New monitor... LCD vs. CRT - DPChallenge Forums

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

11/30/2005 01:33:16 AM · #4

19" at 1600 is so expensive :( I may not even be able to buy a new monitor though. Lenses or monitor, hmmm.

Anyhow, I was looking at //www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16824116353 as it's got a good contrast ratio and brightness.

How do I find out if my laptop has s-ips? It's a Dell Inspiron 9300 - quite new :)

Brent_Ward

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L USM

11/29/2005 11:48:25 PM · #5

Originally posted by mirdonamy:

After reading this thread, I am sooooo much more confused than before. I need a new monitor, as mine is a really old Dell monitor; but, I can only afford $350 or so.

Is there an S-IPS monitor that has a contrast of 600:1 around that price range? Any thoughts about what I could do? I've been using my laptop to edit photos because it's a million times better than my old pc monitor.

Thanks!

By a 19" lacie CRt off of eBay...

kirbic

Canon EOS R5

Canon RF 24-70 f2.8 L IS

11/29/2005 11:43:52 PM · #6

Originally posted by mirdonamy:

I found this one from Philips that is listed here as being S-IPS (type "s-ips" in the search box). It's just a little more than you were thinking. I would not recommend anything less than a 19", the 1600x1200 resolution of the 19" units is, IMO, the minumum you want to work with for photo editing if you're buying new today. The 17" (1280x1024) units drive me crazy (I have one at work), I'm always scrollng like mad.

Message edited by author 2005-11-29 23:44:46.

mirdonamy

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

11/29/2005 10:55:06 PM · #7

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

09/06/2005 12:01:02 PM · #8

The Apple 20" Cinema Display and Dell 2005FPW use the exact same internal S-IPS panel: the LG.Philips LM201W01. You can read a comparative review here.

If you buy through Dell Small Business, the 2005FPW is currently on sale for $559.

I definitely recommend getting an S-IPS based LCD if you are editing photos.

Originally posted by labuda:

Do you think that the 400:1 contrast ratio of the Apple is too low for good photo editing?

For reference, the $6294.95 Eizo ColorEdge CG220 LCD (which of course is an S-IPS based display) "only" has a 400:1 contrast ratio. The use of such specs in selecting an LCD is highly over-rated because they are so dependent on the LCD panel technology, how the manufacturer chooses to measure the values, etc. The most important spec is the panel technology.

Message edited by author 2005-09-06 12:12:54.

labuds

Nikon D800

09/06/2005 10:59:18 AM · #9

I'm also thinking about getting a new monitor. Unfortunately, my desk is too small for a CRT... I'm looking at these two:

//www.compusmart.com/Product/Default.aspx?SupplierPartNo=805201

//accessories.us.dell.com/sna/ProductDetail.aspx?TabPage=techspecs&sku=320-4111&category_id=4009&c=ca&l=en&cs=CADHS1

Any other comparable monitors?

Do you think that the 400:1 contrast ratio of the Apple is too low for good photo editing?

Any comments?

Message edited by author 2005-09-06 10:59:44.

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

09/06/2005 08:26:20 AM · #10

Originally posted by mocabela:

Dell UltraSharps are awesome.

Just remember that not all UltraSharps are created equal. Only the 2001FP and 2005FPW have S-IPS panels suitable for good-color-accuracy photographic use. The 17" UltraSharp is TN+Film (the worst LCD technology out there for color). The 19" model uses a PVA or MVA panel (depending on when you bought it)... and is likely to get a TN+Film panel down the road as a cost-saving measure.

Originally posted by GeneralE:

I thought it was in the hundreds/low thousands of hours; way shorter than CRTs.

I thought it was much higher than that. According to this link, it is 25,000 - 30,000 hours -- the time it takes the backlight to be able to only output 50% of its original brightness. Theoretically, you could replace the backlight and be back to "good as new".

FWIW, I do not have any CRT's connected to any of the PCs in the house any more.

Message edited by author 2005-09-06 08:31:44.

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

09/06/2005 12:04:55 AM · #11

Originally posted by Leok:

Does anyone know what sort of life you can expect from LCD?

I thought it was in the hundreds/low thousands of hours; way shorter than CRTs.

jbsmithana

Nikon D300

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 12-24mm f/4.0G IF-ED

09/05/2005 11:44:06 PM · #12

Boy I hope so. Your top three b/w's have so much more tonal range than my shots do. I'm hoping that being able to see those tones helps.

mocabela

Canon EOS-20D

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

09/05/2005 11:39:35 PM · #13

Dell UltraSharps are awesome. That's what I have, and I LOVE it. It is way more "on" as far as all calibration goes than any CRT I've ever had, and besides my eyes simply cannot take CRT flickers. LCD is totally the way to go if you ask me.

jbsmithana

Nikon D300

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 12-24mm f/4.0G IF-ED

09/05/2005 11:18:22 PM · #14

Ok - the current challenge is the last straw! I'm getting comments about artifact that shows from processing along the edges of my subject. I can't see them on my screen at all! I have been having trouble with blacks and dark greys merging together. So .....

I just upgraded from an old Sylvania 17" to the Dell 2001 FP Ultrasharp!

Hoping for improved processing to come!

Leok

Pentax K10D

Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 EX DG for Pentax

09/04/2005 10:52:13 PM · #15

What ever you do don't buy a no name monitor, LCD or CRT, not worth it, the colour rendition is awful.

I think the 5 year life of a CRT is reasonable - the picture tubes themselves actually wear out. In the early days you can fix it by adjusting brightness & contrast, but a screen which has had regular use will be pretty ordinary by 5 years of age. Again, cheap screens often have to be turned way up even when new to get a good result, good quality screeens look good at fairly low settings when new meaning you have room to move once there is some wear. Just look around any office for evidence....

Does anyone know what sort of life you can expect from LCD?

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S21, S21+, S21 Ultra

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

09/04/2005 10:16:55 PM · #16

For what it's worth, the CRT (I have the Electron Blue 22 inch) seems to be easier to match to printer output. My neighbor/partner has a high end LCD and it's much more difficult to predict printer values when I edit onj that one. But it sure does LOOK nice and sharp :-)

R.

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

09/04/2005 09:53:42 PM · #17

Originally posted by MeThoS:

So how would a Lacie CRT match up to an Apple LCD? I'm looking at both right now. I still here that CRT is the way to go for Photo editing.

About 45 pounds heavier ... : )
I still prefer CRT for photo work as well.

Brent_Ward

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L USM

09/04/2005 08:59:38 PM · #18

So how would a Lacie CRT match up to an Apple LCD? I'm looking at both right now. I still here that CRT is the way to go for Photo editing.

riot

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

Helios 40-1 85mm f/1.5

09/04/2005 07:43:31 PM · #19

Originally posted by Bobster:

Formac have been going years!

mostly in the Mac community tho'

Holy crap, so THAT'S whose logo that is! I have an ancient 21" crt here with that on it :)

wee_ag

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM

09/04/2005 02:43:18 PM · #20

Ok gang, got the 20" and 17" installed... and they are great! Not disappointed at all at this point. I am trying to hunt down some free monitor/printer calibration tutorials so I can see how close they do match up to each other. But for now, they are very nice to view - good color and image quality which I was worried about.

Thanks for the input... I'll post again once I get them calibrated and let you know the final result.

alfresco

Nikon D700

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

08/23/2005 07:38:20 PM · #21

Originally posted by EddyG:

No problem. Glad you found the information useful.

Well, I made the plunge and got the 2001.

I plugged it in 10 minutes ago and know I have made the right choice. This is one great monitor!!!! Thanks to you Eddy for showing me the light!

08/23/2005 11:52:32 AM · #22

Originally posted by wee_ag:

I've read that the 20" is an S-IPS, not sure on the 17". I'll let you all know how they work.

You won't find any S-IPS panels under 20". The 17" will with 100% certainty be TN+Film, which is the worst LCD technology out there for photo editing (but the cheapest). PVA/MVA panels are pretty common in 19" models (as well as a lot of 20" and larger models), but TN+Film is moving to take-over 19" panels too because of the cost savings. PVA/MVA panels aren't all that great for photo editing either (in my experience, they noticeably exagerate colors, brightness, etc. which is great for a lot of stuff -- like web-surfing -- but not for trying to match the screen to a print, even when calibrated.) PVA/MVA is indeed a step up from TN+Film panels (some of which are only 6 bit displays, including the 17" Dell UltraSharp!! See my posts here and here for details) but strongly consider an S-IPS based panel if you really care about color.

(All of Apple's highly-touted Cinema Displays are S-IPS panels.)

Message edited by author 2005-08-23 12:04:20.

glad2badad

DJI Mavic Air 2

Sears 55mm f/1.4 M42

08/23/2005 10:49:38 AM · #23

Holy Toledo!!! New Dell 19" UltraSharp FP came in. No WONDER some of the comments on my photos! Unbelievable difference between my Dell 19" CRT and the new flat panel.

Now I'm TOTALLY confused what is correct and what isn't for final post-processing. :-( Guess I'm going to have to shell out some bucks for monitor calibration software to know I'm setup correctly.

The new PC is smoking...and THAT's cool! ;^)

Originally posted by glad2badad:

Will do...it's part of a larger plan. He-he. New PC on the way - Hooray! Now if it would only get here...like a kid at Christmas. ;^)

Originally posted by Telehubbie:

Originally posted by glad2badad:
I hope LCD works! I just took the plunge with this one.

DELL UltraSharp 1905FP 19-inch Flat Panel Monitor

I was looking at that one too. There were some coupons somebody posted a couple weeks ago that brought it down to around $300. Looks nice, let us know what you think of it.

wee_ag

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM

08/23/2005 10:40:18 AM · #24

Thanks for all the replies... Looks like I'm going to get approval for the dell 20" (UltraSharp 2001FP) & the 17" (UltraSharp 1704FPV) I was pushing for two 20", but a little out of my budget.

I've read that the 20" is an S-IPS, not sure on the 17". I'll let you all know how they work.

Message edited by author 2005-08-23 10:42:26.