P241 vs PA241

Paladin45

My old, cheapo 19" TN monitor recently bit the dust, so I'm in need of something now. Since I've returned to photography with the Olympus EM-5, I'd like something good for image editing.

My PC is set up to take advantage of 10-bit color (Win8, FirePro graphics, Photoshop) so I'm leaning toward the PA241. But it's a real budget buster, and the SpectraView probably would have to wait a month or two. Also, My limited exposure (no pun intended) to Photoshop has convinced me of the utility of a dual monitor setup: obviously, the second monitor is not urgent at this point.

My output is mostly web, but I like to print my best images. I don't do my own printing yet, so I'll be using Bay Photo's services. They were kind enough to reply to an inquiry earlier today, and directed me to their ICC profile and Photoshop's Info Panel.

I've been reading various forums and review sites, including TFT Central and Prad. My question here is, does anyone think I'll be overbuying with either the PA241 or the P241?

I'm an old wet darkroom guy and digital is kind of new to me. Thanks for your help!

ziggy53

Paladin45 wrote: »

My old, cheapo 19" TN monitor recently bit the dust, so I'm in need of something now. Since I've returned to photography with the Olympus EM-5, I'd like something good for image editing.

...

I'm an old wet darkroom guy and digital is kind of new to me. Thanks for your help!

I think that you would be well served by a basic NEC Multisync IPS monitor, like the 23" NEC MultiSync EA232WMi or 24” NEC MultiSync EA244WMi.

This gains you a great improvement over the TN monitor you were using and it's pretty reasonable compared to the NEC "P" series monitors. You could even afford a pair just for the productivity improvement (compared to a single monitor in the "P" series).

Newsy

The PA241w is a wide gamut monitor using a 2 or 3 year old IPS type panel and W-CCFL back light design. Very good but getting dated in light of recent monitor introductions. Wide Gamut could be problematic at first and it doesn't sound like you need this right now but if you go this route you will need to brush up on color management and ensure all your software for viewing and editing is color managed. It does have a very good preset sRGB mode so you could use it and not have to deal with color management issues until later.

The P241 is a standard sRGB gamut with an IPS panel. Avoids the wide gamut color management issues. I'm of the opinion with this monitor that why bother for the price they want. There are many other standard sRGB monitors that offer 90% of the performance for half the price and would suffice perfectly as the second monitor when you later decide to get the pro quality monitor for your primary in a dual monitor system.

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Paladin45

New Samsung 24-inch?

Newsy wrote: »

The PA241w is a wide gamut monitor using a 2 or 3 year old IPS type panel and W-CCFL back light design. Very good but getting dated in light of recent monitor introductions. Wide Gamut could be problematic at first and it doesn't sound like you need this right now but if you go this route you will need to brush up on color management and ensure all your software for viewing and editing is color managed. It does have a very good preset sRGB mode so you could use it and not have to deal with color management issues until later.

The P241 is a standard sRGB gamut with an IPS panel. Avoids the wide gamut color management issues. I'm of the opinion with this monitor that why bother for the price they want. There are many other standard sRGB monitors that offer 90% of the performance for half the price and would suffice perfectly as the second monitor when you later decide to get the pro quality monitor for your primary in a dual monitor system.

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Thanks, Newsy. I can get the new Samsung 24" PLS panel for about $400, and I like the 16:10 ratio. TFT Central like it after calibration. Any thoughts?

Paladin45

ziggy53 wrote: »

I think that you would be well served by a basic NEC Multisync IPS monitor, like the 23" NEC MultiSync EA232WMi or 24” NEC MultiSync EA244WMi.

Thank you, Ziggy. I'd go with a 24", since I find 23" at 16:9 an uncomfortable viewing experience. I prefer 24" 16:10 but can deal with 16:9.

Newsy

Paladin45 wrote: »

Thanks, Newsy. I can get the new Samsung 24" PLS panel for about $400, and I like the 16:10 ratio. TFT Central like it after calibration. Any thoughts?

Early versions from Samsung had a lot of edge bleed and panel uniformity issues from their LED back light which TFT doesn't comment on. Otherwise it is a good panel for most people who don't require wide gamut.

Paladin45

Good info

Newsy wrote: »

Early versions from Samsung had a lot of edge bleed and panel uniformity issues from their LED back light which TFT doesn't comment on. Otherwise it is a good panel for most people who don't require wide gamut.

Thanks again, Newsy.

For now, I've loaded Olympus Viewer 2 (objectively, by my own tests and in conversation Oly's tech rep, the best RAW converter for the EM-5), have calibrated the screen as best I can in Win8, and am going to experiment from there. That will give me more budget and allow the new technologies to mature a bit.