Datacolor SpyderLensCal Autofocus Calibration Tool for DSLR Cameras

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.

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.

I knew my lenses were not focusing correctly and I tried the manual approach of printing out focus test charts from the web and trying to do the 45degree angle thing with a tripod, it didn't work as well. This takes all the hassle of the manual process and makes the calibration easier to accomplish. I'd agree with a lot of the reviewers that this is an overpriced piece of kit for the what you get but I think in the long run it will pay for itself. The parts are a bit flimsy and the ruler arm needs to sit right with the notch holding up the vertical part. The bubble level helps keep things square and the metal threaded hole makes it easy to mount this on a light stand or small tripod. Every lens I owned needed a bit of adjustment. It was easier using this tool for lenses with lower F-Stops (i.e. 1.4 and 2.8.) where the short in-focus range is more pronounced wide open. You'll need to calibrate twice for zoom lenses; once for the wide and then for the tele end of the focal range. My Canon 24-105 and 16-35 had micro-adjustment settings for both ends of the focal length. I noticed that it was harder deciding which lines around the zero mark on the ruler were in focus for the higher F-Stop lenses. In reality it may not make a difference since the subject would have also been in focus. Dropped a star due to the cost.

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.

If you are “into” photography this is wonderful for adjusting the focus point of your lenses… Over time your lenses will tend to back focus or front focus. This helps correct that.. It’s a learning curve to use it, but once you get the hang of it it’s terrific….

A good thing to have but you may use it once or twice in the lifetime of a lens. (First by curiosity second after missing the focusing on critical shots) I discovered that one of my lens was unable to lock onto the focusing using this for some reason. It's identical twin worked just fine so now I know I have a problem. The other lenses (3) were right on the money. This a good, well made item even if in plastic but as I said, you mat not use it as often as you think as to argument of saving you money it is not quite true but this offer offers an accuracy you may not achieve with self made optical calibration gadget. The three stars rating refers to the real use.

Worked great!!

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.

Le prix a bien augmenté mais l'article est conforme et très utile pour l'usage requis. La qualité est bonne.

One of my camera lenses, bought second had some years ago, has always had a tendency to back-focus (subject is out of focus, with sharp focus falling on a point behind the subject) . That's not such an issue with images shot at a distance, but its irritating when trying to take close-ups. My camera has the facility to pair with a given lens and, with the right tools, or by simple experimentation, trial and error, this can be corrected. I've tried to do this in the past with home-made focus calibration devices, but never with much success. I spotted this tool while looking for some lens-caps and thought I would give it a try. It's easy to set up, and with the bit of research (there's a number of YouTube videos' that demonstrate how to use this tool), I was able to calibrate all of my lenses in a few hours. Having gone through the calibration procedure, I've found that all of my lenses back-focused to a greater or lesser degree, and the one lens that was clearly a long way out of whack is back in trim again and now focuses to perfection. So, five stars for Accuracy, and five stars for ease of use. It takes a bit of practice, but within a few tens of minutes, I was able to able to make adjustments on my camera quickly and accurately based on the information gleaned from using the tool. Four stars for value for money. It's a damn good tool, no question, but it's very expensive for what is only a bit of moulded plastic with stickers on. Having said that , it's a fraction of the cost of several of my lenses, so I guess it's not a ridiculous price to pay. If you absolutely must have pin-sharp images and your camera is capable of retaining the micro-focus adjustments necessary to get the best out of the lenses, then this is a great little gadget.

Het product doet waar het voor is en is daarvoor een aanrader. Maar, het is gewoon veel te duur voor wat je krijgt. Een simpele, in een hoek te plaatsen, plastic liniaal. De verpakking is volledig geseald dus die moet je open knippen aan de randen en is daardoor bijna niet meer bruikbaar. Aangezien er geen opbergdoos is meegeleverd (?) had het zeer wenselijk geweest dat de verpakking daarvoor gebruikt kon worden maar die moet je open knippen en werkt daarvoor dan echt minder. Zelf in de aanbieding gekocht voor 37,95 (wat ik al (te)veel vind) maar de adviesprijs van 64,99 is echt veel te veel. Enfin, voor kalibratie een prima product.

El material es resistente y de buena calidad, por el precio menor a 800 pesos se me hizo una buena opción ya que no es de cartón y los números están nítidos. En especial para la calibración de los sigma

This Lens Calibration System is one of the best available in the market. If your DSLR supports AFMA (Auto Focus Micro Adjustment), then this Calibration System is a must buy. No camera or lens s perfect and if you are a avid photographer, you will find that most camera-lens combinations either have front-focus or back-focus problems. This Calibration System helps you calibrate your camera-lens combination for perfect focus every time. Recommended calibration once every 3 months or so, depending on the performance of the camera-lens system.