[Obi-Wan is lost...]

Shopping for a new monitor, guess which one caught my eye...

http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Monitors/24%26quot%3B+Monitors/
 

Now I know why it's Jim's favorite shop.

[Johnny Brown]

Anyone got any knowledge on monitors? Thinking 23"+, IPS

Anyone got any experience of wide-gamut monitors? Are they a pain in the arse?

[Tom de Gay]

I have an NEC one at work. Multisync PA241W I think. It does 98% AdobeRGB and is absolutely brilliant.

[Johnny Brown]

Nice one Tom, I was looking at the NEC ones. Not sure I want the hassle of a wide-gamut screen though. Do you get hideous colours as soon as you're not in a colour managed program?

[Tom de Gay]

Greens are particularly vibrant, but it's no hassle. I have an el cheapo monitor running alongside it which is handy for showing Bridge or Word when using InDesign; I sometimes 'preview' stuff on there if I need to know what an image is going to look like on the web, etc. There's an obvious benefit to actually being able to see the colours your camera has recorded; the main drawback is cost.

[grimer]

I was looking at the NEC ones. Not sure I want the hassle of a wide-gamut screen though. Do you get hideous colours as soon as you're not in a colour managed program?

Your man, SCS, is coming round mine this morning. I'll ask him if you want.

[Johnny Brown]

Ha, brilliant, I was considering paying him for some advice!

Your budget is ~£300 (though could go higher) you want approx 24", ideally 16:10. Definitely unsure about wide-gamut hassles.

You've been thinking about this one:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/NEC-MultiSync-EA241WM-24-Inch-Monitor/dp/B001L5KJWW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1316074846&sr=8-2

Nice one   I owe you a pint!

[Johnny Brown]

Or maybe this one?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dell-Ultrasharp-U2412M-Widescreen-Monitor/dp/B005LNDPPS

[grimer]

So, your man thought they both looked good and not much to choose between them. His thing about monitors is to get one that doesn't change with the angle you look at it from which you can't tell without seeing it.

Says wide gamut is only really worth it if you're desperate to have what you have on screen be an exact match to Pantone colours. For images it's not much advantage.

He also recommends checking the Dell website, good for end-of-line bargains

[slackline]

This sounds nice (although bigger and a little pricier than you're looking for).

[grimer]

If anybody needs any monitor calibration / printer set-up syle work doing, i use this guy, http://www.scs-imaging.co.uk/

Really good and cheap, sheffield based. He walks away and you're left with the feeling that everything's ok. It's that same feeling you get when you leave a confession box.

[Tom de Gay]

This sounds nice (although bigger and a little pricier than you're looking for).

That looks very shiny. Probably only suitable if you work in a darkened subterranean lair.


It's not all about gamut of course, contrast ratio is just as important. The NEC shows up sensor dust spots that are just about invisible on my older Eizo monitor at home.

[Johnny Brown]

Thanks for all the help folks. Mine is going under by the day so may need to make a decision fast. I think I'll avoid a wide gamut for now.

Slackers, that screen looks nice but is too big for me, and after my using Macbook pro for a year now I have a simmering hatred of glossy screens.

+1 for the SCS guy too. It felt a bit expensive until he turned up, then it felt like a bargain.

[Johnny Brown]

New monitor arrived today.



After trawling the net for a week there seems to be a bit of a gap in the IPS market between ~£230 23" and 24" professional models like Tom's NEC PA241W. Two models sit in this gap - both ~£400, 24", 16:10 & wide gamut - either Dell or Asus. I went for the Asus as its a much newer model, otherwise there isn't much to choose between them other than the logo.

Very impressed so far. Comes factory calibrated, but I'll get the SCS guy round to check I've got it set up as well as possible. Some of the colours - reds especially - are incredibly vivid with the wide gamut, but it has an easy to switch in and out of sRGB mode which looks much like my old monitor. Being able to swing it into portrait is fantastic. No dead pixels, but the bottom left seems slightly warmer than the rest, but I think I can live with it.