Advice on monitors - IPS, LED, LCD, what is important?

[RobOK]

I am potentially replacing a monitor or maybe consolidating two setups into one.

For photography (mac Mini), i have an HP LP2475w (circa 2009) - I think it was a strong choice at the time. 1920 x 1200 @ 60 Hz (WUXGA). I thought it was IPS, but I don't see that on the specs. https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c01503630

More recently, but still a few years ago, I got a monitor "for work" as a second monitor to my MBP, its a 27" View Sonic - VP2765-LED, "Full HD" 1080P, 1920 x 1080p.

What factors (specifications) are most important to look at for image work? I have always thought the older HP monitor was "better" but not sure why! Maybe because it is heavier and thicker! LOL.

Any primers on what to look for and/or whether monitor tech has improved in past few years?

Thanks,
Rob.

[Jack Dahlgren]

I just ordered a 4K OLED display yesterday. OLED has wider contrast range and wider viewing angles. It is also a bit more energy efficient. On the negative side it is said to be susceptible to burn-in like we used to have in the old days. I got it to replace the two 2K monitors I’ve been using.

I’ll let you all know how it works out when it gets here.

[ColinM]

Hi Rob  I asked about monitors last year.
This was the thread that resulted
https://nikongear.net/revival/index.php?topic=9242.msg153090#msg153090

I finally bought one of the BenQ options suggested.
In addition to moving from 24" to 27", it was a real pleasure to see the additional detail in my images

[Ann]

I was about to recommend that you should consider BenQ but I notice that Colin has already done so!

The important thing if you are editing colour photographs is being able to Calibrate and Profile your monitor.

You can do that on the better BenQ monitors and they are a lot less expensive than many other suitable monitors.

[RobOK]

Good input thanks!

How does one know if a given monitor can be calibrated? Does it normally say so on the specs or can most of them do it these days?

[RobOK]

I was not super clear,  one specific question is whether the  27" View Sonic - VP2765-LED, "Full HD" 1080P, 1920 x 1080p fairly up to today's standard, or would i benefit from going to a 4K?

Thanks!

[Erik Lund]

IMHO 4k is mature by now, most programs support it.
Read the linked thread, Please. I decided for a BenQ PD2700U 3840x2160 and I just love it!
Can your graphics card do 4K output?

[Ann]

The downside of a 4K is that the Text in some software is still not scaleable so it can be unreadably-small on the screen.

I don't have a 4K and have not regretted it because I can always zoom-in to 100% to examine the pixels — and I do.

If a Monitor can be hardware-calibrated, the manufacturer's Specs will probably say so; but another way to check would be to go to the xRite or Datacolor/Spyder websites and see if your chosen monitor is listed as being compatible with their Calibration devices.

As Eric mentioned, the capability of your GPU card is key — and it is becoming more so with each new software upgrade.
Replacement of the GPU was my main reason for gutting and rebuilding my 2010 Mac Pro tower.

[pluton]

  I think you would benefit by going to a 27" monitor with at least 2560 x 1440 resolution. I have no experience with 4K, although I have observed a 5K iMac in use and am not convinced that 4K/5K would be more useful *to me* than my existing 2.5K.

[Ann]

I agree with Keith.

[aerobat]

A few weeks ago I purchased the LG 27UL850-W which is an IPS 4k monitor. It supports USB-C and can charge my macbooks which I appreciate.
I is reasonably priced and I like the quality after calibration with the XRITE color munki.

[Nikfuson]

I run two Philips 276E8VJSB on my 2018 Mac mini and am very pleased with the performance.

[Snoogly]

Be wary of the new M1 Mini. I tried it with a new BenQ monitor, and it was a disaster in so many many ways. M1 issues and Big Sur issues. I returned the M1 and am using a 2018 instead.

I’d be curious to learn if anyone has had success with the M1 Mini and any of the new BenQ photography monitors.

My 2012 Mini can handle the BenQ and a Dell viewscan at the same time, but gets confused on startup and wake from sleep.

[Øivind Tøien]

There is need to consider the computer in the equation. Some computers from some years back are only able to drive QHD, and particularly when it comes to dual monitors. Even if able to drive it, the graphics performance might not be strong enough for a good experience.

Lately I have for my 1 year old work computer been quite happy with FHD on a 15.7" laptop monitor in combination with a 24" external QHD monitor. The monitor is a Thinkvision IPS monitor that came calibrated at near 100% sRGB (later added my own calibration), does not take up too much of my limited space and was only $250 or so. The match in pixel density on the two screens work pretty well and software that does not scale well does not make things desperately small. (Most software works well with text scaling these days, but the NX Studio is an exception with way too small default text size in the export menu for instance and too big step in the option to upscale it.)  If anything I would have wished for a somewhat taller aspect ratio and corresponding higher vertical resolution on the monitor.