• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

LCD for graphic designers

E

ehmkaydee

n00b
Joined
Feb 5, 2008
Messages
5
This is an amazing forum! I am glad to have found it.

What I noticed though is that many display statements/questions/advice usually concern gamers.
Are there any designers out there that can help me with my LCD purchase?

I am a PC based (XP) graphic designer - I do not wanna hear any grief from MAC users :)

I know Apple Cinema is great (expensive though) but was also looking at the Lenovo L220x and thanks to this forum, the Dell 2407 or 2408 WFP.

I am looking for something around the 20" to 23" size.
All I know, as a designer, I need to focus on:
- low contrast ratio
- big color gamut
- small pixel - around the .25mm
- wide viewing angle

Also, seems like the ISP panels are best but because, displays in this range seem to be over $1000 (Canadian).

What are people's opinions of PVA panels?

I am finding the search for an LCD confusing and intimidating.
All I know I need good color accuracy - what I see on the monitor (with ot without the help of a color calibrator) color-wise should be pretty close to what prints out.

Thanks in advance for your help!
 
ehmkaydee said:
- low contrast ratio
- big color gamut
- small pixel - around the .25mm
Click to expand...
You don't want low contrast ratio but high.
Contrast is the difference between lightest and darkest colour available from monitor and low value means both black and white are greyish, black dark but white grey or the reverse. (and dynamic contrast is BS)
Also there aren't any panel type which would be best in everything, for example IPS panels don't have very high contrast ratio, so until really mature flat displays technologies (OLED, FED and SED) come into mass prodution we don't have display with all the best features.

For that pixel size Apple and Lenovo are only wides and Apple is nearly at 0.26mm. 1600x1200 20" displays are close to 0.25mm but I guess you want more space than that resolution.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixel_pitch
That Apple is rather old model so gamut is probably standard sRGB.

Also availability of L220x might be bad, Lenovo can't keep up with demand so some waiting is probably necessary in that case.
 
The only IPS monitor significantly under $1000 that is still available is the 20" Apple Cinema display. I wouldn't recommend any non IPS LCD
 
You don't want low contrast ratio but high.
Click to expand...

Hmmm, I guess I thought that a contrast ration of about 700:1 was good since that is what the Apple cinema had and perhaps I naively thought that the specs for an Apple Cinema are good for designers...

Thanks for that info.

Any thoughts on recommendations for a display for a designer?
 
That 700-800:1 is quite typical for IPS, new S-PVA's are well above 1000:1.
Then these 2000:1 and above are part of that "dynamic fraud". (might be impossible to achieve with LCD panels)

But ahigh dvertised brightness of over 300cd/m2 is useless feature because you couldn't use those "without sunglasses".
(and can mean black is grey and display always too bright, no matter if you adjust brightness down to zero)


If displays are equally expensive in Canada as here in Finland Lenovo L220x has probably best overal feature set for that budget, at least if you want 1920x1200 resolution.
http://www.computerworld.com/action...ewArticleBasic&articleId=9056059&pageNumber=2
http://forums.lenovo.com/lnv/board/message?board.id=Thinkvision&thread.id=2
 
nothing but IPS.

800:1 is fine for graphics work. you'd be amazed how an IPS's can have deeper blacks than PVA panels with a lower contrast ratio, with a much better picture to boot. the lcd's in my sig is an example
the colors and shadows in blacks is where IPS panels shine.
 
Dunan said:
you'd be amazed how an IPS's can have deeper blacks than PVA panels with a lower contrast ratio
Click to expand...
The NEC LCD2490WUXi is not the same as other IPS monitors. It has a special polarizer that helps prevent black from glowing at slight angles, which gives it better visual contrast. Other IPS monitors like the Apple and Planar monitors don't have this polarizer. I'd still recommend them over any PVA panel though, but they're not cheap.
 
ToastyX said:
I'd still recommend them over any PVA panel though, but they're not cheap.
Click to expand...

So, you would recommend the Planar PX2611W over an NEC LCD2470WNX or LG L246WP for graphic design/color work? (Assuming the ACD 23" and LCD2490WUXI are out of my budget)

Thanks.
 
EIZO calls itself "LCD monitor of choice" for Graphics designers, Photographers, CAD engineers.
Here's quote from front-page of EIZO Website (showing latest new 22", 24", 30" models for 2008) .....

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Monitor for High-End Still and Moving Image Work[/FONT]
space.gif

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]With 12-bit hardware calibration and 6 ms response time,[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]the ColorEdge CG241W is ideal for a wide range of tasks including[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]pre-press, digital photography, video editing, and post-production......"[/FONT]​

:D Of course, we're not talking "el-cheapo" prices :D Here's link www.eizo.com
 
mr_render said:
So, you would recommend the Planar PX2611W over an NEC LCD2470WNX or LG L246WP for graphic design/color work? (Assuming the ACD 23" and LCD2490WUXI are out of my budget)

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Sure, the Planar is better. But even better: wait a bit and get the 2490, it's really worth the extra bricks, especially if you do some print work.

Amongst other things, you have better control on the brightness and get uniform luminosity across the screen. It all depends of your needs.

Tarc
 
The Dell UltraSharp 2007WFP is back in stock at Dell.
If they are still making them with the IPS panels, it is by far the least expensive IPS screen available, at $369. I use it, and I am very pleased with it. I believe it uses the same panel as the 20" Apple Cinema Display.

Some of the 2007WFP monitors come with *VA Panels, so check out the Dell lottery thread on this forum. If you get a *VA panel, you can return it or exchange it at no cost.
 
Tarc said:
Sure, the Planar is better. But even better: wait a bit and get the 2490, it's really worth the extra bricks, especially if you do some print work.
Tarc
Click to expand...

The 2490 isn't wide color so the Planar would be better for previewing cmyk colors the sRGB NEC can't display. (but remember that you need proper calibration/profile for the programs to know about the monitors gamut)
 
I have a SolidWorks rig with 2 regular old Dell 3007WFP 30" screens. I got them used ($900 & $850) and never looked back! I definitely recommend this monitor- there are higher specs out there, but to be perfectly honest, I don't need them or even perceive a need for more given how cheap these are.
 
Well, I went ahead and had ordered a Lenovo L220x. I just received it this morning. I still need to get myself a new video card but will let people know what I think of my first LCD.
Yeah, the Apple Cinema was tempting but if this works well for my design work, I will ahve saved over $500 Canadian.

Oh, I got mine from Compusmart.com
 
ehmkaydee said:
Well, I went ahead and had ordered a Lenovo L220x. I just received it this morning. I still need to get myself a new video card but will let people know what I think of my first LCD.
Yeah, the Apple Cinema was tempting but if this works well for my design work, I will ahve saved over $500 Canadian.

Oh, I got mine from Compusmart.com
Click to expand...

Guess you ordered from the right place. I ordered mine over a month ago from CDW and they keep pushing the shipping date back. Last I checked, the ETA was 3/26 =\

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts, there is still so little info about this monitor out there.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top