Need to pick a "good enough" monitor

<p>Hello everyone.</p>

<p>Here's the thing : I need to pick a flatscreen monitor that would be better than my MacBook Pro's one. I don't want to spend thousands on a real professional monitor, but would like something like a "good" gamer's monitor, with enough details in shadows and highlights.</p>

<p>What I don't like on my Apple laptop's monitor, is that brightness and tint slightly change when I move my head around, making it impossible to calibrate, even grossly ! A gross calibration would be sufficient for me, as long as it isn't affected by such little viewing angle variations.</p>

<p>As for features, I'd like resolution to be as high as possible of course (I love my 1920x1200 laptop!), but what i'd like above all is for the bulk to be moderate, since I'm often on the move: Somewhere between 19" and 21" would be nice.</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

<p>ps: I've been consistently advised to look in Samsung's direction - ok, but which one ? ;-)</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Oh, and I forgot: it of course can't be glossy ! ;-)</p>

<p>Do not take this as a disgrace or disrespect to your big ticket computer.</p>

<p>The 1920 x 1200 native resolution could cost as low as a $269, and the size of 28", like the HannsG 28" model.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254052&nm_mc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r&cm_mmc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r-_-Monitors+-+LCD+Flat+Panel-_-Hanns-G-_-24254052">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254052&nm_mc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r&cm_mmc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r-_-Monitors+-+LCD+Flat+Panel-_-Hanns-G-_-24254052</a></p>

<p>I got mine at COSTCO on sale, with most likely option to return it back to the store. After comparing it side by side with similar size and perhaps $2000 more expensive NEC monitor. My poor vision eyes decided to keep the HannsG, and return the NEC, with some money left to spend on a party.</p>

<p>This monitor, and the price was "good enough"for me. <br /> Some people prefer to spend $$$$ and than they could get satisfied.</p>

<p>Using the HannsG for over 2 years, and really satisfied with Photoshop, color matching, printing, etc. even if it is a LCD technology more suitable for fast gaming than for detailed acurate color work.</p>

<p>Frank: right. my laptop is 3years+ old so its feautres might not be so impressive today ;-). I'm looking for the same kind of deal you have.</p>

<p>However, after a bit of research, it appears great monitors don't come in small sizes. *sigh* I don't have room for 27" :-(</p>

<p>NEC P221W w/ calibrator... $575 @ B/H</p>

<p>http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?sku=612998&Q=&O=productlist&is=REG&A=details</p>

<p>It's a little larger than you want, but I just purchased a Dell U2410 at the recommendation of the experts here and it's wonderful! $550 USD direct from Dell.</p>

<p>Thank you all.</p>

<p>Your experience helps me put tftcentral.co.uk 's professional (?) reviews in perspective: those reviews are so detailed it becomes even harder to choose ! ;-)</p>

<p>Further sharing always welcome...</p>

<p>My dream monitor that nobody makes: Matte, 17 inch, 1200 dots on the short side, no viewing angle issues(IPS,etc) and color correct. I'd place it directly on top of my 17" Macbook Pro monitor, which if it DIDN'T have angle and color accuracy issues, would be fine.</p>

 

<p>Keith: perfect summary :-)</p>

<p>You might want to look at the 20 inch HP ZR2040w (<a href="http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF05a/382087-382087-64283-72270-3884471-5163682.html?dnr=1">link</a>) I have an older HP IPS monitor, the LP2475w, which is good enough for my use. Within HP, the ZR2040w is in the same category, so I hope it's good enough for you. The price is fantastic.</p>

<p>Fred, I don't have a specific recommendation, but I'll just mention that my NEC PA241W (somewhat expensive) and my somewhat expensive ATI FirePro graphics card (of some variety I can't recall) give me the capability of 10 bit color depth, using the ATI plug-in for PhotoShop. That eliminates the somewhat subtle banding I see in 8 bit on conventional monitor/card combinations even when editing 16 bit depth images. And for me, that's worth the money. </p>

<p>If 2 bits additional color depth doesn't justify the cost for you, then you should just shop on the basis of features and viewing angle. If a monitor has dynamic contrast, you must be able to defeat/disable it. (One way of defeating it, BTW, is simply to display some content on the screen that is full white.) A good colorimeter and monitor calibration software will force everything else in line. I use X-Rite's ColorMunki, which has performed well for me.</p>

<p>Sarah: thanks. i had this model in sight already. I'm sure it would be more than good enough ;-).<br>

just one question: how are your monitor and computer connected to each other for 10bits ? A simple DVI cable ?</p>

<p>Yes, a DVI -- plugged into an ATI FirePro V4800 (FireGL) :-)</p>

<p>Sarah: I think 10bits is just what I need, since I can notice a lack of precision in shades sometimes (visible steps even in 14bit RAWs). I just hope my 3 years-old MacBook Pro can output 10bits/chn. I've got to check... Thanks for the tip anyway. It's always good to know that it does actually make a difference.</p>

<p>I bought <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005BZNDS0/ref=oh_details_o02_s02_i00">this ACER monitor</a> a few months ago specifically for photo editing and I've been very happy with it.</p>

<p>ASUS, not ACER. sorry.</p>

<p>I finally followed Hector's advice and bought the (cheap enough) HP ZR2040w... Waw !</p>

<p>I thought my macbook's monitor was kinda good, but it can't widthstand the comparison. I haven't properly calibrated the HP yet (because I lent my Spyder to a friend): just basic calibration using Mac OS X's tool, but it looks great already ! Vertical angle is great too.</p>

<p>My only wish would have been for a higher resolution (like 1920x1080 or 1920x1200 instead of 1600x900), but hey, I wanted it compact so I can move around with it, and I've got what I wanted. It's also light-weight, which is a nice surprise.</p>

<p>Now it could not be found in Europe (not under that model number anyway), so I Amazoned it from the USA. Since it's light-weight, shipping was not too expensive. All I had to do was replace the power cord, which is detachable and standard (I could also have used a plug adapter). It accepts our 220v standard without any modification or configuration.</p>

<p>Thanks !</p>

<p> </p>