New Monitor

[TRACHR]

Hey, I am about to buy a new monitor as mine is a bear to keep properly calibrated, I dont need a big one since I'll still use my regular montor for everything and I'll adda  3rd screen for proper coloring and such.

 

 

I was considering a Acer CB281HK, a 28 inch 4k UHD with IPS.   its at the local best buy and is close to what I was thinking of spending... 500 was my limit and was aiming for 3-400.

 

It also has 1ms response, 100,000,000:1 Dynamic Contrast , 300 cd/m2 brightness, and 3850x2160 resolution.... most of that I dont know much about since I am dumb when it comes to monitor stats lol

 

Is this a pretty good monitor or should I be looking at something else?  Before I buy anything I figured I should run it past people with experience.  

 

 

Thanks.

[TRACHR]

This is the one I was leaning toward until I saw the 4k Monitors

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00877ZOYK/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?smid=A1L9D0A8YQ4I2J&psc=1

 

 

[fotoDogue]

I bought a Dell P2715Q 27" Ultra HD 4K Monitor for my Mac Mini just over a year ago and I'd highly recommend seeing it in person rather than ordering it online.

B&H offered another model for about $500 but when I saw it in the store it was much dimmer than other models. I asked the salesman why it was so dark but he couldn't figure out why. Then I noticed they had a higher resolution display that was nice and bright for only a few dollars more.

 

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=details&O=&Q=&ap=y&c3api=1876%2C{creative}%2C{keyword}&gclid=Cj0KEQjw-qbLBRD79JWsjuXI784BEiQAftBCI4Cl7QVsTnwPscyC3E75V_NS8PRlqUrnPKN7KCQCDF8aAj3b8P8HAQ&is=REG&m=Y&sku=1106149

 

Turns out, I'm much more comfortable using it at a lower resolution because the text is larger and more comfortable for my eyes. Also my Mac Mini didn't really support 4k with a standard Mini Displayport to HDMI cable.

[MDM]

If it is for photography you don't need 4K, much better to go for a 27 inch monitor with a resolution of around 2500 and built with photography in mind. Wide gamut (lots of colours) is very very useful and becoming very affordable as well as having in-built hardware calibration in some models.

 

See this thread  from a year ago.

 

You don't say where you are and whether it is 500 dollars, pounds, euro, rupees, but the BenQ 27 inch photo monitors referred to in that thread are I think going for very reduced prices, probably because they have introduced a new model.

 

Finally I don't understand why you wouldn't use your new monitor as your main one if you are having problems with your existing one and the idea of adding a 3rd monitor for coloring - what is that about? You want to be doing your main photography work on your best, wide gamut, hardware-calibrated monitor.

[Martin P Wilson]

I thought about 27-28in 4K monitors to replace my tired HD ones. I realised that at 100% i could not resolve the pixels so it made it difficult, and tiring,to do a proper QC chec k. I went for 2560x1440 (or thereabouts) and have been happy with them. See my my more detailed consideration at http://m-dash.com/my-view-megapixels-has-changed

 

I was typing this as MDM beat me to it.

 

 

 

[imageplotter]

I can thoroughly recommend EIZO monitors - I've never looked back since I first bought mine. I know they're more expensive than others (but have actually come down a lot in price in the last few years), but I've had mine 5+ years and it still performs fantastically well (only replacing it now because technology is moving on and I'd quite like one of their self-calibrating 4G models, so will keep the old one as a second monitor and keep calibrating it monthly). It's definitely a good investment if you sit on it for at least a few hours every day (I do, sadly). I'm not sure what currency your budget is in, but the smaller ones do start for just over £500 (depending on which dealer/offers), although those still need to be calibrated manually.

[Allan Bell]

5 minutes ago, arterra said:

 

+1

 

Mine is already - believe it or not - 9 years old and still works like a charm.

................ and I sit 8 to 10 hours behind it 

 

Cheers,

Philippe

 

You will see the images you are working on better if you sit in front of it.

 

Allan

 

 

[MDM]

2 hours ago, imageplotter said:

I can thoroughly recommend EIZO monitors - I've never looked back since I first bought mine. I know they're more expensive than others (but have actually come down a lot in price in the last few years), but I've had mine 5+ years and it still performs fantastically well (only replacing it now because technology is moving on and I'd quite like one of their self-calibrating 4G models, so will keep the old one as a second monitor and keep calibrating it monthly). It's definitely a good investment if you sit on it for at least a few hours every day (I do, sadly). I'm not sure what currency your budget is in, but the smaller ones do start for just over £500 (depending on which dealer/offers), although those still need to be calibrated manually.

 

I have a 3 year old, wide gamut, self-calibrating 27 inch Eizo and it is a thing of real beauty but it is well outside the price range of the OP.  The equivalent new BenQ (wide gamut, 27 inch, self-calibrating) on the other hand is not too far outside the OP's price range and the older model which I referred to above is availble new within that price range. These BenQs have only been around a few years but have got a very good reputation at less than half the price of the equivalent Eizos. If I was buying again now, I would certainly consider one.

 

As an addendum, I don't understand why photographers spend so much on camera gear and lenses and then view their images on poor quality, uncalibrated monitors. The monitor is a very important part of the whole processs in my opinion.

[TRACHR]

Thanks for all the answers guys, as for MDMs questions, Im in the US so USD, sorry I should of made that clear before.

 

 

As for other monitors, I often will have on one of my monitors a movie going or something, which I enjoy a bigger monitor for that even if the color wont be as good... I KNOW I wont have the money for a rather large monitor that has the quality I need so I'll continue to make do with what I have.

 

my secondary monitor though or tertiary which usually has either business related stuff or whatnot is also the monitor(s) that run LR so one of those monitors are the ones I need to upgrade.  Don't know why I talked about it in the original post, must of been chatty I guess    but that's the explanation to that comment.

 

I suppose if I need to I can expand my budget and wait a payday or 2 before I buy, I just wanted to get one soon is all. I'll look into both Eizo and BenQ   Thanks again guys!