ColorVision Spyder2 Express Win/Mac Reviews

• Fast and accurate

  
  By AYFCMX6EMIPKE on 2006-04-18
  Why bother with calibration any other way. I mean, by "eye". J@R (via amazon website)shipped quickly and had free shipping. I called Colorvision tech support to ask a quick question and received a quick answer. Also, colorvision answered the phone!!!! Wow. Unheard of these days. You ever call Dell....yikes. I calibrated two LG Flatron LCD monitors (on separate machines) in 30 minutes. Easy to do and no problems with the software. I compared the icc profile against what I had done by "hand/eye" and , although I was close, it was a slight bit better with the Spyder. The test will be when I send out to the printer and try the two different profiles; mine and the Spyder. I will write back .
  
  

• Most Spyder2 sensors simply are not accurate!

  
  By A1Z737ZT7OVRBG on 2008-05-27
  As the author of likely the most extensive "Greyscale & Colour Calibration for Dummies" guide available, I thought I should chime in on my thoughts on the Spyder2 sensor vs. the other less expensive sensors out there (such as the Eye-One/i1):
  
  In my tests and speaking with various calibration experts we've concluded that: Approximately 1/3 of Spyder2 units are very accurate. The next 1/3 are off making their use questionable. The last third are considerably more inaccurate making them useless. Unfortunately there's no way to know how your Spyder2 unit rates unless you have a known accurate colorimeter to compare it against.
  
  The Eye-One on the other hand is consistently accurate and readings do not vary between units. Those of you that would never consider spending more than $70 on greyscale calibration may consider using the Spyder2. You may luck out. Those that want to do this right should order the Eye-One at approximately twice the price as it's the cheapest probe recommended by the pro's.
  
  I am not affiliated in any way with Spyder or Eye-One. I'm simply a home theater enthusiast who looks for accuracy and value in equipment. The Spyder2 is certainly inexpensive but given that most units are not very accurate, it does not represent good value to me or anyone else serious about correct greyscale.
  
  
  

• Easy as can be

  
  By A2V99RXY8L0HL7 on 2006-09-19
  Just load the software and plug it in. Follow the instruction on screen and that's it.
  
  Couldn't be easier and the results are great. My prints now look like what I see on the monitor. Photo paper and ink are expensive. This item has already saved me more in paper and ink than it cost to buy.
  
  

• So That's What it Should Look Like

  
  By AGXV8E7XK9J6H on 2006-11-10
  I am always editing photos and then getting back the prints and wondering where I went wrong. I tried using manual color calibration tools which did make a big difference, but my color was still not quite right. This was so easy and accurate I regret not doing it sooner. All you have to do is install the software, disable any color altering settings you currently have in use, plug it in and let it go. It takes a few minutes going through various colors and then it is done, just like that. I have done this on both my desktop LCD and notebook LCD and they both look great. The colors just seem to have more contrast and detail. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking to get accurate color representation out of their monitors but don't want to spend a lot of time doing it.
  
  

• Good Basic Colorimeter

  
  By AHJ4SWXMUTXEL on 2007-03-11
  Pros: Good, well contructed, colorimeter for the novice, easy to use software walks you through every step. I notice a definite improvement in my new 22" WS LCD's picture. I had tried Adobe Gamma and Quick Gamma, but these programs rely on your eyes for making brightness and contrast corrections, and setting gamma. My eyes are not as sharp as they were 20 years ago.
  
  Cons: The new updated software, version 2.3, has been out since June, 2006 but Colorvision is still shipping with the older version. Go to their website [...]), download 2.3 (110.3 MB), install it, and use the keycode on your 2.2 version to run it. The 2.3 version changes the target white point for LCDs to 6500K instead of Native. I personally prefer 6500k anyway. Gamma 2.2 and 6500K are the only choices with the Express. If you want more choices you will have to purchase the more expensive Pro version.
  After calibration and exiting the software I got a "Can not find color profile" error message. Rebooting solved this.
  With the counter-weight adjusted, I still had to tilt my LCD monitor back 15 - 20 degrees before I could get the Spyder to lay completely flat on the screen.
  
  
  
  
  
• Great System
  By AJFO1W0KHWSQW on 2006-08-23
  I read about this in Scott Kelby's Photoshop CS2 Book. I went with this model since I'm not a professional photographer. Much lower price than their highest end model. I had a little trouble installing the software, my fault didn't follow every step exactly, but finally figured it out and everything went smoothly.
  I highly recommend this for calibration. I'm an amatuer photographer and I've experienced a lot of frustration with my prints not matching the onscreen photo. If you print your own pictures get this and Scott Kelby's Photoshop Book! Your frustrations will come to an end.
  
  
• Fast & reliable calibration the easy way
  By AYCTX8EWG4JDZ on 2006-11-20
  Getting the most accurate color from your computer monitor is essential for digital photography. To get accurate color requires calibration. If you're looking for a fast, almost effortless way to calibrate standard monitors, this is it.
  
  I work on images at home and at the office, using two different brand monitors. No surprise that using "eyeball" calibration just didn't provide consistent color from one monitor to the other -- especially since my eyeballs are getting along in years like the rest of me.
  
  Spyder2 Express solved the problem in about forty-five minutes -- installed it and calibrated the home monitor, drove to the office, installed it and calibrated the office monitor. The changes on both monitors were subtle -- a little brighter with more red tones and better skin colors -- but the improvements in my images are real. I can now work on an image both at home and at the office with more confidence.
  
  You install the software, make sure your monitor is restored to factory default specs, then when prompted plug the colorimeter into a USB port and suspend it so it rests on a target area on the monitor screen. Click to start the calibration process, sit back and watch as the colorimeter first processes a series of red/blue/green color samples and then measures monitor color temperature using white/black/gray samples. The software creates a color profile (*.icc) which is set as the default and loaded into your graphics card.
  
  This is basic calibration -- not at the level that professional photographers or graphic designers want for their studios. But if you want that at some point, you can upgrade your software and use the same colorimeter. Installation and calibration are not always glitch-free, but they are about as smooth as anything like this can be.
  
  Worth the money -- absolutely! Easy to do -- pretty much.
  
  
• Works great, same device as pro version
  By A3P60QO5L6XW87 on 2006-12-16
  I decided to buy a monitor calibration tool because I do a lot of digital photos and they always look different on different computers. Sometimes I boost the colors only to find at work the colors are way too strong. It's frustrating, my 1 year old has "orange" hair. On some monitors it's brown, on others it's red. If this sounds like you (the color problem, not the orange haired baby) then this device is for you.
  
  This is a great entry level monitor calibration tool. The software is great and calibration is easy. Now images look the same on all my computers. And the best part is this device is the same device as the pro version. First, that means you're not getting a cheap device! Second, it means you can upgrade the software to pro version if you need to. This is why I selected this model. The eye-one is not upgradeable, and it's more expensive.
  
  Overall, I highly recommend this device.
  
  
  
  
• Yellow cast
  By A39JIMY58YJ2X1 on 2006-07-05
  Very disappointed with the product. It put a yellow cast into the profile correction and there's nothing I could do to change it. Worked through several calls to tech support and essentially they said I "knew too much" about color and that the express was designed for novices. I'm not sure why novices would want a yellow cast on their monitor.
  
  
  
  
• No skills required...
  By AAP1FM3FK5H7H on 2006-08-07
  I am very satisfied with this product.
  It is easy to use. You install and run the software, "attach" the Spyder to the screen (just follow the instructions) and get a coffee while it does the calibration. During calibration the software displays colored surfaces on the screen (RGB, black/white variations, color temperature, ...) and the Spyder measures the screen output -that's all.
  After the calibration it shows a test picture that lets you see and judge before/afterwards.
  The software gives a clear explanation about the how-to's, but sometimes it refers to features that are not available in this basic version of the Spyder device -you can easily ignore them however.
  It's cheap and it seems to work well... so I recommend it to everyone. I feel much more comfortable now when editing my pictures for the ages to come :-)
  
  
• Good tool for novices. Hardware can be used by experts too.
  By A12ABV9NU02O29 on 2007-07-11
  I've never been satisfied with monitor calibration tools that rely solely your eye for making adjustments. Every time I calibrate with one of those tools the monitor looks great after the calibration, but when I come back later when my eyes are refreshed I realize that there is a blue or red cast over the display. Simply put, you can't trust your eyes. Spyder2 Express takes the guesswork out of calibration in a simple, straightforward way.
  
  The first thing I did was calibrate my desktop LCD. It took five minutes to do and I did not realize before looking at the before and after results that I had been staring at a blueish cast for the year I had the monitor. The white background of webpages was paper white and images and text looked great. Never one to fully trust technology this inexpensive I used the freeware program HCFR (see below for more on that) to verify that the color balance was correct across all shades and to my satisfaction it was.
  
  I then calibrated my MacBook Pro. The first pass was night and day. All of the sudden the interface looked "3D". The Apple profiles leave a hard blue cast over the everything and Spyder2 Express really cleaned it up. Unfortunately, I realized I was not using the most recent version of the software and tried again after installing the new version, but now I detect a slight pinkish hue over greys. I will have to give it another shot later.
  
  Be careful that no light is directly hitting your display when you calibrate or it will not work. I tried calibrating my work PC but the florescent overhead lights could not be blocked out so I could not get a good read. I think that's why a lot of people are complaining that this tool does not work. To them I say, RTFM.
  
  Here's the cool part. There's a freeware program called HCFR (Google it for more info) that is compatible with the Spyder2 sensor. With this tool you can do expert-level calibration at an even higher level than the more expensive Spyder2 Pro. But beware, HCFR is not user-friendly at all and geared toward absolute experts. It will not create a color profile for you like Spyder2 Express or Pro. However, with it, you can perform professional-grade calibration on any LCD, CRT, plasma, or projector. This weekend I will be doing my 46" LCD television. The sensor is fairly accurate past 10 IRE. Lower than that you may want to look at a more expensive sensor.
  
  So overall a good tool for novices with perks for experts.
  
  
• Sweeeet ---- with an important catch!
  By A231JMOI9JYAJC on 2006-12-10
  I'm happy, but product ships with version 2.2 of the software, that kept resetting my LCD monitor to about 5000 degrees K. This is way too warm. On my own, dowloaded version 2.3 of the software from the ColorVision website, and BINGO, my Samsung LCD monitor looks great. ColorVision needs to get the word out, on their website (home page please) or through stickers on the box! Poor souls who simply buy and install will be quite disappointed!
  
  
• "Spot on" color... this thing is amazing!
  By A2G5SNQKE92X3L on 2007-03-12
  I'm an advanced amateur photographer who takes photos mainly for my own pleasure but I've also sold some prints and I also do some paid assignments. Anyway, trying to calibrate my monitor to achieve accurate color has been a difficult, seemingly impossible, sometimes almost futile endeavor. I've used manual (eyeballing) software tools such as Adobe Gamma without any success. Adobe Gamma got me whole lot closer to my ideal of a perfect color match than my factory default unadjusted monitor, but it was still off... the colors were a little too warm and the gamma a bit too high. Then I decided to order a hardware calibration tool. Enter the Spyder2Express. This thing is amazing! It was very easy to install and set up. About 10 minutes later my monitor was perfectly calibrated! Now my prints match what I see on the screen with amazing precision. I should have ordered one of these things a while ago... it would have saved me tons of headache and wasted prints.
  
  
• Doesnt work (well) on vista/Dual monitor
  By A29R9S80S56ECM on 2007-07-10
  1) download the latest version of teh software from the website (esp if you have vista)
  2) if you a dual monitor display- you are SOL. support told me to get the Pro version for a few hundrew more dollars.
  3) the integration with vista color is horrible. stick to XP or MAC.
  
  
• Good calibrator for one computer
  By A3JI9LCSSE7M4I on 2006-11-03
  I am a serious amateur photographer, that recently purchased a film scanner. I quickly realized that calibrating my monitor was required as the first step in making accurate color corrected scans of my slides. This express version worked easily, was easy to install, and worked as advertised. I do not regret my purchase. It creates a fixed named ICC profile for the computer that it is installed on. I was pleased that I purchased it, happy with the calibration results for my purposes. I'm sure a hard core production house would prefer a more sophisticated device. I saw a definate change and more vivid colors after calibration. My setup is a laptop in a docking station. I wanted to have an ICC profile for the laptop screen, and a different one for the docked and connected flatscreen monitor. If you have this situation, or if you run a dual monitor computer you will need the PRO version to support making two differently named ICC profiles. There is a workaround however. One cannot simply copy and rename an ICC profile that is produced because it contains internal settings too. But the workaround is to download from Msft the COLOR manager addin for XP. I made a copy of the profile created by Spyder express, renamed it. opened it in COLOR manager and internally rename the profile. After a little tinking, re running the calibration process and using the MSft COLOR manager app, I was able to crate two ICC profiles, one for my monitor, one for my laptop screen. It would have been easier to simply purchase the PRO version of this program. Overall, for my purposes, I was pleased.
  
  
• Not at all satisfied with this product
  By AO4VVAO5JW03E on 2007-03-30
  Before using ColorVision Spyder2 my monitor was calibrated with the free Adobe Gamma program installed as part of Adobe Photoshop. My monitor looked great and the photos I printed looked great too. The colors were spot on. After using Spyder2 Express my monitor looks worse. My monitor appears dim, the color temperature is too warm and colors look green and dull. If I had known it was going to ruin my already great looking monitor I wouldn't have wasted my time. My hope was that it would make my monitor look better, not worse. I am not at all satisfied with this product wouldn't recommend buying it. Instead try Adobe Gamma or look for other free monitor calibration software tools online.
  
  
• Spot On!
  By A2YNF8D4ADUPD9 on 2006-10-09
  My Dell 1905FP is an excellent LCD monitor. The default ICM profile made it appear a bit too bright and/or harsh but the color was fine. After calibrating it with this it looks MUCH better. Colors appear natural and in the correct balance. I now make prints that are very close to matching what I see on the monitor whereas before it was pretty much a trial and error process. Highly recommended for digital photographers.
  
  
• great little product
  By AI7KC5HZY9OIZ on 2006-04-03
  It help me my way through the mess with digital color by caibrating my monitor and my laptop. Works great.
  
  
• Finding the real color in your monitor
  By AI6GUWC9ND4KT on 2007-06-26
  I never realized how important it was to calibrate your monitor until I got my most recent batch of prints back from Snapfish and was appalled by the colors in the photographs. They were not at all like what I was seeing on my monitor when I worked on my photographs in Adobe Photoshop. Obviously the on-line print service was reading the colors completely differently from my monitor. I tried the calibration program that came embedded in Photoshop, but it doesn't work on an LCD screen, only on the old type monitors that no one has anymore. I purchased Spyder2 Express and used it on all of my laptp monitors, and it made a huge difference, both in the color on my screen, and in the prints coming back from Snapfish. Who was to know that you can't trust the colors on your monitor, or that you are wasting hours working on your pictures in Photoshop, because the colors you are tweaking on your screen are not accurate anyway. If you work on photos in your computer, color calibration is a must, and Spyder2 Express is easily the most cost effective of the programs. (Note: about every month or so, you need to recalibrate the monitor, and Spyder2 Express reminds you to do this with an on screen reminder.)
  
  
• A Noticeable Difference
  By A1IAJBOWCGE4LF on 2006-10-13
  The Spyder2 Express was easy to install, easy to operate, and did what it claims to do. I just got a ViewSonic VX922 LCD and the display looked great. After running the Spyder2 Express, it was the difference between night and day. Everything went from great to awesome! Everything, including games looked so much better. I am very happy that I invested in the Spyder2 Express. I recommend the same for you! You will not be disappointed.
  
  
• Never Worked ... Horrible ...
  By A2NNEQOJQ8VDW3 on 2006-11-29
  After tons of back/forth email with tech support, they finally gave up (I did long before they did). I kept getting frustrating error messages, none of which would be solved (after updating my video card driver, the Colorvision software online, uninstalling and installing more times that I care to admit). It never worked ultimately. Now, having deleted Adobe Gamma from Photoshop (to enable this to even try to work), it no longer works properly either. It keeps searching for the "defective" Colorvision profiles that do not exist. If there were a zero star review, I would give it. What a complete waste of time, energy and now I have to fix the problems it caused. Also, the instructions are abysmal - there are many things you should not do before using this product, none of which are mentioned in the instructions. Hoping their 30-day policy will be respected. It was a gift!
  
  
• Well worth the price!!!
  By A2MGJZUXA5UQYV on 2007-08-01
  Very neat monitor calibration kit, software is easy to use and understand, hardware is state of the art. You also have the option to upgrade the software package to more professional ones. But the Spyder2Express is definitely enough for most everyday color calibrations.
  
  If you have multiple pc/mac monitors, be it LCD or CRT, this one can calibrate it all. However keep in mind it does not support multiple-monitor setup (2 or more monitors stacked together)
  
  
• Horrible Product - tried both express and pro
  By A1IUANSOUF93LY on 2007-09-26
  I am horribly disappointed in the Spyder products. I started with the pro version, which ruined my dual screen calibration. Then I tried this version thinking it might have been a dud. This is worse. Doesn't do dual monitors and made the image yellow and dry. Terrible product. Returning it today. I will never buy a colorvision product again. I gave them a chance on two different products across many 5 different displays. ALL...yes, all....failed with worse color than they started with. Beware of this crappy product. I wish there was something better....but Eye One is pricey and I heard mixed reviews on the Huey. What else is there?
  
  
• GREAT PRODUCT, WORKED EXACTLY AS PROMISED!
  By AKJR569P1CR89 on 2006-11-30
  I have two laptops, a Mac and a Windows PC, both of the monitors needed color calibrating, the colors were always way too light with hardly any contrast at all. Luckily for me, I have a great printer, so my work always comes out the colors it should but what's printed out never looks like what I see on my monitors, until now! I was able to calibrate both of my laptops within 30 minutes. And the colors look great!! I'm a graphic/web designer and developer, so this product was absolutely essential! I definitely recommend it and at a later date, I plan on upgrading to higher level of Spyder. If you have the money and you are thinking about purchasing a product such as this one, choose Spyder2 Express, it's easy, fast, and it really works!
  
  
• Doesn't work for more than 1 display
  By A1LHSKYFVJERPZ on 2007-01-11
  I bought this hoping it would help me with calibrating my 4-monitor setup so colors would match each other. However, it only works with one monitor. The device itself seems to work great, I used it on the worst display and it really brought out vibrant color. It will work on more than one computer, but not well. It forces you to recalibrate every 30 days, which means if you try to use it both at work and home, you'll be carrying this back and forth at least twice per month. Instead of creating a color profile your video card can then load automatically, it uses some weird startup software that "replaces" your current profile with this one. I don't even want to know how much this is slowing down my boot-up time. Many times, the replacement fails, and you have to click a few errors off screen, and the color profile doesn't even load.
  
  If you have a single computer with a single monitor you wish to calibrate and are willing to foot the bill, this will probably work ok for you. But for any type of advanced user, be prepared to spend a whole lot more on something that will actually work for your situation.
  
  
• ColorVision Spyder2 Express
  By A1M37MB9BYSP7K on 2007-01-13
  This product appears to do an adequate job of calibrating LCD monitors. I use it for my Dell 2007WFP. However, the software has some issues that make it a pain in the posterior to use. If they can't write a product that doesn't conflict with standard issue CD-ROM driver software - Roxio - then perhaps they should warn potential customers in large print; sort of like cigarette warning labels.
  
  Danger - This product will not work properly in many Windows environments.
  
  Colorvision, please update your software.
  
  
  
  
• Works as advertised (finally)
  By A1DYMUT1UBHDBA on 2007-05-07
  After some initial difficulty getting the software to recognize the colorimeter, the product works as advertised. My software difficulties were resolved by downloading the latest software version from their web site... however the exact version I needed to download was not immediately apparent to me from the text on the web site, which led to some false starts being recommended by their tech support. Tech support response times were good, and despite the false starts, they recommended a solution that resolved the problem within five business days.
  
  
• Fantastic
  By AZ5DA89F77ARI on 2007-06-22
  For anyone considering getting this, get it. It turns any monitor with poor color quality into a $1000 monitor.
  
  
• Color perfect!
  By A1PQDR6BYWTX77 on 2007-08-09
  I don't have the higher versions of this calibrator, but this seems to do the job just fine. I have two computers, a MacBook Pro and a desktop PC. The colors on both were really far off. Editing photos were a pain because it would look different when I look at them from the two computers. So I decided to buy this and calibrate both monitors.
  
  Calibration was fast and easy. Just install the software, put the calibrator over the monitor for a few minutes and let it run, and baam! Color perfect! Now both of my systems are accurate in terms of color, and I am confident with printing and sharing my photos over the web without thinking the colors are completely out of whack.
  
  
• Either it is defective or it is just not any good at all
  By A3XBQAZ153KE on 2007-11-06
  This turns my monitor a nice shade of dull pea green (Dull Yellow). I tried all three ways to use this Spyder2 Pro and all three calibration methods do the exact same pea green monitor calibration. I took it to a friends house and it turned his monitor the exact same shade of green. I took it to my neighbors and it turned his Laptop the same shade of green. It only knows one color to calibrate a monitor. I bought it here at Amazon but it came from Adorama and they won't let me return it because the box was opened. It was already opened when I recieved it. I guess I will either have to eat the $175.00 or see if I can't charge back the credit card.This item is supposed to be warrentied for two years. I'm just not very satisfied with this thing at all. Oh Yea!!!! The Print-Fix plus will not work on my Epson 1400 printer and according to colorvision customer service they discontinued the item and are not going to add any more printers to the list. It was too good so I guess they dropped it because it worked very well. I used it to calibrate my old Epson 1280 printer using glossy paper and it did a perfect job. There will be no more printers added to the list though so what good is it? I e-mailed colorvision customer service again but I know it will just be the same run around telling me to try stuff I already tried.
  
  

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