Help with Monitor choice please

Hello,

First post here!  I am in need of a monitor whose purpose is going to be photo editing.  I am quite overwhelmed by the selection & their intricacies, so it would be awesome if you could give me some advice.  I am just a serious hobbyist, so it's not critical to have the best available, however I do print occasionally and would like to have accurate colour for my web & other work.  I am aware that NEC & Eizo are the best - but was wondering whether these would be too much for me?  Would I get good results from a Dell + Spyder calibration tool?  My budget is limited ... In my neck of the woods, Finland, it would seem I can get better prices on Eizo than on NEC.  The only "proper" monitor I can afford is the Eizo ColorEdge CX240.  The other more modest option would be the Dell U2713H - bigger, higher resolution & cheaper.  What would you choose keeping in mind I am not a professional?  If it matters I am planning to attach it to a MacBook Pro.  

Thank you so much!

Quite a few folks running the MacBook Pro are using the Apple 27" monitor as the screen at home.  EJ will object that Apple screens are not Adobe RGB, but I see no difference on the color, but a whopping difference on the 27" size compared to a 30".  27" Apple about $1000 US.

I am running a 27" iMac next to a NEC 30."  Oddly, the 27" is really tiny compared to the 30" NEC.  So, I'd go with the 30" NEC.  It did take me a long time to adjust to a matte finish monitor, which is what the NEC is, but now that I have, it is simply the best.  Once you go to 30" you are sort of spoiled.  Can't go back.  Since I spend so much of my life in front of this screen, I figure it is worth the bucks.  Likely won't pencil out for everybody.  $2200 US includes the calibrator.  http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1 ... /KBID/5867 


 

Thanks! But since I live in Finland the price of the NECs is obscene, the 30" one is almost $6000 so definitely a no go for me. NECs are significantly more expensive than Eizo here so if I have to go for the more "professional" choice I would default on an Eizo.

I was considering the Apple 27" as well But I guess at this stage I want a proper Adobe RGB one with wide gamut. So question is go with the 24" Eizo or a 27" Dell or LG? Does a serious non-professional need all the bells & whistles of an Eizo? If I do progress with my photography will I regret not getting an Eizo in the first place?

If you get the Dell U2713H or any of Dell's other similar wide gamut monitors, you will need the X-Rite i1 Display Pro colorimeter to be able to do hardware level calibration with those monitors. Other colorimeters will only do a software level calibration on that series of displays.This review by TFT Central explains it under Hardware Calibration.
http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/dell_u2713h.htm

I would stay away from an Apple monitor. From what you have described the Dell would fill your needs just fine. Unless you are needing critical real time color adaptations you don't need to worry about calibration. Have a few prints made from your desired source and match to them.

Alison,

You may find some good information in this thread , particularly the comments by E.J. Peiker.

Gary

Thank you, very helpful info! It is quite hard for me to make a choice, nobody seems to be having these monitors on display here, so when people say monitors like high end wide-gamut Dell & LG can't even begin to compare with the likes of Eizo or NEC I have no idea what they mean and if it is worth the extra cost for me. However I have polled some of my photographer friends and they use a wide array of monitors - so excellent results can be obtained no matter the monitor (as long as it's properly calibrated of course).

By the way, it looks as if Eizo has a newer model -
                                                                 Resolution    Adobe RGB   Price USD
Eizo IPS monitor CX271BK-CNX            2560x1440     99%               1462
Eizo 24 in monitor CX240-BK-CN           1920x1200     97%               1500

Dell U2713H 27 in IPS                            2560x1440     99%                 720

A number of reviews reported problems with setup / tech support when the Dell 2713H is used in combination with a Mac.

Thank you for the info. Not sure whether the new ones are available in Finland yet, I will ask! Good to know about compatibility problems with the Dell - I would probably get better support from Eizo if the same thing would happen - aftersales support is one of my top considerations.

I've since learned that the bargain price on the CX271BK-CNX means that it's probably about to be discontinued.

On the Del Adobe RGB monitors, they are factory calibrated. The reviews I have seen show the calibration is accurate to a few percent. I would bet in real world bind tests of factory calibrated versus locally calibrated that one could not tell a difference, or if there was a difference, that it would really matter.

The previous generation of Del IPS monitors reportedly had the same LG LCD panels as Apple Cinema displays.

My wife's cinema display died a couple of years ago, and she switched to a Del monitor and it worked just fine, no issues on a desktop mac pro (forget exact model).

Roger