The SpyderCHECKR from Datacolor is a clever image colour correction tool, suitable for both home and design photography. Featuring 48 spectrally engineered colour patches including the standard 24 sRGB colour space plus additional colours for precise skin tone, medium saturation colour, near-white tints and black tones, for a more versatile range. The skin tone samples make it ideal for working with portrait or fashion photography it lets photographers colour calibrate their cameras, perform in-camera white balance and record known-colour samples. The SpyderCheckr captures consistent colour day to day and across all cameras then you can use these results with RAW editing software like Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom.
The unit itself comes in the form of a slim and portable case that has a tripod mount for ease of use on the shoot, the target cards are replaceable and have a matte finish to prevent variations in different light conditions. The SpyderCHECKR comes with a free software CD which is easy to use, letting you quickly achieve the results you want with reliable colours each time. The SpyderCHECKR’s calibration software analyses the results of your test photo and creates a profile which you then apply in your editing for automatic colour correction. We found the SpyderCHECKR, after some initial practice, straightforward to use, it provided reliable results quickly, time and time again, probably best suited for someone starting out with portrait or product photography. The hardware isn’t the best quality, it feels a little delicate and comes apart easily, a case would be handy to ensure is well protected on transit in the camera bag. RRP £99
4.7 out of 5
Pros
48 colour patches for colour calibration
Standard 24 sRGB colour space
Additional colours for precise skin tone
Portable and compact
Software CD
Cons
Not the most durable hardware
Should come with a case
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