Datacolor Spyder4Pro S4P100 Colorimeter for Display Calibration

I got this to replace my previous Spyder 3 Pro model, which was already out of warranty and developed an intermittent disconnect problem. When it finally arrived a couple of days, I unpacked it, downloaded the Spyder 4 Pro software directly from Datacolor's site (you should never use the included CD/DVD disks unless the software is not available elsewhere), installed it (it will ask for product key during installation, which is printed on the envelope with included CD) onto my PC which is running 64-bit Win 8.1 Pro, connected the sensor (which you must do AFTER installing the software) and started the calibration process. Configuring the settings before starting the calibration process was as easy as with previous Spyder model - you just select the type of the monitor, select which type of user controls it has, select the gamma (I use 2.2), the white point (I used 6500k), then brightness (I use "native" settings because I manually adjust the monitor's brightness according to my eye's sensitivity), then "ambient light" sensor option (I disable it because I can control the room's lighting manually). Then you simply place the sensor on your monitor's surface according to on-screen guide (make sure the monitor's surface is clean and there's no gap between sensor and the monitor's surface) and wait. After the calibration process was finished, I compared the results to the results produced by Spyder 3, the difference was barely noticeable, which is actually good (it means the sensor is not defective and I know that my Spyder 3 sensor was relatively accurate). After that, you just disconnect the sensor (you don't need to keep it connected, unless you use automatic ambient light function, which you really shouldn't) and store it in some place where the dust won't accumulate on its surface. Pretty simple process, takes very little time and your eyes will thank you for that, especially if you have multiple monitor setup or many other devices with displays at home. All in all this product is well worth its price and works very well, although you can run in some issues, for example you may notice the "weird" tint after the calibration is over or inconsistent calibration between different monitors, or the Spyder software might complain that it cannot actually detect your monitor. If you run into similar problems - first of all, make sure you select correct settings for your particular monitor type (such as the type of backlighting - LED or fluorescent, and if "correct" one does not actually work with your particular model - don't be afraid to try the different one), also make sure your monitors are detected correctly in Windows, with a correct driver loaded for them (yes, even monitors need them and many reputable monitor manufacturers provide these at their official sites). If you still get an inconsistent results between each calibration or with heavy tint towards blue or pink or other color - your particular sensor might simply be defective, such things happen with EVERY product by EVERY brand, this is why they have warranty, use it and try replacing it before completely giving up on this product. Amazon is VERY good when it comes to replacements during first 30 days as long as you buy the products directly from them (which you always should, instead of "experimenting" with any 3rd-party resellers).

This is the fourth Datacolor product I own. I still have the original SpyderPro, Spyder2Pro, Spyder3Print and the newest addition the Spyder4Pro. I also own an Eye-One Display but prefer my Spyders any day of the week. The Spyder's user interface ( Wizard ) is so much more user friendly than the Eye-One that I will not recommend the Eye-One to my clients. I've had more tech support questions about the Eye-One than I care to mention. Besides being a photographer I'm also a freelance Macintosh Tech that installs Mac systems and teaches color management and workflows using Lightroom, Bridge and Photoshop. As mentioned I'll recommend the Spyder to my clients over the Eye-One for a number of reasons. First the monitor profiles are excellent, I can't ask for any better and of course the user interface, the wizard, is much more user friendly than the Eye-One. With the Eye-One Wizard I don't know if it's asking me to do something or if it's telling me the results and I need to do something else, it gets confusing for my clients. Enough said about the Eye-One!... Let's move on to the Spyder4Pro. The Spyder4Pro package consists of the Spyder4Pro unit, Stand, Software Installation Disk for Mac/Windows and Quick Start Guide. I know this isn't important but the design of the Spyder4Pro is really sleek and sexy! Mama-Mia! The USB cable attached is nicely supple so there's no need to twist the USB cable for the unit to remain flat on the monitor's screen. Also a little trick is to tilt the monitor up slightly so there is additional weight of the Spyder4Pro pressing against the monitor screen for a nice tight "seal". I recommend doing this regardless of profiler brands. Installing the software is straight forward. Install the software using the installation disk and let the installer find the latest Spyder4Pro driver via the internet. ( Also Datacolor is very, very good about updating their drivers in a timely manner... another big plus with Datacolor ) During installation enter the serial number that's on the DVD sleeve label, the installer will contact Datacolor servers and return a License Code that will be used if you need to re-install the software. There's an option to print the License Code, which I recommend, and also Datacolor emails the License Code to you for safekeeping. I'm going to guess here, once you have the License Code you don't need to be connected to the internet for further installations... I could be wrong! Once the software is installed attach the Spyder4Pro directly to the computer's USB port if possible. USB hubs/keyboards sometimes don't have enough power to run a unit so this is the best approach. Launch the software and you are greeted by the Spyder4Pro Wizards's Welcome screen. The screen prompts are easy to understand and have a Help and "?" button if further explanation is needed. The first time around you'll be prompted to do a "FullCAL" ( Full Calibration ) and on subsequent calibrations there will be options to not only run "FullCAL" but to "ReCal" and "CheckCAL". After the "Welcome" screen, that suggests/recommends certain display settings, there is the "Measuring Ambient Light" screen. Place the Spyder4Pro on it's stand in front of your monitor and click the "Next" button and the Spyder4Pro will read the amount of light falling on the monitor. The "Ambient Light Analysis" screen will display the results. You'll have the option to "Keep current settings" or "Accept suggested settings". Select your choice and click "Next" to bring you to the Calibration screen! Hang the Spyder4Pro over the monitor and slide the counter-weight along the USB cable until it's nicely balanced and center the Spyder4Pro right over the outline shape. Click "Next" and the Calibration process begins... I nice feature is the software displays the status of it's brightness readings in realtime and checks the stability of brightness over a period of time. My Apple Cinema Display is getting long-in-the-tooth and I could see that it was having trouble staying stable at the recommended brightness setting. Calibration completed in about 7 minutes and the "Saved Profile" screen appeared. I saved the profile adding the current date in the file name and set the Calibration Reminder for 2 Weeks. Next is the "SpyderProof - Calibrated View" screen where you can switch back and fourth from the profiled calibrated monitor view and uncalibrated monitor view. This gives you an idea on what the profile is doing. Clicking the "Next "button brings us to "Profile Overview" screen where you can compare old and new profiles and how they related to each other in a specific Colorspace. Looking at my results... dang I think I need a new monitor! You can "Quit" or there's an "Advance Analysis" feature that can test the profile's "Gamut", "Tone Response", "Brightness and Contrast", and "White Point at Different OSD Settings". But I'll let you play around with this! My monitor is dead neutral - displaying a grayscale in Photoshop CS5.1 there is no rain-bowing in any of the gray steps. ( Meaning there's NO color banding/color contamination along the grayscale ) Spyder4Pro is great for novices and advance users alike. The software has nice advanced features that users can grow with.

I was bit hesitant to purchase given several negative reviews which indicated issues with Win7 and multiple monitors. I can happily report I had neither and am very happy with the results: I successfully calibrated a Win7 w/dual Catleap 27" monitors (very cool color by default), and a second Win7 machine with single Catleap. The end result was pretty dramatic on all monitors. On to MacbookPro... same outstanding results; I had no idea the MBP was that far off in display settings, very cool also. Pop in the CD, Install the application, register online and check for updates, launch the app and plug the colorimeter into USB port, check ambient lighting level (colorimeter facing room lighting), place colorimeter on the screen aligned with the onscreen outline, click through the various settings, adjust the brightness until within app parameters, wait few minutes, and enjoy accurate skintones and color rendering. I was concerned about lack of monitor controls (brightness only on some monitors) and wondered if I could calibrate without such controls, not a problem, SpyderPro4 asks you monitor type (CRT, LCD, Laptop) and what controls the monitor provides (brightness, contrast) and it does the rest... I don't know how this could have been any easier. The more I use it the more impressed. Very happy with my purchase decision. Pro: Fast, easy, accurate color rendering Multi-monitor, multi-computer support Windows and Mac Cons: Cost, it's bit pricey but does what it claims very well and with no pain

I have a Planar PX2611W IPS monitor and I use it for many things, including amateur photography with my Canon 5dMkIII. This Planar is no longer available but like it for the 1920x1200 resolution in a larger monitor. I like to see some content at native resolution (unzoomed) so not wanting larger resolution. I had tuned the monitor best I could using some web searches on forums, sites like Lagom's LCD monitor test images and a good utility (CLTest...Russian, very good), but was never completely satisfied. Primarily because it seemed like the gamma was off (not adjustable with the monitor controls) and I couldn't get the deep blacks I thought I should get out of this quality IPS. After considering several calibration tools, I purchases the Spyder4Pro. It arrived in 2 days, and it was a breeze to install the software, and intuitive to run the calibration process. It walks you through it quite well. Results are very good. Solid 2.2 gamma, and it advised me that the previously 'fixed' setting was at 1.9. Blacks are much better and all the Lagom black and white test images are clearly there. Contrast test on same site is much better, showing the full range. Everything looks clearer, and the colours display much better. Two suggestions. Monitors usually have multiple viewing modes, with some modes being better. With the Planar, I had banding and red error problems with every mode except 'text.' Might want to try other modes if you are having problems getting good results on your monitor. Also, if you are doing photography, the LCD recommended brightness of 120 cd/m2 is ideal. However, for games or working in bright environments, you might want to set it to 200 cd/m2 to get a lot more pop. If you can't do this on your monitor, set the brightness to a point you like and then change the calibration settings to "native" for brightness. Cons: Would really like more reporting capability to be able to see before/after of grayscale tracking and other information.

I rarely read one star reviews, and have never written one, but was prompted to do so after this horrible experience with Spyder 4 Pro. I did extensive research online as to which monitor calibrator was better before I purchased, and since my budget was around the $150 range, it came down to the Spyder 4 Pro and the XRite Color Munki. I decided to go with the Spyder 4 Pro, and when the first kit came and the software froze and wouldn't let me activate the calibrator, I thought I had just received a dud, and contacted Amazon for a replacement. In the meantime, I also contacted Datacolor to see if they had any kind of customer support. They do not. They only offer email support, as they are based in Switzerland, and their email response time is between 24/48 hours. While waiting for the new Spyder 4 Pro to arrive, I did get a response from the tech support at Datacolor, and they suggested that the next time I install the software, I disconnect the internet and manually activate the product. Received second Spyder 4 Pro in the mail, made sure to uninstall all prior applications from before, restart computer, etc. and proceeded to install software. Installed, took me to the activation screen, and the exact same freeze happened again. And there is no way to manually activate the product. I do use internet security (Kaspersky), and made sure to go into the applications settings and allow Datacolor as a trusted user to make sure the security wasn't blocking the program. Perhaps someone with more technical knowledge could have figured out what the problem was, but as an average computer user, and with no technical support from the software company itself, I cannot recommend this product to anyone that doesn't know their way around a computer. Installation of software should not be this difficult. I cannot review the actual intended purpose of this product, as I never got it to work, but if this review saves just one person doing research from experiencing this hassle, then it's worth it. I've heard nothing but good things about this product, and am disappointed that I could not get it to install on my computer (less than 1 year old HP Windows 7). Poor tech support, and not easy to install on some machines. I'll be returning the second Spyder 4 Pro to Amazon and have already ordered the XRite Color Munki.

I received my Spyder4Pro several months back but due to health reasons had not installed it until recently. The product was shipped and arrived within days of the order. It was packaged securely with attention to product safety. Installation of the product went without any problems. I installed it on an XP and Win7 machine and both OS's took the install without any problems. After installation, both OS's recognized and accepted the "New Device". Since there had been some time between receiving the product and installing it, there was an update available from Datacolor. The update also went without any problems. Monitor profiling went without a hitch. The Graphical User Interface (GUI) led me through the profiling process from start to finish leaving no unanswered questions as to what it was doing at each step or as to the results each step should render. BTW, you have a choice of normal or advance GUI. The normal will give you the same great results but the advanced gives the inquisitive user and more detailed avenue into the process. The final profile left me with a color rendition from my monitors that were absolutely stunning and Perfect Renditions of the photo as far as Photoshop was seeing it. I now know for a fact that each image that comes off my Photoshop is being displayed with perfect color accuracy on my monitors. There is no longer any question as to what my prints coming back from the printer will look like. If you do photo editing, you MUST profile your monitor. You can't get good results unless you do. Datacolor products have made this not only possible for me but have also made the process painless in achieving. IOW, even a caveman can do it with their product line. Customer support is also first class with these people. They are also active on most color profile forums. I am a member of some email list forums where Datacolor products are covered and Datacolor people are always unofficially joining in and offering suggestions and helping people with their products. Needless to say, I have been very impressed with Datacolor as a company and Datacolor products. They have made my photography results exactly as I demand and expect it to be. I could not produce what I do without the use of their products. I trust and recommend Datacolor Monitor profiling products to anyone that demands that their photos come off their computers just as they remember seeing them when shot. I am getting a Medium Pro-Level Photo printer and plan of getting Datacolor printer profiling products for that also.

If you're into more than just casual photo editing , this is a must-have! It's small and light, and very effective. At the end of the calibration process, it shows you a before and after comparison where you can see the results. I bought this product because the pictures that I edited on my laptop screen were'nt what was printed. After some research, I figured out the problem. So I bought myself a separate monitor (a separate review) and this Spyder. One of the great aspects about the Spyder is that it also takes into account the light in the room and adjusting your calibration to suit. In addition, it gives you reminders of when you need to re-calibrate. The one drawback about this product is that the cord sometimes gets in the way and clutters the table. A simple twist-tie solved this problem. A device to retract the cord would have been really handy. I also like the fact that the Spyder comes with a stand to safely store it - this I did not expect. This is a very effeective, useful, and if you're into serious photo editing, essential tool to have in your arsenal. I think it's a just a little on the pricey side, but I think it'll definitey pay back for itself in the long run.

This calibrator is very easy to use and it does appear to make noticeable changes to my monitor... the only concern I have is that my two monitors still have noticeable brightness and color differences. Now one of my monitors is an older LCD while my newer monitor is a newer LED... but I would have assumed after a successful calibration of both of them that their colors and brightness would be identical. Unfortunately, even after multiple calibrations of both monitors, if I drag a picture from one monitor to the other, you can visibly see there is a color and brightness shift. I have a suspicion that this is more of a hardware issue with my monitors, but I would have assumed that this calibrator could correct for these differences. Anyways, if you have two identical monitors, or two monitors that are relatively the same age, I have a feeling this will work just fine for you.