Datacolor SpyderLensCal

This is simple to use and best results are achieved by using a lap top/desk top to review your images. It may need a few test shots to ensure good alignment. Constant lighting gives better results. Use twice a year to ensure accurate auto focus. Well worth the money. Some lenses were well out and were back focusing. Some were front focusing. My lenses now give 100% accurate auto focus alignment.

Excellent tool for calibrating lenses, very easy setup!! Cant go wrong for the price

Expensive for what it is but it does the job very well.

I've used other methods of tuning lenses before (taking a picture of a ruler on my desk from an angle) but this is a better option.

It's a good item to share amongst a group of friends as it's not needed much beyond the initial tuning exercises.

Poor construction and flimsy, there are better options out there

Having a lightstand to mount it on is the best solution. It's accuracy was excellent.

It does what is says on the box. Simple and accurate.

With 3 camera bodies and multiple lens it would cost a fortune to send them all off to Nikon (or Canon) to have the focus set up and calibrated. The SpyderLensCal allows you to do this yourself and ensure each lens is matched to each body to achieve super sharp auto focusing.

The procedure is simple, if a little repetitive and time consuming. You simply set the target up on a lighting stand, tripod or desktop and your camera on a tripod positioned beyond the minimum focusing distance. You need to take usually 21 images focusing on the target for each body and lens combination adjusting the AF fine tune value for each shot (from +20 to -20). Then review the images and select the one that is correctly focused on the zero line of the sloping ruler. You then input that correction through the camera menu as the AF fine tune value for the lens.

I found that with my range of lens, the correction value varied from +17 to -13 for different lens. You will be amazed at the difference and the improvement you can achieve. As a wildlife and wedding photographer, accurate focus is essential for me.

You can only carry out your own focus calibration if you own a 'professional' DSLR body which permit AF fine tuning (ie. Can (50D, 7D, 5D2, 1D3, 1D4, 1Ds3, 1Ds4), Nikon (D300, D300s, D700, D3, D3s, D3x), Sony (A580, A900), Olympus (E-30, e-620) and Pentax (K20D, K7D)).

If you have invested in pro bodies and lens then this gadget is a must.

This is a handy tool for anyone who suspects that a camera or lens may not be focusing exactly where it should, and is especially useful if you own a camera that features autofocus microadjust. The Lenscal is mainly plastic, but it seems well made. It's ready to use straight from the box and doesn't require any putting together – it's folded flat for packing, but the autofocus target simply flips up and the ruler sits in place at a 45 degree angle.

The principle is fairly straightforward – set your camera to single shot AF, use the largest available aperture on the lens and focus on the target, ensuring that your camera is parallel to the Lenscal. When reviewing your shot, zoom in to view the ruler – the "0" should be the sharpest digit on the scale, and if it's not then it's easy to see whether you have front or back focus issues.

I tested a 28mm lens on a K20D, and within a couple of minutes I had established that it was backfocusing slightly. I made a +2 adjustment for that particular lens using the camera's AF microadjust feature, then tested again and the results were spot on.

The Spyder Lenscal is a very simple and very effective product, and might be just what you need if you suspect that your focusing is a touch awry.

I have 2 cameras (Canon 7D & 50D)& a variety of lenses (Canon & Sigma), but was slightly disappointed with the AF on the 7D. Had used a newspaper to adjust the AF on both with all my lenses, but still wasn't happy with the 7D, so bought this product. So simple to set up & use, especially if you have 2 tripods. My 50D is now as sharp as a tack with all my lenses, but my 7D won't adjust focus enough for my Sigma lenses, but is fine with Canons own (Is the software programmed to do this?). I have commented this item as expensive, as it is small & plastic, but, I suppose [$] to prove your £1,200 camera has issues & needs to go back is cheap.