LG Flatron W2600HP vs NEC NEC Specraview 2690

[jasonsmith]

<p>I came accross a review for the LG Flatron 2600 HP which indicated that it has an identical panel as the NEC 2690. <br>

" According to LG, the company’s own S-IPS-Panel is identical to the panel used in the NEC LCD2690WUXi. Currently, it represents practically the only alternative to S-PVA panel LCDs such as the Eizo SX2761."<br>

<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.prad.de/en/monitore/reviews.html" target="_blank">www.prad.de/en/monitore/reviews.html<img src="http://whirlpool.net.au/im/extlink.gif" border="0" alt="" vspace="2" width="6" height="6" align="top" /></a><br>

At less than half the price of the NEC I am interested in seeing if this monitor would be a viable option. Up to now I was using a Viewsonic CRT which of course died a few months outside of the warranty period. The NEC gets great reviews but is a lot more expensive. <br>

My main use is portait / wedding photography so I need something that gives accurate colour. <br>

The thing I havent quite got my head around with the NEC and this may also apply to the LG is how the wide Gamut of monitor would affect my workflow. I have seen some threads where people are indicating that they chose he 2490 over the 2690 for this reason.<br>

I have a limited understanding of colour profiles. I generally shoot and work on my images in Adobe RGB.<br>

When it comes time to print I generally Export the images as JPGs from lightroom and convert to sRGB in the process. </p>

 

[patricklavoie]

<p>I couldtn work without a 2690 for my work, and any xx90 monitor you will pick will be the best choice for you depending of what you can afford.</p>

<p>I never trust any LG monitor..so even if its the same panel use by them, i wouldtn touch it anyway..just me ; )</p>

[philfx]

<p>The panel is a key part of a screen, but there is more to it than the panel alone. I would (and have for my screens) purchase both screens, and calibrate them, then look at a target file to match your screen. Look through a bunch of different photos next to each other. I would think the 2 screens might come close, but the interface the NEC is gonna have for adjustments will likely be better. For color accuracy close is not an option; its not a matter of "good enough"; its either accurate in the color environment, or its not. If you cannot correct the colors, then it is incorrect. I love my LG washer and dryer. But would I buy a NEC washer and dryer?.....uhmmm, well I just realized...As of a couple years, Samsung has been making washers and dryers...hehehe, I love my Samsung displays :-)</p>

 

[jasonsmith]

<p>Reading other forums there seems to be some division over whether the Wide Gamut of the NEC 2690 <br>

is good for photo editing. Some argue that the extra 'headroom' is a benefit when editing in Photoshop or LR <br>

as you can see the colors correctly. Others think that if you are generally outputting to a lab that uses sRGB <br>

then there is no point editing in wide gamut mode. There are also issues with Web content etc being over saturated<br>

on the 2690 although I think the latest version of the monitor has a button which can revert the monitor into sRGB mode. I am wondering whether the 2490 although smaller might be a better choice. These are expensive monitors and I really just want something that I can get accurate colour from when editing my work. </p>

[patricklavoie]

<p>Well let me ask another question back;</p>

<p>Since no device cant print (or close to no device) a Pro Photo RGB 16bits..are you gonna also just use Adobe RGB 8bits..and as you know, Adobe RGB on most device cant also be properly reproduce..so maybe you are best of shoothing 8bits jpeg in sRGB?...dam too bad you buy something bigger than a point and shoot : )</p>

<p>The point is, it should be strickly a $ problem..can you afford a 1200$ monitor? no..well you have other good alternative like the Dell 2084wfp Ultrasharp for around 500$, 24inch of good screen.</p>

<p>Of course, its my humble oppinion, and you think and do what you want from there.</p>

[Tim_Lookingbill]

<p>Any display you buy online is going to be a roll of the dice in terms of what you're going to get with regards to quality. Buy from a vendor with a liberal return policy if you happen to get a display that doesn't meet your expectations or is dysfunctional in some way.</p>

<p>It doesn't matter if its S-IPS or any display panel technology if for instance the screen brightness of any particular display needs to be driven so high to eliminate unevenness across the screen, it's going to be hard on your eyes, hard to calibrate and be a PITA for print matching. </p>

<p>Screen uniformity among other conditions of a display aren't guaranteed and needs to be seen to determine if the level of these conditions are tolerable regardless of price. However the cheaper models with the same panel technology of the more expensive models tend to be more hit or miss in whether you get a real good one or a stinker due to cost cutting in the quality control department.</p>

[jasonsmith]

<p>Patrick <br>

I have used Adobe RGB since I first used Photoshop 5 in the late 90s. I shoot RAW, never JPEG and always work on my images in 16 Bit mode so I get the concept of working with the most information possible. I was pretty sold on this monitor but read a few negative reviews over the past few nights with people having difficulty with oversaturated colors, difficulties in calibrating etc. <br>

It's not strictly a $ problem. I can (just) afford the 2690 at a stretch. As I build my business I always buy the best equipment I can afford. In asking questions I just want to satisfy myself that when I do make a significant investment (for me) that I will be happy with the purchase. I have looked at alternatives such as the Dell monitors however it seems with those brands you may get a good one, or you may get a bad one.</p>

[jasonsmith]

<p>It seems that some of these issues are fixed with the WUXi2 version which doesnt seem to be available down here. </p>

[patricklavoie]

<p>I can assure you that when buying expensive thing im a expert : )</p>

<p>And i will never suggest something i didtn use or see myself..web review are most of the time conduct by amateur that saw the monitor on a shelf in a store and didtn like what they see...</p>

<p>I have a Nec 2690wuxi, work as a pro retoucher 50hre + a week, i calibrated it every month..and what i see on it, on press, on inkjet, on web and compare to anything else it is just perfect. I also suggest you get a Dell because a lot of my friend who are pro photographer or retoucher use them because they are not that expensive so they can get 2-3 of those for all there station.</p>

<p>Well calibrated with a device what you see is normally what you get.</p>

<p>* the word pro was use to re enforced my point, and by pro i mean people who care about quality, are well paid for there work, and use excellent equipment because they can afford it and its there main tool for there job.</p>

[Tim_Lookingbill]

<p>Patrick,</p>

<p>You might want to dial it back a bit with the pro stuff. No one is doubting your word.</p>

<p>You aren't the only one who knows a couple of things about this stuff. It goes without saying anyone who would doubt your expertise has only to click on your name and read your bio and can clearly see that you give qualified information. This isn't the Patrick Lavoie forums.</p>

<p>This is a forum that freely exchanges ideas and information among many who come from different walks of life and backgrounds from which all have something meaningful to contribute including you. Just because someone gives a different point of view doesn't negate what you have to say and if someone keeps questioning you on what you contribute it doesn't indicate they doubt your expertise. They just seek more indepth understanding. </p>

<p>Keep it cool, dude.</p>

[patricklavoie]

<p>Youre right Tim, i didtn want to sound like that..but i do ; (</p>

<p>What i was trying to say is since the OP only read about the subject, on the web where a lot of person just report what they also read..i tough it was a good thing for the OP to know that i work with that monitor, everyday, and the result is perfect when calibrated.</p>

<p>I also offer another more affordable choice, the Dell, because i also seen it, and as i said, a lot of friend use it..its a excellent second choice.</p>

<p>Sorry if my comment offend you or make me sound like i was on top of everybody..i dont assume that the OP know me so i give him a brief *who i am*..but it may have sound differently then expected.</p>

<p>mea culpa : )</p>

[jasonsmith]

<p>Just to finish the story. I ended up ordering a Nec 2690wuxi2. It's a fair investment but I am one of those people that hates buying something and then wished they had purchased the better model down the track. Hopefully I will pull in a few extra jobs over the coming months to offset the difference. <br>

I didnt take any offfence. I enjoy a bit of spirited discussion. </p>

[Tim_Lookingbill]

<p>Patrick,</p>

<p>It's the translation then. I probably read your response the wrong way. Yeah, that's the ticket! ;)</p>

<p>And you can count me as one who hasn't used any of this high quality expensive equipment seeing it's way beyond my spending limit, but if I can get darn good looking color on a 2004 G5 iMac hardware calibrated with the i1 Display no one should go wrong getting a more modern S-IPS panel NEC anyway.</p>

<p>But buying from someone with a liberal return policy who'll take the display back for a refund or replacement on the grounds that any flaw that impedes the ability in devising an efficient digital imaging workflow and this includes something as distracting as screen non-uniformity and dropped pixels to name a few is of most importance no matter what brand of display and I include Apple Cinema's Displays among those as well.</p>

<p>To me it's just scary as hell buying a display online I'll be relying on staring at day in and day out doing color correction work on.</p>