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My existing monitor, an Acer 77c, just isn't doing the job for me, especially when I'm trying to PP. I think it's upgrade time. Any tips as to what I should go for (at a sane price ) .

What's better for PP, CRT or flat panel?

Thanks for any tips.

johndec wrote:My existing monitor, an Acer 77c, just isn't doing the job for me, especially when I'm trying to PP. I think it's upgrade time. Any tips as to what I should go for (at a sane price ) .

What's better for PP, CRT or flat panel?

Thanks for any tips.

CRT
Mitsubishi 22"

Viewsonic have a professional range of monitors that can display colours accurately, mine I've had for about 4 years and I'm still very happy with it. Hopefully most monitors are pretty good these days but doesn't hurt to check some reviews. Also I think CRTs are still better then LCD but maybe that is just me.

CRT for pp work...

the mitsubishi crt which birddog has mentioned has great contrast and brightness, and is also a flat tube... i'd go with that.

CRT
I use a 19"... but 19" upwards.

CRT's are better for working with images. This is down to their ability to reproduce 24bit colour, whereas modern LCD's can only display 16bit colour.

In regards to CRT's, the bigger the better, and with possible, a flat screen, and higher refresh rates, so it's easier on the eyes.

If you are well heeled then follow Birddogs advice. If the funds are tight then Mitsubishi Diamond View in 17 or 19 inch are excellent with change out of $300. The CRT, (cathode ray tube) sets are still the best when it comes to photo editing.

As a Graphic Designer I need to have quality so I use both a CRT and LCD side-by-side.

There is one LCD that I know of that is highly recommended for Graphic Designers because of its outstanding colour reproduction and that is the LaCie Photon 19 Vision Blue.

Chris

Hi,

I'm using a Phillips CRT 107/ T5 17" monitor.
It was cheap and works fine for digital imaging.

Cheers
CD

sirhc55 wrote:As a Graphic Designer I need to have quality so I use both a CRT and LCD side-by-side.

There is one LCD that I know of that is highly recommended for Graphic Designers because of its outstanding colour reproduction and that is the LaCie Photon 19 Vision Blue.

Chris

And it cost over 1.5K/ Lacie brand is a rebadged products from other sources, it bundled with calibration soft & hardware.

Phillips 109P

Flat screen
19"
High refresh rate
CRT

~ $800 - $850 money well spent

After reading this thread I am sorry I didn't think of posting a similar one myself. I just bought a Samsung 19" LCD but one that has both digital display and analog that is switchable. It is also on a swivel base with included software to allow large spreadsheeting depth when you swivel the monitor. The model number is 193P TFT with a Dual Hinge Stand. It has a pretty good refresh rate as well for gaming. It is a bit more expensive than the CRT option but I wanted more desk space. I am quite happy with it so far, it is worth a look if you are in the market.

Matt K said:

If you are well heeled then follow Birddogs advice. If the funds are tight then Mitsubishi Diamond View in 17 or 19 inch are excellent with change out of $300.

Therein lies the problem with graphic work. You can get a really good, clear monitor with a flat screen for less than it costs for the gear to calibrate it properly. It really takes one of those pucks to sense the screen and associated software, but the price of them makes it a luxury for something I would use maybe four times a year if I was lucky.

I've always wondered why photgraphic shops etc don't hire this stuff out. Surely it would help people use their print services more frequently, as customers would know precisely what colour the image will be, rather than going for something "reasonably close" (such as you can achieve by using Adobe Gamma, which is free).

The proper calibration gear looks to me to sit in that realm of professional gear that seems priced to the market that uses it, rather than the reasonable cost of producing the product plus a realistic markup.

If you go offshore to get the Spyder2PRO it sells for about $199US.

In reality one is encouraged to calibrate their monitor every month, especially with CRTs as the phosphors over time deteriate.

Chris

thanks for all the replys guys, looks like I've got a bit of research to do

The mitsubishis are one nice monitor.

If you can locate one second hand a Sony G520 21" is also an extremely nice monitor, I have used one personally.

Basically you want a decent resolution at a good refresh rate (85hz or so) with the smallest dot pitch 0.24 is really good. Flat. Shiny. Not to heavy on the wallet.

ru32day wrote:I've always wondered why photgraphic shops etc don't hire this stuff out.

http://www.jamesplacecameras.com.au/rev ... lease.html

I've just spotted this, although the site looks a bit out of date - not much use if you're not in Adelaide, but I think I'll gve them a phone next week to see if they still hire Spyders out.

Cheers

Unfortunatly right now to get an LCD that works well for PP is pricey, though they finally have some on the cheaper side, they don't work really well for pics and gaming.

One of the problems with LCD is that when you view it from different angles it darkens. For this reason CRT is the way to go. Looks like APPLE addressed this problem and their new Imacs are on a flat LCD that doesn't diminish it's light when viewed at different angles. Truly Apple are the great design masters of the computer. The new Imac is a masterpiece. Too bad their stuff wasn't a little more accessible and integrated.

Monitors are tricky, and even simple ones can be set up incorrectly. I have a 17" Sony aperture mask monitor and it is great. What you need is a monitor that will support good resolution (around 1600 x 1200) at 85 hz. Even 75hz is not enough in my opinion if you are looking at the screen for a long time. I work with about 500 people and I still see lots of them with default settings which are 60hz or so and flicker. Make sure yours is set to 85hz or you will get a headache if you are staring at the screen.
My preference would be any aperture mask monitor, such as a Mitsubishi with a Diamondtron screen. The Sony's use a Trinitron which is the same (and the original) but I have not seen a large Sony around for a while now.

You could always look for one of the Adobe RGB calibrated monitors... from what I understand, they stay calibrated... as well as stay expensive.

I heard Sony is no longer making CRTs - bit mistake if this is so, I reckon, because that's one thing they were really good at.

What's your budget?

I own a LaCie electron22blueIV and it is truly the best monitor I have ever had. I run a dell 19" next to it for all PS palettes so the entire screen is work space. THe colour repro is fantastic, but I had mine callibrated.

I know you can get the for about £500 - A$1200
Damm well worth the price. Big brutes though!!!

Matt

rokkstar wrote:What's your budget?

I own a LaCie electron22blueIV and it is truly the best monitor I have ever had. I run a dell 19" next to it for all PS palettes so the entire screen is work space. THe colour repro is fantastic, but I had mine callibrated.

I know you can get the for about £500 - A$1200
Damm well worth the price. Big brutes though!!!

Matt

What? LaCie electron22blueIV for A$1200.00 in England perhaps!
LaCie is not selling well overhere, coz they use the same Diamondtron tube from Mitsubishi and Mitsubishi sells it cheap as chips

brembo wrote:CRT's are better for working with images. This is down to their ability to reproduce 24bit colour, whereas modern LCD's can only display 16bit colour.

According to Apple, their current crop of LCDs can display 16.7 million colours. Doesn't this mean that they can reproduce 24 bit colour?

I don't know the Apple's claims specifically, but some (most?) LCDs switch a pixel between two colours rapidly to present a "new" colour for the eye to perceive. At any moment in time, some of the more subtle shades are not true representations, in an inbetween state. If the colour switching happens fast enough, the eye perceives it without problem. Human perception is faulty.

I got a Sony 19" CRT which is fantastic.

I usually use it at 1280x1024 res, so I can have 100Hz refresh rate

1600x1200 is at 85 Hz.

Just to add my 2.2 cents.

I have had a Mitsubishi Diamond View 17" crt monitor for about 10 years and it is still oging strong. (touch wood) Cost me a fortune ($700) when i bought it all those years ago. But it has outlasted the four computers i have owned since then.

I would agree with Birdy on that choice.

Onyx wrote:I don't know the Apple's claims specifically, but some (most?) LCDs switch a pixel between two colours rapidly to present a "new" colour for the eye to perceive. At any moment in time, some of the more subtle shades are not true representations, in an inbetween state. If the colour switching happens fast enough, the eye perceives it without problem. Human perception is faulty.

And thank god it is

Many tricks rely on this!

I recently purchased a 17" Phillips pure flat monitor.

Cost me $169 from http://www.msy.com.au

Great colour and great price. They are in Granville in Sydney (Belltower complex)

Glenn