Spyder 3 Express Review
By Koko Brown, March 2010
In the days when I was a student studying photography & digital imaging, our lecturer always emphasised the importance of a properly calibrated screen and the impact it would have on our prints. I never really bothered with having my screen calibrated though, first because when I was a student I simply couldn’t afford to have it done, and secondly I found all the talk of colour charts, gamma, light measurement, colour temperature and profiles really off-putting. I’ll admit it; I love technical stuff – but only to a point. I have always preferred to go through life relying on my own five senses instead of getting hung up on the technical aspects of my passion. When Warehouse Express asked me to test and review the Colorvision Spyder 3 Express, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to shake off my preconceived notions and give the thing a chance.
No in-your-face buzzwords to be seen
I dubiously opened the package, half expecting to be bombarded with a box covered in buzzwords and promises to make my screen come alive with colour! Thankfully there was none of that, just a simple straight to the point statement; “Get the most from your monitor”. Okay, so this is starting well, I thought. I tentatively sized up the box and squared up to it, senses alert in case it was trying to lull me into a false sense of security. My system was in fight-or-flight mode, I was prepared physically and psychologically and I scanned my environment looking for the enemy. I didn’t find one, the box was very friendly and appealing and I immediately dived inside to meet my new friend.
There isn’t much in the box, which is a good thing for a newbie to screen calibration. I wanted this to be as painless as possible. Inside you get the software CD, a quick start guide, a cloth to clean your screen and of course the little Spyder. I found the CD and popped it in to start the process. For some reason I couldn’t get the CD to auto run, which isn’t a major problem and I’m not about to throw a tantrum over it, but I might just pout a little. Instead I navigated to the file on the CD and got the installation started that way. It’s very straight forward and you can’t really go wrong as the installation gently guides you through the process with ease. Once the program is installed, the calibration starts. It asks you a few questions about what type of screen, laptop, LCD or CRT you have and whether it’s in the optimum position – it’s all very helpful stuff. It’s best to do this in a semi subdued lit room; I do all my editing in these conditions to get the most out of my monitor and prevent eye strain. The software will tell you when to plug in the Spyder and it puts guides on your screen to ensure you place it in the right spot. On the wire there is a counterweight so that the wire goes over your screen and the gadget doesn’t fall off. The only negative was that the counterweight on the wire was very tight, at first I wondered if I was doing it wrong, and was conscious of damaging the wire, but don’t worry, just pull it firmly to the position you need, it’s quite sturdy. The Spyder 3 Express then does its magic as the screen goes through a series of colours whilst the LED on the Spyder flashes blue. From start to finish it took less than 5 minutes and holds your hand the whole way through.
The Colorvision Spyder 3 Express Welcome Screen
Choose the display you want to calibrate
Place your Spyder 3 'here'
At the end you are presented with a series of pictures in your new, now calibrated view. Initially I found it difficult to notice any difference, that is, until I “switched.” There is an option to switch back and forth so you can see what you had before. I was shocked at what I had been looking at, I kept switching back and forward in rapid succession and I found it quite difficult to get used to the new screen. Before my screen looked washed out and had a green cast but I had obviously got used to it, not knowing any different. After the calibration, I noticed a more magenta and almost sepia colour on my screen and I instantly disliked it. I got up and left the screen for a bit so that my eyes could get a break. I went back to the computer about 30 minutes later and struggled to see what my problem had been! A short break away from the screen readjusts the eyes and you look it fresh when you return. I opened a few images in Photoshop and I found that the colours appeared more vibrant and rich – and I discovered some lovely tones in black and white photos that I never knew existed!
Your SpyderProof calibrated view
Congratulations! All done.
Deciding that I really liked my new friend I tried it on my LCD monitor, hoping to see similar results. Going through the whole process for the second time was again very quick and painless. This time though, when the screen was going through its little disco and flashing different colours, I got up and left the screen to do its business, returning when it was finished. I highly recommend getting up and giving your eyes a break, otherwise you’ll probably feel like turning the calibration off and going back to your old ways!
I got a few prints done, trusting that the Colorvision Spyder 3 Express had done its job. To be honest I didn’t really expect much – I’ve got used to getting prints back from the lab and being disappointed with the results: too dark, colour casts etc. I’m glad to say that following the calibration I got back a lovely set of black and white prints from my travels in New York and a great colour portrait. The tones, colours, contrast – everything was just delicious and for the first time, I have been really chuffed with a set of prints.
What a cutey 
Conclusion
I have been using the Spyder 3 Express for a few weeks now and it continues to run in the background with no problems whatsoever, gently reminding you when a recalibration is due to keep your screen looking peachy. I’ve got it running on my laptop and my LCD monitor and have been really happy with the results. It just gets on with the job with no fuss at all. It did what I needed it to do without confusing me along the way. No buzzwords and complicated terminology – it does exactly what it says on the tin, I mean box, and gets the most out of your monitor. Don’t feel like you’re missing out due to its simplicity and lack of complicated manuals – the software simply doesn’t need it. I think this little gem is opening up colour management to a new audience and I for one can certainly see the benefits. At the price it’s not likely to break the bank and it’s a nifty bit of kit that could get overlooked – but I am fully converted and highly recommend that if you’re serious about photography, digital imaging or even if you are just tired of getting back disappointing prints, then give this a go. It’s so easy to use that anyone can do it and to top it off, it’s cute!
Ratings
| Ease of Use | 10/10 | It holds your hand and doesn’t abandon you |
| Design | 8/10 | Sleek, sturdy and cute all in one – however counterweight a bit tight |
| Practicality | 10/10 | Give it a try if you’ve never calibrated before, you’ll be converted! |
| Performance | 10/10 | Delivers exactly what it says it’s going to |
Overall score: 
(13 votes, average: 3.77 out of 5)
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Great article and couldn’t agree more with your views on the subject. I have been using the Spyder 3 Elite for a little over a year now and really satisfied with the quality and functionality of it and getting quality prints time after time with a Canon printer. Very little adjustment is needed when I use Pro labs too.
Simon SlaterAlthough it may calibrate the monitor how does it relate to the printer? I use an HP B9180
Robert BurnsHi thanks for the review, I currently run the Spyder 3 not the xpress version and found it slightly warms the colours, it does help as my monitor is not the best for photography.
I would recommend that you backup your original profile before you run the calibration software just in case you make a mistake.
The software is very easy to use and pretty much automated as the hardware checks the colours etc.
Steven GourlayWhat is the relationship between the calibrated monitor and the printer. I use a Canon i9950, and need to know why, if the system does not calibrate the printer, prints should be enhanced. It seems illogical to me.
P.J. CurtisWill it work on a mac?
R. LeeI would like to echo PJ Curtis’s comments, I use an Epson Stylus Photo 800 printer. on a Mac, and mostly in Aperture
R.SutcliffeThe correlation between the monitor and printer is that you see truer colours on the monitor and so this, in theory, enables you to adjust better in Lightroom-Photoshop etc;. therefore produce better prints.
G KayeI am just in the process of looking into a calibrater so found this useful. Thanks.
Will the Spyder 3 Express work on a one year old Imac? I have read that it can be tricky to reduce the screen brightness of iMacs enough to get an accurate calibration.
Paul JenningsThe Spyder 3 Express is compatible with both Mac (OS X 10.4 or higher) and Windows (XP 32/64, Vista 32/64, Win 7 RC) systems. The advantage of having a colour-calibrated monitor, even if you don’t calibrate your printer, is twofold.
BenFirstly, most modern printers are pretty accurate straight out of the box and profiles are widely available for most of the major paper types. As such it’s possible to get great results from a printer without too much tweaking. Monitors on the other hand vary far more. As long as you know that what you’re looking at on screen is accurate, then it should be relatively simple to get good results from your printer.
Secondly, if you don’t use a home printer, but send your images off to be printed or submit them to a library or agency, then monitor accuracy is perhaps even more important. Chances are that the lab, library or agent you send your images to will be working from carefully and very accurately calibrated equipment. If your screen is off, then what they see may be very different from what you see. If your monitor is well calibrated, then you can rest assured that anyone else with a calibrated monitor will be able to view your images exactly as you intended.
[...] can read a review of this device that should help you decide if it meets your needs or whether you might need one of the more [...]
Spyder 3 Express Review « Helderberg Photographic SocietyHello,
I’m glad the review has been helpful and Ben is spot on about images that are sent away to labs etc. I dont use a home printer for anything and send everything away. Before I used to get really disappointing results from the lab. I went in one day to see what they see and it varied greatly, as Ben said, they are working from highly calibrated machinery and what they see and what you see can be totally different.
Now I can send my prints away with confidence that when I get them back, I’m looking at pretty much whats on my screen. This said, its important to keep on top of colour management and reassess often taking into consideration different lighting conditions etc!
Best,
Koko
Koko BrownHi – I am a bit confused, my images on my dell inspiron laptop look just right to me but when I print them off on a hp photo printer they are slightly different. My printer prints my photo’s out slightly lighter and I lose the skin tone on peoples faces, sometimes they look a little over exposed. Is this the right tool to buy? I will be sending my images to the printers soon and need to get things right.
ginaThank you
Hi gina. It is possible that your printer may require calibration, but it’s just as possible (and in fact, more likely) that it’s the screen of your laptop that’s out. If you are getting your pictures to look just right on your Dell, if its screen isn’t accurate, then as soon as you print the images or view them on another monitor, they will look different. The Spyder 3 will certainly ensure your screen is right, and if you intend to send images away to be printed, then a correctly calibrated monitor will be all you need.
BenBrilliant piece of kit. For the first time in years I am now able to print out and match what I see on screen. Once the calibration is done anyone using Photoshop just have to tell photoshop to use the new calibration which has been added to the list of calibrations.
Doug TurnerAs a keen amateur photographer I bought the Spyder several years ago. I used it on my desktop and was delighted with the results. When I bought my laptop, for some obscure reason I believed that I couldn’t use it on a laptop screen, but my results were so inconsistent I decided to give it a try – absolutely wonderful. I feel I’m back to producing prints I can be proud of again.
Pat SThis is an essential bit of kit if you want to be serious about photography.
Raymond GWhilst my main screen was about right my laptop was way off and there was no obvious way of changing it untill I used the Spyder. The difference was amazing.
If you are going to send your image files to a lab or a library you need to be certain that you are all looking at the same colours and this gismo will ensure you do
Unfortunately it has not helped with calibrating my printer output but as it does not make claims to do so I not going to winge (or maybe I just have)
If using a laptop then surely this wont help you with editing photos as depending on how you look at the screen, i.e. how its tilted, then the colour changes (gets lighter / darker) how on earth do you then know what the ‘correct’ view is? any suggestions?
AndrewI have two screens and use Spyder 3 Elite to obtain the same colour calibration on both my screens. Perhaps Ben could say whether the Express version is able to do the same. I was advised that it could not do so so bought the Spyder 3 Elite instead and can say that it too is an excellent product.
RogerHi
Alfonsowhat is the difference between the different spider ( Express, Elite, etc )
Thanks
Alfonso