Monitor choices.....

[fathomfive]

This.... http://www.ebuyer.com/product/130991

or this... http://www.ebuyer.com/product/142593


...or a decent CRT?

[_dobbo_]

Personally I could never go back to working on a single monitor now, for photo editing (and most other stuff) multiple monitors is indispensable! I'd be after two of these - a bit more money than your most expensive one above but loads more screen real estate:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/143047

Otherwise, in the 24" category I'd consider this:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/148860

I didn't search for prices, just used ebuyer for comparative purposes

[fathomfive]

_dobbo_ said:

Personally I could never go back to working on a single monitor now, for photo editing (and most other stuff) multiple monitors is indispensable! I'd be after two of these - a bit more money than your most expensive one above but loads more screen real estate:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/143047

Otherwise, in the 24" category I'd consider this:

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/148860

I didn't search for prices, just used ebuyer for comparative purposes

Cheers, I like the idea of the two 20" screens, and fantastic value by the looks of it.

[_dobbo_]

The LG screens are very highly rated, one decent review here:

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/labs/206856/lg-l206wu.html

As long as you have a modern graphics card (ie any remotely recent nVidia or ATI one) with two outputs, running two monitors is very simple!

[Dogsey]

I bought a 24" Samsung (can't remember the exact model) earlier this year, absolutely cracking monitor, highly recommended. Only problem is that every other monitor now looks so small!

[jazzybee]

A rather cracking deal on at Dell at the moment:

http://accessories.euro.dell.com/sna/productdetail...

24" HD for £202

[Ledaig]

Which ever you choose, make sure you use some method of colour calibration. I purchased three flat-screen lcd's a while ago, two were the same make and model and the third completely different. The variation in the colours displayed was quit astonishing. Whist the two 'same make' monitors were different, but not far off each other, they were very cool (blue), whereas the third monitor was very green in its output.

This was quickly corrected by using the Huey Pro which had them all looking the same. A failure on my part to do this would have resulted in prints coming back from Photobox etc looking nothing like that displayed.

All three monitors were e-buyer cheap models and have all performed flawlessly for over a year now.

[fathomfive]

I currently have a 21" Phillips widescreen monitor, so if I go for the Dell and - sure I already do - have a suitable graphics card, I could run those side by side, and use the Dell, when correctly calibrated, for processing my photographs, and my existing Phillips screen purely for menus and the like?

I'm probably being a bit dense, but work is testing at the moment and mind is elsewhere. (He says, staring at his 24" Dell monitor on his desk, that he works on....)

[Dogsey]

fathomfive said:

... sure I already do have a suitable graphics card

Most cards don't support multiple monitors, make sure you check.

[V-spec]

I have a Dell 30" and the best thing is the memory card slots on the side, no more connecting via USB I just take the card out of the camera and stick it in the screen.
The downside is that photos which look amazing and really 'pop' at home, just look normal or even dull when I look at work or on other people's monitors

[_dobbo_]

Dogsey said:

fathomfive said:

... sure I already do have a suitable graphics card

Most cards don't support multiple monitors, make sure you check.

Every ATI or nVidia card I've seen in the last 5 years supports multiple monitors.

Poverty spec DVI or on board graphics wont be any good, but if it's a 3D card you should be fine.

[fathomfive]

Am liking the Dell one, but going to go for this one: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/148860

A third as much again, but has a better resolution, and I can have it tomorrow instead of 5-7 days time.

The joys of a new hobby

[fathomfive]

Just thought I'd update where I am on this...

Got one of these delivered today: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/130991

Very impressed so far, good quality, crisp image, good price. Well recommended.

Now all I have to do is improve my own output.....

[Simpo Two]

I have twin Sonys. Despite being identical models (albeit bought at different times) I can only get one screen calibrated properly. At least, I can't get them looking exactly the same. So I keep the best as my editing screen and the other is for folders, toolbars, e-mail and other stuff that's not colour-critical. It doesn't seem like much of a difference until you whisk an image from one to the other!

Edited by Simpo Two on Friday 3rd October 15:10

[fathomfive]

Simpo Two said:

I have twin Sonys. Despite being identical models (albeit bought at different times) I can only get one screen calibrated properly. At least, I can't get them looking exactly the same. So I keep the best as my editing screen and the other is for folders, toolbars, e-mail and other stuff that's not colour-critical. It doesn't seem like much of a difference until you whisk an image from one to the other!

Edited by Simpo Two on Friday 3rd October 15:10

I'm running a smaller, 21" Phillips LCD as my desktop, and the 24" Samsung will be calibrated correctly over the next few days - I've just run through the basic settings the monitor came with, but the image quality is way, way better than the Phillips already.

[4hero]

What's the best way to fix dead pixels, I've read so many methods on the interweb and am not sure which to go with..

2 of my 2280000 no worky

[AlfaFoxtrot]

4hero said:

What's the best way to fix dead pixels, I've read so many methods on the interweb and am not sure which to go with..

2 of my 2280000 no worky

There's nothing 'you' as a user can do is there? I thought once a pixel died, that was kind of it.

[Taita]

You could try rubbing it, daft I know but it works. Also, I think Lifehacker mentioned a utility that tries to get it to display lots of different colours, in the hope to unstick it.

[4hero]

Taita said:

You could try rubbing it, daft I know but it works. Also, I think Lifehacker mentioned a utility that tries to get it to display lots of different colours, in the hope to unstick it.

Yeah, I saw the stuff about rubbing but wasn't sure, will give it a bash though. I'll also take a look for that utility you mention, thanks!

[Simpo Two]

Both my Sonys are pixel-perfect, but maybe I was lucky. By contrast (no pun intended) the cheapo LCD TV I bought for upstairs has two red ones...