Ips and VA on my desk now.. Can't decide!

413x · 10 May 2020 at 17:08

I'm sat here with a lg 34gk950f (ips) and a benq EX3501R (VA)

And I was fairly sure I was going to keep the benq. Its 1 inch bigger.

But despite having a better contrast ratio,it seems to have this permanent grey background.

Its almost like a uniform 'glow' which the LG doesn't have

This is the VA , hitting the black levels

Vs the ips

413x · 10 May 2020 at 17:12

But the IPS looks darker. As in on a dark background it's blacker than the VA.

I thought this wasn't supposed to happen?

Kamakazie! · 10 May 2020 at 18:08

It doesn't look like the backlights are set at similar levels at all.
On the IPS image, nothing below 11 seems to stand out from the background whereas all of them do on the VA.

Have you tweaked them to the suggested levels on that website?

413x · 10 May 2020 at 18:38

Kamakazie! said:
It doesn't look like the backlights are set at similar levels at all.
On the IPS image, nothing below 11 seems to stand out from the background whereas all of them do on the VA.

Have you tweaked them to the suggested levels on that website?

By back light you mean brightness right?

They are set to similar levels when looking by eye.

I believe the VAs do have much better contrast levels though right? Isn't that what I'm seeing there?

Kamakazie! · 10 May 2020 at 20:14

Contrast is the difference in light levels between the blackest & whitest the screen can produce. It shouldn't be the difference between seeing gradients between the darkest & lightest.

Having a quick look at the website guidance, you need to set the brightness so that square 1 is just visible against the background, with the rest getting brighter in stages.
What you would then see is that the VA panel (if it indeed has the better measured contrast ratio) would have a brighter / whiter white.

When you talk about a permanent grey background, is that the greyish bar at the top? Or the black surrounding the squares? If the grey bar at the top, it is supposed to be a different colour (looking at the website myself).

Set the IPS panel backlight so that square 1 is just visible, and that will give you a more realistic comparison.

413x · 10 May 2020 at 23:01

OK, so I now have what you suggested. I've not actually touched anything. Now the ips looks like the VA.

I don't know what this shine across the VA is. I just can't shift it

413x · 10 May 2020 at 23:03

413x · 10 May 2020 at 23:08

These monitors are unbelievably close considering they are ips and VA I can barely tell the difference in colour!

random_matt · 10 May 2020 at 23:55

Every IPS I have owned always has light bleed, hence I no longer buy them. I think you are seeing clouding on the benq, but then again I don't see them as a very good brand.

random_matt · 10 May 2020 at 23:58

Hmm, clouding and bleeding are the same apparantly.

Kamakazie! · 11 May 2020 at 10:19

Can you describe the 'shine'?
In that last pic, the blacks on the right screen look darker, but this could be just a trick of the photo. You should just trust your eyes.
The size difference is insignificant.

413x · 11 May 2020 at 12:06

It's hard to describe.
It's not the colours it's more like there glare from on the surface. But there isn't as it was a dark room last night.

I've never seen it before.

I think the VA panel is fine. The colours are different. But I'd never know without side by side comparison

The ips has the usual ips corner glow. One corner is nasty

The VA has clouding or BLB.

Actually I don't know if I can live with either of these two monitors

Basically colour is ok, panel uniformity isn't.

Tempted to send both back and get a better VA. I thought VA would have worse colours but it's much less than what I thought.

Kamakazie! · 11 May 2020 at 12:45

It might be the surface treatment of the VA.
Other than that, I'm not sure.

I think VA v IPS pro's & con's are so panel specific that buying based on technology can be tricky.
At the budget end, the IPS screen I was looking at is said to have lower colour accuracy than a VA of a similar price. As such I went with VA.
Though IPS seems to be a clear winner at most price points in pixel transition / lack of ghosting due to inherent nature of the tech (assuming similar response / refresh).

Woodsta888 · 11 May 2020 at 13:01

May want to clean the lens for the camera, as those pictures are so poor there can be no advice given from those photos. Not even in focus

413x · 11 May 2020 at 15:36

Think I'm going to go with the benq.
They both have issues

The light monitor alone is really useful on the benq now in using it for work I never have to touch the brightness through the day.
It's 200 pounds difference and I don't think the ips is 200 pounds better .

I could put that towards the benq 32 4k IPS as my second screen for photography

Nexus18 · 11 May 2020 at 17:35

What abut viewing angles? Is the VA much worse, something that always does my head in is even when slightly of axis, you can just see terrible contrast shift.

413x · 11 May 2020 at 18:09

Nexus18 said:
What abut viewing angles? Is the VA much worse, something that always does my head in is even when slightly of axis, you can just see terrible contrast shift.

Not as much as I thought. As in I don't notice it. I was surprised actually.