# Computer monitors



## Many Hats (Sep 29, 2009)

I'm looking to upgrade my monitor and was told LaCie is the only way to go.  Anyone have any opinions?  I believe NEC is owned by LaCie so are their monitors as good?  I really don't want to spend $1000 on a monitor, but see that even if I calibrate mine weekly, it's still not spot on.  
Any help will be greatly appreciated!


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## Hobbes (Sep 29, 2009)

You may will have to get those expensive IPS monitors if you are into graphic design and for photo editing course it's the best overall LCD technology for image quality, color accuracy and viewing angles but they are usually quite slow so if you also want to use it for gaming and watching movies then you may experience motion blur and ghosting if the monitor has a response time slower than 6 ms. I bought myself a HP w2207h earlier this year and is very satisfied with it and it only cost me 300 bucks


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## zerofourtwo (Sep 30, 2009)

I would imagine any modern LCD monitor is going to be able to reproduce any colors needed, calibration is the issue, calibration producs like _GretagMacbeth_ and the _Monaco Optix XR _can adjust the shown colors so that the same color representattion from camera, to monitor, to print.


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## Big Mike (Sep 30, 2009)

For the best color calibration, you want a monitor that has it's own look up tables...meaning that the calibration is done at the monitor, rather than at the video card.  

A friend of my looked pretty deeply into this, he recommends NEC 90 series monitors, (and I think) the eye-one calibration system.


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## icassell (Sep 30, 2009)

What are you upgrading FROM?  

I went from a laptop to a Dell 2209WA e-IPS panel and have been very happy with it (and the price is very right at <$300).  It calibrates easily with my Spyder 3.

DELL UltraSharp 2209WA 22-inch Black Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor : Dell Computer Monitors, Flat Screens & LCDs | Dell


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## FrankLamont (Sep 30, 2009)

NEC, Eizo... these have wide colour gamuts and they have H-IPS screens. So, thumbs up.

Or Icassell's screen, the Dell 2209wa, is good as well.


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## Garbz (Oct 1, 2009)

Many Hats said:


> I believe NEC is owned by LaCie so are their monitors as good?


NEC is a massive company compared to LaCie. LaCie buy wholesale and rebadge some NEC monitors. Depending on the NEC monitor it came from this can be good or bad.

NEC is just like any other company. They have cheap nasty consumer crap, but they can also cater medical and research institutions who are far more demanding than photographers. 



zerofourtwo said:


> I would imagine any modern LCD monitor is going to be able to reproduce any colors needed, calibration is the issue, calibration producs like _GretagMacbeth_ and the _Monaco Optix XR _can adjust the shown colors so that the same color representattion from camera, to monitor, to print.



You'd imagine wrong. Most LCDs are TN film panel displays. They not only suffer from changes in colour and tone with viewing angles defeating the purpose of calibrating, but also only produce 6bit colours, which is not enough to smoothly display your standard colour gamut. But they have the fastest refresh rates which for some stupid reason is the only number people care about when looking at LCDs.

PVA is a better option and the absolute minimum I'd recommend for anyone doing any kind of graphic work on their  computer, and IPS is the best. Unfortunately they make up a tiny minority of the LCDs on the market today.



FriedChicken said:


> NEC, Eizo... these have wide colour gamuts and they have H-IPS screens. So, thumbs up.
> 
> Or Icassell's screen, the Dell 2209wa, is good as well.



Well many manufacturers offer wide gamut screens, even Dell do. The 2007WA was a wide gamut screen. The 2209WA is "wide" only by Dells marketing department. But there are plenty of IPS LCDs from NEC and Eizo that are also not wide gamut. More often than not a perfect sRGB panel is preferable given the absolute lack of support by any operating system for wide gamut screens.


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## Many Hats (Oct 2, 2009)

Thanks so much for all the help!  My internal debate still continues.


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## icassell (Oct 2, 2009)

Dell 2209WA Review - Monitors


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## Many Hats (Oct 2, 2009)

OK, I'm convinced.  Doing research and gonna go with the Dell  Professionally I shoot mostly sports teams.  Would love to justify a premium monitor, but that's just not gonna happen. Old monitor is a very old huge Gateway CRT.  Yeah, OLD!


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## Dominantly (Oct 2, 2009)

Samsung is going to be releasing some LED backlit monitors that will offer unprecedented color quality... I imagine they will be expensive, but will be top of the line.


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## Garbz (Oct 3, 2009)

Dominantly have you seen Samsung's LED backlit TV? Expensive doesn't quite cut it. Their first model is about 3 times the price of a 200hz Sony Bravia. I have no hopes that this would at all be affordable . LED backlight technology designed for wide gamuts is expensive. NEC has an 21" LED backlit screen with 107% AdobeRGB coverage. It costs more than my 2690WUxi 26" with 97% AdobeRGB coverage.

Anyway wide gamut monitors are a pain to use. I was really hoping windows 7 would add some native colour management, but NO! GRRRR Everything I do bar Photoshop still looks like it'll burn my eyes if I stare at it too long.


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## madfresh004 (Oct 3, 2009)

I would imagine any modern LCD monitor is going to be able to reproduce any colors needed, calibration is the issue, calibration producs like GretagMacbeth and the Monaco Optix XR can adjust the shown colors so that the same color representattion from camera, to monitor, to print.


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## Dominantly (Oct 3, 2009)

Yes very expensive, but oh so nice.

As with every new technology, they will be only convenient to those who like to be the first with the new stuff, then the prices will drop and we'll all have them.


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## Garbz (Oct 3, 2009)

I really can't wait for OLED screens. 



madfresh004 said:


> I would imagine any modern LCD monitor is going to be able to reproduce any colors needed, calibration is the issue, calibration producs like GretagMacbeth and the Monaco Optix XR can adjust the shown colors so that the same color representattion from camera, to monitor, to print.



?? So are you the same guy with 2 accounts posting twice in the thread, or are you someone other than ZeroFourTwo who ripped off their post?

But since you're posting twice, let me post twice too: THIS IS WRONG! Read above for why.


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