Best monitor for photo editing and viewing - suggestions wanted

[Dan Boardman]

Need to upgrade my monitor and am looking for something in the say 300-500 price range for editing/viewing. Have been reading reviews and the HP ZR24W 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor seems to be a very good option in the price range. Suggestions are welcome.

Thanks much

Dan

[Robert Hall]

This is not in your price range, but I sure like the Apple Thunderbolt displays.

[Preston]

Dan,

This NEC MultiSync monitor is a bit out of your price range (NEC direct is $749), but I think you would like it better for imaging work. MultiSync P241w-bk

With a compatible colormeter, you can also purchase and use the NEC SpectraView calibration software with this monitor.

I have the P221W (22") and Spectraview. The monitor and software have been very reliable.

--P

[adam satushek]

Dan,

This NEC MultiSync monitor is a bit out of your price range (NEC direct is $749), but I think you would like it better for imaging work. MultiSync P241w-bk

With a compatible colormeter, you can also purchase and use the NEC SpectraView calibration software with this monitor.

I have the P221W (22") and Spectraview. The monitor and software have been very reliable.

--P

I second NEC's and thier Spectraview software. I have the now discontinued 2690WUXI2, but im sure thier smaller monitors do a good job too. Though you might have a hard time finding something in your range, NEC's are generally cheaper than LAcies and way cheaper than Eizos.

Good luck!

[Dan Boardman]

Dan,

This NEC MultiSync monitor is a bit out of your price range (NEC direct is $749), but I think you would like it better for imaging work. MultiSync P241w-bk

With a compatible colormeter, you can also purchase and use the NEC SpectraView calibration software with this monitor.

I have the P221W (22") and Spectraview. The monitor and software have been very reliable.

--P

I can get the P221W (22") NEC for just over $400 is the 24" version $350 BETTER?? OR I can get the PA231W-BK (23") monitor for about $550 which is about $150 more??

WOW choices - choices

[Frank Petronio]

I bought two of the 22 inch NECs and they seem like the most bang for the buck. Not perfect but good.

[polyglot]

Make sure you get an IPS or (at worst) PVA panel; under no circumstance should you buy a TN panel for photographic use. Use this database to look up the panel type in any display you're considering.

I would suggest stretching your budget to about $600-700 and buying a second-hand 30" LCD, e.g. Apple Cinema or HP LP3065; you might swing one for $500 if you're patient. They're all S-IPS, of the highest visual quality, and you get much better resolution (2560x1600) than you'll see on any 24" monitor (1920x1080 to 1920x1200). It does require a dual-link DVI connection though, so you might need to upgrade your video card if it's a bit old and sad.

[Ari]

...under no circumstance should you buy a TN panel for photographic use.

Is there a real reason why?
I've defied your dire warning, and have been a happy, pro-TN-panel user for three years, with no adverse effects suffered yet
Images look great on the screen, and print predictably as well.

[polyglot]

Is there a real reason why?
I've defied your dire warning, and have been a happy, pro-TN-panel user for three years, with no adverse effects suffered yet
Images look great on the screen, and print predictably as well.

The reasons are that they have poor gamut (display a smaller colour space than any files you might want to work on) and the brightness and hue varies with viewing angle. So when you look at the image, it might be "right" but you move your head and it's not anymore, which means you can't confidently set your white/black points, let alone colour balance, uniquely and know that what you've done to the file is even remotely like what you thought you did to the file.

It matters a lot less for B&W, but shadow detail is highly variable with respect to viewing angle. For a demonstration, set LFPF to the orange/grey skin ("Blackend" in the little dropbox bottom-left of this thread) and bob your head up and down by about a foot. You'll see the relative brightness of all the grey rectangles changing in a most disturbing manner. If I sit here at work (Samsung 2443BW, a 24" TN) with my head in the centre of the screen, the grey rectangles (about Zone III-IV) at top of the screen are a whole stop darker than those at the bottom of the screen.

[Ari]

The reasons are that they have poor gamut (display a smaller colour space than any files you might want to work on) and the brightness and hue varies with viewing angle. So when you look at the image, it might be "right" but you move your head and it's not anymore, which means you can't confidently set your white/black points, let alone colour balance, uniquely and know that what you've done to the file is even remotely like what you thought you did to the file.

It matters a lot less for B&W, but shadow detail is highly variable with respect to viewing angle. For a demonstration, set LFPF to the orange/grey skin ("Blackend" in the little dropbox bottom-left of this thread) and bob your head up and down by about a foot. You'll see the relative brightness of all the grey rectangles changing in a most disturbing manner. If I sit here at work (Samsung 2443BW, a 24" TN) with my head in the centre of the screen, the grey rectangles (about Zone III-IV) at top of the screen are a whole stop darker than those at the bottom of the screen.

Point taken, thank you for the explanation.
I guess to keep the viewing angle consistent, I'll turn down the reggae