Datacolor Spyder Checkr 24 - Has 24 Target Colours, Includes a Grey Card, Calibrates Your Camera for Consistent Image Colour Across Multiple Camera Systems and Lighting Conditions

If you are looking to buy one of these then I have already been on the same path. As a technical photographer working in industry for 35 years+, I was surprise by how well this works. It is especially useful if you are doing multi-camera video media and want your cameras to match up. All sensors drift a bit but if you are matching Panasonic, Sony and Canon cameras (say) then the colour and contrast variations is really difficult to fix longhand. So long story short: Unlike some of the other offerings this clam-shell unit is self-protecting and easy to hold on site/studio without getting fingers and thumbs on - or in front of - the colour swatches. Watch a few YouTube videos of people using calibrators and you will wonder how anyone could be stupid enough to manufacture these things so that you cover the targets when you hold the slim edges! The unt has both female and (self-retracting) mail 1/4" threads, which is both intelligent and useful. Calibration protocol is simple enough. If you are doing something colour accurate for fine-art Giclee print (like artwork) then you can supply the image with integrated or separate colour chart to allow end user to calibrate their output to your beautifully calibrated files. In Photoshop RAW, you will see all the fine colour adjustments slide out left and right of the zero positions once the profile is applied. Rather pleasing and very effective.

You may think that this is an over-priced piece of flimsy plastic, but when you realise that it's engineered to have perfect colour fastness for years, and the resulting images you process will be colour perfect, it really is worth the investment. To use, you select your camera body, lens and lighting condition, and take a picture with the checker roughly central and about 1/4 of the frame. Bring it into the photo editing suite of your choice and crop it down to include just the checker, set the white balance using the 50% gray patch, then send it to the Spyder Checkr24 program (you can do this in Lightroom by using Edit In, and selecting the Spyder Checkr24 Editor. The software displays your image, along with an overlay showing where it will sample the image. This can be moved and scaled, but if you've done your cropping properly you'll not need to adjust this. You then tell it to save the calibration - in my case as a Lightroom preset. I recommend saving it as [camera body] [lens] [lighting condition] e.g. D810 24-70 VR Daylight. When you next start Lightroom you'll have a User Profile with the name you gave. Apply that, and it uses the HSL panel to adjust your colours to match reality. I calibrated every combination of my bodies and lenses that I shoot with in about 10 minutes. In reality you shouldn't need to create a profile for every lighting condition, as it works by adjusting colours relatively to ensure consistency. But it would be useful to take a calibration image if you have very challenging lighting conditions, or if you require absolute accuracy for product shots, or fine art, then it's a godsend. It really comes into its own if you shoot multiple cameras and/or lenses on the same shoot, and is pitched heavily at videographers to ensure colour matching between their A and B rolls. I'm delighted with the results, and you can really notice the difference, even if you apply the profiles to your back catalog.

I am always surprised at the price of Photography and video related products. Even though the price won't break the bank it is still expensive for what it is , but is it still cheaper than the rest. The product is well made just not so durable you it will quite easily last for years but only if you are care with your kit. It does the job especially if you use Davinci Resolve like me. It will of course work will all other editing software too. In short it's worth getting if you are the type of person who takes care of your kit .

Great if you need an affordable colour checker for colour matching multiple cameras or getting consistent white balance using the large grey card on the back. Is already compatible with Davinci Resolve too. Keep in mind that it won't allow you to perfectly match the cameras immediately and still requires you to put in the appropriate effort beforehand and some additional manual work in post, but does most of the heavy lifting for you. The only real drawback is the durability. It's very flimsy and feels quite easy to bend and warp. But is slim so it can slide into any backpack quite easily with the included sleeve to prevent markings on the colours. And a minor note is while it is matted it is still quite prone to reflections at slight angles so it is important to place it in a well lit location facing as directly towards you camera/cameras as possible.

Why did you choose this product over others?: My white Balance was all over the Ona r before getting this Build quality: Quality is good for the price I didn’t expect it to be this well made you just have to look after it. Size: It’s abit bigger than I thought but I don’t mind it only thing is packing it and keeping it safe all in one camera bag. Functionality: Really easy to use and one click you get the colours fit wants I love it Ease of use: it’s like a magic trick, I feel like a magician with this

I’ve started an online business recently and getting the right colours are paramount - even if the person viewing them may not have the most accurate colour profile, at least I know I’ve done the right thing in showing my products accurately. So this is an A5 size ‘plasticcy’ feeling grid with colour blocks on one side and grayscale blocks on the other. I have to give credit to Datacolor as they have two guides on their website - a quick start guide - and a more thorough guide which really spells out what the grid does and more importantly how to use it in Lightroom and CaptureOne. It’s not too technical either. Here is a quick rundown of how it works after you’ve installed the Spydercheckr software. 1. Setup your scene with lighting and everything and take a photo of the grid where your subject it. 2. Take all your subjects photos with the same lighting setup. 3. Repeat step 1 if you’ve going to take photos with different lighting or locations. 3. Import your photos into Lightroom (I don't use CaptureOne) 4. Apply white balance using the grey colour grid as the reference. For the colour correction magic: 1. Within lightroom, crop the photo of the colour grid tightly - but don’t do anything else like Exposure, Contrast, so on! 2. Right click the colour grid photo and you’ll see a new option: Edit In > SpyderCheckr 3. The SpydrChecker software will open and automatically match up your grid with its internal references. 4. You’ll get save the profile into Lightroom as a Preset (in development mode). 5. You have to restart Lightroom for the Preset to show up. 6. Apply that Preset to whichever photos you like. 7. Done! The difference might be so subtle your eyes might not even notice. If you want to prove it to yourself, just take a look at the HSL panel within Lightroom’s Development window. Conclusion: I definitely think this is worth buying. Especially for clothing and accessories. The grid is made out of plastic so will last a long time, the price is competitive compared to its bigger competitor and I’m happy with the colours that are referenced. Recommended Product!

I purchased the SpyderCheckr24 for just under £25 in the Prime Sale which TBH I still think is an outrageous price for a piece of printed card, regardless of how well the colours are printed. The accompanying software obviously hasn't been touched for years, requiring a long (very long) serial number to be typed in to register the app - no QR code here! The 'help' is cryptic indeed, no "wizard" to walk you through setting up with Lightroom. Being card I do wonder about the longevity of the SpyderCheckr24, especially if used outside the studio environment. I'll persevere and look at some YouTube videos on how to use this with Lightroom.

With DaVinci Resolve, this really is a no brainer. Use this with your clapper board to colour match and profile your footage. Then you can grade with minimal effort. I really don't know why more people don't use this. Quality is great - each colour is its own palette. Comes with a sleeve to keep it out of the light and maintain its vibrance. If you're serious about film making, you need this.