Monitor for photo editing - DPChallenge Forums

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS

02/10/2014 08:26:06 PM · #1

Looking for a monitor, it will be a in a 2 monitor setup, also being connected to my HDTV that I'm using currently. I use the HDTV for video and gaming, so the monitor would be entirely for photography. Since this is only for non paid photo editing, I don't want to spend a lot, my main goal is to just have prints look fairly close to on screen. I think I've narrowed it down to 3 (note I didn't include Dell because recent reviews are stating Dell is sending out old revision monitors with color issues)

1. Viewsonic VX2370SMH $139, 1-4 week backorder
Reviews are overall positive, and the price is good.

2. ASUS PA248Q $310
This also gets great reviews, but costs twice as much. 1920 x 1200 vs 1080p on the Viewsonic. Is the slight resolution boost the only reason this one is so much more expensive, or are their other factors that would make this a better option than the Viewsonic?

3. QNIX QX2710 Evolution II $345 from Korea
This is a weird one. Supposedly uses the same Samsung display as the $600+ monitors, but lacking in on screen controls. So any color calibration has to be done via software or profiles. Getting amazing reviews across the internet. BUT, it's all from gamers. Can't find hardly any info as far as photography goes.

I assume? that #1 & 2 should look good enough for my needs out of the box, so I wouldn't have to buy calibration software. But is there reason enough to spend the extra for the ASUS?

And if I am going to spend that much for the ASUS, would the QNIX be a better choice for photography, or is it something that should be left for gaming?

kirbic

Canon EOS R5

02/10/2014 09:47:43 PM · #2

Of the three, and going just by the specs, I'd choose the Asus, since it has 100% sRGB gamut. You'd want to check out reviews to ensure that there are no commonly-reported problems.

Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 EX Aspherical DG HSM for Nikon

02/10/2014 09:59:06 PM · #3

The Viewsonic supposedly has 100% sRGB too. Listed further down in the description.

"ViewSonic LED monitors embedded sRGB color correction technology reproduce 100% sRGB rich color for color performance matching original input sources without decreasing or leveraging color quality."

bohemka

Nikon D700

02/10/2014 10:01:02 PM · #4

I've actually got that exact ViewSonic model and I think it's excellent. It supposedly also has 100% sRGB reproduction and I have no reason to doubt that. I print through an sRGB-color-managed print shop, and I can hold the prints next to my screen and the colors are spot on.

kirbic

Canon EOS R5

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS

02/10/2014 10:15:28 PM · #5

Originally posted by bmatt17:

Sounds like a lot of marketing speak to me. They don't directly say it has 100% sRGB gamut. Given the LED backlight, I am skeptical. given the other spec-hype, e.g. the outrageous contrast ratio quoted, they obviously think they can wow people with numbers. On the other hand, the Asus specs talk about low delta-E, something yoiu don't put in your specs unless you are catering to color-conscious buyers.
Again, I'd recommend checking out independent reviews/tests before making a purchase decision.

02/10/2014 10:18:05 PM · #6

Originally posted by bohemka:

Good to hear. Do you find the screen real estate sufficient at 1080p for editing? Some of the reviews mention the extra pixels at 1200 make a noticeable difference.

Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 EX Aspherical DG HSM for Nikon

02/10/2014 10:21:56 PM · #7

Originally posted by kirbic:

Originally posted by bmatt17:
The Viewsonic supposedly has 100% sRGB too. Listed further down in the description.

"ViewSonic LED monitors embedded sRGB color correction technology reproduce 100% sRGB rich color for color performance matching original input sources without decreasing or leveraging color quality."

Sounds like a lot of marketing speak to me. They don't directly say it has 100% sRGB gamut. Given the LED backlight, I am skeptical. given the other spec-hype, e.g. the outrageous contrast ratio quoted, they obviously think they can wow people with numbers. On the other hand, the Asus specs talk about low delta-E, something yoiu don't put in your specs unless you are catering to color-conscious buyers.
Again, I'd recommend checking out independent reviews/tests before making a purchase decision.

Thanks, do you know of any sites that do testing and reviews on these? I haven't found much besides individual user experiences. Which of course is subjective, and rarely able to compare the item against others like it.

bohemka

Nikon D700

02/10/2014 10:49:31 PM · #8

Originally posted by bmatt17:

Originally posted by bohemka:
I've actually got that exact ViewSonic model and I think it's excellent. It supposedly also has 100% sRGB reproduction and I have no reason to doubt that. I print through an sRGB-color-managed print shop, and I can hold the prints next to my screen and the colors are spot on.

Good to hear. Do you find the screen real estate sufficient at 1080p for editing? Some of the reviews mention the extra pixels at 1200 make a noticeable difference.

I think it's fine, but I haven't experienced the extra 120 pixels to truly know the difference. In my layman's mind, the size of the monitor is the same, so my view of the photo when working in Photoshop isn't going to change. I don't think I could really tell the difference if there were an extra 120 pixels spread out across the screen. Not sure though.

I bought this monitor last year sometime because it ticked all the boxes: IPS, affordable, 100% sRGB out of the box (at least advertised as so). I figured, much like storage, better and better monitors are coming out at lower prices than their predecessors - drastically so. At $139 (I think I paid $169), you've got a great monitor that does what you're asking, and the $179 you save might well buy you a better monitor than this Asus in three years. I don't doubt that non-LED (non-LED is better, they say) Asus at 1200 pixels wide is a better monitor, but it's more than twice the price. It really is a judgement call.

For me it's all I need, but I use it for photo editing, word processing and this here Internet. Perhaps there are transfer rates and other elements that factor in if you're gaming or streaming video, etc.

Nicht

Nikon D3100

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G

02/11/2014 02:44:33 AM · #9

I think the ViewSonic or the Asus will be fine. Apparently the Asus in sRGB mode isn't quite spot on (it's < dE5, but you want < dE1). I believe that for either to be perfect you would need to calibrate.

The QNIX apparently has some build quality issues, which you can sort out yourself, but IMO 23/4" 1080 is nicer than 27" 1080 - more PPI.

You could always go for the Asus PA248QJ which comes with a calibration tool, but it's also double the price. :)