Advice on monitors requested

NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
edited November 4, 2008 in Digital Darkroom
I am beginning to think about getting a better monitor for photo editing. I would appreciate any advice and recommendations.

At the moment I use a HP Pavilion laptop with 17" screen. Some limitations are the reflective screen, the narrow viewing angle and not being able to calibrate color.

What about the HP LP2475w or the 24" or 26" NECs?

Is the Mac 23" worth considering?

????...

Hope someone can help/has experience...

Neil
"Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

http://www.behance.net/brosepix

Comments

  • pyrypyry Registered Users Posts: 1,733 Major grins
    edited October 21, 2008
    You'll want a display that has an s-ips (or s-pva) type panel, preferably more than 8-bit deep color lookup tables (LUTs) and ddc/ci support for hardware calibrators. Full sRGB coverage is also a good thing.

    NEC's 26" 2690WUxi hits those specs as well as others from the same semi-pro range, if I remember correctly. I have the 2090Uxi and it's a good display - it does have a fair amount of the sticky image syndrome, but that's nothing 10 minutes of Mythbusters can't fix :D
    Creativity's hard.

    http://pyryekholm.kuvat.fi/
  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited October 21, 2008
    pyry wrote:
    You'll want a display that has an s-ips (or s-pva) type panel, preferably more than 8-bit deep color lookup tables (LUTs) and ddc/ci support for hardware calibrators. Full sRGB coverage is also a good thing.

    NEC's 26" 2690WUxi hits those specs as well as others from the same semi-pro range, if I remember correctly. I have the 2090Uxi and it's a good display - it does have a fair amount of the sticky image syndrome, but that's nothing 10 minutes of Mythbusters can't fix :D

    Beaut! Thanks, pyry! I'll look at this.

    "sticky image syndrome"? I guess you don't mean an unforgettable image:D

    Neil
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
  • pyrypyry Registered Users Posts: 1,733 Major grins
    edited October 21, 2008
    NeilL wrote:
    Beaut! Thanks, pyry! I'll look at this.

    "sticky image syndrome"? I guess you don't mean an unforgettable image:D

    Neil

    What I mean by a sticky image is that if there is something static on the screen, like windows you're not using, edges and toolbars of a browser window - stuff that is drawn exactly the same way for a long period of time - those parts of the image can 'stick' to the display as a faint ghost. S-ips panels do this at varying levels, others apparently much less so. It's basically the same thing old CRTs did, but with LCDs it's not permanent.

    My display picks up a ghost in 15 minutes, which is annoying at times, but the ghost goes away just as quickly. Video, blanking or turning the display off all work. Hence the Mythbusters, if there's a ghost that bothers me enough to not want to work on a photo, all I have to do is start watching an episode Mythbusters - by time they blow something up the ghosts are gone :D
    Creativity's hard.

    http://pyryekholm.kuvat.fi/
  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited October 21, 2008
    pyry wrote:
    What I mean by a sticky image is that if there is something static on the screen, like windows you're not using, edges and toolbars of a browser window - stuff that is drawn exactly the same way for a long period of time - those parts of the image can 'stick' to the display as a faint ghost. S-ips panels do this at varying levels, others apparently much less so. It's basically the same thing old CRTs did, but with LCDs it's not permanent.

    My display picks up a ghost in 15 minutes, which is annoying at times, but the ghost goes away just as quickly. Video, blanking or turning the display off all work. Hence the Mythbusters, if there's a ghost that bothers me enough to not want to work on a photo, all I have to do is start watching an episode Mythbusters - by time they blow something up the ghosts are gone :D

    What a workflow!! rolleyes1.gif
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
  • pyrypyry Registered Users Posts: 1,733 Major grins
    edited October 21, 2008
    NeilL wrote:
    What a workflow!! rolleyes1.gif

    Whatever works you know lol3.gif
    Creativity's hard.

    http://pyryekholm.kuvat.fi/
  • GSPePGSPeP Registered Users Posts: 3,939 Major grins
    edited October 21, 2008
    No problems with "ghosts" on my Eizo Coloredge CG241W

    Spec. http://www.eizo.com/products/graphics/cg241w/index.asp

    They even have a 30" now CG301W ( http://www.eizo.com/products/graphics/cg301w/index.asp )
    Greetings from Belgium, Peter
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  • f-riderf-rider Registered Users Posts: 86 Big grins
    edited October 21, 2008
    Anything less expensive?
    I know, I know, but is there anything out there suitable for photo editing that is a bit cheaper, say $500 range?

    Any idea about the Eizo s1901 with a 19 TFT color LCD panel?
  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited October 21, 2008
    GSPeP wrote:
    No problems with "ghosts" on my Eizo Coloredge CG241W

    Spec. http://www.eizo.com/products/graphics/cg241w/index.asp

    They even have a 30" now CG301W ( http://www.eizo.com/products/graphics/cg301w/index.asp )

    Yeah, thanks, I gather EIZO have been in the forefront...
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
  • jasonstonejasonstone Registered Users Posts: 735 Major grins
    edited October 23, 2008
    Yeah I'd like something around the $500 mark that's awesome for photo editing as i'm just doing it on my macbook's 13" screen - don't have anything else

    Would an elcheapo 22" widescreen lcd be better than the macbook's 13" lcd?

    Cheers, Jase
    Jase // www.stonesque.com
  • pyrypyry Registered Users Posts: 1,733 Major grins
    edited October 23, 2008
    jasonstone wrote:
    Yeah I'd like something around the $500 mark that's awesome for photo editing as i'm just doing it on my macbook's 13" screen - don't have anything else

    Would an elcheapo 22" widescreen lcd be better than the macbook's 13" lcd?

    Cheers, Jase

    El cheapos tend to be just as bad as laptop screens. They won't do nearly full coverage of the sRGB colorspace, they won't be accurate, and to get anything out of them, you have sit in front of it just.. exactly... there.
    Avoid TN-type panels.

    There are a few reasonable models out there for moreless around the $500 mark. I'll see if I can dig some up.
    Creativity's hard.

    http://pyryekholm.kuvat.fi/
  • pyrypyry Registered Users Posts: 1,733 Major grins
    edited October 23, 2008
    OK, here's a couple of models that seem to have the makings of a good display. These tend to be 8-bit s-ips, ddc supported and probably slightly less than full sRGB - check the specs and prices to see what fits you.

    NEC 20WMGX2
    HP LP2475W
    LG L2000CP

    Now, I don't know anything about these displays other than that their specs look ok to me, you'll have find reviews elsewhere :D
    Creativity's hard.

    http://pyryekholm.kuvat.fi/
  • NeilLNeilL Registered Users Posts: 4,201 Major grins
    edited October 23, 2008
    pyry wrote:
    OK, here's a couple of models that seem to have the makings of a good display. These tend to be 8-bit s-ips, ddc supported and probably slightly less than full sRGB - check the specs and prices to see what fits you.

    NEC 20WMGX2
    HP LP2475W
    LG L2000CP

    Now, I don't know anything about these displays other than that their specs look ok to me, you'll have find reviews elsewhere :D

    Yep, these popped up getting good reviews everywhere I looked online.

    I haven't yet been able to find any of them in the flesh where I live, but I did find an older Philips model, Brilliance 200WP7es, with v good specs, and rotates to portrait orientation. It's about $300+.

    http://www.ciao.co.uk/Philips_Brilliance_200WP7ES__6597212#productdetail

    I took my laptop to try it out in the shop and found that the Philips would not respond to input via VGA to DVI adapter, only to VGA to VGA (at least I think that was what was going on, both I and the salesman were a bit clueless). Anyway, with VGA input everything was very nice indeed except sharpness, and antialiasing. I don't know if those would also have come into line if my laptop supported DVI. There is a non-wide version of this display as well apparently.

    I gather what panel you actually get in your monitor is a bit of a lottery, since they are swapped around without notice.
    "Snow. Ice. Slow!" "Half-winter. Half-moon. Half-asleep!"

    http://www.behance.net/brosepix
  • jasonstonejasonstone Registered Users Posts: 735 Major grins
    edited October 24, 2008
    pyry wrote:
    OK, here's a couple of models that seem to have the makings of a good display. These tend to be 8-bit s-ips, ddc supported and probably slightly less than full sRGB - check the specs and prices to see what fits you.

    NEC 20WMGX2
    HP LP2475W
    LG L2000CP

    Now, I don't know anything about these displays other than that their specs look ok to me, you'll have find reviews elsewhere :D

    Thanks for the info - I took a quick look at prices here in Switzerland and the NEC I can't find, the HP was around 800USD and the LG around 500USD.

    For 800USD I wondered if it would be worthwhile just buying the new Apple 24" - ok it's more but i could finance it.

    I assume (hopefully correctly) that the Apple LCDs would be oriented towards correct colour and video/photo editing

    I don't even have the money at the moment and when I do I'll always have to ask myself - I'm not printing much and results have been ok so far - so why worry about a big monitor - why no spend the money on an SB-800 or another lens....

    Cheers, Jase
    Jase // www.stonesque.com
  • jasonstonejasonstone Registered Users Posts: 735 Major grins
    edited October 25, 2008
    pyry wrote:
    You'll want a display that has an s-ips (or s-pva) type panel, preferably more than 8-bit deep color lookup tables (LUTs) and ddc/ci support for hardware calibrators. Full sRGB coverage is also a good thing.

    So this would imply that the Apple 23" or 24" LCDs would be more than suitable

    I'm wondering if it's 1200chf for the 24" LCD and 2100chf for the 24" iMac with the same LCD then maybe i should just get me an iMac 24" mwink.gif

    Course I have to get it past my "accountant" first!
    Jase // www.stonesque.com
  • i_worship_the_Kingi_worship_the_King Registered Users Posts: 548 Major grins
    edited October 25, 2008
    I recently just went through this process for an upgrade from my 15" laptop screen. I finally settled on the SVA 2400W-BD from (of all places) Walmart. Basically it was not a TN panel (MVA), it was 24" (the size I wanted) and if I hated it I could take it back. Plus it fit in on a college budget.

    All I can say is for the money this monitor is INCREDIBLE. It's not the $1200 NEC I drool over in Wolfe Camera, but it has great colors, great viewing angle, and the space finally made lightroom usable without minimizing the tool bars.

    It's glorious to play Civ4 on too :D
    I make it policy to never let ignorance stand in the way of my opinion. ~Justiceiro

    "Your decisions on whether to buy, when to buy and what to buy should depend on careful consideration of your needs primarily, with a little of your wants thrown in for enjoyment, After all photography is a hobby, even for pros."
    ~Herbert Keppler
  • Dave CleeDave Clee Registered Users Posts: 536 Major grins
    edited November 3, 2008
    For what its worth I used a dual 22" Samsung setup for the last few years and thought they were great for the price...Once I calibrated them they seemed to do the job quite nice.

    Wanting more real estate I recently upgraded to dual Samsung 275T's and find this also to be a really nice setup....

    The "T" version has the expanded color gamut. All in all a very nice monitor.

    I was looking to buy one 30" LCD but found the resultion to be very small. I also bought a 40" Samsung LCD with hopes that would do the trick but it didnt..It looked good from afar, but up close neither the contrast or the colors held up...

    So in the end I went with the dual 27 inch setup and I am very happy with it.

    Cheers

    Dave
    Still searching for the light...

    http://www.daveclee.com

    Nikon D3 and a bunch of nikkor gear
    that has added up over the years :wink
  • AspireAspire Registered Users Posts: 86 Big grins
    edited November 4, 2008
    I came across this site last night while I was trying to find out what type all of our LCD panels have & it's quite useful as a quick ref guide just click Ctrl & F then type in your model number;

    http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/search.php?query=&select=model
    My Hip Impingement Blog - http://nicolashipblog.blogspot.com

    My Smugmug - http://icandyphotography.co.nz

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