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monitor for photo editing
- Thread starter kirk
- Start date
I have heard good things of value and performance about Dell Ultra monitor http://pc4u.org/best-monitor-for-photo-editing-and-photography/
If you want to edit photos purely for screen any number of monitors will work ok, including that Dell, an Apple display, etc. You're getting a bright, contrasty, sRGB panel that, if properly calibrated, will, mostly, map colors correctly.
If you want a truly accurate display, particularly at the vastly lower luminance and contrast levels needed to edit images destined for print, the only two options I know of are the NEC Spectraview and the Eizo CG. In those cases you'll be getting an aRGB display which continues to map colors correctly when dialed way down.
If you want a truly accurate display, particularly at the vastly lower luminance and contrast levels needed to edit images destined for print, the only two options I know of are the NEC Spectraview and the Eizo CG. In those cases you'll be getting an aRGB display which continues to map colors correctly when dialed way down.
Godfrey
Well-known member
I use an Apple Thunderbolt Display 27", calibrated and profiled with an Xrite i1 Display Pro device. It does the job beautifully for my work.
G
f6cvalkyrie
Well-known member
I'm using a 27inch DELL U2715 HM, regularly calibrated with a Spider3
Very pleased !
C U
Rafael
Very pleased !
C U
Rafael
Kolor-Pikker
Member
Ditto. It's an amazing monitor, built like a tank and with no features missing or overlooked.
Less expensive displays like the Asus PA279Q, Viewsonic VP2772, Dell Ultrasharps and various others are usually lacking in at least one aspect or another, such as no proper hardware calibration, a lack of hood option, no uniformity correction, or some other tidbit.
If you don't care about advanced features, you can try your luck at the Korean display lottery, by buying some no-name brand and hoping you get a good panel for like $400 or less. There are some websites that test and sell the better spec'ed ones for you. The displays used in everything from top-end Eizos to knock-offs all come from the same assembly lines from the same four companies (LG, Samsung, Sharp and AU Optronics), except if Eizo combs through and picks out the best 0.1%, the rest are packed and sold as-is.
stngoldberg
Well-known member
Using an Eizo self calibrating unit. Very Pleased
Stanley
Stanley
dougpeterson
Workshop Member
I've worked at an Eizo dealer since 2007. In that time I've done a review/comparison of current monitors once every year or two. Eizo edged out the competition every time.
Clearly, I'm biased in saying that, but I'd also say in the first few years the gap was huge. Now it's more subtle, but its still there.
If you work on a modern Mac and have the budget for their new 4k monitor that would be my suggestion.
If you're anywhere near NYC or are coming to PhotoPlus we'll have a 4k Eizo at both our party (link) and the show floor (link).
They are self calibrating, are guaranteed to have zero dead pixels, have a five year warranty, and are built for color accuracy rather than for consumer use (where more contrast and saturation than are accurate are preferred).
If you want to make one monitor purchase and know that you won't have to worry about your monitor again for many years, that would be my recommendation. If you're looking to save money compared to Eizo then there are a lot of other monitors that will do pretty well.
Clearly, I'm biased in saying that, but I'd also say in the first few years the gap was huge. Now it's more subtle, but its still there.
If you work on a modern Mac and have the budget for their new 4k monitor that would be my suggestion.
If you're anywhere near NYC or are coming to PhotoPlus we'll have a 4k Eizo at both our party (link) and the show floor (link).
They are self calibrating, are guaranteed to have zero dead pixels, have a five year warranty, and are built for color accuracy rather than for consumer use (where more contrast and saturation than are accurate are preferred).
If you want to make one monitor purchase and know that you won't have to worry about your monitor again for many years, that would be my recommendation. If you're looking to save money compared to Eizo then there are a lot of other monitors that will do pretty well.
Kolor-Pikker
Member
Eizo displays also have a lot of processing going on under the hood, which results in rather slow pixel response and input lag, at least compared to similar displays from other companies. This is fine for photography and likely for video editing as well, but it's something to keep in mind if the smeary motion of LCD displays gets on your nerves.
If I had a ton of money just laying around... after building myself a new PC and getting some new lenses, then I'd love to have that 4K Eizo, but I wouldn't otherwise spend more than $1,500 on any single display unless you're involved in something so high-end that it would pay for itself in no time.
I bought the PA272W for $1,500 including SV II, hood and sales tax, while a CG277 would have been around $2,500. I'm sure the latter is better, but not $1000 better, at least not for me.
If I had a ton of money just laying around... after building myself a new PC and getting some new lenses, then I'd love to have that 4K Eizo, but I wouldn't otherwise spend more than $1,500 on any single display unless you're involved in something so high-end that it would pay for itself in no time.
I bought the PA272W for $1,500 including SV II, hood and sales tax, while a CG277 would have been around $2,500. I'm sure the latter is better, but not $1000 better, at least not for me.
dougpeterson
Workshop Member
This is a good point for some of Eizo's monitors. Many of their more recent monitors have a very fast "response time" (also known as "lag"). The new 31" 4k model has a response time of 9ms which is quite good for most still and video applications.
DucatiTerminator
New member
Same here. Wasn't sure if I was ready to jump in the deep end so I tried one of the smaller, older CG models I found at a price I couldn't pass up (not sure if the promo is still going on, but DT had a smoking deal on a CG223W including hood). It will become my palette/tool monitor when I add one of their larger monitors.
I don't retouch on a 4K monitor but use a 24inch Eizo CG class, the trouble with smaller dot pitch monitors is that while they look great as a display monitor they are useless for retouching as the 100% view is too small and not ideal for judging sharpness or working on detail, you have to go to 200% and then you are into interpolation. I do some on-set retouch work on a retina MacBook screen but anything critical has to be done on an Eizo, they show subtle colour shifts very well and and detail down in the shadows. If you are serious about retouch work of printing then I recommend the CG or if budget limited the CS class Eizo's
iMacs are glossy, too contrasty and limited in gamut for serious colour work.
A note on the higher end NEC monitors, there are differences with supplied calibration software and the hardware between U.S and Europe and you used to have to pay extra for the software in Europe, no idea if that is still the case though.
Kolor-Pikker
Member
Oh good catch, I forgot all about it; the PA272 and SpectraView Refrence 272 are two different monitors in and around Europe, the Euro PA model model cannot be hardware calibrated, and you need to buy the SV model to do so.
In the US, the PA272 is simply either sold alone or as a kit with the calibration tool, but can be hardware calibrated either way.
KeithL
Well-known member
Yes, thanks, my brief experience with a 4K monitor left me scratching my head and wondering why on earth anyone would use them for retouching or critical file analysis.
We like the NEC PA27 monitors and use i1 profiler with either Spectraview or i1 Profiler software. Been pretty happy with the results for over 4 years now.
Am ordering a new iMac to test with one of the shooting stations to use the iMac as palettes monitor and mirror to large screen projection, and keep the NEC as main ref monitor for color work.
Will see how it goes
We like the Eizo's very much but since I have to buy quite a few of these when its monitor upgrade season (every 5 years) I usually go with the NEC's. We recently had one NEC develop dead pixel line and NEC replaced it under warranty almost overnight. I was very pleasantly surprised they did that. It was 4 years into a 5 year warranty, so didn't know what to expect.