Monitors: Samsung?Lacie? What can 900 dollars or less buy?

[Sergio]

Greetings

Have read so many threads that were helpful but not enough that I thought I would start a new Thread. I hope you guys are not tired of talking about the same thing.

I am in the process of purchasing a LCD monitor, my first one. Being impressed with a fellow photographer using a Samsung SyncMaster 245T, I set to purchase one, however they are quite few available, and they seem to be with vendors I would not readily trust and also when thinking about it, the technology is maybe 3 to 4 yrs old and Samsung discontinued that model and from what I see they don't seem to have replaced it with an equivalent unless I could not find it on their site. Any input on Samsung?

My budget is pretty much at max $ 900.00 including delivery etc..which would put a Lacie 324 as a contender. One little problem is that I have an old Pantone Colorvision Spyder (CRT/LCD) but I read on some forum that I would not/may not be able to calibrate the Lacie with it and if so I just could not afford a gretamacbeth or an blue eyes pro.

So, If I could get help from you guys out there I would really be fortunate.
First, Would I be able or not to calibrate with that Spyder of mine (I already emailed Lacie and am waiting for answer)
second, I would appreciate help in finding an LCD monitor of similar quality and price and would I be able to use that Spyder with it?

All help indeed appreciated.

[Kraellin]

this would be my choice at $900. http://www.apple.com/displays/ i dont know about the spyder. but this is an LED display not LCD. it's a new technology and it's quite a bit better than lcd from what i've seen. when you tilt or swivel the display there is none of that fading like on an lcd. the picture stays clear. the clarity is remarkable. i have seen one in the local computer shop. they are quite impressive.

however, my caveat here is, i havent seen the enzios or lacies or high end monitors, so i cant make a comparison. but, if i had $900 to put into a monitor right now, i'd be seriously comparing this one to others.

oh, and one more possible caveat, make sure it can work with a pc. it's supposed to have both vga and hdmi ports so it shld work, but do make sure you ask or research this just to be sure.

[Pictus]

Spyder2 is not good to calibrate wide gamut monitors.
Spyder3 Express is only $80

Good links to check before buying a monitor:
http://www.prad.de/en/monitore/reviews.html
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=39226

A good thread http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/re...2608747&page=1

[Amanda_Lauren]

Hi-- I feel your pain Sergio on the monitor situation. It took me 8 months before I decided to buckle down and buy an LCD. I know nothing about your spyder calibrator, but I can tell you I wound up purchasing the LaCie 526 was about 1299 through B and H. I went to bNh and looked, fell in love. The 324 was there too, they look the same. There are a few technical differences (i dont remember what they are). These websites are for the 324 and the 526.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...creen_LCD.html

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...creen_LCD.html

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...creen_LCD.html

The price on the 526 went up, which must of just changed bc I just got this monitor about 2.5 weeks ago and I paid 1299. Sorry. Its still a good deal. You can always buy a refurbished monitor or a used.

I can tell you both the 324 and 526 are gorgeous. I am working on the 526 as we speak, it was worth the money. The image is crisp, colors vibrant, the calibrating software works well. I like the hood, its helpful in keeping out reflecting light/color in the room. And its bigger than the 324, I don't need a second monitor even.
You can buy the 324 for under 900, but it has no hood or software.

I have no idea if what I am saying is helpful. I just know what confusion I had about monitors, so any info was helpful.
Good luck.

[Sergio]

Thanks guys, I will be checking each of your inputs. It is indeed confusing. I have also been checking on a NEC MultiSync PA241W and incredibly enough after checking with their live chat I found out they did not have it in stock nor sold it on their online store. In fact a lot of reputable online merchants are back ordered and the not so reputable ones of course have it in stock.

[Wolfman]

I don't think you can go wrong with NEC and this one is a lot of bang for the buck: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=REG&A=details

I have the first version of this one and I'm very happy with it.... I'm a pro photographer and sometime retoucher.

[Sergio]

Wolfman
Thank you for the input.

[KR1156]

with your budget you should focus on a NEC...affordable/quality/professional

[Sergio]

Amanda
your input is very helpful and appreciated. You saw both the 324 and 526 and I read the spec for both and thought the size difference was quite small. what made you choose the 526? wast it the included colorimeter?. It puzzles me that Lacie has this bundle with hood and software only; what can be done with software only and no colorimeter?

[Pictus]

The Lacie software is able to access the monitor internal hardware LUT, you can use it with a puck like the Spyder3 Express or Eye-One LT /2.

[Sergio]

Pictus
Obrigadon, one less expense.

[jaduffy007]

Originally Posted by Sergio

Thanks guys, I will be checking each of your inputs. It is indeed confusing. I have also been checking on a NEC MultiSync PA241W and incredibly enough after checking with their live chat I found out they did not have it in stock nor sold it on their online store. In fact a lot of reputable online merchants are back ordered and the not so reputable ones of course have it in stock.

From what I'm hearing from digital dog and others, this is the monitor to get!

[Amanda_Lauren]

Originally Posted by Sergio

Amanda
your input is very helpful and appreciated. You saw both the 324 and 526 and I read the spec for both and thought the size difference was quite small. what made you choose the 526? wast it the included colorimeter?. It puzzles me that Lacie has this bundle with hood and software only; what can be done with software only and no colorimeter?

It was combination of the monitor size, and the price, along with specs. At the time the price difference wasn't very different. and just for about 200-300 dollars more I was getting a better monitor, a hood, software and a calibrator. I was going to have to purchase one anyway so it made sense to get the whole package. I also figured if I was gonna spend this kind of money I wasn't gonna nickel and dime, I was going to do it right.

I agree as well, the way LaCie bundles there monitors is puzzling, but I'm pretty sure thats a marketing thing and its how they get you to spend more money. Regardless, this is my career so the splurge is a long term investment. No regrets here.

It was lots of little things that made the 526 better, and it wasn't a huge price difference (at the time). But the deciding factor I believe was that the 324 was 10 gamut correction and the 526 was 12-bit gamma correction with 16-bit precision (my mentor broke down the math for me and explained it on a more technical level, and then it was a no brainer, and I don't remember the math breakdown lol). But thats a pretty large difference. I think that was the deciding factor, next to it was a slightly bigger. Larger color gamut for adobe RGB too. And an inch and half doesn't seem like much, but its significant enough. That can just make up for all the menus in PS that I use, leaving more image room on screen, ya know?

These links break down the specs MUCH better:

526
http://www.lacie.com/products/product.htm?pid=10897

324
http://www.lacie.com/products/product.htm?pid=11036

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. was unaware of your questions, hope this helps some more.

Best-
Amanda