Which LCD Monitor is good for Photo Editing?

[theRBK]

Concur on the Dell screens...excellent stuff for a reasonable (for the size) price.

the problem with LCD screens is its light source...current screens depend on a fluorescent tube to provide "white" light...problem is, fluorescent tubes can't do pure white...and where there is a gap in the spectrum, there is a gap in the colour it can reproduce...whereas a CRT, which uses three phosphurs, R, G and B, to produce a single spot of white (you can see this by putting a magnifying glass to the CRT screen... ;p ) can reproduce a wider range of colours, and each colour phosphur (R, G, or B) can be adjusted to adjust the overall colour reproduction, not possible with LCDs where you can only adjust the mask and not the actual colour of the light...this is a simplified explanation of course...

actually there are plenty of screens better than ACD (not ACR which is Adobe Camera Raw ) and the best ones are from Eizo, NEC and LaCie...unfortunately they come with a price tag fitting the quality...in the serious 4 figures...a new technology from NEC called LumiLED, using LEDs instead of fluorescent backlighting is gonna vastly improve colour range though, and has been tested to more or less match Adobe RGB gamut or range of colour...but that is likely to cost near 5 figures... :sweat:

but again, the Dell screens have very good value, with quality comparible to ACDs, but at a lower price...or get the Viewsonic VP191b...excellent 19" monitor with pretty good colour. For LCDs, look for contrast over brightness...but don't just look at the specs...look at the screen itself...does it look crisp, is its brightness even throughout screen...still, CRTs for the moment have the edge, until NEC can get LumiLED screens at a low price...

 

[Digi-Learner]

Hi RBK.

Very useful inputs from you, helps a lot before committing to a purchase.

Have something to confirm.

Does the Viewsonic Pro series VP191b or VP 930b allow users to adjust the
- brightness,
- contrast
- RGB values independently.

I ask the dealer and he wasn't sure about the RGB controls :dunno:

I will also consider DELL as well.

Thanks.

 

[tomshen]

If you could, avoid DELL UltraSharp 1905PF (19') LCD, which is the one I am using now. This panel has received good reviews but in my opinion it is NOT suitable for photo editing work. It has poor color reproduction especially in the shadow details and red channel. I am considering trash it (or leave it as an normal usage monitor) and get a good CRT again.

 

[Jeff]

If you could, avoid DELL UltraSharp 1905PF (19') LCD, which is the one I am using now. This panel has received good reviews but in my opinion it is NOT suitable for photo editing work. It has poor color reproduction especially in the shadow details and red channel. I am considering trash it (or leave it as an normal usage monitor) and get a good CRT again.

No such issue with the 24" digital panel though. At least it could generate all the details I want in my crimsons.

 

[tomshen]

No such issue with the 24" digital panel though. At least it could generate all the details I want in my crimsons.

Well I cannot be too sure. Now the only thing I trust is my eyes, all reviews could be bluff.

 

[Jeff]

i think what tomshen is trying to say here is the definition of a gd LCD is very subjective. In general, a high contrast rating of 500:1 for 17 to 19" is considered gd. Higher end model may give u as high as 1000:1. The Dell 24" is one such high contrasty LCD. At 1.5K, it's really gd value for money if u use it for graphics. I have no issues with colors representation, brightness or contrast here.

I was using the Samsumg 17" digital panel 17xT (foldable) until I purchased the Dell. No I did not read any review, just viewed the specs and decided impromptu.

As a rough gauge, if u can see the details in my crimson sunbirds, ur monitor n calibration should be quite gd oready.

See for yourself to decide.

 

[theRBK]

Hi RBK.

Very useful inputs from you, helps a lot before committing to a purchase.

Have something to confirm.

Does the Viewsonic Pro series VP191b or VP 930b allow users to adjust the
- brightness,
- contrast
- RGB values independently.

I ask the dealer and he wasn't sure about the RGB controls :dunno:

I will also consider DELL as well.

Thanks.

Sorry for late-ish reply...really busy at work...

Yeah, both models can adjust brightness, contrast, and RGB values...should be in the colour adjust part of the monitor control...go to a shop and try for yourself or ask salesperson to show you...you can either select one of the colour temperatures or the manual user adjustment of each...but silly thing with Viewsonic is that their adjustment values don't have numerical values, unless you want to manually count the number of bars there are on the screen...

but like I mentioned above, the colour adjustment in a LCD screen adjusts the mask allowing light of various colours to pass through...thus if the light produced by the LCD backlight is lacking in certain colour, no matter how you adjust, it will still be deficient in those areas...and therefore the colour adjustment cannot be as accurate as for CRT screens.

Donno about the Dell 19" screen, but like tomshen says, its best to see for yourself...and if possible, try to roughly adjust the colours if they don't look right to you...

one last thing...with LCD screens, its always good to use the native resolution of the screen...that is, the actual physical number of pixels that the screen has...not trying to insult anyone's intelligence here, just making sure for those who don't know... also, always check for dead, stuck or bright pixels...

 

[Agetan]

For serious PP work, you need to use CRT if your budget won't go beyond $2500 for the LCD.

Try Mitsubishi Diamondtron NF CRT. I am running on 2x 19" Mitsubishi Diamondtron, it is awesame... the refresh rate is 85hz so it is easy on your eye....

But if you can afford, go for Eizo, Apple, LaCie or other high end LCD for more crucial work.

just my 2c...

Well, I still can't afford the LCD, so CRT will do for now..

Hart

 

[CIO]

For serious PP work, you need to use CRT if your budget won't go beyond $2500 for the LCD.

Try Mitsubishi Diamondtron NF CRT. I am running on 2x 19" Mitsubishi Diamondtron, it is awesame... the refresh rate is 85hz so it is easy on your eye....

But if you can afford, go for Eizo, Apple, LaCie or other high end LCD for more crucial work.

just my 2c...

Well, I still can't afford the LCD, so CRT will do for now..

Hart

Hart

Where to get the Mit CRT. I found it more and more difficult to find good CRT in Singapore now.

 

[Splutter]

Can trying looking at HWZ classifieds for 2nd hand monitors. I got my IBM oem triniton tube 21" CRT there. Although 2nd hand, its never been used before. Really a performer and much cheaper than my 15" LCD.

 

[Agetan]

Hart

Where to get the Mit CRT. I found it more and more difficult to find good CRT in Singapore now.

Hi there,

I am not really sure, I am live in Sydney...

However that is my recommendation. Cost less with higher perfomance.

Hart

 

[Digi-Learner]

Thanks RBK and everyone for sharing so much information and knowlege on LCD and CRT pros and cons. Really have learnt a lot :thumbsup: !

I'll wait till the coming Expo exhibition in November and see if there's going to be real good offers.

 

[ed9119]

I'm using a monster IBM P202 21" CRT (i estimate 15-20kg) which is fitted with a Sony Trinitron tube and the colors looks accurate

Anyone tried this one?

 

[Java_Guru]

I do have a 19" triniton sony for sale. G400. Works fine. If interested, pls pm me.

At the same time, I am itching to upgrade to the dell 24 (from 20) incher and if u make a decent offer (<1 yr with warranty and is perfect pixels), I will consider selling.

 

[Splutter]

i got a p202 too, hee

 

[Digi-Learner]

A color management expert cautioned me on these:

1. A new set of properly caliberated LCD is approximately 20% brighter than a calibrated CRT. This being the case, how do you guys compensate for it? Do you use "agaration - estimation - guesstimation" or any other more reliable methods to compensate for the extra brightness?

2. What about the slightly "out" Cyan value? I understand this is not so serious and may be negligible.

Regards,

 

[Virgo]

Yep. I support that. I've been using Philips LCD monitor for 2+ years now. Not even a dead pixel and still running good. If I am to upgrade, Philips will definitely be the one.

my ex company have 100+ phillips monitor switch on 18hrs + daily except sun...non of them spoil when i with them-about 4 years + while on of mycolleague bought a viewsonic and it spoil after 1 years...so i just trust phillips although their TV are suck.

 

[Parka]

Is which LCD good for photo editing?

Well, several questions have to be answered first.
- Do you require that much accuracy?
- Are your eyes able to tell the difference between LCDs?
- Regardless of web or print, your edited photos will still subjected to the output medium, be it the audience's monitor or the printer's printer.

I use a Dell 20" LCD. It's not bad

 

[Digi-Learner]

Seems like quite a number of people are saying good things about Dell Monitors, especially those from 20 inch onwards.

Dell's advertisements says that their 24 inch LCD supports Picture in Picture, what is that? Is it useful? Any special set-up needed within the OS or Photoshop in order to use the PIP?

In fact, someone says that the Dell 24 inch is simply SWEET, must be worth serious consideration.

Regards.

 

[Parka]

My monitor has the Pic-in-Picture also. It's like opening a window on your screen. That window maybe showing tv shows or something, not sure. Never use it before.

If I have a chance, I'll buy the 24" also
Too bad I have 20" already. Buy too fast.