What screen do you suggest?

[bigsarg7]

Hello everyone, its been a while, but thats because i've been starting a business, (not a photography one though ) I have been designing my business logo, web page and business cards, only to find the colors i see on my screen aren't true! - so annoyed! So i am looking at buying a new screen, Obviously i do alot of editing with Adobe cs2 Photoshop and illustrator etc. Not just for the new business but also for my photography work also. -Side business -. (Currently i am using an old 19" lcd tv screen....kinda obvious it wouldn't get correct colors but i never realised it was quite as bad as it is!! )

I hate going into our local country stores because the salesman really have no idea what they're on about and they'll sell their own dog saying its a awesome screen for multimedia editing etc.....So please tell me what you use, what the specs etc are and if you recomend it or not.

Thans everyone.

Kristen

[sirhc55]

The first thing to consider is that reflected and refracted light will give different results for the same colour. I am, at present, using a Dell 24" and Diamond digital 21" and of the two the Dell wins hands down. I also calibrate my monitors with a Spyder 3 Elite.

So unless you are into spending a fortune on a La Cie or Eizo monitor the Dell is a good compromise.

[bigsarg7]

Yeah my initial reaction was to go with the dell, but i found harvey norman have a viewsonic which has similar specs to teh dell and its only at 275 if i remember rightly. But I've always used dell but i don't think i have the 7 days to wait, so yeah, anyone else agree that i should go for the dell? I am always editing my pics and i hate it when i print them out and they come out completely different to what i visualised and planned. So any help is appreciated. kristen

[Geoff]

Kristen,

I too have the DEll 24" monitor 2408 and I'm very very happy with it.
Viewsonic..hmmm know of them, but not a lot about them. Hope this is of some help.

[DaveB]

Yeah my initial reaction was to go with the dell, but i found harvey norman have a viewsonic which has similar specs to teh dell and its only at 275 if i remember rightly.

Ouch. That sounds like the Viewsonic monitor will have a "TN" panel. The colours will shift wildly as you move your head around and the viewing angle changes: which becomes even more important with a large panel. The Dell 2408WFP usa a good VA panel. Not as good as an Eizo monitor, but decent (I'm currently using an older Dell 2405 as my main monitor).

For photography use I would stay away from TN panels. Recently the Dell website started listing the panel type in the specs, which is very helpful.

[DaveB]

To check what panel type a monitor uses, the http://www.flatpanelshd.com/panels.php database is very useful.

[DanW]

If it's within your price range, check out the 24" NEC 2490 WUXi. It's a bit more expensive than the Dell (although cheaper than an Eizo) but it's a fantastic monitor. I've had mine for a little while now and it's easily the best I've ever owned. Bought mine from http://www.justmonitors.com.au/ and they were very quick with the delivery. It's an IPS panel monitor which gives far better colour consistency than the TN panels which I was using before.

Have you thought about what colour gamut you'll need? The 2490 is a standard sRGB whereas the 24" Dell and Eizo are typically extended range. I chose the NEC as most of my workflow (for internet, etc.) is in sRGB. The other advantage is that when I send pics to friends I know that what they'll see on their ordinary screens will be close to what I intended and that they can also go to any photo store and print without issues. Of course, most extended range monitors will still show sRGB but from what I've read in other forums, it can be a bit of a challenge to get accurate results.

[shakey]

I too have a dell 2408wfp. As I have mentioned before, it is very bright out of the box, so needs calibrating. This monitor is a wide gamut monitor so some calibration tools are not satisfactory (eg Spyder 2). I use Spyder 3 Pro, and am pretty happy with the monitor.

[chrisk]

i have a pretty new samsung 22inch. its freakin crap so stay away.

[DVEous]

... Obsolete ...

[trublubiker]

Hi Kristen,
I went down this avenue two weeks ago. Unfortunately I'd already pushed the 'Buy It Now' button before I read Dave's very informative post.

I finished up with a Dell S2209W with the Twisted Nematic panel. The HD screen is a huge step-up for general use, sharp as a tack, and the wide screen enables me to do what I'm doing as I type this, having two windows open in a size large enough to be very useable.

I am, however, more than a little disappointed in the fact that the old Acer 17" CRT seemed to give a truer depiction of my photos in all processing programs.

I'm now looking for a pre-loved 20/21" HD CRT Monitor for my photo processing.

There is an upside though. Hooked up to my HD set-top box, this monitor is quite stunning. $209 for a 22" HD TV is not a bad trade off.

Good luck with your final choice.

Kevin BTW, do Dell actually have any manufacturing facilities?

[Potoroo]

Dell's warranty on its PVA and IPS panels is better than on its TN panels, 3-Year Advanced Exchange Service (Next Business Day) and Premium Panel Guarantee (zero bright pixels in the warranty period) v 3-Year Advanced Exchange Service (Next Business Day).

Unfortunately, the 2408WFP has gone up from $839 to $999. It looks like I got mine at the right time.

[MatthewRoberts]

Be aware of the "Dell Lottery" though.
The same model can come as either a TN or IPS variant.
You can tell by the last character of the serial number however.

Adam, I have the same Dell 30". How do I accurately tell if I have the 8-bit per channel model?
- Matt

[DVEous]

... Obsolete ...

[Murray Foote]

I have an NEC 26 inch 2690WUxi which is very nice indeed. I profile with an XRite DTP-94 (or Optix XR) colorimeter (now discontinued) and the dedicated Spectraview II software which gives automatic calibration. The Spectraview II software is only sold to US addresses but you can get an American friend to buy it for you ($US100) and send you the serial number for the download. If you don't have a colorimeter, you could then get the cheapest Eye-One Display2 pack because the colorimeter is the same. (If you have a Spyder2, it's not good enough for a wie gamut monitor).

It's a high-range monitor, much cheaper than good Eizos though a Dell will be significantly cheaper.

Regards,
Murray

[MATT]

Theres no Dell lottery,

Look on the website it tells you what panel it comes with. Just make sure its the 8-bit not the 6 bit TN panel.

The 8 bit had dropped to under $600 with a few deals and codes, but as stated is back over teh $900 mark for the 24.

Dell have released a S-ips panel in the 22 size that looks like a good price for size , checkit out.

Other than that go the Ezio ...

MATT

[Murray Foote]

Other than that go the Ezio ...

..except that there are two ranges of Eizos. The top rage is extremely good and extremely expensive. The lower range is still expensive but i've seen several posts from people who got cheaper Eizos and were disappointed.

Whatever your inclination, check out what seems to be the ultimate on-line review site for monitors - PRAD (the link opens to the NEC 2690 but there are many other monitors there in commendable detail).

Regards,
Murray

[MATT]

Thanks Murry I didnt even know they made 2 ranges.. No that it matters they are well out of my price range.

MATT

[surenj]

I have a DELL 2007WFP and can confirm that it's a cracker! Colours are quite accurate (to the naked eye - and that's all that matters to me) when I print. Even with Kmart...

[surenj]

Hi Kristen,
I went down this avenue two weeks ago. Unfortunately I'd already pushed the 'Buy It Now' button before I read Dave's very informative post.

Shite! I hope I didn't give bad advise to you!

I must say I didn't know about these pneumatic issues until now. I bought my monitor (paid $550 for it at the time) and assumed that ULTRASHARP meant that my photos will look better! They seem to...but then it's a for a different reason.

[Potoroo]

After looking at my pre-purchase notes, the 2007WFP I have, comes in either an S-IPS or S-PVA variant.
Both are 8-bit, but IPS (or S-IPS, same thing) is reputed to be better.

Define better. According to flatpanelshd.com, "PVA and S-PVA have deep blacks, good viewing angles (not as wide as S-IPS, however) and a good colour reproduction." However, "S-IPS panels have better viewing angles but not as deep blacks as PVA due to the organization of the liquid crystals inside the panel." Apparently, S-IPS has been losing market share because more people prefer better blacks and good enough (certainly better than TN) viewing angles.

[DVEous]

... Obsolete ...

[trublubiker]

Hi Kristen,
I went down this avenue two weeks ago. Unfortunately I'd already pushed the 'Buy It Now' button before I read Dave's very informative post.

Shite! I hope I didn't give bad advise to you!

I must say I didn't know about these pneumatic issues until now. I bought my monitor (paid $550 for it at the time) and assumed that ULTRASHARP meant that my photos will look better! They seem to...but then it's a for a different reason.

Not at all mate. I'm really quite pleased with my purchase.

It's just that for all aspects, other than photo editing, this monitor was a quantum leap forward, and to be honest, I am probably being picky when I say the old CRT was better for photo editing. My perceived difference is more of a gut thing than any really noticeable difference.

Cheers

Kevin

[JC_Denton]

I have just been reading about this new HP screen: http://www.trustedreviews.com/displays/ ... Display/p1

?-IPS based screen at this price is unusual, it sounds like it might be a rather good screen when calibrated, although not in the same league as EIZO of course.

[tasadam]

In searching for a little bit of information on monitor calibration, I come across this topic.
10 minutes of googling and reading, and I have learnt so much I can feel my head swell

I know that my Fujitsu FA-22LCM-WB monitor is an a-SI TFT-LCD (SXGA) display, which with a bit of googling shows it to be a TN display.
Some interesting reading that I found along the way -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TFT_LCD#Types
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/23890 ... ive-matrix

And I also know that judging by the prices seen here, (EDIT dead link, try here)I have some more learning to do... Must be more than panel differences to see such a big difference in price. And is it really necessary to spend $8-900 as previously quoted in this topic, or have prices dropped as per the shopbot link?

So now I figure I will use the Fujitsu monitor for default desktop, and the dual monitor feature can be used, the 2nd monitor specifically for photo editing - I'll finally get to use that shiny new HDMI port on my video card. After all, I've put together a dedicated photo computer, I might as well get a display to match.
Pentium i7-930, Win 7 64 bit, 6Gb 1600 ram, RAID0 primary disk, several (5 and growing) 1Tb disks for data, PS CS5 Design Premium ( ), and yes a crappy TN display panel. Time to spend again.

Does anyone know of a short-list for photo-quality monitors when looking for an IPS display? Surely this stuff has been review a million times.

[gstark]

Adam,

There's a relatively recently released Dell unit that's surprising good value. 24", IIRC.

[DaveB]

Products keep evolving....
I wasn't aware of the Viewsonic IPS monitors, but the VP2365WB does look like an interesting budget option.

The Dell 2209WA (22" 1680x1050) has come down to $399.
The Dell U2410 that I use (24" 1920x1200) has come down to $699.

There's also a Dell U2311H (IPS, 23", 1920x1200) for $349, but Dell make a point of saying that the 2209WA and U2410 have "Outstanding Image quality & Colour Accuracy". I'm not sure what the compromises are on the U2311H, but there are certainly lots of factors in getting a good photo-editing monitor beyond just using an IPS panel.

As I noted, I'm happy using the U2410. I think I'd be happy with a 2209WA too.
To put it in context, going up in price/features from there the next "budget" monitor I'd consider is the NEC P221W (PVA, 22", 1680x1050, $1059 @ ImageScience.com.au).

[Potoroo]

There's also a Dell U2311H (IPS, 23", 1920x1200) for $349, but Dell make a point of saying that the 2209WA and U2410 have "Outstanding Image quality & Colour Accuracy". I'm not sure what the compromises are on the U2311H, but there are certainly lots of factors in getting a good photo-editing monitor beyond just using an IPS panel.

As I noted, I'm happy using the U2410. I think I'd be happy with a 2209WA too.

The U2410 is wide gamut (110% of CIE 1976; 96% of aRGB). The 2209WA and U2311H are both 82% of CIE 1976. Apart from the difference in resolution (1680 X 1050 for the 2209WA; 1920x1080 for the U2311H), the only other real difference I can infer from the specs is that the 2209WA is an E-IPS panel whereas the U2311H is a H-IPS panel (E-IPS is slightly newer technology, slightly better viewing angles, also supposely better energy consumption yet the 2209WA is rated at 52W and the U2311H at 35W, could be other factors at work here though).

[DaveB]

Oops. Typo on my part: the U2311H is 1920x1080 (not x1200). Not that it's critical to this discussion though.

[gstark]

There's a relatively recently released Dell unit that's surprising good value. 24", IIRC.

The Dell U2410 that I use (24" 1920x1200) has come down to $699.

That's the one I was thinking of.

[surenj]

gstark wrote:There's a relatively recently released Dell unit that's surprising good value. 24", IIRC.



DaveB wrote:The Dell U2410 that I use (24" 1920x1200) has come down to $699.



That's the one I was thinking of.

One more vote for this. This one hell of a monitor for a great price.

You'd probably want a color calibrator go with your new monitor as well.

[tasadam]

The Dell U2410 that I use (24" 1920x1200) has come down to $699.

Looks like it was down to $475 delivered... http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/27619
Now that sale has finished judging by the comments.

[aim54x]

Hmm...why have screens become so difficult??? It seems that everything becomes more complicated as technology progresses!

Dammit...I dont think i will ever be able to get that Eizo that I dream of!

[Wink]

The Dell U2410 that I use (24" 1920x1200) has come down to $699.

Looks like it was down to $475 delivered... http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/27619
Now that sale has finished judging by the comments.

There's 15% off until Monday.