what's a good monitor...

[back alley]

....for the everyday guy?

i don't need the best nor can i afford it.
i have been using a 24in viewsonic for years now and have been more than satisfied with it.
i am thinking the upgrade will be to a 27 inch screen to give the old eyes something bigger to look at...
but there are so many brands out there!!

stick with another viewsonic or move to ?

 

[kxl]

The key phrase... "for the everyday guy." So, a $2200 Eizo Color Edge monitor with hardware calibration is probably out.

In that case, I like Samsung monitors in general. Check out their site for selections, but right now, you can get a "S32D850T - Samsung WQHD 32” LED Monitor" for $599. Yeah, I know you said 27", but bigger is better, right? 😀

 

[back alley]

i can't imagine working on a 32 inch monitor...

 

[back alley]

that brings up another question...do people calibrate 27 inch lesser name monitors?
can they even be calibrated beyond the basic controls they offer internally?

 

[Jack Sparrow]

Dell actually offers some decent monitors at affordable prices. My last monitor was a Dell 24" and it's still going strong - at over eight years old. And yes, it was calibrated. Check out their current 4K offering - there's one for $700 (or so) that was introduced in the last month.

 

[jsrockit]

can they even be calibrated beyond the basic controls they offer internally?

Yes, and of course they can... but you need to buy a calibrator.

 

[kxl]

A good overview on monitor calibration

 

[Greyscale]

I have an HP Pavilion 27xi that I like very much.

http://www.cnet.com/products/hp-pavilion-27xi-led-monitor-27/

 

[Godfrey]

A good overview on monitor calibration

That's one of the worst-written pieces on display calibration I've seen in a long time. Not to say the information isn't accurate (some might not be) but it's just very difficult to read due to all the grammar problems.

G

 

[Out to Lunch]

what's a good monitor...

In the non-professional category, its the one you like best.

 

[f16sunshine]

There is an Asus 24" that is very good (sorry if that spelling is off). My housemate has it. When I get home I will get the model number.
It seems to be around $400 maybe even less.

Personally Joe I would recomend you just get an iMac. It's just so nice and convieneint. Also has good sound for watching vids and Movies. By the time you add monitor, sound , keyboard, and trackpad etc. to a Mini the number$ start getting fuzzy.
In my house I don't have a TV. My iMac is my entertainment system as well as work machine.


my 2c

 

[MarkoKovacevic]

I bought a used Dell U2711 for around 700 a year or two ago but now I see it around for 500. It's a fantastic monitor with 99% adobe rgb and super accurate. Mine is calibrated. It is huge and runs warm though.

 

[Bill Clark]

I use the monitor on either my iMac or MacBook. Before I retired, they were both calibrated to the printers my lab uses. Even the lady who worked with me, she was a pro photog for 40 years used only her MacBook for digital. And my mentor used a MacBook. Ha, it worked for us, why not you as well?

Monitor for yours, my advice, get something cheap, because it will change and be different in a few years. Like the retina display which I see is now offered on some iMacs!

The prints look great. And looked like what I would see on my monitor.

Again, I believe, I work hard to get it correct during the capture stage. Every digital photograph was captured with RAW only.

Smiles!

 

[back alley]

There is an Asus 24" that is very good (sorry if that spelling is off). My housemate has it. When I get home I will get the model number.
It seems to be around $400 maybe even less.

Personally Joe I would recomend you just get an iMac. It's just so nice and convieneint. Also has good sound for watching vids and Movies. By the time you add monitor, sound , keyboard, and trackpad etc. to a Mini the number$ start getting fuzzy.
In my house I don't have a TV. My iMac is my entertainment system as well as work machine.


my 2c

i have the monitor/keyboard/good sound system for the computer now...the monitor does not have to be added now...i found a 28 in viewsonic that looks pretty good and it's about 320 cdn...not in stock right now, of course...for similar money spent on an imac i get less of a computer.

 

[kxl]

That's one of the worst-written pieces on display calibration I've seen in a long time. Not to say the information isn't accurate (some might not be) but it's just very difficult to read due to all the grammar problems.

G

Yeah, I agree that the writing style is awkward (not helped by grammatical errors), but I do think it provides a sufficient overview for the "everyday guy" for which the article was intended.

 

[back alley]

i found a 28in viewsonic that seems pretty good and the price was very reasonable…picked it up on the way home despite the website telling me there were none in stock…thought i'd check the brick & mortar store and sure enuf they had 2! in the back room…
tomorrow i get the mini!

 

[thereabouts]

If you don't work on 'colour critial' projects, aren't going to be calibrating your monitor once a month, and don't want to spend over $1,200 or so, but want reasonably accurate colour and mono represenations of your images, then I would just focus on buying a monitor with some sort of IPS technology and avoiding a TN one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPS_panel#Advantages

IPS will at least provide a broad enough spectrum of colours and gradients.

Dell do, indeed, make some reasonable and cheap models. I found that the quality control on them was pretty awful and ended up returning three. But if you get a good one, they seem very reasonable in price and performance

But really the key is IPS, in my opinion. Also, with Dell, you need to be careful about model numbers, in my experience. There are models with similar names, not all are IPS.

My only other thoughts are to avoid shiny monitors, such as Apple's screens. Unless you never print. Shiny screens display colours which are almost impossible to reproduce in print. I also find they are unpleasant to look at for long periods of time. Expecially if not working in near darkness. I say this an an Apple user of 20+ years. But some people like them...

 

[back alley]

It is a tough read, but there is good info regarding personal printing, which is relevant to many here.

Personally I just buy the 27 inch Apple Cinema and don't worry myself endlessly -- about not buying better.

i'm not spending a grand on a monitor...

 

[back alley]

If you don't work on 'colour critial' projects, aren't going to be calibrating your monitor once a month, and don't want to spend over $1,200 or so, but want reasonably accurate colour and mono represenations of your images, then I would just focus on buying a monitor with some sort of IPS technology and avoiding a TN one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPS_panel#Advantages

IPS will at least provide a broad enough spectrum of colours and gradients.

Dell do, indeed, make some reasonable and cheap models. I found that the quality control on them was pretty awful and ended up returning three. But if you get a good one, they seem very reasonable in price and performance

But really the key is IPS, in my opinion. Also, with Dell, you need to be careful about model numbers, in my experience. There are models with similar names, not all are IPS.

My only other thoughts are to avoid shiny monitors, such as Apple's screens. Unless you never print. Shiny screens display colours which are almost impossible to reproduce in print. I also find they are unpleasant to look at for long periods of time. Expecially if not working in near darkness. I say this an an Apple user of 20+ years. But some people like them...

how does one know what monitor has which?

 

[btgc]

how does one know what monitor has which?

Usually one searches for model and reads data sheet, it's all there - TN, IPS, maybe PVA and what else they put into.