Monitor suggestions

[marlin_penton]

<p>My trusty Lacie Blue CRT is getting ready to leave me. I'm going to miss her, but not whacking the side every now and again to wake her up!</p>

<p>So I'm on the search for my best value in a monitor. I suppose that I'm relagated to LCD as opposed to CRT, unless I buy used.</p>

<p>What's your favorite reasonably priced monitor? Any ones or manufracturers to avoid? I know that bigger is better, but in this economy I'll be just fine in the 17" range.</p>

[trevor_martin]

<p>I just bought a refurbished Samsung 215tw off the auction site for around $200 a few months ago. It's a 21 inch widescreen, with an 8-bit S-PVA panel that after calibration matches my prints almost perfectly. It's discountinued though, so if you go this route be sure that you can return it if there are any problems. </p>

[martin_howard1]

<p>I recently bought a <a href="http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF05a/382087-382087-64283-72270-444767-3648442.html">HP LP2475w,</a> which is about the cheapest 24" IPS panel out there at the moment.<br>

Can't really fault the image quality, the only things it is missing compared to higher models costing a lot more is an LED backlight and A-TW polariser.</p>

[steve_mareno]

<p>Marlin, if you're used to a CRT you're not going to like the LCD monitors. I went to Best Buy and looked at all theirs, from inexpensive to the costliest, and they just weren't happening. My StarLogic had the same problem as your monitor... kept having to whack it. I didn't want to open it up as a CRT can kill you if you don't know what you're doing, and I don't. So I went to the auction site and found a Sony Trinitron 19" for $50. Cost another $50 to get it shipped. The thing is huge, my computer desk top is sagging, but you should see the resolution! Just beautiful. I wouldn't use anything besides a CRT because they are the best you can buy. Photographer friends are pretty amazed at the difference between a high quality CRT and an LCD or plasma image.</p>

[andrew_fedon]

<p>I have to second what Steve says. After using a Trinitron tubed CTX CRT, I bought a fairly decent, supposedly, top of range LG LCD monitor. For surfing the net etc it was ok, but for photo editing, no comparison. I returned it and kept my CRT. LCD's , and especially 'value' priced ones are just useless for photo work. All LCD's have to be properly calibrated with specialist tools, which cost. Veiwing at different angles gives a different picture, how do you adjust accuratly ?, They have slightly different luminosity from top to bottom of screen. I assume you do photo editing, otherwise you wouldn't be on this forum, so don't buy a budget screen, you will regret it. Get the best you can afford. I have heard that the best LCD's for photo editing are EIZO's, unless anyone tells me otherwise, but they are not cheap. I would probably consider a second hand Eizo, than a new other brand.</p>