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Monitor recommendations?

Started by Shadow, September 13, 2016, 08:02:01 PM

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Shadow

Hi All.
Any recommendations on a good monitor size and setup for working with these images? There are so many choices these days ... what have you found that works well for you?
Thanks.

Mike S.

Hello Shadow,

What Pat & I have are the NEC MultiSync PA241W.  Twenty-four inch is a nice size to work on but you need a monitor that can be calibrated to insure you are getting the color right.  I think they also make a 22" but there are a lot of fine monitors out there, as long as they can be calibrated.  It also depends somewhat on what resolution your computer can drive.  Most can do 1920 x 1200 like the ones above.  Some of the Mac computers can do much higher but of course the price goes up to get a monitor to match.

Hope this helps,

Mike
Mike S.

Hannie

Hello Shadow,

I have the same monitor as Mike but mine is an older model: NEC MultiSync LCD2490WUXi2 with a programmable internal hardware LUT. 
It is a really good monitor, even after so many years, and can be hardware calibrated.
I use SpectraViewII and Colormunki Photo for calibration. 

The above Nec models have been replaced by the P242W-BK, same features and size.
It is also compatible with SpectraviewII and Colormunki Photo.

Hannie
Hannie Scheltema
Distribution Coordinator
[email protected]

Shadow

Thanks Mike and Hannie for sharing. I will check out the NEC you mentioned.

Lynnya

so... does everyone have their monitors calibrated?? mine is not... am I way off base?? :-\
never giving up......learning from others as I go...

Tori803

I've been using a Pantone Huey for calibration because it's so easy to use.
Tori
"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence." -Calvin Coolidge

Lynnya

#6
Tori which Pantone Huey are you using? I'm looking to get something as at the moment my monitor is not calibrated..

I've done a little research and realize I know NOTHING about calibration... I guess I'm looking for the easiest and least expensive..HELP!! :-\
never giving up......learning from others as I go...

Tori803

I'm still using the old basis Huey which is no longer supported by Pantone. I see it is available from certain online retailers, but I suppose to be sure you get something compatible with your system, you would be better off with Pantone's Colormunki.
Tori
"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence." -Calvin Coolidge

Lynnya

never giving up......learning from others as I go...

Shadow

Wow, that NEC is awesome. Any other suggestions for monitors that would be a bit less expensive?
And Tori, thanks for the info on the color calibration. Adding that to my shopping list as well.
Lyn

Hannie

Years ago I owned the Samsung Syncmaster 970P monitor, really good and not expensive.  Along with it I used the Huey calibrator.
Most mid range monitors and all the budget monitors (like the Samsung Syncmaster) can only be software calibrated which is better then nothing.
The pricier monitors can be hardware calibrated which is the best.  The earlier mentioned NEC monitors can be hardware calibrated.  (Eizo even makes monitors with automatic hardware calibration!)

More information on the difference between the 2 types of calibration you will find in this link.

I noticed that modern "budget" monitors are much better than they used to be. These 2 are excellent for photoediting:
ASUS MX239H
Acer G257HU

Very reasonable monitors for photoediting for under $200:
HP 23XW
ASUS VC239H


Hope this helps,

Hannie
Hannie Scheltema
Distribution Coordinator
[email protected]

Shadow

Hannie,

Thank you for the great info. I appreciate you making the time to include some models to check out.

Both of the monitors you listed under budget come up often in reviews. I will do a lot more reading and head off to the store to see how they look before I make a purchase. Might be worth waiting for one that can be hardware calibrated.

Your point about the software vs hardware calibration cleared up a lot for me. No wonder those Eizos make you gasp ... now if it served up a cup of coffee when you sat down ... just saying!   ^-^

Have a great weekend.

Lyn




Shadow

Does anyone out there have any experience with the Dell Ultrasharp line? They are hardware adjustable and run around $350 - $400 for the 25" and another $200 or so for the Xrite pro (which it says is required) for color calibration. (Same company that makes colormunki.)

Hannie's link about color calibration was excellent and I recommend it to anyone who has any questions.

Also learned that some camera rental places rent out the colormunki for about $15/day. Great deal if you have one near. (They even rent out the Eizo if you want to stroll down "oh wow" lane! )

Appreciate any feedback.

Mike S.

Shadow I have no personal knowledge of the Dell UltraSharp Monitors but here is a review by PC Mag:

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&sku=210-AHGF

According to this it has no advanced color settings so does not sound like it can be calibrated other than the default factory calibration.

Hope this helps,

Mike
Mike S.

Shadow

Mike,

Thank you for the info. I think I'll just save up to get what I need.

Have a good night.

Lyn