I need a new monitor ?

Muineach

well my old 17" CRT monitor has finally had it's day, so I was looking around for a replacement, is there anything I should keep in mind with regards to photography use ? I've heard some people say that the some LCD's don't have the full 16bit or have trouble displaying the images accurately ? I'm not sure what to believe now, is this true ?

I was looking at this one, Samsung 20" LCD Syncmaster 206BW TCO03, 1680x1050, 2ms, 3000:1.
Does this seem OK ?

Oh yea, I use the pc for 50% photography and 50% gaming.

Thanks
Muineach

mathias

Ah this old chestnut ,

It hasnt showed up in a while I guess , so heres what you need to know ,

For Photography , the best panel type is called S-IPS , this is the type that comes with apples and is why apples are so popular for graphics design. They have the best color gamut and tend to show photos more accurately than any other panel. They are generally the most expensive as well.

Dell ultrasharps ( most models ) are S-IPS , but watch out , some of the later ones are just TN.

The worst type is the bog standard TN panel , that samsung you linked is a TN panel.

To find out what type a panel is check on this site , just type in the model number and it will tell you what tech it is. TN is the worst , S-IPS is the best ....

http://www.flatpanels.dk/panels.php

Having said all this , a good calibrator can make most monitors acceptable for photo work , basic color correction that is , not pro work.

The colorvision spyder and the pantone huey are good screen calibrators , these generally cost about 100 euro. Maybe try one of these before splashing out on a new S-IPS screen , ( 500 euro minimum ! ), it may well do the job for you.

Myself , I do some pro work now and again and need to have a good screen , so I splashed out on an Apple Cinema display , excellent , but very pricey ,( about 900 euro ) it has paid for itself though.

Roen

Just to add to the above, Dell can sometimes change from S-IPS to TN panels mid production run, so you have no guarantee that a model listed as being S-IPS will have a S-IPS panel in it when it arrives at your door.

I went for this Chappie here (or something similar, they change that site too often). It has a S-IPS panel (I checked it) and I couldn't be happier with it.

Muineach

Thanks all for that.

Roen wrote: »

I went for this Chappie here (or something similar, they change that site too often). It has a S-IPS panel (I checked it) and I couldn't be happier with it.

Did you find it ok for games (FPS counter strike etc.) with a 16ms response time ?

mathias

16ms response time

If its a true measurement ( thats the entire screen , grey to black to grey ) then it will be fine , anything less than 24 on a true measurement will be fine ,

Some makers are notorious for spoofing this figure , giving figures of 4/6/8 ms when in actual fact the true figure is in the high twenties , leading people to believe that the single digit figures are necessary when they are not.

In general , with the S-IPS panels and a figure of 16 , you will be fine , those panels are generally excellent for games , I know the apple is and it quotes an accurate figure of 16ms.

Roen

Muineach wrote: »

Thanks all for that.



Did you find it ok for games (FPS counter strike etc.) with a 16ms response time ?

I don't really play games much at all, but the odd time I have they look fantastic. Bear in mind you'll be playing them at 1680 x 1050 so you'll need a good gfx card to play at that res with a decent frame rate.

YeahOK

Go the whole hog and just buy yourself a 24 inch iMac. You will not be disappointed!:D

Borderfox

When you get the new one give me a shout and I will give you a loan of my Spyder to calibrate it..