Monitor recommendations?

[Thomas Kyhn]

I've asked about monitors before, a few years ago, but haven't yet made the switch from using the display on my MacBook Pro (currently 16-inch 2021) to using an actual monitor for photo editing.

 

What I'm after is something that isn't too big, 27 inches maximum, but with a high resolution. I've looked at 24 inch BenQ and Eizo monitors, but they're only 1920 x 1200, so it may have to be 27 inches.

 

The Eizo ColorEdge CG2700X looks good but is a bit too expensive. I imagine something at the price level of the BenQ SW271C and Eizo CS2740. Any opinions on these two?

 

If anyone has suggestions, I'd be glad to hear them.

[MDM]

This has been discussed many times and not so long ago. Basically you can't beat Eizo for quality so go for an Eizo if you can afford it. The question is do you need 4K or are you happy with quad (2560x1440) for photography? You say high resolution so maybe you want to stick with 4K which adds a lot to the price for equivalent quality. I personally prefer quad for photo editing and they are significanly cheaper than the equivalent 4K (e.g. the Eizo ColorEdge CG2700S v Eizo ColorEdge CG2700X). The BenQ monitors are very good and you can make a similar choice (4K v quad) for less money. 

 

For recent monitor reviews check out https://imagescience.com.au.

Edited March 27, 2023 by MDM

[Thomas Kyhn]

5 hours ago, MDM said:

This has been discussed many times and not so long ago. Basically you can't beat Eizo for quality so go for an Eizo if you can afford it. The question is do you need 4K or are you happy with quad (2560x1440) for photography? You say high resolution so maybe you want to stick with 4K which adds a lot to the price for equivalent quality. I personally prefer quad for photo editing and they are significanly cheaper than the equivalent 4K (e.g. the Eizo ColorEdge CG2700S v Eizo ColorEdge CG2700X). The BenQ monitors are very good and you can make a similar choice (4K v quad) for less money. 

 

For recent monitor reviews check out https://imagescience.com.au.

 

Thanks for your reply – and for the link. The BenQ SW271C is mentioned in the Eizo CS2740 review; it sounds like the latter is the better of the two. 

Being used to the hi-res display of the MacBook (3456 × 2234), I'd prefer no to go much lower. 

[Thomas Kyhn]

I ended up buying the Eizo CS2740, and so far I'm happy with it. I still need to get a calibrator though.

[Chuck Nacke]

On 27/03/2023 at 04:13, Thomas Kyhn said:

I've asked about monitors before, a few years ago, but haven't yet made the switch from using the display on my MacBook Pro (currently 16-inch 2021) to using an actual monitor for photo editing.

 

What I'm after is something that isn't too big, 27 inches maximum, but with a high resolution. I've looked at 24 inch BenQ and Eizo monitors, but they're only 1920 x 1200, so it may have to be 27 inches.

 

The Eizo ColorEdge CG2700X looks good but is a bit too expensive. I imagine something at the price level of the BenQ SW271C and Eizo CS2740. Any opinions on these two?

 

If anyone has suggestions, I'd be glad to hear them.

Just a quick note about monitors.  I bought a new BenQ 27 and have had REAL problems with the quality of the screen, manufacturing defects.  The best monitor I've ever had was a NEC color sync, but that was a decade ago.....  I still have my old DELL 27 and it was a really good monitor for the money and I wish I had purchased another DELL monitor instead of the BenQ.

Chuck

[Marianne]

I bought the 27" Eizo Quad and it's beautifully crisp - and I'm used to a Retina screen on my 15" MacBook Pro as well as my iPad. (I also need new computer/reading glasses and still find it crisp). 

 

I was tempted by the BenQ's lower price, but they were backordered here in the US at the time, so I went with the Eizo. 

 

I'm short and didn't think a 27" was going to work as both past 27" iMac's resulted in neck strain, but because the monitor screen is so customizable with respect to height, the 27" is perfect for me.  You can turn it vertical too, which is great. There's one-button touch to change from sRGB to AdobeRGB. And it is narrow enough that it doesn't overwhelm my desk. 

 

Since I bought it in late spring/early summer, Covid kept me from going into NYC to compare different models (and, anyhow, the 27" BenQ wasn't in stock - though I'd guess other sizes were). I'm working with 42 & 61MP files, so it's great that I have more real estate to blow up my files than my laptop screen allows, and with the Quad rather than the 4K resolution, I know it's sharp at 100% rather than having to blow up images to 200% to check for noise and sharpness as is necessary with a Retina/4K screen. Speeds up my workflow. 

 

Past discussions have been long and detailed. I think I  highjacked this discussion started by @Allan Bell (I know the title sounds like it's discussing iMac's - but it turns to monitors very quickly) Like Allan, I was initially considering a 24" iMac (to replace my old 27" one). Allan & I both ended up getting monitors  to use with our laptops instead - Allan got the BenQ - I waited a while for it to be in stock, but it wasn't available anywhere in the US so I treated myself to the more expensive Eizo, with no regrets. The Eizo is also a bit more adjustable than the BenQ, which worked for me height-wise. I was so glad to get a 27" screen without being overwhelmed by the height.

 

Eizo seems to have excellent customer service, too. I had some trouble figuring out how to get my mouse to work across two screens (laptop & monitor) and the guy I spoke with at Eizo, who admitted he was really just familiar with PCs, figured out what I needed to do just minutes into the call, so I was impressed. (Faster than any Mac "Genius" I've dealt with). 

 

If you look toward page 3 or 4 of the discussion, @MDM recommends an Australian site which had some great info that helped me make a decision. 

 

 

Edited April 4, 2023 by Marianne

[Allan Bell]

6 hours ago, Marianne said:

Past discussions have been long and detailed. I think I  highjacked this discussion started by @Allan Bell (I know the title sounds like it's discussing iMac's - but it turns to monitors very quickly) Like Allan, I was initially considering a 24" iMac (to replace my old 27" one). Allan & I both ended up getting monitors  to use with our laptops instead - Allan got the BenQ

 

Hi Marianne Just to let you know I did not get the BenQ monitor and am still using my 27" iMac.  The reason I was looking to change my old late 2013 model is that I cannot update the OS from Catalina and that is a limiting factor. Not going to buy a 24" iMac which is all that is available but with integrated memory only up to 16GB. I upgraded my 2013 iMac to 32GB and would not like to go backwards. Still considering options when I have time and hoping Apple will bring back the iMac 27" in the next few months.😲

 

Allan

 

[IKuzmin]

11 hours ago, Chuck Nacke said:

I still have my old DELL 27 and it was a really good monitor for the money and I wish I had purchased another DELL monitor

+1

 

I had several Dell Ultrasharps, from 22" onward. Never tried wider gamut than sRGB. I mean, I tried one wider monitor but calibrated it back to sRGB due to too intense colors in office/web applications. Also, recently discovered that with my degrading vision I better see details of images on a monitor with larger "pixels" and therefore I chose 27" quad.

Edited April 4, 2023 by IKuzmin

[MDM]

18 hours ago, Chuck Nacke said:

Just a quick note about monitors.  I bought a new BenQ 27 and have had REAL problems with the quality of the screen, manufacturing defects.  The best monitor I've ever had was a NEC color sync, but that was a decade ago.....  I still have my old DELL 27 and it was a really good monitor for the money and I wish I had purchased another DELL monitor instead of the BenQ.

Chuck

 

A bit of a bummer Chuck but as your monitor is still in warranty maybe you could get a replacement or a refund if it can't be fixed to your satisfaction?

 

As I said at the time you asked about monitors  " BenQ is certainly a good option and still a lot cheaper than Eizo. There is just something about Eizo monitors. If you can afford one then buy one and if you can't then buy one anyway."  and  

 

"If you can’t afford Eizo then look at BenQ. I am not a monitor expert and I have no experience with those Dell or Lenovo monitors at all."

 

I think a lot of it is about quality control. Eizo have extremely strict QC I believe. I think there have been a lot of problems sourcing the raw materials for producing high quality panels as there was a big shortage of monitors globally last year when Marianne was asking. That seems to be resolved now and things seem to be back to normal . So maybe you got a bad copy. I have to say I've not had any problems with BenQ monitors and everyone I know who has one has only good things to say about them. However, they are not in the same league as Eizo really in my opinion.

Edited April 4, 2023 by MDM

[Marianne]

15 hours ago, Allan Bell said:

 

Hi Marianne Just to let you know I did not get the BenQ monitor and am still using my 27" iMac.  The reason I was looking to change my old late 2013 model is that I cannot update the OS from Catalina and that is a limiting factor. Not going to buy a 24" iMac which is all that is available but with integrated memory only up to 16GB. I upgraded my 2013 iMac to 32GB and would not like to go backwards. Still considering options when I have time and hoping Apple will bring back the iMac 27" in the next few months.😲

 

Allan

 

 

Hi Allan - guess I was confused. I remembered that you didn't get the 24" iMac, & that you upgraded your laptop - so I got it partly right.

 

No experience with any other monitors than my Eizo - since 2006 I used either a 27" iMac or a laptop. The last time I had a separate monitor was in the PC tower days and then I just used a the monitor that came with the computer, so this is a new setup for me. So far, so good. It's so much easier to keep track of, e.g., my Lightroom Catalog since I'm not trying to sync it between two computers. The Eizo was pricey but getting one of those new Mac monitors would have cost more and a 24" iMac would not have had the power I need. My laptop has 32GB RAM, a 6-Core i9 processor, 2 graphics cards, and at nearly 4 years old it is still blazing fast even with the huge image files I'm processing.

 

When I take a photo into PS, I often end up with several layers and frequently have to save my files in the psdc format (for files that are too big to save in .PSD format) and it just sails along. I can't imagine going back to something slower and less powerful, so it sound like you made the right choice @Allan Bell I am certainly glad I future-proofed this laptop, which I bought around the same time I went from using a 16MP Oly, and my old faithful 12MP Nikon, to the A7rii with its 42 MP files. It was only after I got the the A7riv, that I realized just how much larger its 61MP files really are vs. my original high res Sony. 

 

It's such a joy to work with powerful equipment and an excellent monitor. 

Edited April 5, 2023 by Marianne
Reason for Edit: Correction - changed MB to MP. It's one am and probably time for bed!

[Marianne]

This is the monitor I got - the EIZO ColorEdge CS2731  it's Quad HD not 4K -  2560 x 1440 Native Resolution. I can't imagine how sharp the 4K would be - this one's beautiful. It's their basic model, not the ones with all the extra bells and whistles, but it has a button to switch from srgb to AdobeRGB, it rotates vertically, is super sharp, and you can adjust it to suit both tall and short people. 

 

When I bought it prices in Europe were $200 lower than in the US. Not sure how they are now but prices in the US don't seem to have changed since I bought it. 

 

Here's Eizo's EU site : https://www.eizo.eu/coloredge/cs2731/   And then 

I clicked on The Netherlands and got this site: https://www.eizo.nl/

 

I'm guessing that the YouTube video on this page explains (in Dutch) the difference between the Quad HD and the 4K and seems to be about the 2700S series - I didn't do Google translate on the page, but was just curious about European pricing. Anyway, they should have plenty of info on where to buy and perhaps the QHD one is within your budget. 

 

It looks like the 2700S series is significantly more expensive than the older one I got $2,500+ vs <$1,300- nearly twice the price! And the 4K in that series is about $3,500 

 

So, the basic Eizo Color Edge may well be within your budget, if you were looking at prices for the higher end models, particularly the pricier 4K models. I'd call Eizo and ask what options they have because I bet you can find an older model - from what I recall when I was researching monitors, the S series adds all kinds of bells and whistles but was beyond my budget. I got the entry level Eizo and hopefully they are still out there. 

 

(BTW - more confusion on my part, I thought they were a European company since when I spoke to customer service they were in Europe, but Eizo is actually a Japanese company & they still make their monitors in Japan). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 5, 2023 by Marianne
Found some links I hope will be helpful

[Ognyan Yosifov]

14 minutes ago, Marianne said:

This is the monitor I got - it's HD not 4K - Eizo 27" - 2560 x 1440 Native Resolution. I can't imagine how sharp the 4K would be - this one's beautiful. 

 

When I bought it prices in Europe were lower than in the US. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2560 x 1440 resolution is considered as 2K or Quad HD (2K QHD)

[Marianne]

3 minutes ago, Ognyan Yosifov said:

2560 x 1440 resolution is considered as 2K or Quad HD (2K QHD)

 

Realized that - thanks - I found a video that I believe explains the difference between that and 4k so was editing my reply as you were typing. 

[Chuck Nacke]

On 04/04/2023 at 15:39, MDM said:

 

A bit of a bummer Chuck but as your monitor is still in warranty maybe you could get a replacement or a refund if it can't be fixed to your satisfaction?

 

As I said at the time you asked about monitors  " BenQ is certainly a good option and still a lot cheaper than Eizo. There is just something about Eizo monitors. If you can afford one then buy one and if you can't then buy one anyway."  and  

 

"If you can’t afford Eizo then look at BenQ. I am not a monitor expert and I have no experience with those Dell or Lenovo monitors at all."

 

I think a lot of it is about quality control. Eizo have extremely strict QC I believe. I think there have been a lot of problems sourcing the raw materials for producing high quality panels as there was a big shortage of monitors globally last year when Marianne was asking. That seems to be resolved now and things seem to be back to normal . So maybe you got a bad copy. I have to say I've not had any problems with BenQ monitors and everyone I know who has one has only good things to say about them. However, they are not in the same league as Eizo really in my opinion.

Michael,

 

Not that big of a deal, the monitor works fine, just has several bubbles on the screen surface.  I have gotten use to it.  I had read that BenQ has had some manufacturing issues.  

Posted about this to let people know before they make their purchase.  I also have not contacted BenQ about the monitor so I have no idea of how they will deal with it.  Yea I know most everyone loves Eizo.

 

Chuck

[Cal]

On 04/04/2023 at 14:03, Allan Bell said:

 

 hoping Apple will bring back the iMac 27" in the next few months.😲

 

Allan

 

 

I am starting to lose hope that they will, which is a real shame. I'll be using my current 27" until it falls apart.