New monitor for photography - but which one!

[gixxer1000]

Hi folks. I am in the process of buying a new PC and will purchase without monitor. As well as all the usual PC guff, I will use it a lot for photographic image manipulation (very enthusiastic amateur photographer).

From a previous thread I was drawn to the idea of a Dell 2407WFP-HC (http://accessories.euro.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=uk&l=en&s=dhs&cs=ukdhs1&sku=104716).

Would it be worth paying more for the Dell 2707WFP (http://accessories.euro.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=uk&l=en&s=dhs&cs=ukdhs1&sku=94050)

The PC is currently specced with a Nvidia 8800GTX graphics card (it's not too late to change that). Will that work well with the Dell 2407WFP-HC? Is £515 with free shipping from Dell a good price for this monitor?

In terms of budget, i'd pay up to £1000 for a good screen if required, but would rather not go so high ideally.

Any thoughts / help / advice welcome,
Gixxer.

Edited by gixxer1000 on Thursday 14th February 11:54

[mackie1]

The 27 incher doesn't give you any more real estate so it's probably not worth it.

It'll work with the 8800GTX just fine but if you are not playing games on it you could opt for a cheaper card like the 8800GT which will perform just as well.

[-DeaDLocK-]

All sounds okay. I think if you were going for real quality, you'd get a seriously high-end CRT, but for many reasons (and chiefly because monitors like those Dells close the gap a heck of a lot) I'd still go with an LCD.

I think a 27" WS monitor would be a bit hard to work with in the real world. You'd be physically moving your head a lot. A 24" is just nice if you ask me.

Whatever your choice, ensure that part of your budget includes a screen calibration device. This is probably more critical than your choice of monitor if accurate colour reproduction is your priority.

[gixxer1000]

mackie1 said:

The 27 incher doesn't give you any more real estate so it's probably not worth it.

It'll work with the 8800GTX just fine but if you are not playing games on it you could opt for a cheaper card like the 8800GT which will perform just as well.

Forgot to say that I do play games too, which is why I went for the 8800GTX.

Cheers,
Gixxer

[gixxer1000]

-DeaDLocK- said:

All sounds okay. I think if you were going for real quality, you'd get a seriously high-end CRT, but for many reasons (and chiefly because monitors like those Dells close the gap a heck of a lot) I'd still go with an LCD.

I think a 27" WS monitor would be a bit hard to work with in the real world. You'd be physically moving your head a lot. A 24" is just nice if you ask me.

Whatever your choice, ensure that part of your budget includes a screen calibration device. This is probably more critical than your choice of monitor if accurate colour reproduction is your priority.

Good point on the 27" monitor DeaDLocK. Hadn't thought of that.

Agree on the screen calibration device. I already have a Colourvision Spyder, and was amazed at the difference when I calibrated my current Sony monitor.

Cheers,
Gixxer

[SlimJ]

gixxer1000 said:

Will that work well with the Dell 2407WFP-HC? Is £515 with free shipping from Dell a good price for this monitor?

I have that Dell and it's fantastic, colour reproduction is very good! I also use a 22" Dell widescreen and it's quite honestly terrible compared to my one, I can never get the colours or the brightness/contrast right. Size is perfect too.

That price is a bit much, I got mine for about £350 + VAT from Ebuyer, so search around for the best price!

[trooperiziz]

SlimJ said:

gixxer1000 said:

Will that work well with the Dell 2407WFP-HC? Is £515 with free shipping from Dell a good price for this monitor?

I have that Dell and it's fantastic, colour reproduction is very good! I also use a 22" Dell widescreen and it's quite honestly terrible compared to my one, I can never get the colours or the brightness/contrast right. Size is perfect too.

That price is a bit much, I got mine for about £350 + VAT from Ebuyer, so search around for the best price!

I bought my 24" Dell from here without any problem.

http://www.pcbuyit.co.uk/dept.asp?dept%5Fid=67&amp...

looking at the link today it shows up as £410 in vat + delivery.

It really is a very nice monitor, and as I tend to change PCs quite a bit but keep monitors for years, it's a worthwhile investment.