Monitor Recommendations

Barbara Poeter Salls wrote:

My Sony Trinitron CRT monitor probably won’t last much longer, and I’ll need to replace it. Apparently, Sony is no longer making CRT monitors. I’ve been told there are color and distortion problems with the new LCD monitors. Can anyone suggest a good CRT for Photoshop work? I work on a PC.

Thanks.

Hi Barbara

Re LCD depends on your budget. Take a look at http://www.eizo.com/.

Regards
Denis

EIZO LCDs are top end graphic oriented LCDs with prices to match. If I could audition one I might consider it.
LCDs can be difficult to use for photo manipulation because of real problems with color and tonal accuracy. Your eye ignores these things when looking at the LCD but you eventually will see the problems in your prints even if you calibrate your monitor and follow color managed routines–you will get a faithful color matched print of a sub-optimal LCD monitor image. The truth is this may or may not be a major problem for you depending on how you work and what your goals are. Many people seem satisfied working from mid to low range LCD panels.
I have tried several LCDs (not the EZIOs) and they just did not work for me. I also find it impossible to print accurately from a laptop computer although the one I use has one of the more highly rated screens (it was an expensive option). Even for us amateurs the point of Photoshop image processing and color managed printing should be to get a print that has your desired characteristics, and this is difficult if not impossible to do if you are working through an inaccurate LCD panel.
I have found that middling level CRTs, as long as they have adjustments for calibrating light/dark, contrast and the individual color guns, work better for me than LCDs at more than twice the price. These are getting harder to come by so I would search area stores.
Hopefully new flat-panel technologies will yield better fidelity at more reasonable prices as the daze of the CRT are as over as film.

I replaced my old & failing Sony 19" Monitor with a ViewSonic VX910 19" LCD and am more than pleased with it with Photoshop CS & my PC.

"Barbara Poeter Salls" wrote in message

My Sony Trinitron CRT monitor probably won’t last much longer, and I’ll need to replace it. Apparently, Sony is no longer making CRT monitors. I’ve been told there are color and distortion problems with the new LCD monitors. Can anyone suggest a good CRT for Photoshop work? I work on a PC.

Thanks.

On Wed, 01 Feb 2006 02:06:06 -0500, Barbara Poeter Salls wrote:

My Sony Trinitron CRT monitor probably won’t last much longer, and I’ll need to replace it. Apparently, Sony is no longer making CRT monitors. I’ve been told there are color and distortion problems with the new LCD monitors. Can anyone suggest a good CRT for Photoshop work? I work on a PC.
Thanks.

If you can afford to buy a LCD (I bought the Acer AL1914 because Acer is the only one ((over here)) with a 3 year on site guarantee) and can include a calibrator like Spider 2, do it.

Dave

Barbara Poeter Salls wrote:

I’ve been told there are color and distortion problems with the new LCD monitors.

If there is one area where LCDs have _no_ problems, it’s in the distortion department.

Another bag of worms is color accuracy. I don’t know about real expensive LCDs, but the consumer stuff I’ve seen in stores so far was not good for photo work.

I’ve gotten myself an almost new Triniton CRT at ebay for 50 $ and I’m happy.

—
Gregor’s Motorradreisen:
http://hothaus.de/greg-tour/

In article <drsp0q$4dv$>, Greg N. wrote:

Barbara Poeter Salls wrote:

I’ve been told there are color and distortion problems with the new LCD monitors.

If there is one area where LCDs have _no_ problems, it’s in the distortion department.

Another bag of worms is color accuracy. I don’t know about real expensive LCDs, but the consumer stuff I’ve seen in stores so far was not good for photo work.

I’ve gotten myself an almost new Triniton CRT at ebay for 50 $ and I’m happy.

The weakness of high-end LCD screens is off-angle color accuracy. This means that if you have a very large screen the color in the corners will appear to differ fron the color in the center.

So I’m told by someone I know that is a color quality control expert in the printing industry. I can’t see the diference.

I’m not professional and I love my Viewsonic p95f+ (18 inch) monitor. $250 plus shipping. It’s got a "bright" mode for Photoshop work and a "brighter" mode for watching DVDs.

This will last a couple years while I watch the cost of graphics LCDs get better and cheaper.

—
a d y k e s @ p a n i x . c o m

Don’t blame me. I voted for Gore.

Al Dykes wrote:

The weakness of high-end LCD screens is off-angle color accuracy. This means that if you have a very large screen the color in the corners will appear to differ fron the color in the center.
So I’m told by someone I know that is a color quality control expert in the printing industry. I can’t see the diference.

Don’t rely on hearsay, this is very easy to see for yourself. Just lower your head (or tilt the monitor) such that your eyeballs are perpendicular to the center of the screen, or even somewhat below.

On 9 out of 10 consumer-level LCDs the problem will be VERY apparent. It is somewhat less pronounced with high contrast ratio LCDs, like 1:1000 or more.

—
Gregor’s Motorradreisen:
http://hothaus.de/greg-tour/

In article <drtbmt$anv$>, Greg N. wrote:

Al Dykes wrote:

The weakness of high-end LCD screens is off-angle color accuracy. This means that if you have a very large screen the color in the corners will appear to differ fron the color in the center.
So I’m told by someone I know that is a color quality control expert in the printing industry. I can’t see the diference.

Don’t rely on hearsay, this is very easy to see for yourself. Just lower your head (or tilt the monitor) such that your eyeballs are perpendicular to the center of the screen, or even somewhat below.
On 9 out of 10 consumer-level LCDs the problem will be VERY apparent. It is somewhat less pronounced with high contrast ratio LCDs, like 1:1000 or more.

My expert/friend was talking about the best LCD screens money can buy.

—
a d y k e s @ p a n i x . c o m

Don’t blame me. I voted for Gore.

Al Dykes wrote:

My expert/friend was talking about the best LCD screens money can buy.

Yeah, but yours is certainly consumer level, at 250$, right? But I don’t want to spoil your happiness, don’t try it out on yours. 🙂

—
Gregor’s Motorradreisen:
http://hothaus.de/greg-tour/

In article <drtcid$bvk$>, Greg N. wrote:

Al Dykes wrote:

My expert/friend was talking about the best LCD screens money can buy.

Yeah, but yours is certainly consumer level, at 250$, right? But I don’t want to spoil your happiness, don’t try it out on yours. 🙂

Nope. I was touting my glass CRT. I guess I didn’t make that clear.

—
a d y k e s @ p a n i x . c o m

Don’t blame me. I voted for Gore.