Customer Reviews

Datacolor DC SC100 Spyder Cube

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This product is very helpful for tuning up your images in post. It works best with RAW but can be used on JPGs to a similar degree depending on your post processing software.

Bottom Line: Great product, very clever, makes my post processing much faster. Worth the money? Yes if you do post processing for a good number of images where you can afford to take a test shot with consistent lighting. See below for more info on what I do with it.

What it is for: Include the cube in a test image that has the same light conditions as real images so that you can easily adjust white balance, brightness, contrast and control the highlights and shadows for a batch of images.

What it is not for: Environmental/Event photography with action and rapidly changing conditions.

How it works:
While taking pictures:
Take a picture of the cube so that the front point is facing you. There are now three diamonds you can see. Top Left, Top Right, and bottom.

The top diamonds are split into gray and white triangles on either side. These will let you determine exposure by making sure there is a difference between the gray and white (not over exposed).

The bottom diamond is black with a circular hole that allows no light. The black face determines shadows and the black circle(hole) is absolute black. Check your exposure test to see a difference between the black face and black hole. This will ensure you have detail in your shadows.

There is a chrome ball on top that will generate specular highlights (Pure white). The difference between the chrome ball highlights and white faces will show you the highlight detail you have.

Not that you've completed your test image and checked the above. Take all your pictures. If the light changes, do another test with the cube.

Post Processing:
In your editor (I use capture NX) open your test image with the cube:

White balance: Use the gray point selector in your white balance tool to select the gray triangle facing the key light. Perfect white balance.

White point: Use the white point tool or use your levels sliders to clip your histogram to the specular highlights or the brighter white face. Watch the cube in the preview and histogram to ensure you have the desired difference between the specular highlights in the chrome ball and the white face.

Black point: Use the black point tool or your levels sliders to ensure the black trap is your black point or until there is the desired level of difference between he black trap and the black face.

This is the minimum you need to do to your settings. Next I copy those settings and paste them into each image I am going to post process. With many tools you can batch this task to adjust all your images.

Now you have great contrast, brightness, and white balance with your desired level of detail in the highlights and shadows for all of the images in your set.

With newer DSLR, you should be able to get an OK white balance when shooting in 1 light type of situation. But when it comes to mixed light sources, your WB will most likely get all over the place. This is where this tool actually becomes very valuable. Read the instructions carefully and follow them. Once you do, you will see the difference in the accuracy of colors in your photos. At first, I was not using the cube correctly, therefore not seeing the value yet. It's amazing how many things in life can be accomplished when reading instructions... (To my wife: this is not admission that men are not blessed with a superior and innate sixth sense of directions and assembly skills based on pure logical thinking). Needless to say, I have now seen the light (in it's correct brightness). I was able to post process pictures effortlessly and quickly with only a few adjustments.
I do recommend this product based on the fact that it can be placed into a scene in several ways (Tripod, standing, hanging, held, etc...) and that it handles more than just white balance correction. Paired with Adobe Lightroom, it works marvels.

The SpyderCube does everything for giving you the best in all white balance adjustment.
It is a small item that does a big job. I gave it a test the day it was delivered
to me and set up a photo with several different colors and different lighting.
I could not believe just how easy it was using Camera Raw. The photo before
processing was just kind of average. The results after clicking on the Cube for
white balance really brought out all of the true colors. Real life colors! I was
suppose to get a free gift (small tripod) for the purchase but have yet to receive
it. It does come with a handy little cloth bag for storage.

Datacolor DC SC100 Spyder Cube installation and basic operations are very straight forward. The results are a definite improvement for the monitor viewing experience. The monitor has enhanced color accuracy. The only problems with the Cube are making sure it is positioned correctly on the screen and that it does not slip during the data collection phase.

This product is excellent to manage WB properly. Quite easy to use after reading the manual carefully or watching the video. Love it and made my life easier.

What good is the cube when the Syder 3 Elite itself can't set the color as well as I can manually? The Spyder 3 Elite was a big disappointment and waste of money. I would sell them both on eBay if I didn't have strong ethics.