought the lowest edition since the hardware is the same for all versions...." Read more
"...So you can get an excellent piece of hardware and a software with more options that the software provided by Datacolor for this product." Read more
Customers are mixed about the color accuracy of the screen protector. Some mention that the colors and contrast are markedly better with DisplayCAL doing its thing, while others say that there is still a very slight color difference between three screens.
"...Yeah, warm and pleasant to review images from your last romantic adventure, but not accurate at all...." Read more
"...So far, fleshtones have looked great for portraits.Others have mentioned that other free software works with this...." Read more
"...There is still a very slight color difference (hue, saturation) between 3 screens, but I attribute that to the display quality itself...." Read more
"...desktop monitor looks beautiful after the calibarion, and matches my high end printer, which it didn't before the procedure, and I am happy with the..." Read more
Customers are mixed about the calibration of the screen protector. Some mention that the results are definitely noticeable, easy, and satisfied with the final calibration. However, others say that it takes longer than expected to calibrate, does not go well, and is not accurate at all.
"...Works well, with one caveat: The software takes a very long time to install itself...." Read more
"...I'm very satisfied with the final calibration, and the increase in color representation for making color prints on a photo printer." Read more
"...Definitely helpful. It takes longer than expected to calibrate. Just follow instructions and you will be good to go...." Read more
"...works very well with the Spyder hardware and was able to do incredibly accurate settings...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the value of the screen protector. Some mention that it's a great unit for the money, an investment, and a good buy. However, others say that it simply isn't worth it, it'll cost you a lot to upgrade, and it'd be better to spend your money on a different product.
"...Great price, great product, and after all my research going in, I am glad I went with this product." Read more
"...give this four stars as I do feel it does an adequate job albeit a little expensive for what it does, and for my other monitor I’d rate it a 1." Read more
"...The calibration procedure takes about two hours but is well worth the time since all of my screens now look even better since I did recalibrate..." Read more
"...model (especially software products), the Spyder is still a relatively great value if you have multiple computers." Read more
Customers are dissatisfied with the software that comes with the screen protector. They mention that it leaves a lot to be desired, with quite a few missing options and features. Some say that the software provides poor results, is useless, and inaccurate. They also mention that the bundled software allows only basic functionality.
"...On several occasions, it seems to have stopped installing, and the screen has time to go into sleep mode...." Read more
"...Three of the screens looked pretty good and one of the laptops was not good. I calibrated the laptop two more times with the same poor results...." Read more
"...I also ran into a mild issue with the software database. Their software has nearly all of the manufactures and models listed in it...." Read more
"...Sadly the software provides poor results, as evidenced by the negative reviews you may read...." Read more
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After calibrated with spyder 5 express, which only takes 5 mins on me, and maybe 15 mins in total, the color cast is all gone. There is still a very slight color difference (hue, saturation) between 3 screens, but I attribute that to the display quality itself. Now the white color looks the same. It might still looks different on someone else' screen, but if theirs get calibrated as well (which I believe all professionals, and most prosumers do), the difference should be minimum.
One thing to notice is how the software interact with windows 10. Initially I switched to my laptop monitor view only, calibrated it, then switched to monitor display only, calibrated it, then I switched to the extended mode. Windows 10 only use the color profile for the monitor display, and therefore, the color on the laptop display was still off. So I calibrated the monitor display again, but in the extended mode. Now they are the same. I suspected that there is some configuration in windows that would allow you apply color profile to each display directly, but I didn't spend the time figuring it out. The calibration process was fast enough that I just did it again.
Overall, I'm very happy with the product, and will recommend this to other people.
I have a pretty good color pallet, and considered using an alternate software with the hardware provided as recommended by some of the other power users. I felt like it was good enough for now, and am not yet going to go that route. Great price, great product, and after all my research going in, I am glad I went with this product.
Works well, with one caveat: The software takes a very long time to install itself. On several occasions, it seems to have stopped installing, and the screen has time to go into sleep mode. This made me abort the installation first time after 20 minutes. The second, I just let it run and went to dinner. It finished installing. The calibration process requires that in a not overly brightly lit room, you dangle the device such that it makes contact with the roughly triangular outline "place sensor here" area. You start the calibration, and the screen changes color, but sometimes looks like the computer is hung up (have faith!); takes a long time. Better to start the run before you go to lunch!
Anyway I ended up researching my issue and found a lot of useful info as well as a lot of confusing info. I came back to Amazon site to read read reviews that had been posted by owners of the Spyder5 Express. I noticed that several reviews complained that the datacolor software was just ok but there was a lot better software available. The popular Software was DisplayCal and Argyll which work together. DisplayCal is the GUI while Argyll is the software that does all the work.
I figured what do I have to lose and I tried it. It was amazing and the laptop that was very poor, popped back to life again after running the calibration procedure. The calibration procedure takes about two hours but is well worth the time since all of my screens now look even better since I did recalibrate them as well with this new software. I was totally impressed how it brought the problem laptop back to life. In my opinion, the Spyder5 Express works good using the recommended software but works fantastic using DisplayCal and Argyll software. DisplayCal and Argyll are free by the way!! The site does ask for donations and I for one will certainly make a donation because of the fantastic product they have. I am extremely happy with my computer screens now. Now what I see on my screen is what I should see when I get my photos professionally printed.
Top reviews from other countries
I now know when I do photo editing on an image I am seeing what it will actually look like when printed using a proper printing profile.
For the price it is a great tool!
Setup consists of tapping in a web address on your browser and following the instructions. It's really well done actually and there are even guide videos although you won't need them. The web page tells you what to expect then downloads the software which then resides on your PC. You are given a code that effectively ties the software to your specific calibration unit. That allows you to install the software on other PC's and calibrate all your screens. Should you get a new unit though you have to repeat the process to get a new key. The software will not work with ANY unit, only the one you bought.
Sooner or later it will ask you to place the sensor on the screen. I needed to lean the screen back to get it to stay put, which is unfortunate. I guess you could use a ruler or something to lean against the sensor to hold it in place. The counter-balance weight isn't really a weight any more. It used to be heavy. Now it's really light. I ran off to get the weight for my old Spyder 2 which is an actual weight. It doesn't really matter though since you have to lean the monitor back anyway. Which brings me to a fatal flaw! If you have the monitor attached to the wall you may not be able to lean it back in which case it's a problem. I resorted to a piece of bamboo to press it against one monitor. There is a standard photo thread on one side of the Spyder. I guess that means you could screw in a mono-pod type arrangement to lean it against the monitor.
The Express is very simplistic in that it asks hardly nothing and just wanders off and does everything automatically. You don't have to touch the monitor controls which means that all of the calibration is through a monitor profile on your operating system. In fact you don't need the Spyder application once the profile is established.
One kind of bug I found in the operation is if you have multiple monitors and one or more are Display Port. You ideally want to minimise ambient light so you turn off any monitors except the one you are calibrating. Except, if its Display Port, Windows realises you turned it off and re-configures your desktop, which causes Spyder to have a fit. I just had a small soft towel handy to throw over the Display Port monitor rather than switching it off.
The downside to the simple calibration is that it doesn't adjust the monitor controls so if you take the monitor on to another PC it is totally un-calibrated. My old Spyder 2 actually told you to adjust the monitor controls to get the best picture before it created a profile so if you took the monitor to another PC it was at least partially calibrated. The good news is of course there is nothing to stop you calibrating the monitor on the other PC.
Something that I had never noticed before, was just how long it can take a LED monitor to warm up. It really can take up to 30 minutes, and I was initially very confused the day after I calibrated the monitors that they didn't match at all when I first powered them on. Sure enough about 30 minutes later they were a perfect match again. When Datacolor tells you to leave them on for 30 mins before calibration, really, do just that, you may be amazed how much of a difference there is.
Oh, one complaint, the cable is about five feet long. Too short Datacolor! It wouldn't reach my PC!! So yes, get a USB extension cable ready, just in case.
Datacolor should work on, though, is presentation. Overall you come away feeling you spent a lot of money on not a lot of goodies. I really think they should pad the software out with optional information. Something to just make you feel you got value for money. Another point is that there is no information about how it setup windows to use the profiles. For some video cards I found it literally did nothing because it didn't configure Windows correctly for that video card. I had to manually set the profile before it worked. More info please Datacolor!
Anyway, all in all, even in it's cheapest configuration it seems expensive, but it is worth the money. Especially if you have several monitors, this really is essential to get them matching each other.
En clair, ces trois produits utilisent le même appareil, il n'y a que le logiciel qui change.
Et ça tombe plutôt bien, car le principale problème de la gamme Spyder est justement lié au logiciel proposé par le fabricant. Car si celui-ci est rapide et relativement facile à utiliser, il est également d'une précision et d'une utilité plus que discutables.
Personnellement, j'utilise cette Spyder 5 avec le logiciel gratuit DisplayCAL (facile à trouver et il est en français), qui est considéré aujourd'hui comme l'un des meilleurs pour l'étalonnage des moniteurs. Son utilisation n'est pas totalement intuitive, mais vous trouverez beaucoup d'explications sur le Net qui vous permettront de vous en sortir. Un étalonnage avec DisplayCAL prend en principe entre une et trois heures (oui, c'est assez long), mais le résultat est généralement irréprochable.
Attention: pour employer la Spyder 5 avec DisplayCAL, il vous faudra télécharger un pilote "Argyll" afin qu'elle soit reconnue par le logiciel. Pas de panique, le fichier d'installation le fait en principe automatiquement.
Jusqu'à aujourd'hui, j'utilisais une sonde Spyder 3 pour calibrer mes trois moniteurs (2 PC, 1 Mac), et j'ai toujours été assez satisfait du résultat obtenu... même s'il fallait parfois recommencer plusieurs fois l'étalonnage pour avoir quelque chose de correct.
Avec la Spyder 5 - plus sensible et qui intègre un capteur de luminosité ambiante - les résultats sont nettement plus homogènes, quelle que soit la plateforme.
Ce n'est peut-être pas une sonde colorimétrique professionnelle haut de gamme, mais elle a de quoi satisfaire les photographes exigeants et les artisans de la vidéo (dont je fais partie).
Matériel tout à fait recommandé... associé à DisplayCAL.