I am into the market for a good LCD monitor (preferably 19"). It will be for a dual purpose (as most of us, I guess!): for photography work and the other routine work like web surfing, etc..
I can't go for the high-end products as my budget is limited. I've read that the features to watch if I am going to use the LCD monitor for graphics work are the following:
Dot Pitch: not to go above 0.27 (is there a BIG difference between a 0.27 and 0.29)
Response Time: 8 ms or lower.
One with DV-I connections rather than only the standard VGA connection.
Contrast Ratio: as for this feature, I've read contradictory comments. Which ratio do you think is the best? 500:1, 800:1?
Looking for ALL of these features in one unit might land me in the area of the top end products, am I right? Or are there budget models that have most, if not all, of these features?
Thanks for your input!
rgds,
Ali
Posted by Richard Wong on April 25, 2006 at 11:23 AM
Find one where the exposure/contrast/colors doesn't change on you depending on your viewing angle.
I believe all of the things you mentioned are important. I also strongly agree that wide angle viewing angle is very important. You want your colors to stay true if you move your position around your work station. I would add that the more control you have over color channels the better it will calibrate, so individual controls age good.
Of all the thngs you mentioned I think response time is least significant. If you are only looking at static images in PS response time is not significant. you may see some jittery movement when sliding an image ona monitor with slow times, but if the image is stationary it won't matter. Gamers on the other hand want fast times.
Contrast is good. the higher the contrast the more subtle differences in color and tone you will see. Ther are many 1000:1 contrast monitors out there.
FWIW, I just bought a Samsung 940T and love it. Cost at New Egg was about $350 give or take. There are probably others with equally good monitors that may chime in.
19" is a good size. big enough to be nice to use, but small enough to be affordable. The leap to 20 or 21" brings you to a much higher price point.
Ali,
You bring up all the good points to look out for. Last year I purchased a Samsung 711T, and compared to what I had been using, it has made a definite improvement in my work with Photoshop Elements 4.0 and the resulting printing of my photos.
I'm sure that there must be newer models available.
Good Luck
Gene Steinberg, Andover, NJ
Be wary of monitors with very fast response times, some panels in this category can only display 6-bit-per-component colour, which could be a serious issue for photographic work.
Discussion
7 repliesI am into the market for a good LCD monitor (preferably 19"). It will be for a dual purpose (as most of us, I guess!): for photography work and the other routine work like web surfing, etc..
I can't go for the high-end products as my budget is limited. I've read that the features to watch if I am going to use the LCD monitor for graphics work are the following:
Dot Pitch: not to go above 0.27 (is there a BIG difference between a 0.27 and 0.29)
Response Time: 8 ms or lower.
One with DV-I connections rather than only the standard VGA connection.
Contrast Ratio: as for this feature, I've read contradictory comments. Which ratio do you think is the best? 500:1, 800:1?
Looking for ALL of these features in one unit might land me in the area of the top end products, am I right? Or are there budget models that have most, if not all, of these features?
Thanks for your input!
rgds,
Ali
Of all the thngs you mentioned I think response time is least significant. If you are only looking at static images in PS response time is not significant. you may see some jittery movement when sliding an image ona monitor with slow times, but if the image is stationary it won't matter. Gamers on the other hand want fast times.
Contrast is good. the higher the contrast the more subtle differences in color and tone you will see. Ther are many 1000:1 contrast monitors out there.
FWIW, I just bought a Samsung 940T and love it. Cost at New Egg was about $350 give or take. There are probably others with equally good monitors that may chime in.
19" is a good size. big enough to be nice to use, but small enough to be affordable. The leap to 20 or 21" brings you to a much higher price point.
Have fun researching.
You bring up all the good points to look out for. Last year I purchased a Samsung 711T, and compared to what I had been using, it has made a definite improvement in my work with Photoshop Elements 4.0 and the resulting printing of my photos.
I'm sure that there must be newer models available.
Good Luck
Gene Steinberg, Andover, NJ
If your budget can take it have a look at the Eizo monitors. They're pricey, excellent and carry a 5 year warranty.
http://www.ramblinlamb.com/articles/20060121.htm