Monitor for photography

Invasion · 1 Feb 2023 at 11:57

Hi I am looking to get a new monitor for photography. I think, I have narrowed it down too these two models; but I am not the most knowledgeable person when it comes to monitors.
Does anyone have experience with these two monitors and how important is adobe RGB over SRGB if I want to print?
I will be using www.digitalab.co.uk by the looks of it they ask for SRGB files.

BenQ SW270C 27 Inch Monitor
ASUS ProArt PA27AC HDR Professional Monitor - 27 Inch

any advice appreciated

Matt_Hirst · 2 Feb 2023 at 18:05

I'm interested in the answer to this also as can't decide on which monitor to get for photography / working from home.

Always wonder if I'm worrying about the argb and srgb too much and should just get a monitor with 100% argb and a calibration device then see what happens, as dedicated monitors seem so expensive.

Matt

.one. · 2 Feb 2023 at 21:56

Abobe RGB has a larger color space than SRGB so more desirable for print editing e.t.c.

Both are fine.

LiE · 3 Feb 2023 at 16:42

Personally I'd want a 4K monitor to resolve more detail. Ideally a 27" 5K monitor, like the new Samsung S9 that is coming out early this year.

LiE · 3 Feb 2023 at 16:46

Samsung's new 5K 27" ViewFinity S9 monitor is coming after Apple's Studio Display

Samsung's new 27" 5K ViewFinity S9 monitor is designed for creative professionals and appears to be targeting Apple's Studio Display with a very similar design and nearly identical specifications.

m.dpreview.com

ojrules · 3 Feb 2023 at 19:08

Invasion said:
Hi I am looking to get a new monitor for photography. I think, I have narrowed it down too these two models; but I am not the most knowledgeable person when it comes to monitors.
Does anyone have experience with these two monitors and how important is adobe RGB over SRGB if I want to print?
I will be using www.digitalab.co.uk by the looks of it they ask for SRGB files.

BenQ SW270C 27 Inch Monitor
ASUS ProArt PA27AC HDR Professional Monitor - 27 Inch

any advice appreciated

It’s a bit of a minefield imo.

You have resolution, colour spaces, and brightness (nits) to consider. Personally, I would go with the monitor with the largest colour space coverage, the highest brightness, and the highest resolution.
Factory calibration is also something worth considering, I’m aware BenQ and Asus Pro Art are both marketed to creative professionals.

You can also look into who actually makes the panels, as that may answer questions about value for money etc. I wanted a monitor for similar purposes and ended up going with an LG Ultrafine 27”.

Also, if you’re going to do regular photography, invest in a monitor colour calibrator.

Alex53 · 7 Feb 2023 at 20:53

Many good quality monitors with good contrast and view angel will be fine to edit photos, but the biggest difference will be made by calibrating it with something like the Datacolor SpyderX Pro.

RussD · 1 Jun 2023 at 14:47

I have the 'ASUS PROART 24" monitor. It is EXCELLENT..I Profiled it with a SpyderX as It's own profiles did not suit my Photography..

BananaDunka · 4 Jun 2023 at 23:25

LiE said:
Personally I'd want a 4K monitor to resolve more detail. Ideally a 27" 5K monitor, like the new Samsung S9 that is coming out early this year.

27" is just too small a screen size for that sort of resolution, it's also not a native resolution for that small a screen size and the reason it "feels" like there's more details is because those pixels are being bundled into a more dense physical real estate. Personally I would much rather have a screen that has the native resolution for its respective size, so if that means needing a bigger screen say 38", then so be it.

I also would not be looking at any LCD monitor now given the proven quality for colour accuracy of OLED monitors. They are also within ballpark of the posted monitors (Alienware AW3423DW/F for example), especially when you factor in 10-20% discout vouchers you can get for Dell/Samsung etc. Having had hardware calibrated IPS displays of various sizes all my life, once you see how good OLED is at displaying the subtle shading details of your images, there's no going back.

SRGB is more than fine for accurate photo editing and displaying whether online or for print.

J.James · 6 Jun 2023 at 15:02

@mrk Would you edit your photos on a bendy Alienware monitor? You do make it sound tempting saying there's no going back

I've been considering a 4K Dell 42" over the Alienware model you mentioned above. I haven't seen an OLED monitor in action so am still sat on the fence, I do game a bit though and may get back into gaming once I buy a super rig

BananaDunka · 6 Jun 2023 at 15:45

I've had curved IPS and VA based 34" ultrawides before and wasn't a fan editing my photos on them, but then again their curves were much more pronounced, whereas the Alienware QD-OLED is more subtle to the point that if you are sitting head on, then it essentially looks flat and there's no issue editing photos. The clarity alone and the black levels simply overpower any minimal curve issue that you might have but for me the subtle curve works really well as on this sort of size display or higher, you really do want a subtle curve to bring each edge closer to you peripheral vision which means you don't need to move your head closer to either edge to see details in tool menus or images in that area as you might need to sometimes on a flat 34" or bigger display.

QD-OLED has purer white as well than regular WOLED, so this is something to consider too. White on this is essentially paper-white. It's about as pure as the technology allows right now. Micro LED is supposed to be next level but those aren't mainstream due to the massive costs involved.

.one. · 6 Jun 2023 at 22:15

I do not sell prints to people with curved walls so no use to me or anyone else to be honest.

BananaDunka · 6 Jun 2023 at 22:17

That makes no sense whatsoever?

.one. · 6 Jun 2023 at 22:23

mrk said:
That makes no sense whatsoever?

I was being flippant but why would any one want to edit from a curved monitor ?

BananaDunka · 6 Jun 2023 at 22:52

Because you can and it's perfectly fine, as evidenced by me editing on one lol. I only pick monitors for my uses if they're actually any good for editing so wouldn't be using it if it wasn't. Not all curved monitors are the same curve either as noted above.

.one. · 6 Jun 2023 at 23:01

mrk said:
Because you can and it's perfectly fine, as evidenced by me editing on one lol. I only pick monitors for my uses if they're actually any good for editing so wouldn't be using it if it wasn't. Not all curved monitors are the same curve either as noted above.

Fair enough but not for me personally, but then I have never tried one.

BananaDunka · 6 Jun 2023 at 23:01

So you're sure about something having never tried it

.one. · 6 Jun 2023 at 23:07

mrk said:
So you're sure about something having never tried it

True, I've had eizos and dells in the past and currently use benq but yes sure I would not like a curve.

RussD · 8 Jun 2023 at 12:06

Curved Monitors are Good for Gaming but Not photography. For photography you need to see the image perfectly from corner to corner & top to bottom without losing any definition

Minstadave · 8 Jun 2023 at 12:12

RussD said:
Curved Monitors are Good for Gaming but Not photography. For photography you need to see the image perfectly from corner to corner & top to bottom without losing any definition

You don't lose the corners/top/bottom or lose any definition with a curved monitor :confused:

The same information is presented, just in a slightly curved plane.

I personally don't have strong feeling either way, I can edit on either quite happily. For me I'm more interested in the colour/contrast/resolution. In fact I have a curved main display (QD-OLED) and a flat secondary display - I always edit on the curved one.