Spyder Cube: What's Old Is New Again

This looked interesting. It debuted in 2009 although I've never seen it before. It's the modern day digital equivalent of the old gray card, and quite similar to the homemade "exposure boxes" that Zone System photographers used to make. Under consistent lighting, you set it up either hanging from its string loop, standing on a flat surface, or attached to a tripod. Then take an exposure for calibration purposes. Later, in your raw converter, use the brighter of the two 18% gray surfaces to set neutral tint and median exposure; use the white surface on the same side to set clipping; then set the "black trap" (the hole in the lower surface) to 100% black and lighten the black surface until it's distinct from the black trap. Those then become your basic settings for the rest of your exposures taken under that lighting.

Not sure how many peoples' work demands such exactitude and control, but it's a nice implementation of an old idea with a connection to classical methods of exposure and development. And it suits the slick and capable techniques of the moment better than an old-fashioned gray card. Although, the more things change the more they stay the same, et cetera.

Datacolor calls it a Spyder Cube and it retails for $54. Pretty cool, although I don't think I need one....

Mike

Original contents copyright 2023 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. (To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below or on the title of this post.)

Featured Comments from:

Comments

[Stephen S.]

I thought the title referred to the Spyder Cube as being old, not new! It was introduced in 2009.

[I just meant new as in current, that's all. As opposed to olden film B&W days. --Mike]

[Moose]

I imagine this thing works fine.

OTOH, it's far more expensive than the WhiBal White Balance Pocket Card and far more awkward to carry. I always have one with me, in a CC envelope in my wallet.

And that's the crucial difference, always with me vs. the need to determine each time I am out with a camera whether to take an extra, lumpy thingie along.

I gather that the current version is not solid, neutral gray all the way through. I have a couple of the old ones, but it seems the new ones work as well, perhaps absent sharp edged violence.

[Kevin Crosado]

Another vote for WhiBal cards. They work well.

I tried a Spyder Cube back when the original marketing blitz hit, but was underwhelmed. Quite apart from the inconvenience, it wanted to squeeze your image into some abstract theoretical tonal range, which didn't always fit the actual real-world subject all that well.