Suggestions on a 24" Monitor?

[Ed Rooney]

I will soon be buying an M1 16MB Mac mini. Prices on monitors are all over the place. I want to spend no more than £250. John Lewis has a Dell 2421H for £129 but I would have to buy it online and I can't.

 

Thanks, Edo

[MDM]

Not clear how you are going to get a monitor home if you can't get it delivered, as monitors tend to be bulky and the box adds to the weight. Are you only going to buy from a shop and carry it or get a taxi?

 

That aside, if you can afford it, I would suggest spending a bit more than the £250 max and getting a really good monitor specially designed for photography to go with this lovely new Mac you are getting. BenQ have what looks like a good 24" IPS monitor for about £390 and there is an Eizo ColorEdge 24" for around £430. IPS is important if you want consistency in viewing from different angles which is really annoying and which you won't get in a really cheap monitor. These cheap monitors are designed for office use, not for photography.

 

The monitor is how one views one's images nowadays, seeing as so few make prints any more so it is well worth having a decent monitor. BenQ and Eizo are the main manufacturers of photography monitors -BenQ is the budget one but they do make very good monitors cheaper than Eizo. There are cheaper BenQs than that one within your price range but they won't be anywhere near as good.

Edited April 12, 2021 by MDM

[Harry Harrison]

If you really don't want to spend more than £250 then I'm wondering if this Viewsonic might be better than the Dell, though I know nothing about it. Really you ought to budget for something to calibrate it with as well.

 

Like MDM I don't really understand what your options boil down to if you can't buy online or accept deliveries. Clearly his BenQ & Eizo recommendations will be better than either the Viewsonic or Dell, and for good reason. You do get what you pay for but (full disclosure) personally I use a coupe of Dell Ultrasharps but I do calibrate them with an X-rite i1 Display Pro.

 

https://www.wexphotovideo.com/viewsonic-vp2458-24-inxh-100-srgb-professional-monitor-1759774/

 

 

[MDM]

23 minutes ago, Harry Harrison said:

If you really don't want to spend more than £250 then I'm wondering if this Viewsonic might be better than the Dell, though I know nothing about it. Really you ought to budget for something to calibrate it with as well.

 

Like MDM I don't really understand what your options boil down to if you can't buy online or accept deliveries. Clearly his BenQ & Eizo recommendations will be better than either the Viewsonic or Dell, and for good reason. You do get what you pay for but (full disclosure) personally I use a coupe of Dell Ultrasharps but I do calibrate them with an X-rite i1 Display Pro.

 

https://www.wexphotovideo.com/viewsonic-vp2458-24-inxh-100-srgb-professional-monitor-1759774/

 

 

 

Deleted. Another bad maths day. 😢

 

I am guessing Edo will not want to do hardware calibration and there is probably no real need in his case as he is only using the images for Alamy. As long as the screen brightness is sensible, then he should be ok, judging from his existing pictures. I will refrain from suggesting he use the histogram as that word causes a strange reaction I recall from past experience 🤣

Edited April 12, 2021 by MDM

[Betty LaRue]

I boxed up my iMac in it’s original carry box with a handle, and had to slide it across the floor because it was so heavy. Carrying it down the steps into my garage, then lifting it into the car was very hard, though. Once done, I had an employee of the repair shop carry it in for me. Eventually, I’ll have to bring it home, again I’ll have an employee load it.  Maybe I can call my son-in-law to bring it in and hook it back up.

I hope where you buy it from will deliver, Ed. I’d hate for your back to get in the shape of mine. I did too many large man-type work projects during my lifetime and am paying for it.
Protect your back, Ed.

 

[CAROL SAUNDERS]

1 hour ago, Betty LaRue said:

I boxed up my iMac in it’s original carry box with a handle, and had to slide it across the floor because it was so heavy. Carrying it down the steps into my garage, then lifting it into the car was very hard, though. Once done, I had an employee of the repair shop carry it in for me. Eventually, I’ll have to bring it home, again I’ll have an employee load it.  Maybe I can call my son-in-law to bring it in and hook it back up.

I hope where you buy it from will deliver, Ed. I’d hate for your back to get in the shape of mine. I did too many large man-type work projects during my lifetime and am paying for it.
Protect your back, Ed.

 

They are heavy Betty but please try not to use the handle to carry or lift it if you possibly can as they are not that strong...

 

Carol

[Harry Harrison]

10 hours ago, MDM said:

As long as the screen brightness is sensible, then he should be ok, judging from his existing pictures.

I'm not sure if I'm right in thinking that Edo is moving from a MacBook Pro but if so then it's also the wider question that interests me. Macs (MacBooks or Imacs) seem to do very well with their integrated screens and I suspect that picture researchers and buyers that use them never calibrate them either. If you get a Mac Mini then I suppose it's a question of how much do you have to spend to get the same image quality and consistency from a different (non Mac) brand of monitor straight out of the box? I'd have to say that I don't know, hopefully someone does. The equivalent Mac displays are way too expensive for Edo's budget I think.

 

Edit:

Hadn't realised that Apple don't do standalone displays any more, but secondhand is still an option.

Edited April 13, 2021 by Harry Harrison

[Ed Rooney]

Second hand is not an option, Harry. And Apple does do displays. One is £4,500, the other £5,500. 

 

I was hoping to get an answer or two to my question like "I have a Dell X for £130 and it's good." Or "I bought the Samsung X and it's junk." Or "don't buy a LED screen, it will set the house on fire." I wasn't asking how to transport a heavy object from Point A to Point B.

 

As soon as I can, maybe today, I will bring my MacBook Pro into the Apple Store (a 10 minute walk from me) and see if they can sort out my many Adobe CC problems. I've deleted numerous files but I still get the message that there's no space. 

[Harry Harrison]

24 minutes ago, Ed Rooney said:

As soon as I can, maybe today, I will bring my MacBook Pro into the Apple Store (a 10 minute walk from me) and see if they can sort out my many Adobe CC problems. I've deleted numerous files but I still get the message that there's no space. 

I hope they sort it out, they probably get asked about affordable monitors for Mac Minis as well so maybe they can help there as well, though photographers have particular needs over gamers and Netflix fans.

[MDM]

2 hours ago, Harry Harrison said:

Edit:

Hadn't realised that Apple don't do standalone displays any more, but secondhand is still an option.

 

I did offer Ed a 21" Apple Display from 2009 for the price of sending it to him. It has been living a very quiet life for some years but still works. He declined and I said I would never mention it again. OOOOPS. Sorry Edo. Scratch that. 

 

[MDM]

2 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

I was hoping to get an answer or two to my question like "I have a Dell X for £130 and it's good." Or "I bought the Samsung X and it's junk." Or "don't buy a LED screen, it will set the house on fire." I wasn't asking how to transport a heavy object from Point A to Point B.

 

As soon as I can, maybe today, I will bring my MacBook Pro into the Apple Store (a 10 minute walk from me) and see if they can sort out my many Adobe CC problems. I've deleted numerous files but I still get the message that there's no space. 

 

I bought a cheap 23" BenQ monitor (around £140 or so) a few years ago for using with a laptop when travelling with a car (light so can easily fling into the boot). It works fine but it is a literal pain in the neck because it changes a lot in perceived contrast and brightness depending on the viewing angle so for consistent editing you need to keep your head in the same position relative to the monitor. That is why I suggested an IPS panel which is more expensive but gets around that problem. If you don't mind that, then you probably won't go too far wrong with a cheap BenQ. We have also had low end Samsung and Llyama monitors which my son used to use with Playstations etc and they work but again suffer from the same problem.  

 

Have you checked the Apple Menu - About This Mac - Storage to see if there is available space or if this is an erroneous message?

EDIT - presumably you have continued to keep iCloud turned off and you are emptying the trash after the deleting the files.

 

Anyway I am glad you took my original advice on getting 16GB rather than 8GB of RAM. Reports are that the 8GB machines can struggle with Lightroom and Photoshop.

 

Edited April 13, 2021 by MDM

[Ed Rooney]

Thanks, Michael

 

I'm trying to take your original advice but everything is uncertain now. I'm at the Apple Store and it turns out I have to book an appointment. Not what I was told yesterday. I'm outside on their wifi. PS is still giving me the no-space message although I deleted everything I can. ???

 

Gotta go; it's cold out here.

[MDM]

Sally - I think you are right in that a fully colour-managed workflow is not really necessary unless you are printing your images yourself or sending them off to a pro lab for printing (not as necessary perhaps if the lab can do sensible corrections) or providing images to clients who expect properly colour-managed images. So a 5K iMac screen is fine and the P3 gamut is a lot bigger than sRGB. Also the problems with such high resolutions appear to have been resolved by Apple and Adobe (cue Mark Chapman’s entry to contradict that and my mind turning to mush). 

 

However, I prefer a monitor with standard resolution for photography (so 2560x1440 at 27”). Also I like a matte screen and the ability to make all sorts of adjustments that are not possible on an iMac. 
 

 

Edited April 13, 2021 by MDM

[wiskerke]

This guide has been mentioned here before: https://www.color-management-guide.com/how-to-choose-your-monitor.html

He also has budget options and discusses them. Good tests and reviews.

 

wim

[MDM]

Image Science based in Melbourne, Australia, is also an amazing resource of very well written articles on all things related to colour management from monitors to printing. It is very up to date as the guy who writes the stuff also runs a shop. Overkill for Edo's original question but he says he doesn't mind thread-hijackers. 

[Ed Rooney]

😉 teehee, MDM.

 

All and all, I would rather make a £150 mistake than a £1,000 mistake. Right now, I have too many problems and confusions going in too many directions. And I've only posted about half of them.

 

I've been working on a 13" screen for three years now. I'm adjusted to that. I would buy an M1 iMac if I could, but I can't right now because they don't have one. Maybe I'll buy the 16-MB M1 MacBook Air and a small TV to watch videos and the news. At age 86, I don't figure I'll be functioning for more than a few more years as a stock tog. I was fine the first two years as a reluctant nomad. I've aged a lot in this past year. 

 

Thanks, all for trying to help.

 

PS: I bought Mexican takeaway today on my way back from the Apple Store. The guy who was putting my burrito together turned out to be Italian. So we were chatting away in the Angels Tongue and I was speaking as fast and fluid as a hard-core Romano. Not everything is broken.

Edited April 13, 2021 by Ed Rooney

[Ed Rooney]

I called Apple after unsuccessfully trying to book an appointment online. After the usual dance around, a nice young woman in Greece told me that to get a 16MB Air or Pro it would have to be sent to me because they don't sell anything except the 8MB here. I can't do that. So every new solution comes with a new problem. Maybe . . . . . . I'll buy an 8MB M1 Air. If I can use it with Adobe CC for the next two years, that should be enough for my personal future in stock. I've been working with Macs for over 20 years. Everything used to just work. 

 

Stranger in a strange land? Oh my, yes. 

Edited April 13, 2021 by Ed Rooney

[MDM]

You can also order any Mac online and arrange pickup in the Apple store. I’m very confused as to what the problem is with that. 

[Ed Rooney]

I asked that question. They told me no. ??? I may walk over there now. 

[MDM]

I think that is nonsense. It wasn’t possible until yesterday until the Apple stores opened but if you go on the Apple UK website and enter your specs it should offer you the choice of picking up your order from your nearest store. 

[MDM]

It’s definitely possible to pick up orders at Liverpool Apple Store Edo. It says so in that link. 

[Ed Rooney]

OK, thanks. I going over there now. To make an appointment  to see someone.

[MDM]

You can also arrange alternative pickup points with UPS as far as I know. 

[MDM]

I rechecked and it says you could buy and pickup a 16GB, 1TB MacBook Air tomorrow in Liverpool. 
 

Edit. It seems to me that any particular item will show as available for pickup at an Apple Store only if it is actually in the country at this time but you can order anything from Apple and choose an Apple Store for pickup when you go to the checkout. If it is not immediately available it has to probably come from China (or Ireland ?). 

Edited April 13, 2021 by MDM

[Ed Rooney]

The Liverpool One Apple Store has changed its appointment system . . . since this morning. The guy I spoke to tonight apologised for that. To buy or order (with a trade in) now, I can show up without an online appointment and queue for about 15 minutes. To "fix" the Adobe/MacBook Pro problems, I must book an appointment to see a techie. And I CAN get a Mac delivered to me at the store.