Monitors: What's Next and When?

I expect to take delivery of a Canon 5DsR in a few weeks, which, from what I read, will mean adding storage and processing speed. Around the same time I will probably buy a monitor. For a while the choice on this forum seems to have been the NEC monitors with Spectraview II. I am wondering whether there is a technology change close at hand that would make it worth waiting an extra few months. My current 24" is long in the tooth but still calibrating OK.

Thanks, as always, for your expert advice.

--Gib
 

The next thing is actually already here. It's 4K and 5K monitors. NEC makes an outstanding 4K Spectraview monitor. No matter what you get, if you go beyond the 1920x1200 resolution of your 24" monitor you will need a graphics card and cable that can drive something higher than that. Your card might be able to go to 2560x1600 now but your cable, which is undoubtedly a DVI cable will not. You would need at least a dual link DVI cable and possibly a display port cable depending on how high in resolution that you decide to go. If you go all the way to 4K, you would probably eed a new graphics card.

I saw different NEC monitors E.J. If you were replacing your 30 inch what would you get. Is there a size that works the best between the 30 and 32 inch, or are you just paying more for a 32 inch without a real advantage?

We are in the process of replacing our computer system and would like a really good monitor. NEC part number? Thanks...

PV Hiker wrote:I saw different NEC monitors E.J. If you were replacing your 30 inch what would you get.  Is there a size that works the best between the 30 and 32 inch, or are you just paying more for a 32 inch without a real advantage?  

We are in the process of replacing our computer system and would like a really good monitor.  NEC part number?  Thanks...

I would get the 32" 4K display with Spectraview:
http://www.necdisplay.com/p/desktop-mon ... 2uhd-bk-sv

Thanks E.J. I'll add it to my list.

Yes, thanks, E.J.

I'm going to take some time to absorb the terminology and the technology. I plan to upgrade the internals of one computer in September. Between now and then I will sort through the options including connecting cables, graphics cards, etc.

At the moment there does not appear to be a 4K wide screen 27" NEC monitor and the jump from 24" and 32" is expensive. I assume that gap will be filled at some point. And, of course, I have no idea what a 50mp RAW file would look like on a 4K 24" wide screen monitor.

E.J.
I'm still sorting through NEC's new offerings. This looks to me like an appropriate 27" 4k model, but I am surprised that the price is under 1K. http://www.necdisplay.com/p/desktop-mon ... 5uhd-bk-sv

27" 4K UHD sRGB Desktop Monitor with SpectraViewII Color Calibration MODEL: EA275UHD-BK-SV. The 4K UHD 27” NEC MultiSync EA275UHD with SpectraViewII is a 3840 x 2160 widescreen LED-backlit LCD for users that demand a huge workspace at a readable PPI.

Thanks.

Gib Robinson wrote:E.J.
I'm still sorting through NEC's new offerings. This looks to me like an appropriate 27" 4k model, but I am surprised that the price is under 1K. http://www.necdisplay.com/p/desktop-mon ... 5uhd-bk-sv

Probably because it has a smaller color gamut than the one EJ linked... Best, Joerg

Yes, a 78% gamut panel is much cheaper to produce than a near 100% ARGB gamut.  This monitor is only able to display 78% of the colors that Adobe RGB is capable of - your camera can capture many more colors than this monitor is capable of displaying.

Well, that won't do. I am hoping to locate a 27" NEC monitor that does what the EA244UHD-BK-SV 24" does. No luck yet.

Currently NEC doesn't make a 27" 4K wide gamut monitor. From some reports I've seen, the EA275UHD is actually quite good, and fully supports hardware calibration with the Spectraview system, the same as the PA series imaging monitors. But as noted, as part of the EA series the EA275UHD offers only sRGB-level colour gamut. The EA's are primarily designed for business environments, not imaging applications.

I reckon a 27" (ish) PA series 4K monitor will come along in due time... but until then, the 32" model is the only one.

Eizo has a couple of wide gamut 4K models, but only a ~24" and a ~31". Both from their ColorEdge series, with prices that will make your eyes water even though the displays themselves appear to be wonders to behold.

Variety and budget options will come, as always, from the other more consumer-oriented vendors. But quality of their 4K offerings has been spotty and I've not yet seen a report of one that seems like a decent "plan B". Presumably something will come there too, in time. But as always, it will involve compromise compared to what's offered by the high-end colour critical models like from NEC or Eizo. It's just that 4K being newer and supplies of these panels being lower, the price difference will be more shocking for some time.

NEC just changed their 30" spectraview monitor to a newer model. They were closing out the old ones at about $1500 US several weeks ago but they are sold out. The new model is $2197. The bump to the 32" $3250, but considering that would be about the same as a camera body, well, out of my range.

I was surprised to notice my 27" iMac monitor is really tiny compared to my 30" NEC. If you are stuck on a 27" why not go with Apple and get an entire computer along with a 5K retina screen for far less. I know some will complain Apple is "only" SRGB, but I have both the NEC 30" Spectraview and a 27" iMac side by side and I don't see much difference in color, but a massive difference in size. As my vision gets worse, the huge screen is a real blessing.

Another bonus with an iMac is the back of the machine looks nice. The NEC back is pretty ugly, but if against a wall, who cares?