Datacolor Spyder2express Monitor Calibration

Good colorimeter with very basic software

Posted Mar 13, 2006 - Overall it's the same device as Spyder2Pro and would work with Spyder2Pro software. However the software included in the Express package does not allow any advanced settings at all - only lets you chose what kind of monitor you have. Which is not necessarily bad - I would chose what the defaults are anyway ("native white point, gamma2.2., visual luminance" for an LCD). The calibration process itself works like the Pro version. No dual monitors option, so you would have to calibrate one at a time and in case of Windows XP use a "wincolor.exe /L" loader from the XP color applet and delete the Colorvision loader from Startup. But for most users it's a nice calibration option. If you need a more professional software later on you can buy Coloreyes software - it now works with Spyder2 colorimeters.

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pretty nifty tool

Posted Jul 9, 2006 - When I saw this mentioned in an article, I thought, "What a neat gadget!" I am an avid amateur digital photographer who does some freelance work. I have toiled with the gamma provided with Adobe, but never felt quite confident that I was getting the absolute "best" result I could with color. Most of my pictures are children, so it is important to me to have the best rendering of skin tones I can get. I hesitated about buying it because of the price (not bad but hard to justify to my spouse), but I was given a gift card to a store which sells it, so I jumped. So far I have calibrated my computers and a friend's and have been happy with the results on all screens. My laptop was a little too blue; the friend's desktop was too cool. The software really does all the work for you. This is very easy to use. The article I read recommended calibrating every six months; the packaging recommends doing it monthly, but either way, this is not money spent on a one time use tool. This little gadget is perfect for an enthusiast, but a pro who really knows what he is doing may want the next step up. I would buy it again.

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Lifesaver

Posted Sep 25, 2006 - This sure has been a lifesaver, and I can't believe I tried to do photo editing for a brief while with an uncalibrated monitor (or technically, one calibrated with software alone). I initially had my monitor turn fairly red when supposedly calibrated with the Spyder2. Had read that things could look "warmer" when done correctly (since most monitors are way too blue/cool by default to appear brighter), and that it might take awhile to adjust one's eyes, but no, this just wasn't right. Long story short, ended up finding a "color" setting within my monitor that had to be adjusted before the Spyder2 would calibrate correctly. My monitor's supposedly 6500K setting was nowhere near 6500K, but that's my monitor's fault, not the Spyder2's. Everything is hunky dory now, though I wonder if the higher-end Spyder2 software available might have helped more. The Spyder2 line isn't known for stellar highlight ability compared to other things out there, so if one does a lot of work with, say, wedding gowns, this might not be the way to go. I have no issue with "normal" things though. Supposedly the top-of-the-line ColorEyes software will be compatible with Spyder2's on PC's in the future -- at the moment, it remains available for just Macs. Will certainly be worthwhile comparing to current Spyder2 software ability once available.

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Great calibration device

Posted Aug 7, 2006 - I used the Sypder2express to profile an older KDS Xtreme Flat CRT monitor. The process was very simple, and the profile that was generated seems to work well. Photos viewed on my monitor now look very similar to prints. The whole profiling process took just a few minutes. I have read that the Huey by Pantone (the only other calibration device that I know of in the Spyder2express’ price range) is faster, but the Spyder was fast enough that I don’t think its speed is really a disadvantage. Some reviews that I read before purchasing the Spyder reported that the calibration tinted the reviewers’ monitor either red or blue. When I completed calibration I initially thought that my monitor looked very red. The problem was not that the calibration messed up my monitor, but that I was used to the uncelebrated settings and when the colors were corrected they looked very different than they had before. After leaving it and coming back a few minutes later to get a fresh prospective the colors looked great. I would recommend this product, it does exactly what it promises with no hassles and at a great price.

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Good Simple to use Colorimeter

Posted Mar 9, 2007 - If you are using this on an LCD or laptop, tilt the screen back about 20 degrees to get the Spyder to lay completely flat on your monitor, no need to hold it in place.

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Spyder2express Monitor Calibration

Posted Mar 9, 2007 - Spyder2express works great on my laptop. With the corrected profile, my LCD is warmer than default setting. The calibration is straightforward. It's a good product for armature users. Professional users may want to consider Spyder2pro which gives you freedom to pick color temperature and gamma.

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Very easy to do and it seems to do the trick.

Posted Sep 22, 2006 - This product is pretty much all automated and doesn't require much fiddling other than settings your monitor and screen settings to default/factory settings. Then you just simple follow the screen instructions and it does the rest. I can't really compare it to the rest and at first the color will seem a bit strange and incorrect but just go out for awhile and come back in and it will seem fine. It seems to make the monitor more warm and most of my monitors were set to cool colors so it added some yellow and red tones which by looking at their photo sample the images seem to be colored correctly when you look at the flesh tones.

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Spyder2 Express

Posted Jan 27, 2007 - I edit digital pictures on both Mac and PC systems, and finally decided that a calibrating the monitors would improve my process. Installation on my MacBook Pro was a snap, I found I needed to hold the device in place as it wouldn't properly "hang". Next calibration I'll open the screen flat and set it on the screen. Installation was tougher on the PC, as the software and unit would not communicate. The instructions provided are limited and after trying all the suggestions to no avail, I went to the website where I discovered a newer version of the software. Once installed, things worked fine. My suggestion if you buy this item, is check the website and download the most recent version of the software, and go from there. The improvement on both monitors was noticeable, and the product removes all guesswork. While the features on it's more expensive versions would be nice to have, this was the right product at the right price point.

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Spyder2express

Posted Apr 5, 2007 - I like this product. It's priced right and works with very little effort. I downloaded the latest drivers from colovision rather than using the ones on the supplied DVD. Install the program and drivers, reboot and plug in the device. They run the program and use the serial number provided. In ten minutes, you're done.

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Basic but good enough monitor calibration tool

Posted Nov 3, 2006 - For someone new to digital photography area and need a relative inexpensive monitor calibration tool, it is the choice. However, if you want to set the advanced settings, if you want to calibrate your printer/scanner as well, you need to buy the professional version. Since the colormeter is the same as the professional version, you can always start with monitor calibration first and upgrade to a professional version later.

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necessary?

Posted Mar 1, 2007 - I contemplated long and hard to whether I should get a monitor calibrator. I'm not a professional, but am getting pretty serious about photography. I don't print many pictures and occasionally send pictures to be printed at my local or online photo center (ie, costco, snapfish, etc.) My main motivation for calibrating my monitor was so that the pictures I send to be printed would have colors matching my monitor. I have not yet sent a second set of picture to be printed, so I cannot comment on that. However, I can comment on the calibration of the monitor - I can honestly not tell much of a difference from the before and after, which leads me back to my original question or whether the calibration is really necessary.

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Spyder2 express

Posted Aug 25, 2007 - This product was very easy to use and setup on each monitor. I used it on both LCD and Flat panel monitors with ease. It makes a world of difference in my workflow confidence.

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