Photo Editing LCD vs CRT

[350wedge]

I'm thinking of changing my CRT monitor for a nice shiny new LCD one. Have seen some good things written about the latest LG monitors which are also very good value (17" £165 and 19" £210).

What are the pro's and cons of switching to an LCD (other than dead pixels!!). I currently have a 19" samsung CRT which I've been very pleased with but takes up lots of space!!

What would you guys recommend for a good photo editing monitor bearing in mind I'm on a fairly tight budget!!

[bacchus180]

just make sure its profiled and that you are working in the right colour space.

[GetCarter]

I use an LG 18" LCD - am pleased with it. It's a bit flattering regarding contrast (when I see my pics on a CRT they lack a bit of contrast) - so you may have to compensate a bit.

Having said all that it looks like something from a bad 1962 sit com next to the 23" Mac display! (I'm avoiding using that for photography as all my stuff looks twice as good - flattering to deceive!)

Steve

>> Edited by GetCarter on Wednesday 17th August 11:28

[simpo two]

Twin Sony S71s here. Calibrated by Mark One eyeball; the prints come out looking just like I expect so all is well!

[mikef]

GetCarter said:

Having said all that it looks like something from a bad 1962 sit com next to the 23" Mac display!

As far as I know that is also an LG panel, as are many of the others on the market (I'm fairly sure my 23"HP is the same as the Apple, with added HD inputs)

[Methanol]

Technical things to look for in an LCD monitor are:

Resolution, typically 1280x1024 the higher the better but 1280x1024 is about just right for a 19” IMO. What is often overlooked is contrast ratio, IMO one of the most important, the higher the better. Most are approx. 400:1, which is standard; you ought to be aiming for 700:1 plus.

If you’re going to be using it for motion video or gaming then you would want a low pixel response time, something less than 10ms. Brightness is often overlooked too, 250 cd/m2 is about standard 300 optimal. And last but not least, viewing angle, if you are going to calibrate (which I suggest very strongly you do) 170° horizontal x 170° vertical and most importantly, 160° conical which basically means you get accurate colour infomation from all angles.

I hope this helps and is not too technical.

Methanol

[350wedge]

Thats really helpful, not too technical at all. Have just found this which looks like a good spec for a very good price. Could be tempted into one of these i think....

www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?rb=9893098165&action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=88920

[frostie]

I recently purchased a ViewSonic VP191B, based on recommendations on sites like Toms Hardware ( www.tomshardware.com ). This screen always seemed to the one that everything else was compared to. Its 800:1 contrast ratio & 8ms refresh so the quality is stunning. No dead pixels on mine either.

I think they have just released a new model the VX924 which is 4ms !

Frostie

[simpo two]

Methanol said:

What is often overlooked is contrast ratio, IMO one of the most important, the higher the better. Most are approx. 400:1, which is standard; you ought to be aiming for 700:1 plus... Brightness is often overlooked too, 250 cd/m2 is about standard 300 optimal.

My monitors are not that bright or contrasty, yet when I have both up to 100% it's like looking into the sun and quite useless for anything. I currently have 90% contrast and 44% brightness, so I'm not sure of the need for anything more?

[Methanol]

simpo two said:

My monitors are not that bright or contrasty, yet when I have both up to 100% it's like looking into the sun and quite useless for anything. I currently have 90% contrast and 44% brightness, so I'm not sure of the need for anything more?

lol, I'm not talking about your brightness and contrast controls, I'm talking about the capabilities of the monitor.

Brightness:

The total number of available colours (colour gamut) are normally defined by a two-dimensional chromaticity diagram for red, green and blue components. To reflect the full colour gamut of a display, it's necessary to take into account a third dimension of colour, its brightness i.e. 300 nits brightness.

Contrast ratio:

Contrast ratio is defined as the ratio between the whitest white and the blackest black on a display. The more steps a display can produce between black and white (or between any two colours), the more colours it can produce. A higher contrast ratio also means more detail and consequently a sharper image. So as I said before, most LCD monitors have a contrast ratio of 400:1, a contrast ratio of lets say 800:1 defines twice the amount of shadow detail etc... etc...

I hope this helps