Monitors Advice

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

All these companies make 4k monitors for photo editing, they are just more expensive than the 1440p versions. Personally I wouldn’t buy a 27” 1440p monitor in 2022, no matter how good it is. Just not enough pixel density. To each their own though.

Pixel density is not that important for photo editing. That doesn't do a thing for you if the image on the screen doesn't match your prints. If someone cannot afford a very high end monitor, a lower resolution monitor that is made for graphics work is the best choice.

 

[boojum]

Here are some recommended screens.

Benq 27" monitor
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1481844-REG/benq_27_sw270c_professional_ips.html

Benq 32" monitor
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1534852-REG/benq_sw321c_32_4k_hlg_dci_p3.html

NEC 24" (this is the one I have)
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1368967-REG/nec_multisync_pa243w_sv_24_wide.html

NEC 31"
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1522598-REG/nec_pa311d_bk_sv_31_color_critical_desktop.html

Eizo 27"
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...2731_bk_cnx_coloredge_cs2731_27_hardware.html


There were not many on B&H's website, many of the good monitors have been out of stock a long time, unfortunately. These monitors are not cheap, but they really are worth it if you want your images to be accurately edited so they'll print the way you want them to look.

• Eizo Coloredge screens are regarded as the very best, but at very high prices.

• NEC Specraview screens are a little less costly and in my opinion are 95% as good as the Eizos. I've used NEC Spectraview screens for more than 20 years. Last year, I bought a new one for my son, who is also a professional artist, as a Christmas gift. His old NEC Spectraview screen, which I had given him when he was in high school, had worn out (I had bought the screen new in 2006, it lasted a long time!.)

• The Benq screens are very inexpensive compared to the NEC and Eizo screens. They cover the Adobe RGB color gamut, like the more expensive screens I recommended and have built in calibration as well. I have not seen one in person, but they seem to be well regarded. Even if not quite up to the standards of the NEC or Eizo offerings, they'll be better than any consumer monitor for photo work,

Caved in and got the Benq 27". B&H is closed for Passover but Amazon is not. It will be here in two days. Thanks for the guidance and advice.

 

[boojum]

The Benq 270C arrived today. HUGE box and weighed a ton. Lots of really good structured cardboard packing. Wonderful monitor. Chris, thanks for the advice and encouragement. I love this monitor. And my photos all have better color now. ;o)

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

The Benq 270C arrived today. HUGE box and weighed a ton. Lots of really good structured cardboard packing. Wonderful monitor. Chris, thanks for the advice and encouragement. I love this monitor. And my photos all have better color now. ;o)

That's great, I'm glad it worked out for you, and glad I could help!

 

[Out to Lunch]

I'll be in North America for a while this year and plan to upgrade my computer equipment and I am tempted. This said I'm planning to be back in SE Asia and can't take a 27" screen with me. I am wondering if the newer laptops with an oled, or amoled screen are preferable for photo editing. Does anyone know? Cheers, OtL

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

I'll be in North America for a while this year and plan to upgrade my computer equipment and I am tempted. This said I'm planning to be back in SE Asia and can't take a 27" screen with me. I am wondering if the newer laptops with an oled, or amoled screen are preferable for photo editing. Does anyone know? Cheers, OtL

No laptop has a screen that is even remotely usable. None, not even the expensive Macbooks, have accurate color and most have issues with viewing angle dramatically affecting the appearance of images on the screen. Why not just buy a Benq screen when you get back to Asia? They're made in Asia anyway, might be less expensive than in the US?

 

[ptpdprinter]

I'll be in North America for a while this year and plan to upgrade my computer equipment and I am tempted. This said I'm planning to be back in SE Asia and can't take a 27" screen with me. I am wondering if the newer laptops with an oled, or amoled screen are preferable for photo editing. Does anyone know? Cheers, OtL

Do you make color inkjet prints?

 

[boojum]

That's great, I'm glad it worked out for you, and glad I could help!

On the continuum of monitor learning, I found that I can select between Adobe RGB and sRGB. I shoot in sRGB and found that when I set the monitor to the same the color glare went away and I got color closer, again, to what I shot. This Benq is a really nice piece of hardware. It is expensive, and just like oats, if you want clean, fresh oats you must pay a fair price. But if you can be satisfied with the oats which have already been through the horse, those come cheaper/ ;o)

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

On the continuum of monitor learning, I found that I can select between Adobe RGB and sRGB. I shoot in sRGB and found that when I set the monitor to the same the color glare went away and I got color closer, again, to what I shot. This Benq is a really nice piece of hardware. It is expensive, and just like oats, if you want clean, fresh oats you must pay a fair price. But if you can be satisfied with the oats which have already been through the horse, those come cheaper/ ;o)

What is 'color glare'?? Are you calibrating the screen with the software and the color sensor the screen came with? If so, you should see no difference if you open the photo in a color managed photo editor like Photoshop or Lightroom. Some software is not color managed and an sRGB image viewed in such software will look over-saturated on an Adobe RGB screen.

 

[boojum]

What is 'color glare'?? Are you calibrating the screen with the software and the color sensor the screen came with? If so, you should see no difference if you open the photo in a color managed photo editor like Photoshop or Lightroom. Some software is not color managed and an sRGB image viewed in such software will look over-saturated on an Adobe RGB screen.

Chris, I used the software in the Benq to select sRGB. I can do that with the "hockey puck" or the buttons on the lower right edge to access a menu. I use a built-in editor in Linux for on-the-fly viewing, X-viewer. For edits I would use RawTherapee or Darktable. I think that the X-viewer is not color managed. I have not checked in Darktable, GIMP or RawTherapee. I'll do that soon.

 

[boojum]

In GIMP there is no difference but X-Viewer does show less glare when I switch the color profile from Adobe to sRGB which is what the images are captured in.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Chris, I used the software in the Benq to select sRGB. I can do that with the "hockey puck" or the buttons on the lower right edge to access a menu. I use a built-in editor in Linux for on-the-fly viewing, X-viewer. For edits I would use RawTherapee or Darktable. I think that the X-viewer is not color managed. I have not checked in Darktable, GIMP or RawTherapee. I'll do that soon.

Ok, there's your problem. You really need to use the colorimeter (the hockey puck). Just selecting sRGB or Adobe RGB in the on screen menu does NOT calibrate the screen. It'll still be too bright, and there won't be an ICC Profile for the screen. Using the colorimeter not only sets the screen to the correct color and brightness, using actual measurements made by the sensor, it also generates and installs in your system an ICC profile. The profile is used by your editing software, it tells the software the actual white point, brightness, colorspace, and contrast level of the screen so that the software will display photos accurately. Without this, no software you use is truly color managed!

 

[boojum]

Ok, there's your problem. You really need to use the colorimeter (the hockey puck). Just selecting sRGB or Adobe RGB in the on screen menu does NOT calibrate the screen. It'll still be too bright, and there won't be an ICC Profile for the screen. Using the colorimeter not only sets the screen to the correct color and brightness, using actual measurements made by the sensor, it also generates and installs in your system an ICC profile. The profile is used by your editing software, it tells the software the actual white point, brightness, colorspace, and contrast level of the screen so that the software will display photos accurately. Without this, no software you use is truly color managed!

I am relieved that one of us knows what he is doing. Thank you.