Question Monitor for Photo Editing

taxboy

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A couple of questions please:

What is the optimum size monitor for photo editing ?

Any recommendations please budget up to £300 but could go a little higher

TIA
 
Optimum size depends mainly on how big you plan to print I would say. iPad is fine for web only for example, 4K or 5k for big print fine art. Try BenQ for value for money color accurate monitor.
 
Thanks for that. Is 27" the max for comfortable working
 
Thanks for that. Is 27" the max for comfortable working

I guess personal preference. I have a 31.5 4k screen and find it very good for many things including editing. However, it's colors are not very accurate even after calibration. I have a second smaller screen with accurate colors for color correction and grading.
 
There are many factors to consider when choosing a monitor for photo editing. Size, resolution, panel type, colour space, colour calibration and price to name a few.

If you are just a hobbyist and not looking to do it professionally you could probably get by with a 24" sRGB IPS monitor which will be under your budget. Something like a Dell U2412M which I used for a number of years would be adequate for most. Resolution is only 1920x1200 so not high res by today's standards but IPS panels are known to give more accurate colour representation when viewed off axis compared to VA panels. The U2415 is a more up to date design of the same monitor.

Larger and higher resolution screens with wider colour gamuts are available but would be at least double your budget for a half decent one. I would also recommend colour calibration with something like the x-rite i1 display pro which will create a custom profile for your monitor. This will give you confidence that you will have the most accurate colour your monitor can display and is definately recommended if you intend to print your photos.

I'm currently using a Dell Premier colour U2716D 2560x1440 Adobe RGB monitor calibrated with the i1 display pro. Colour accuracy is excellent although I have had issues with quality control. It took three attempts to buy one that wasn't damaged in some way. The first had a scratch in the middle of the screen, bad colour shift from one side to the other, and had something rattling around inside. The second had a cluster of dead pixels in one area of the screen and was sent back. I used to swear by Dell ultrasharp monitors but now I'm not so sure.

Eizo monitors are very good however they are much more expensive and are only recommended if you have deep pockets or professionally retouch and edit.
 
There are many factors to consider when choosing a monitor for photo editing. Size, resolution, panel type, colour space, colour calibration and price to name a few.

If you are just a hobbyist and not looking to do it professionally you could probably get by with a 24" sRGB IPS monitor which will be under your budget. Something like a Dell U2412M which I used for a number of years would be adequate for most. Resolution is only 1920x1200 so not high res by today's standards but IPS panels are known to give more accurate colour representation when viewed off axis compared to VA panels. The U2415 is a more up to date design of the same monitor.

Larger and higher resolution screens with wider colour gamuts are available but would be at least double your budget for a half decent one. I would also recommend colour calibration with something like the x-rite i1 display pro which will create a custom profile for your monitor. This will give you confidence that you will have the most accurate colour your monitor can display and is definately recommended if you intend to print your photos.

I'm currently using a Dell Premier colour U2716D 2560x1440 Adobe RGB monitor calibrated with the i1 display pro. Colour accuracy is excellent although I have had issues with quality control. It took three attempts to buy one that wasn't damaged in some way. The first had a scratch in the middle of the screen, bad colour shift from one side to the other, and had something rattling around inside. The second had a cluster of dead pixels in one area of the screen and was sent back. I used to swear by Dell ultrasharp monitors but now I'm not so sure.

Eizo monitors are very good however they are much more expensive and are only recommended if you have deep pockets or professionally retouch and edit.
Many thanks for taking the time to provide a detailed reply. I'm firmly in the hobbyist category but looking to get into photography and printing again
 
It probably depends on "Budget" - the more expensive monitors will give you better colour rendition and a larger size allows close inspection - or a several items on the screen at once.
Personally, I'm none too impressed by my printer ( Esp. the cost of ink), so increasingly I'm viewing pictures rather than printing them out. For space-saving (since my last monitor died), I've been using the TV - via HDMI it is probably close to the performance of a budget monitor .... and very convenient.... apart from having to spin it round view from to the working-desk...
Good Luck.
 

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