Datacolor Spyder5ELITE - S5EL100

I have recently upgraded to the Spyder5ELITE after having successfully used its predecessor (the Spyder4ELITE) for the past couple of years. Here's what I think are the new version's good and bad points:GOOD+ Once you've downloaded, installed, and activated version 5.2 of the software from Datacolor's website, the set-up Wizard leads you through the calibration process in a very straightforward step-by-step manner that's actually very difficult to get wrong - especially so for users of the previous generation model, who will find the software to be a very familiar iteration. You place the Spyder sensor module against a designated area in the centre of the screen, then authorise the start of the automated calibration process; and once completed (initial calibration takes around 10 minutes, depending on the computer or device) - and once your (hopefully) much more accurate colour profile has been saved, under a name of your choosing - that brand new and customised user colour profile will henceforth be loaded as the default colour management programme whenever you boot up your computer...until you decide to update it again, that is! Datacolor quotes the system requirements as being the following (if you want to check them for yourself, the details can be found at datacolor.com):Windows 7 32/64, Windows 8.0, 8.1 32/64, and Windows 10 32/64Mac OS X 10.7, 10.8, 10.9, 10.10, 10.11, and 10.12Monitor resolution 1280×768 or greater16-bit video card (24 bit recommended)1GB of available RAM and 500 MB of available hard diskInternet connection for software downloadUSB port (original, NOT a hub)+ As soon as you've grasped the basics, the software gives you the option of performing future calibrations (or re-calibrations) in Expert Mode - which gives you very much greater control over the various parameters (colour temperature. white point, gamma, ambient light, etc...)+ Seeing is believing! Having a properly calibrated monitor/display is (almost) like treating yourself to a hardware upgrade - so good are the results from this Spyde5ELITE with its improved seven-colour sensor, which now apparently boasts a 55% gain in low luminance accuracy. It's also not a little shocking to discover just how far off the mark your factory-calibrated display previously was...+ The 'SpyderProof' function has been improved - so that you can now use your own photos (full screen) to evaluate the effectiveness of the calibrations or recalibrations before adopting them, rather than relying on the (smaller) examples provided by Datacolor+ Spyder5ELITE now provides 'Multiple Monitor Support' - meaning that all your connected monitors can be calibrated+ Spyder5ELITE is able to calibrate 4K/5K monitors+ The Spyder5ELITE sensor module comes with a hard-wired USB cable that stretches to a useful 1.7 metres, which should easily be long enough for most users+ The module has a removable cover - threaded along its USB cable - which is designed to protect the unit's delicate sensor lens, when not in use: a definite improvement over the Spyder4ELITE, I'd say! This also serves as a counterweight (more later...)+ A major drawback of the software that was provided with the previous Spyder4ELITE was its woefully inadequate help/support options. This latest version (v 5.2) includes an interactive/online help feature together with 'On-screen Assistance', which is all much more comprehensive and instructive+ Residents of EU countries receive a standard two-year warrantyNOT SO GOOD:- The Spyder5ELITE module itself seems lighter overall than its predecessor, but this is particularly true of its cap-cum-counterweight. I find that I now need to tilt the monitor screen much further back than was ever the case with the Spyder4ELITE in order to get the module to rest tightly against the screen, which also means that the top-mounted Ambient Light Sensor ends up being angled more towards the ceiling than the interior of the room- Although it generally works very well, you do need a wide-gamut monitor/display to get the very best from your Spyder5ELITE. Some (particularly laptop displays) will not facilitate a colour gamut that's wide enough to match the Spyder's full sensor range. For example - the HD LED display of my own laptop (after calibration) manages only 96% of the sRGB gamut...and only 74% of the Adobe RGB gamut!- The shell of the Spyder5ELITE sensor module measures only 6.9cm (length) x 7.4cm (width) x 4.3cm (height) and is constructed from plastic: I understand that the module itself has been made smaller so that it's easier to use when calibrating the latest curved monitor screens. Although it feels a little sturdier than the Spyder4ELITE it replaces, you must always try and handle it carefully - don't knock or drop it!- The Spyder5ELITE has to do without a handy cradle/stand - such as was supplied with the previous model - which was useful for tidying the module away from your work area, when not in use. The new model, however, does include its own tripod mounting screw, to help when calibrating front projectors- It's reach may well be long enough, but the USB cable only measures a very narrow 2.5mm in width - meaning that the important signal-carrying wires within the casing must be correspondingly tiny and delicate. To avoid damage, you need to take care not to kink the cable or wind it too tightly. Remember - the cable is hard-wired to the sensor module and therefore cannot be replaced by the user, and I doubt whether this kind of user-induced defect would be covered by the warranty!- Considering the high purchase price, Datacolor might have thought to include a separate storage case in which to keep the module safeIn conclusion:I experienced no difficulties whatsoever when it came to installing and activating the correct calibration software. Once up and running, both hardware and software performed together as efficiently as I've come to expect from Datacolor's Spyder series of colorimeters - producing bespoke calibration profiles that I'm happy with and trust, and which of course makes this a recommended buy. As to whether this is an essential upgrade from the already very proficient Spyder4ELITE... Well, I suppose this Spyder5ELITE model does represent a potential step forward in a number of key areas (mainly as a consequence of improvements to the software), but I suspect you would need to use it on a state-of-the-art system before you would notice any significant improvements over its predecessor. That said - to some extent, buying the latest model does at least guarantee compatibility with the latest computer operating systems and will therefore ensure some product longevity for the future.

I bought the Spyder 5 Express. There isn't any difference in the sensor and if you decide later you want more options you can upgrade to the other software, although in all the years I have used Spyders I have never once used the other settings so decided to save money buying the express.Setup consists of tapping in a web address on your browser and following the instructions. It's really well done actually and there are even guide videos although you won't need them. The web page tells you what to expect then downloads the software which then resides on your PC. You are given a code that effectively ties the software to your specific calibration unit. That allows you to install the software on other PC's and calibrate all your screens. Should you get a new unit though you have to repeat the process to get a new key. The software will not work with ANY unit, only the one you bought.Sooner or later it will ask you to place the sensor on the screen. I needed to lean the screen back to get it to stay put, which is unfortunate. I guess you could use a ruler or something to lean against the sensor to hold it in place. The counter-balance weight isn't really a weight any more. It used to be heavy. Now it's really light. I ran off to get the weight for my old Spyder 2 which is an actual weight. It doesn't really matter though since you have to lean the monitor back anyway. Which brings me to a fatal flaw! If you have the monitor attached to the wall you may not be able to lean it back in which case it's a problem. I resorted to a piece of bamboo to press it against one monitor. There is a standard photo thread on one side of the Spyder. I guess that means you could screw in a mono-pod type arrangement to lean it against the monitor.The Express is very simplistic in that it asks hardly nothing and just wanders off and does everything automatically. You don't have to touch the monitor controls which means that all of the calibration is through a monitor profile on your operating system. In fact you don't need the Spyder application once the profile is established.One kind of bug I found in the operation is if you have multiple monitors and one or more are Display Port. You ideally want to minimise ambient light so you turn off any monitors except the one you are calibrating. Except, if its Display Port, Windows realises you turned it off and re-configures your desktop, which causes Spyder to have a fit. I just had a small soft towel handy to throw over the Display Port monitor rather than switching it off.The downside to the simple calibration is that it doesn't adjust the monitor controls so if you take the monitor on to another PC it is totally un-calibrated. My old Spyder 2 actually told you to adjust the monitor controls to get the best picture before it created a profile so if you took the monitor to another PC it was at least partially calibrated. The good news is of course there is nothing to stop you calibrating the monitor on the other PC.Something that I had never noticed before, was just how long it can take a LED monitor to warm up. It really can take up to 30 minutes, and I was initially very confused the day after I calibrated the monitors that they didn't match at all when I first powered them on. Sure enough about 30 minutes later they were a perfect match again. When Datacolor tells you to leave them on for 30 mins before calibration, really, do just that, you may be amazed how much of a difference there is.Oh, one complaint, the cable is about five feet long. Too short Datacolor! It wouldn't reach my PC!! So yes, get a USB extension cable ready, just in case.Datacolor should work on, though, is presentation. Overall you come away feeling you spent a lot of money on not a lot of goodies. I really think they should pad the software out with optional information. Something to just make you feel you got value for money. Another point is that there is no information about how it setup windows to use the profiles. For some video cards I found it literally did nothing because it didn't configure Windows correctly for that video card. I had to manually set the profile before it worked. More info please Datacolor!Anyway, all in all, even in it's cheapest configuration it seems expensive, but it is worth the money. Especially if you have several monitors, this really is essential to get them matching each other.