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It works very well, with no discernible changes in measurements even when pointing a bright LED flashlight directly to the sensor.

It is a much better device and I dont recommend buying a Spyder5 at this point.

Its the only interaction between photographer and the image after its inception on the camera.

Your images or designs can vary wildly on color from one display to another, and even more during printing, where any misstep can represent a big waste of money.

Calibrating your display ensures that what you see is consistent from day to day and also follows a known standard.

The same logic applies not only for photographers, but also for users in other fields that require consistent color for example, web, graphic and product design.

The resulting color profile is used by your operating system and any color managed program to adjust its output, making sure that what you see is as similar as possible to other displays, given their intrinsic differences.

For example, if you have custom color profiles for your LCD display and photo printer, Adobe Lightroom can understand their differences and match their output as closely as possible, or simulate the printer output on your screen.

How to choose the best monitor for photo editing: what specs really matter.

Ive used all versions of it, from the original Spyder, back when the company was still called Colorvision, to this latest 5th generation.

I appreciate the fact that they move fast and listen closely to the market demands.

The Spyder3, for example, was the first consumer grade colorimeter that worked fine with wide gamut displays.

Spyder4 focused on measurement precision and less unit-to-unit variance.

One of the biggest criticisms of the Spyder3 and Spyder4 colorimeters was that measurement performance was not so great on the darker tones.

The updated Spyder5 sensor features a new 7-color matrix that is claimed to offer up to 55 improvement in tonal response, especially in the shadows.

The improvement is very apparent when you compare it to previous versions and also reflects in a faster calibration time, since the updated unit can get a precise measurement in less time than its predecessors.

The colorimeter now has a more compact design with an integrated protective cap that doubles as a counterweight.

When closed, this cap protects the color filters inside the unit from overexposure to light, which can degrade them and lessen the units accuracy.

This was a very common problem, for example, with the old X-Rite Eye One Display 2 and other colorimeters of that generation.

What I didnt like in my testing is that the capcounterweight fits very snugly on the USB cable, and you have to pull it with more force than Im comfortable with in order to adjust its position.

My fear is that doing this multiple times can cause the cable to fail.

In the end I opted to leave a reasonable loop of cable between the cap and the main unit so I dont have to adjust it every time.

The new sensor also has an updated baffle design that uses a deeper honeycomb pattern in order to eliminate any stray light influence on the measurements.

Datacolor Spyder 3 Elite