SpyderLensCal (PC)

This lens calibrator is suitable for both DSLRs & interchangeable lens mirrorless systems that allow so-called micro-adjustment per lens. Nearly all cameras that can be adjusted only do so at a single focal length. You will have to chose what length to calibrate a zoom lens at - the only camera I know of that allows more than one point per zoom lens is Nikon's new D780.I have two issues with this calibrator. Firstly, the ruler part has a slight curve & more seriously, the built in level is way out of true. For this sort of money, this is unacceptable, I’m sorry to say. Th greater the resolution of your camera's sensor, the easier this tool is to use. It is recommended you multiple the focal length by 25 to 50. I'd add the target needs to be close enough to easily resolve the horizontal lines on the ruler because the calibrator is quite small. I consider this calibrator to be poor value.

This is one of those purchases you make because you need to not because you want to. Its quite well designed and certainly does what it is supposed to do. It is constructed almost entirely of plastic and I would place the production cost at a very low figure so why is it so very very expensive. It seems like its being treated as a precision device which I guess it is but this is probably the worst sting I have yet had in photo gear. This must be better than the paper cards that cost a fiver and could well be worth a score but at its price its a case of if you want it your going to have to pay for it but I would love somebody to explain to me how the cost is justified. Any way rant over. Does the job, will last for many years if looked after, costs far too much.

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.

These thing a brilliant to calibrate your lens if you have soft focus and it isn't due to damage or a faulty lens. You must make sure you check. Try taking a photo at very high shutter speed on tripod, if it still blurry or soft, it is more likely to be a faulty lens and this will not help. That out of the way now. I have a canon 85mm prime which was a little soft but due to me using it a crop sensor 90d instead of my full frame, which doesn't have the issue. Within about 30 minute I now have perfect focus and couldn't be happier with this product. It great and if you have 2 tripods. Put you camera and best on and alighen them perfectly for much better results.

I essentially purchased this to go with a USB hub that enables adjustments to be made to the lens data tables with a certain range of lenses from one manufacturer. It has been a useful tool to help in adjusting the in-lens data tables to give more accurate focus.I had been angling a ruler and ................... to test lenses / focusing but this makes the process much more straightforward and more informative. I now KNOW why my 135mm F2 lens is so poor wide open on a DSLR in a way that I did not notice on film and I know what I need to stop the lens down to in order to get suitable sharpness and lose the fringing.I have used this more for 'analysing lens performance' than any of the front / back focus 'issues'.NB: ALERT: in-camera focus corrections are for one focal length at a given distance ( some cameras do have 3 focal length settings for zooms ). In-camera focus micro-adjust was introduced for professional photographers 'in the field' who had a problem develop and no service centre available. If your lens is truly out on its focusing and you use that lens at more than one distance / focal length then micro-adjust is not a replacement for a full calibration service that will re-write the lens data tables.