Cheapest editing screen, that you can rely on.

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rhote182

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Edit My Images
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After noticing how much of a colour difference there is between the left and right hand sides of my screen, I urgently need a replacement.

I really don't want to be spending any money right now, but as I am, I don't want to waste it on something that isn't fit for purpose.

What are the cheapest screens you could recommend, that you would be happy editing your images on?
 
Might be a good idea as per your camera body search to say what budget you are allocating for a new monitor??? NB and do you have a minimum screen size you would prefer?

PS Do you also already have a screen calibrator? If not you should try to budget for one!
 
Box Brownie said:
Might be a good idea as per your camera body search to say what budget you are allocating for a new monitor??? NB and do you have a minimum screen size you would prefer?

PS Do you also already have a screen calibrator? If not you should try to budget for one!
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I haven't got an allocated budget as such. All my budget is allocated elsewhere and this is an unexpected expense unfortunately. This is why my question was deliberately ambiguous, as I really want to know what people believe is the cheapest screen people personally feel would be worthwhile investing in. If life goes to plan, I hope look at upgrading to something around the 1k mark as soon as feasibly possible, but for now I'm looking at as close to zero as possible!

I've been using a 24. A 27 would be good but not a necessity. It's only really the difference between having my editing panels on a second screen or the main one I imagine. I'm only speculating as I've never used a 27!

I already have a spyder 5 pro!
 
27" IPS panels can be had for <£180
 
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I use a pair of Dell 23" IPS panels, which I'm quite happy with.

The key (for me) was switching from using the supplied Spyder calibration software to using DisplayCal; https://displaycal.net/

Suddenly both screens matched (they are different versions of the same model, the Spyder software got them 'similar', but I could see the difference, since using DisplayCal they look the same to me!)
 
Dell U2412M, about £200 from Aria.co.uk. That's the cheapest serious screen, and I think you'll find a lot of users round here.
 
I use an old 19" widescreen Dell monitor have never calibrated it and do rather well in the camera club competitions.

My prints are also true to the image on the monitor.

Either I've got lucky or calibration is a bit of a con.
 
GreenNinja67 said:
I use an old 19" widescreen Dell monitor have never calibrated it and do rather well in the camera club competitions.

My prints are also true to the image on the monitor.

Either I've got lucky or calibration is a bit of a con.
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Then you've got lucky. I use a variety of computers and screens, all of which vary, and some are so far out as to make editing an image for others to view pointless. I didn't always feel this way, but when I used an older samsung screen and viewed some of the images I'd worked on with a different screen, it shocked me just how awful they looked. For example, the screen of this Macbook blows all detail in highlights, and in order to retain visible highlight detail I have to make images very dark & dull, and the brightness also varies according to viewing angle.

Calibration is less of a big deal unless you need your prints to be a good match to your screen, but a decent screen is pretty much essential for most of us.
 
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Dell Ultrasharp series, matte IPS panel, very good for editing for the price.
 
Twigman said:
27" IPS panels can be had for <£180
Click to expand...

Any recommendations for that end of the spectrum?

Faldrax said:
I use a pair of Dell 23" IPS panels, which I'm quite happy with.

The key (for me) was switching from using the supplied Spyder calibration software to using DisplayCal; https://displaycal.net/

Suddenly both screens matched (they are different versions of the same model, the Spyder software got them 'similar', but I could see the difference, since using DisplayCal they look the same to me!)
Click to expand...

Were you just using spyder software with inbuilt calibration, or were you using the spyder hardware device as well?

ancient_mariner said:
Dell U2412M, about £200 from Aria.co.uk. That's the cheapest serious screen, and I think you'll find a lot of users round here.
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KitsuneAndy said:
Dell Ultrasharp series, matte IPS panel, very good for editing for the price.
Click to expand...

Been looking at the Dell U2412M and U2717D, they seem to be pretty highly rated. Certainly an attractive option for the price.
 
rhote182 said:
Were you just using spyder software with inbuilt calibration, or were you using the spyder hardware device as well?
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Originally a Spider Calibrator & Software (though an earlier model, It's either a 2 or 3 I can't recall, and am at work at present so can't check.

Then used Displaycal with the Spyder Hardware, and got much better results (calibration also takes significantly longer, but it's automated for most of that, just as when using the Spyder software)
 
rhote182 said:
Any recommendations for that end of the spectrum?
Click to expand...

I use an Asus VC279H - admittedly it's only 1920x1080 but it's IPS and I find the colours consistent and true to life.

I have 2x HP 27es (they're IPS panels too) in my office which I picked up for £150 each in Costco (!) - they're both only 1920x1080 too but do the job.
 
OK. Close to a decision. Sort of.

24
Dell U24XXX - £200-300 (a few different models)
Dell U2515H - £300 (2560x1440, bad idea on this size screen?)
NEC EA245WMi - £320

27
Dell U2717D - £430 (2560x1440)
NEC EA273WMi - £310 (1920x1080, bad idea on this size screen?)
NEC EA275WMi - £420 (2560x1440)

I've decided on this price range of the market for now and these seem to be the best options between here and the £700+ mark. I could say my budget would extend to a maximum of £500 if there was a significant benefit.

I've never used a 27" screen before, but I like the idea of more real estate, so I'm thinking it could be a good idea to try it with a cheaper screen now, then when it comes to upgrading to a proper screen and spending serious money, I can be confident in my choice of size. Especially as at this end of the market, there's less of a gap between 24 and 27.

Any opinions or recommendations between these or anything similar?

I generally get the impression, 1080 is best for 24 and 1440 is best for 27 and I imagine it would keep the scaling of items on the screen to a more similar ratio. Would you agree?
 
There's also the wide gamut Dell UP2516D (£350) and UP2716D (£420) - but most people seem to advise against wide gamut at this end of the market.
 
I'd say generally avoid wide screens, because the extra space at the bottom is often very useful, so 1920 X 1200 is helpfully larger than 1920 X 1080. Wide gamut is only helpful if you can actually use the difference, and is of no benefit for web work.
 
ancient_mariner said:
I'd say generally avoid wide screens, because the extra space at the bottom is often very useful, so 1920 X 1200 is helpfully larger than 1920 X 1080. Wide gamut is only helpful if you can actually use the difference, and is of no benefit for web work.
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Do you think not having wide gamut would be a problem when coming to print? Obviously it would be better, but it's not essential, right?
 
Dell Up2716 from nrgit.biz £420 I bought one and calibration is vital for any monitor
 
rhote182 said:
OK. Close to a decision. Sort of.

24
Dell U24XXX - £200-300 (a few different models)
Dell U2515H - £300 (2560x1440, bad idea on this size screen?)
NEC EA245WMi - £320

27
Dell U2717D - £430 (2560x1440)
NEC EA273WMi - £310 (1920x1080, bad idea on this size screen?)
NEC EA275WMi - £420 (2560x1440)

I've decided on this price range of the market for now and these seem to be the best options between here and the £700+ mark. I could say my budget would extend to a maximum of £500 if there was a significant benefit.

I've never used a 27" screen before, but I like the idea of more real estate, so I'm thinking it could be a good idea to try it with a cheaper screen now, then when it comes to upgrading to a proper screen and spending serious money, I can be confident in my choice of size. Especially as at this end of the market, there's less of a gap between 24 and 27.

Any opinions or recommendations between these or anything similar?

I generally get the impression, 1080 is best for 24 and 1440 is best for 27 and I imagine it would keep the scaling of items on the screen to a more similar ratio. Would you agree?
Click to expand...

Scaling in LR and PS seems to be better in 10 than previously.

I'm running a 3840 x 2160 on a 31.5 inch screen on Windows 7 and the scaling is pretty small. It's better if I hook it up to my laptop which runs windows 10. However the screen is so good I'll put up with it.
 
rhote182 said:
Do you think not having wide gamut would be a problem when coming to print? Obviously it would be better, but it's not essential, right?
Click to expand...

It may actually be an advantage, since many printers seem to prefer to receive output as sRGB (but check with who you plan to use).
 
Ended up going for the Dell U2515H. The right balance of all my considerations to get by for now and then to use as a second screen or studio display screen when I can afford to upgrade. Thanks everyone!
 
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