Monitors!!!

[Mr Bump]

Jim, PRAD.de carry out in-depth monitor reviews. You'll find their review of the HP w2408 here.

It's also always worth checking user comments on various forums to see what the HP's pro/cons are for the owners. Just google the monitor to find comments.

regards

Bump

[J A Mortram]

Cheers. I've read literally hundreds of reviews so far... few are serious and fewer pertaining to use with pro photo applications :S but the help here has narrowed our potential choices down

[KeithT]

Jim, yes, I have seen them at one of our local stores, but haven't got any spare cash at the moment to upgrade. My wife wants a new camera and is selling her LX3, and I am hankering after a 70-300 L IS lens, so these must come first.

Eizo are top dog monitors, and probably have the best colour rendition of all PC monitors. If you have the budget for one go for it. The Eizo ColorEdge CG243W is a great monitor, but has a whopping price tag to it.

[Mr Bump]

Originally Posted by J A Mortram

........ and fewer pertaining to use with pro photo applications ........

The trouble is, monitors for pro photo applications come at a (big) price. Successful pro studios will spend upwards of £1,200 on a monitor and even less well-heeled pros will probably look at £600+. Most lower-budget monitors are aimed primarily at home use for gaming, or for general office use. Having said that, KeithT and many others here are happy with the performance of their monitors without spending an arm and a leg, so it's reasonable to compromise just a little on screen quality and go for the best affordable. As most of your photographic work is B&W you could save money by buying a monochrome monitor Jim

[KeithT]

Mr Bump is right. Buying a monitor for the purpose we here use them for needs a bit of careful thought. It would be easy to get sucked in to buying a pro monitor for editing. When I purchased my monitor I knew that the cheap end type were fine for surfing and for office use, but totally unsuitable for serious image editing. Why I like the HP w2207 is that if I move my head from one side of the screen to the other I get no distortion. This means that the peripheral view stays exactly the same as the tunnel view when I fidget in my chair. The downside (if you can call it that) is the glossy screen can be annoying if you have window light coming directly over your shoulder. You certainly need to position the screen away from direct window light.

I paid a little under 300 quid about two years ago now, so not cheap, but not expensive either. Good hunting.

[J A Mortram]

Thanks so much for the advice, it's really appreciated. I think I'll go for the HP... or the Dell haha! I do like the rotating stand idea... really neat. I was using a LCD 19"... really bad reflections on it in day... but then again I do most of my editing between 1 an 4 am!...

Budget is really tight... I saw a HP w2408... eBay... 100 pounds... sadly it's pick up only from 300 miles away! Oh well... I'll keep hunting and when we finally get a new PC and monitor I'll be reporting back here with all the details and the photographic results!

[littlebro]

I've only just seen the thread, I'm really pleased with the Dell I got just takes a bit of getting used to the width, just a slight difference in light across the screen from left to right hardly noticeable though. Excellent service from PCBuyit turned up just after 8am as promised. If you look at ...http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/...c_vp2365wb.htm. that gives you a good idea how easy it is to set up.

[J A Mortram]

Hi Littlebro,

thanks so much for tuning in and leaving a comment!

I'd read a few reviews of the Dell ViewSonic VP2365wb (That's the model you have) as was a little concerned as the word "dull" had come up a number of times in relation to the screen?... how have you found it?...

Now to see if eBay has a used one for around 120 pounds... the new price is double the budget! eek!

[Mr Bump]

Originally Posted by J A Mortram

..............I'd read a few reviews of the Dell ViewSonic VP2365wb (That's the model you have) as was a little concerned as the word "dull" had come up a number of times in relation to the screen?... how have you found it?.......

Jim, you are confusing two makes of monitor there. The Dell (which littlebro purchased) is the U2311H. The Viewsonic VP2365wb monitor does use the same e-IPS panel as the Dell but the Viewsonic is an older model and reviews indicate that the later Dell model achieved better results from the same panel. Both TFT Central and PRAD.de praised the Dell but littlebro can no doubt allay any fears about a dull Dell

regards

Bump

[littlebro]

Thanks Bump, it certainly isnt dull at all.