How To Choose The Right Monitor For Photography

These three monitors got 5/5 reviews over at Digital Camera World.

They have also put together a checklist for anyone who’s looking to buy a new monitor – especially for photo editing. Expensive doesn’t necessarily mean good – and sometimes the cheaper models have great qualities also. Here’s what they had to say about the best ones.

Asus ProArt PA248QJ 24-inch

Price: £374, $463  
Buy it: www.asus.com
This 24-inch monitor may have a more standard Full HD 1920×1080 resolution and a utilitarian design featuring push buttons, but it’s brilliant for the money, with excellent colour reproduction.

We were awed by its performance, and loved its ability to tilt and swivel. The input selection is terrific, with HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI and even VGA.

There are also four USB ports. What’s more, the package includes a calibration hood plus Spyder4 Express Calibrator (it is pre-calibrated, too).

You’ll be hard pressed to get such a brilliant, high-end display for this money.

Verdict
Pros: Great clarity and colours with calibration tools, too.
Cons: Screen size is the only reason why you wouldn’t buy it.
We say: Our value choice; we loved the Asus’ performance.

Score: 5/5

Viewsonic VP2772 27-inch

Price: £569, $930  
Buy it: www.viewsonic.com
Another tilting, swivelling 27-inch IPS display, the VP2772 has lovely colours and a 2560×1440 WQHD resolution (four times as many pixels as standard HD video) with pre-set colour calibration. It’s also height-adjustable by up to 15cm.

The menu system was rather utilitarian, but almost everything else about this display was highly likeable.

Indeed, the only other sour point is the plasticky design.

HDMI plus dual DisplayPort connectors are incorporated for daisy-chaining with other devices, while there are four sets of USB ports (including four USB 3.0s).

Verdict
Pros: A terrific panel with some nice added extras.
Cons: It’s just not very nice-looking, which is a shame.
We say: We loved this display. So crisp, with brilliant colours.

Score: 5/5

Samsung SyncMaster S27B970D

Price: £800
Buy it: www.samsung.com/uk
Samsung’s SyncMaster oozes class; the slim bezel with solid metal trim and alloy base not only give a designer look, but also elegantly hide the sockets (including a USB hub) and (woefully underpowered) speakers.

The touch sensitive-buttons on the stand upright only show when powered up, which is a neat touch.

Samsung’s PLS technology offers rich blacks and lots of contrast over a wide viewing angle on the 2560×1440-pixel, 27-inch display.

Colour accuracy isn’t perfect but is still very good, as each monitor is calibrated by hand in the factory.

Pros: Stunning looks and solid performance on a high-resolution panel
Cons: Excellent aesthetics let down by sub-par audio and edge darkness

Score: 5/5

5 To Look For In A Monitor

1. Screen size is measured diagonally in inches, while resolution measures the number of pixels that make up the display. But a bigger monitor doesn’t necessarily mean greater resolution; the 24-inch Eizo has a higher resolution than the 27-inch NEC, for example.
2. A more useful measure of the ‘crispness’ of a display is pixel density, measured in pixels per inch (ppi). The NEC is 82ppi, the Eizo 94ppi, while Samsung and Dell weigh in at 109ppi.
3. Monitors increasingly offer more than just a simple display for your computer, with built-in speakers, USB hubs, card readers and multiple  inputs, such as HDMI, for use with a variety of devices.
4. While true-to-life colour reproduction is very important in image editing, you may need to compromise to get all the features you want within budget.
5. LED backlighting allows thinner displays, while IPS (or Samsung’s PLS) allows for greater viewing angles.

Read the full article over at Digital Camera World.

Source: Digital Camera World