Datacolor SpyderLensCal SLC100
Electronics > Camera & Photo > Lighting & Studio > Light Meters & Accessories > Color Calibration Charts
About this item
- Fast, easy solution for all your interchangeable lenses and recent DSLR bodies. Provides razor sharp auto-focusing, using modern DSLR autofocus micro-adjustment technology
- Compact, lightweight and durable - It includes an integrated level and tripod mount, making this the most convenient way to adjust your own camera gear
- Save time and hassle - No need to send your equipment in for service. Now you can check or calibrate your own lenses
- Accurate and repeatable calibration For all your lenses and listed DSLR bodies
- Supports autofocus adjustments in these camera models: Canon (50D, 70D, 1Dc, 1DMkIV, 1DsMkIII, 1Dx, 5DMkII, 5DMkIII, 5DS, 5DS R, 6D, 7DMkII, 80D, 1DX Mark II); Nikon (D3, D300, D300s, D3s, D3x, D4, D4s, D7000, D7100, D7200, D600, D610, D700, D750, D800, D800E, D810, D500, D5, D810A, Df); Sony (A77, A850, A900, A6000, A77 MKII, SLT-99); Olympus (E-5, E-30, E-620, E-M1); Pentax (K5-IIs, K5-II, K-x, K-7D, K-5, K-20D, K-30, K-3, K-3 II, K-200D, K-2000/K-m, 645D, 645Z, K-1, K-50, K-70)
Reviews
★★★★★
Verified Purchase
Worth it vs the paper foldable or DIY stuff
So happy I bought this vs struggling with DIY printed stuff. I also tried the "pyramid" and was not happy with it's quality considering its cost. While the Datacolor is not exactly cheap in price, the lack of frustration over now having a decent tool to use is worth it for me.
This Datacolor is sturdy when in use, yet compact when folded for storage. I placed mine on a kitchen table, then placed my cameras on a tripod with lens at same level as center of Datacolor tool. I used a self timer mode to shoot each photo rather than risk camera movement from depressing the shutter myself. From there, it is just a matter of zooming in on photos taken and comparing results vs what a calibrated lens/camera combo should be (as listed in instructions and all over interent). Then make focus adjustments per your camera instructions. I was surprised at how far mine were off and this solved a good many of my out of focus issues. I mostly photograph action sports at high shutter speeds with a very small focus point, at f/2.8 on a 70-200 Tamron or Canon zoom.
★★★★★
Verified Purchase
Great tool to use for lens or camera calibration
Great tool to use for lens or camera calibration! I used this to calibrate my 35mm 1.4 Art and 50mm1.4 Art Sigma lenses since they have several available points of adjustment at varying distances when using the Sigma USB dock. Just an FYI: Depending on the type (prime or zoom) and focal length of the lens, the numbers are too small to see past a certain distance. For instance, I was not able to see the numbers on the ruler clearly past about 13-14 feet on a Sigma 50mm 1.4 Art lens even on a large 4K monitor. That's not the fault of this item but rather the lens; however, something to keep in mind as I do shoot past 14 feet with a 50mm lens and was hoping to calibrate the infinity setting on the lens at 15+ feet but can't pull out the detail since the numbers are too small. I was able to calibrate clearly at 12 feet and that seems to be working well.
★★★★★
Verified Purchase
Convenient and durable
Already used to adjust 5 lenses and my pictures are more sharp. The ruler is hard to differentiate when calibrating (at least with my lenses). I have a hard time determining the sharpest point and the smaller lines between the main numbered lines are no help. I have to determine the out of focus numbers in front and in back and then adjust from there.
I paid full price which means that this was a bit pricey, but I have kept this in my camera bag which I take with me every week as I travel (airline). Folds flat and very convenient to have with me as I switch lenses (Gear Acquisition Syndrome, I have way too many lenses). Seems to be holding up well and it is pretty durable for my needs. I usually set the Lenscal on the back of my rental car, so the built-in level comes in handy.
It should be about $20 less to make it a good value for the money, but I would buy again.
★★★★★
Verified Purchase
Every photographer using a DSLR needs this.
Your focus will improve and your images will be clearly better for using this tool. Eyelashes will be more pronounced, thread level detail will become more common in your shots when you use this product. Don't just trust the manufacturer "average" settings to your work. Fine tune the lenses to perform as they can for you. You will be very surprised between average and perfect focus...
Don't trust this comment. "Manually focus your lens after you've auto focused." See the difference? Imagine your camera auto focusing this way...
★★★★★
Verified Purchase
Great Calibration Tool
I bought this to use with my Tamron lenses that work with Tamron's Tap-In unit. For the shorter focal length lenses it made it easy to snap the images, adjust the lens through the Tamron software and retest. Could I have made something with a ruler and smoother materials for a lot less, yes, but this was just convenient and quick. Now I don't see how this would work for longer focal lengths as you need to be a good distance away and actually seeing the ruler demarcations becomes a bit challenging after zooming in within LightRoom. Great tool overall though. It is plastic, but folds flat and can fit into my camera bags easy enough.
★★★★★
Verified Purchase
This is a well made product and intelligently designed. I received this in the mail today ...
This is a well made product and intelligently designed. I received this in the mail today and have already used it to calibrate two lenses. Unlike some of the competition, this is made from a robust plastic that doesn't sag or warp. It folds flat and is easily portable with the rest of my camera equipment. It can be put on a flat surface or attached to a tripod using the built in brass threaded insert. It has a built in level that helps with setting up. Well worth the money spent as this will last a long, long time. At this point, I have no complaints at all... I will update again when I get all of my lenses calibrated for the different camera bodies. Buy with confidence.
★★★★★
Verified Purchase
Great calibrating tool.
This thing works much better than the folded paper charts that you have to assemble. I can calibrate my lenses with this one on top of any table, and always get accurate reference. The only thing is that this is a very simply item, there's nothing high tech about it, and for what it is, it could be sold cheaper and still be profitable to the company.
If you're struggling with lens calibration, this chart will definitely help a lot. This is a must have for any Tamron G2 lens owner with the tap in console, as they require fine tune calibration 90% of the times. After good calibration, they're spectacular, but not before.
★★★★★
Verified Purchase
Money well spent for calibrated camera AF fine tune. Sharp focus as a result.
Don't know any other way to calibrate other than to build one of these or send my lenses in for professional calibration. Discovered I had a damaged camera by using this, bent mount. Easy to use, surprising how different each of the lenses I had were when I began the process. Definitely helped to get that sharp focus I was after and avoid the "soft" eyes I was getting prior to AF fine calibration.
★★★★★
Verified Purchase
It's a little expensive but well built and necessary
Until we all switch to mirrorless cameras, adjusting the focus with a tool like this is necessary. Every lens and camera is a bit different and if you want accurate focus you need this. However don't get fanatical with it. You really don't have to setup a tripod and perfectly level everything, just generally shoot at the target a few times, zoom in on the results from your camera screen, and adjust the settings in camera. This cost more than printing out a test chart, but it folds up, is easy to use, and has a great target for a focus system to lock on too.
★★★★★
Verified Purchase
Every Photographer should have
In my Opinion this tool is very important and that every Photographer should have. this SpyderLensCal helped me many times for calibrating most of my prime lenses. also, it is very compact, very easy to carry, does not take much space in backpack.
Question & Answer
Question :
Can you possibly get a cheaper "ebay" version but not loosing quality?
Answer :
Understand what's going on. This device is just a focus target with a tilted ruler next to it. You are paying for convenient packaging (it neatly collapses into a flat storage configuration) and the quality of construction so you can use it over and over again, transport it, etc. The device itself is totally passive and is not calibrated in any meaningful way. It is up to you to look at the image of the ruler and decide if your autofocus is accurate or if it is front/back focusing. By iterating you adjust your camera's autofocus for best performance; the device just sits there.
Question :
How does this compare to LensAlign MKII ? The side ruler doesn't have as many fancy marking as the LensAlign, does that matter?
Answer :
The lens align has a builtin feature to insure the sensor is aligned properly to the target. If they're not parallel to each other then your results will be skewed by the amount they are out of line. If, for example like in the photo in the product description, you are improperly shooting at an angle to the target from right of center that will mean the "zero" point on the angled ruler is closer than the target upon which you are aiming the camera. If you're too far to the left then the target will be closer than the zero mark on the ruler. The same is true of pitch (up/down). Roll is not near as critical.
Question :
Will this work on the D7100? Don't see it on the list. Thanks
Answer :
Yes it will work fine... Since the 7100 has the ability to fine tune the focus this is a great product to get the lens right on the way you want it to focus... For others your camera will work fine whether or not you have the correction ability... It will work fine as a diagnostic tool for those without the fine tune capability...
Question :
Will this work to calibrate a 600mm lens or is it too small? Thank in advance.
Answer :
The answer from sip is not correct, the recommended distance from the target is 40-50 times the focal length, which in the case of a 600mm lens, you would need to be 24-30 meters from the target. At that distance the DoF is much greater than shorter focal lengths so the distance isn't as critical, however, I have seen Super Telephoto lens out of spec quite a bit, so it is worthwhile to check. There can also be a great difference in the AF Fine Tuning correction required from the closest to the farthest focal length. In this case it is recommended to check at three of four different focal lengths the lens is capable of and average, or calibrate to the focal length you most use.
Question :
How big is it?
Answer :
Well you can set it on tripod, it is maybe about 10 to 12 inches long, but you fold it in half when its in ready to go it is about 6 inches flat and, 6inches at a 90 degree angle. It is only about 6 to 7 inches wide. It is very compact. Very easy to use and can be put in some camera cases , it flattens out so it is easy to put away. Check you tube videos and they show you how to even set it up. Very nice toy. Hope this helps you out. Just check out you tube and type in the spyder lens cal it will help you alot.
Question :
How visible is the target for longer lenses that you have to calibrate much further away from the target?
Answer :
It works well and good for AF tuning on my lens. Able to get sharp clarity on zeroing it. I have calibrated 300mm, 400mm and 800mm Nikon lens without any issue.
Question :
Does the calibration only apply to a given distance, or for the most part it's calibrated whether the subject is 5' or 30'?
Answer :
When you use this, you have calibrated the camera/lens pair at the specific distance and focal length that you used when you performed the calibration.
That is if you use an Nikon 80-200 F/2.8 lens and set it to 200mm and shoot at the target at 4 feet. Then that is what the pair are calibrated to.
You should try to calibrate the pair at the shooting distance you are most likely going to shoot at. (or some say 5 times the focal length)
Now that it is calibrated for 4 feet, if one were to shoot at a farther distance day 40 feet - it is possible that the change in focus won't be exactly the needed change.
Most lenses are pretty good across the distance; and keep in mind that as you focus farther away the depth of field opens up.
that is if you've calibrated at 4 feet you're acceptable focus could be 3.5 feet to 5 feet. (as an example) when you open up to 40 feet the acceptable focus would be more like 35 to 50 feet
so it's not as critical. The same goes for focal length - although the shift if focus by zooming is typically more than when changing distances
Question :
Do you have tobhave a second tripod or will it woek just as well on a level surface?
Answer :
I have a second tripod but I don't think it is absolutely necessary. As long as you can get the target and camera in line it will work. The surface which the target sits needs to be level so you would have to verify that somehow.
Question :
What is it made of?
Answer :
The structure is a good plastic and either screen printed directly on it (I believe this is it) or it might be a film based graphic
Question :
Doesn't it matter if you have the lens and the target perfectly centered to one another at least height wise and up and down rotation?
Answer :
Yes it does. Left/right alignment is even more critical. If you're angled off to the right (like the guy in the product photo) the "zero" mark on the ruler will be closer to the camera than the flat part of the target at which you are aiming the camera to focus. The result will be you are going to dial in slight front focus. If you're angled to the other side, the "zero" mark is further than the target and will lead you to dial in back focus.
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