Monitors

ScarySquirrel

ScarySquirrel

ScarySquirrel

Soldato
Joined
13 Jan 2004
Posts
23,871
Location
South East
Hello everyone.

I am in the process of turning my 'wishlist' into a realistic shopping list of things I feel I need to purchase over the next few months in order to build upon what I have done in the past few months.

One area which needs serious attention is that of my desktop, so I'm just going to dump some thoughts I had into this post and hope that everyone can offer some advice.

Firstly, my C2D desktop machine is generally ok, but it can be a bit slow when running Lightroom and Photoshop at once, with multiple browser tabs open, music playing, etc. So for the past month I've been lusting over Macs, but I think I've decided that as I own plenty of PC components already I will stick to a Windows based setup. So I'll probably look into an i7 upgrade, and a new PC case with more space for HDDs (as storage and backup are now a very important thing to me).

The other area, and the purpose of this thread, is my monitor setup. I currently work on a single 20" TN panel monitor, a Samsung 2053BW. It's a little on the small side for me, and I am now aware of the issues a TN panel poses me as a photographer. Having said that I've never had any problems with it, printing has always resulted in no noticeable colour problems for me, but perhaps it's just a case of me not really knowing enough to be able to notice.

I've rambled on enough now, so here are my options:

- Buy two Dell Ultrasharp U2311H 23" monitors - Around £520
- Buy one Dell UltraSharp U2410 24" - Around £460
- Buy one Dell UltraSharp U2711 27" - Around £850

I do really like the idea of a dual screen setup, particularly when I think about having Lightroom in one window, Photoshop in the other, or having a grid view of my photos in Lightroom and the selected image for processing in the other monitor. It definitely appeals to me.

Having said that I love the idea of one massive 27" monitor to work with, although it's pushing my budget quite far. I wouldn't really want to pay more than £600 for a new monitor setup, but if the 27" really was worth it then I might be able to stretch.

What do you all work with? What are your thoughts on the above monitors?
 
Assuming you don't already own one, have you budgeted for a suitable hardware calibration unit? And have you thought about the room these monitors will be used in and paid attention to the ambient lighting conditions as well as the colour of the artificial light you'll be working under?

Both are very important points to think about when budgeting for a new set-up such as this and shouldn't be overlooked.

As for the monitors, assuming you were properly calibrating them and working in sRGB throughout, they're all pretty decent for the money. I think it's going to come down to your personal preferences for one large screen/two smaller screens when processing your images.
 
Since posting this I've ruled out the 27", I don't think I need anything that big. I think I'll go for the single 24", and then maybe get a second later down the line if I need to.

I will certainly look into calibration equipment. I understand you can get some which dynamically calibrate your monitor based on the ambient light, is that right?
 
Get the 24" for editing, use your current screen for tool boxes and another other apps you use whilst on the PC (browser, media player, etc) and then when budget allows/prices drop pick up another 24".

EDIT: Yep I typed that before you decided and posted after. :D
 
I've tried the Huey range that does the dynamic calibration and found it to be a load of old guff. If you're working in a room with controlled lighting you shouldn't need such a gimmick, although that's not to say the Huey isn't a bad calibration unit itself, as it's fairly decent at what it does.

For my money, what you need is one of these and the LaCie Blue Eye software, which can be downloaded from the interweb if you know where to look.

While the hardware is coming up for four years old (if not more) it's still about as good as it gets and easily obtainable second-hand for under £100. Every one of the commercial photographers I've worked with has relied upon that hardware for years, despite all the recent additions to the scene.

And if you're really, really serious about colour accuracy, pair the hardware calibrator with a Gretag MacBeth Colour Checker Chart. Essential if you're doing anything where you need to know that your colours are as accurate as they can possibly be.
 
GSXRMovistar said:
Get the 24" for editing, use your current screen for tool boxes and another other apps you use whilst on the PC (browser, media player, etc) and then when budget allows/prices drop pick up another 24".

EDIT: Yep I typed that before you decided and posted after. :D
Click to expand...

I hadn't even thought about using my current monitor as well, that's a great idea :)

I think I'll hold off on the PC upgrade as well, might just get a new case (for more HDD space), new SSD and new 2TB storage drive (to add to the ones I already have).

glitch said:
I've tried the Huey range that does the dynamic calibration and found it to be a load of old guff. If you're working in a room with controlled lighting you shouldn't need such a gimmick, although that's not to say the Huey isn't a bad calibration unit itself, as it's fairly decent at what it does.

For my money, what you need is one of these and the LaCie Blue Eye software, which can be downloaded from the interweb if you know where to look.

While the hardware is coming up for four years old (if not more) it's still about as good as it gets and easily obtainable second-hand for under £100. Every one of the commercial photographers I've worked with has relied upon that hardware for years, despite all the recent additions to the scene.

And if you're really, really serious about colour accuracy, pair the hardware calibrator with a Gretag MacBeth Colour Checker Chart. Essential if you're doing anything where you need to know that your colours are as accurate as they can possibly be.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice. I'll look into one of these second hand then :)
 
ScarySquirrel said:
Firstly, my C2D desktop machine is generally ok, but it can be a bit slow when running Lightroom and Photoshop at once, with multiple browser tabs open, music playing, etc. So for the past month I've been lusting over Macs, but I think I've decided that as I own plenty of PC components already I will stick to a Windows based setup. So I'll probably look into an i7 upgrade, and a new PC case with more space for HDDs (as storage and backup are now a very important thing to me).
Click to expand...

V. Good idea. Best use of your money.

The other area, and the purpose of this thread, is my monitor setup. I currently work on a single 20" TN panel monitor, a Samsung 2053BW. It's a little on the small side for me, and I am now aware of the issues a TN panel poses me as a photographer. Having said that I've never had any problems with it, printing has always resulted in no noticeable colour problems for me, but perhaps it's just a case of me not really knowing enough to be able to notice.

I've rambled on enough now, so here are my options:

- Buy two Dell Ultrasharp U2311H 23" monitors - Around £520
- Buy one Dell UltraSharp U2410 24" - Around £460
- Buy one Dell UltraSharp U2711 27" - Around £850

I do really like the idea of a dual screen setup, particularly when I think about having Lightroom in one window, Photoshop in the other, or having a grid view of my photos in Lightroom and the selected image for processing in the other monitor. It definitely appeals to me.

Having said that I love the idea of one massive 27" monitor to work with, although it's pushing my budget quite far. I wouldn't really want to pay more than £600 for a new monitor setup, but if the 27" really was worth it then I might be able to stretch.

What do you all work with? What are your thoughts on the above monitors?
Click to expand...

Don't get too hung up on the idea of dual screens for one. If you work in Lightroom, process and then retouch in Photoshop, the amount of times you'll need to look at both if you're in PS for longer than 5 minutes will be very few and far between. The advantage to running PS with dual monitors is having all your pallettes on one screen and your image on the other (how I work).

The other option is to buy the U2410 and a cheap (or keep your current) TN panel for the second monitor. The second doesn't have to be of any quality, so long as it displays an image.

As mentioned above factor in the cost of a good calibration device. Also consider your working environment. Do you need to buy blackout blinds for example? It's always best to work in a dim environment with no overiding colour elements, the brightest thing should be your monitor. You can start messing around matching your monitor luminance to your ambient but why bother, just turn the lights off and remove the variable. Simple, repeatable.

I've had numerous setups and worked with numerous others, but generally a main 24" + something smaller is a great productive set up. I did have a 30" + 24" at one point and it was just completely pointless for photo editing (for me anyway). All I was doing was looking at the same image zoomed in one more step, there was almost too much information. I now work with a 24" + 19" and it's perfect. Not to mention my medium Intuos4 has a far better area/screen ratio with a 24" than a 30".
 
i use twin 22" dell 2209wa IPS panels.. can be had for a shade over £300 refurb if that helps?

i find twins much more intuative as thats what i use all day at work but thats personal preference i guess.
 
You can save money on the i7 setup by just swapping what i presume is a dual core c2d for a quad core like a q6600 and overclocking it.

I run an q9450 @ 3.8ghz per core and i have no slowdowns.

As for monitor i use a 24" LG IPS and a 19" ben-q, its annoying as the 19" cant even get the same colour cast as the main monitor, both have been calibrated with a spyder.
 
I'm not going to bother with the PC upgrade just yet. I'm currently running an E8400 overclocked to 3.6Ghz with 4Gb RAM. I'm just going to buy a new case and sort out my current storage solution. Going to get an SSD drive as a boot drive and to run core apps from, then I'll have 1 x 2Tb, 2 x 1Tb, and 1 x 500Gb drive for storage. Plus a fresh W7 install on the new SSD should help speed things up a little.
 
neil_g said:
i use twin 22" dell 2209wa IPS panels.. can be had for a shade over £300 refurb if that helps?

i find twins much more intuative as thats what i use all day at work but thats personal preference i guess.
Click to expand...

I've just got the single 2209wa but need to get it calibrated. cracking monitor though :)

EDIT

If the 24" is the one that i think it is then yeah that one would do the job nicely and with the money you didn't spend you could add that towards a calibrator / storage until you upgrade the rest of your pc
 
Nick,

Go look at the thread I created in Monitors, it converted me. HP 24inch IPS here I come :)

Honestly, go look. It made me realise how bad a TN panel is!
 
Phate said:
Nick,

Go look at the thread I created in Monitors, it converted me. HP 24inch IPS here I come :)

Honestly, go look. It made me realise how bad a TN panel is!
Click to expand...

Jake, go look in a mirror, hopefully you'll realise how bad your hair is :D :p
 
Derek W said:
Jake, go look in a mirror, hopefully you'll realise how bad your hair is :D :p
Click to expand...

My 18 mirrors in my room (which can be found by pushing the hair products and straigtners out the way) confirm I'm hot stuff.

Least I can change my hair mate....your face on the other hand.....





BUUURNNNN!!!!
 
ScarySquirrel said:
I'm not going to bother with the PC upgrade just yet. I'm currently running an E8400 overclocked to 3.6Ghz with 4Gb RAM. I'm just going to buy a new case and sort out my current storage solution. Going to get an SSD drive as a boot drive and to run core apps from, then I'll have 1 x 2Tb, 2 x 1Tb, and 1 x 500Gb drive for storage. Plus a fresh W7 install on the new SSD should help speed things up a little.
Click to expand...

Sounds sensible to me - you'll probably get more 'real world' performance boost from an SSD than from upgrading to an i7 system.

I was also going to suggest getting a single 24" then using your existing for palettes or other apps etc - beaten to it! :D You'll clearly need the right tools for the job, but don't need to be extravagant when you could be saving the money for higher priorities such as a second body, extra flash(es), lenses etc :)
 
Oh, and a calibrator probably falls into the category of 'right tools for the job' - well worth it I would imagine, especially over buying a second monitor (which you can always do later down the line) :)
 
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