Monitors: Which Monitor for Photo Editing 2010

[20pictures]

I have spent some time working with the NEC MultiSync P221W & can report that the errors with NaViSet software were caused by DDC/CI failure. This was the fault of NVIDIA who, for some strange reason, have disabled this function on some of their newer graphics card driver releases. (I hope this won't be a problem when I upgrade to Win7).

The monitor itself has performed acceptably in a work situation, although I am left with a feeling that I only have part of the monitor I thought I was purchasing.

SpectraViewII is not available in the UK, so I have looked at the BasICColor Display 4 alternative & will test the trial version. As the NEC is on a KVM switch I would get stung by the licensing which is per machine!

Any advice on calibrating the P221W would be appreciated (I already have calibrated with the EyeOne Display2 & iMatch)

[Manuel_A]

Hi All,

I plan on buying two NEC PA241W-BK-SV, In the USA.

my question is there anyone running a dual NEC setup.

I have a Lenovo W701 ThinkPad, with a mini dock 2.0. Using Windows 7 Pro, NVIDA FX 3800M card, The outputs are: one Display port, one Dual-Link DVI-D, and one VGA I will not use the VGA port.

I was thinking of using Matrox TripleHead2Go DP Edition. If you have a dual NEC setup can you give details on your setup?

Any help on a dual NEC Display setup would be appreciated.


Thank You in advance.

I Started A new Thread with this Question for more Exposure to the question.

[partimezd55]

I found the same monitors for about 550 here:http://www.edexdeals.com/StoreFront/...MONITOR-LCD-24
And was looking to buy one.

[kav]

No idea if the ones you're seeing for $550 are from a reputable dealer, but they are refurbished models with only a 30 day warranty, from something that just looks like another cheesy online retailer. It's also the version without software or calibration puck. I'd at least attempt to find out if they are an authorized dealer. It could be a refurbished grey market. Some electronics like monitors vary by a huge margin depending on the country they're purchased in.

[partimezd55]

I had the same questions about their authorization as a dealer so I emailed them with pretty much the same issues that you brought up. They informed me that they are indeed an authorized dealer with NEC. And in response to my question about the refurbishment of the products they told me they are "authorized service providers to perform work for Fujitsu, NEC, Toshiba, and Dell through our A+ certified technicians".
I looked up what it means to be A+ certified and it just means that they are certified as computer technicians. Thanks wikipedia :P http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CompTIA

[kav]

This is just me personally but I wouldn't ask the dealer themselves when we're talking about potentially small online retailers. Some of them from my own experience lie. I've investigated this upon seeing amazing pricing before. Just make sure you're comfortable with their terms. it says refurbished with 30 day warranty on your link at the bottom in small print. Display warranties can be an extreme pain in the ass regardless though. I'm mainly mentioning this because you're looking at buying a unit that was clearly returned once, with a very short period of replacement. I'd probably ask NEC if it's one of their dealers. As I said I don't trust many of these smaller ones with insanely low pricing. I know a couple retailers I've used before that price them pretty low, not not quite that low.

[partimezd55]

I took your advice on emailing NEC about their partnership and hopefully I will get an answer about the authenticity of some of the website's statements. I will post back with the response I get from them. Maybe it is too good to be true

[shanegoldberg]

I've got an Apple 30" and Lacie, they're both good and I work mainly on the Apple monitor. It's clear super easy to calibrate and rarely seems to need it (e.g. when I recalibrate it there is very little shift).

If you have the big bucks to spend then try the Eizo's

[partimezd55]

Which Lacie model do you have?

[shanegoldberg]

@partimezd55 I can't remember. Out of the office on the laptop. I'll check later and let you know!

[kav]

Originally Posted by shanegoldberg

I've got an Apple 30" and Lacie, they're both good and I work mainly on the Apple monitor. It's clear super easy to calibrate and rarely seems to need it (e.g. when I recalibrate it there is very little shift).

If you have the big bucks to spend then try the Eizo's

The apple 30" was superior to what they have out now. The LED display was a downgrade in terms of professional use. Reviews all over the web can tell you this. The 30" didn't have amazing uniformity, but it was pretty good considering the size of the display. Something to note with Lacie. They don't make their own really. They used to be made by NEC. Their newer models seem to be pva panels with specs similar to samsung displays. They seemed more popular a few years ago. Eizo's nice. They're really popular amongst professional photo labs and stuff here.

[Dauknesss]

I would say the Dell U2711. Has very good Adobe RGB gamut, calibrated out of the box, better ratings and reviews than any current Mac Display, full tilt. Though it uses CCFL, its a damn fine piece of equipment. Dell sells for 1199, I got mine on sale for $742 black friday deal @ www.logicbuy.com

[shanegoldberg]

I've heard the Dell is good but I bought one of their laptops years ago and it was complete garbage. It's good to know though if they are actually making something that is quality now!

[partimezd55]

@kav: I received an email back and they are not an authorized NEC reseller.
I've heard the same thing about dell's laptops, pretty much the extended warranty because they crap out so fast. But they do make a decent monitor.

[kav]

Originally Posted by partimezd55

@kav: I received an email back and they are not an authorized NEC reseller.
I've heard the same thing about dell's laptops, pretty much the extended warranty because they crap out so fast. But they do make a decent monitor.

Glad I caught this thread and gave you that advice then. There are a lot of these kinds of retailers on the net, and while I'm sure they send something, you have no way of knowing what you're actually buying. Regarding Dell, I'd stick with an sRGB type. Their wide gamut displays have had some issues. Wide gamut displays in general have a number of issues, but they are mitigated to the point of being usable on higher end models with some reasonable means of calibration. Dells aren't measured as rigorously (looser standard and measured at one spot in the middle before being stamped ok). I wouldn't expect much out of one in terms of long term performance. They also seem to lack the ability to dial down the brightness effectively much like the apple versions. I'd say given the price of dell relative to NEC, you'd probably be better off with NEC. My experience with NEC is that their long term performance falls off past a couple years of heavy use too, but they do have better features for correcting uniformity and managing greyscale tracking than a Dell. I know there are some nec users on the forums. Some of them might've had some experience with the newer models. Mine ends with the 90s series.

[partimezd55]

Do you have any experience with an NEC:ASLCD24WMCX-BK-R?

[kav]

Originally Posted by partimezd55

Do you have any experience with an NEC:ASLCD24WMCX-BK-R?

Their lower end models kind of suck for color correction. A big factor is uniformity which is something that NEC and other higher end brands use extra technology to correct. The lower end models lack things like colorcomp and DDC calibration. It really comes down to how picky you are. I find it hard to work on displays that won't dim far enough, are too high in contrast, or skip tones.

If you are going to try an inexpensive one, read several reviews, view one locally if possible, and search for the best price from a known retailer. Also check on return policies especially if you're ordering from a remote retailer. If you receive one with poor uniformity from a model that was reviewed well, reject it. If uniformity is bad straight out of the box, you don't want to see it in a year. This is the reality of mass production (I mean regarding QC).

[RickFL]

Hi, everyone. I'm new here.
I'm considering buying the NEC EA231WMi-BK. Anyone have any thoughts about this monitor? I know it's not the best, but I'm wondering whether it's a quality 23-inch panel for those with a budget under $500 US. I'm a beginning photographer and am interested in upgrading from the Samsung 19-inch syncmaster 906bw.
Thanks!

[Dauknesss]

Get the Dell U2411. You will be very happy...

[Solstice]

I personally use this NEC MultiSync display
http://www.necdisplay.com/Products/P...e-14309a636738

I can attest to the quality of the NEC - what a great product! The wide gamut coverage is superb.

[Quantum3]

I recently bought a MacBook Pro of 15" with 2.4 GHz quad-core and it's something amazing It has this LED glossy monitor, which works great regarding reflections (it almost doesn't reflect anything) and now I see my pictures here, I can see an extreme amazing kind of 3D thing on the pics. Much better color saturation, gradients are wider and contrast and brightness are also superb. In fact, white looks white and there is no color shifting to blue or yellow. It's perfectly balanced. Then I see the LCD Apple Display and it looks like dead... So my thinking is: if white looks truly white in the LED one, is there a reason to keep editing pictures on an LCD display? As far as I see not only how images looks, but how whites are represented by the LED Display, I think there is no way to edit a picture in an LCD display anymore so I need to corroborate if I'm correct.

What do you think?