DataColor Spyder Capture Pro Review

The Spyder Capture Pro box set bundle is designed to give you calibration of your digital workflow from the camera, lens, colour and screen. Packed with a number of Datacolor's most popular products including the Spyder4Elite, SpyderLensCal, SpyderCube and SpyderCHECKR.

Spyder Capture Pro Features:

The kit is designed to allow calibration of the camera, lens and screen, with each product in the box providing a different solution to colour and digital photography management.

Box Contents:

• SpyderLensCal
• SpyderCube
• SpyderCHECKR
• Spyder4ELITE

Each product can be used in location or in a studio, with the SpyderCHECKR, SpyderCUBE featuring tripod sockets on the bottom, as well as another on the top of the CHECKR to let the CUBE be mounted on top of it. The aluminium case is well padded inside and well constructed with a rugged outer shell with corner protection and rubber feet.

The SpyderLensCal is designed to get the lens and camera performing accurately to make sure your shots are sharp in the camera. The SpyderCUBE is another tool designed to help you get the exposure and white balance correct in the camera at the time of shooting. Likewise, the SpyderCHECKR is designed for optimum colour accuracy. Finally the Spyder4Elite is designed to ensure you are seeing the colour correctly on your screen, and therefore when publishing on the web or printing you are more likely to have the same results.

Spyder Capture Pro Performance:

	Spyder4ELITE - The Spyder4 Elite is an advanced monitor calibration tool that can be used for a number of devices, and will allow in depth analysis of a monitor's performance. "If you rely on accurate colour to be displayed on your computer, the Spyder4Elite is a very useful piece of kit. It is extremely easy to use and calibration will be done within a matter of minutes. At £160 the Spyder4Elite is expensive, but as it is in its fourth generation, it can be relied on to do your colour calibration perfectly." Read the full Spyder4 ELITE Review
	SpyderCHECKR - Camera Colour Calibration - the difference this makes can be very subtle. "Photographers need to be aware that the effect of SpyderCheckr, although easily observable, is quite subtle and the difference may well not be critical for many purposes. However, for those photographers who need maximum colour accuracy the SpyderCheckr is a useful tool that offers improvements in a convenient and easy to apply package." Read the full SpyderCHECKR Review
	SpyderCube - This is a very useful tool to ensure correct white balance, exposure and contrast. Using this to get better white balance  and exposure may be all you need to improve your colour reproduction noticeably, making the use of the SpyderCHECKR less important. "There is no doubt that the SpyderCube performs as intended, quickly and simply offering accurate results." Read the full SpyderCube Review
	SpyderLensCal - This lets you calibrate your Digital SLR so that your camera and lens combination gives you accurate focus. "If like me, you own more lenses than you have fingers, then the peace of mind alone of knowing all is well with your equipment may be worth its while also. So long as care is taken to complete the testing process accurately, it is very straightforward, and easily repeatable, which is exactly what is required of a product like this." Read the full Spyder LensCal Review

Value For Money

The Spyder Capture Pro box set is available for £245 making it cheaper than buying all the items seperately and if you need all of the products you can save roughly £50. The individual items are available for £128 (Spyder 4 Elite), £99 (SpyderCheckr), £29 (SpyderCube), and £39 (LensCal), a total of £295.

Spyder Capture Pro Verdict:

If you have a need for all four product then this saves you money, however we would probably just purchase the Spyder4Elite for monitor calibration, the SpyderCube for white balance and exposure, and the LensCal for lens calibration, making it cheaper solution from some of the products. If you don't shoot with a Digital SLR, then you may not need the LensCal, and could just use the Cube and Spyder4Elite to noticeably improve your images both at a capture point and processing them on the computer.

	The Spyder Capture Pro bundle offers a great bundle of items at a reduced price, if you need all of the items.

Spyder Capture Pro Pros

Boxed bundle can save you money
Tried and tested solutions
SpyderCube and SpyderCHECKR can be used together
Quality metal box

Spyder Capture Pro Cons

Expensive if you don't need all of the items
Doesn't include print calibration

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