LCD vs. CRT Monitors

JDP · Aug 29, 2006

If you want a very nice, very accurate CRT monitor, take a look for the Lacie Electron Blue 19" with hood. They don't make it anymore, but it's on their site right here. I hit up ebay, and there's one up now for $320, good price for it.

Unimaxium · Aug 29, 2006

Good LCDs can be very good. Apple's Cinema displays, for example, are beautiful. Very accurate and has a nice gamut. But the thing is, unless you're willing to spend good money on an LCD you're not likely to get one that's great for photo editing. If you want a good color gamut and contrast ratio for an economical price, I think CRTs are the better bet. But if you're willing to spend on a good LCD, you can get one that's very nice for photo editing. That's my opinion, anyway.

edit: wow, I just realized this is an old thread...

sandra weese · Aug 30, 2006

thanx jdp; of course.... didnt think about buying second hand LCDs...

but one question; if I buy second had.... with screens, dont they age quite badly, even with proper use ? whats the stuff i need to watch out for?
Or maybe I can prepare myself some kind of test-image?
Any suggestions what kind of quick check-ups I can do to a screen to see if all is as it should?

markc · Aug 31, 2006

CRTs fade with age. LCDs don't fade, but they can get dead or stuck pixels.

It used to be an easy decision: CRT

But now manufacturers are dropping CRTs from their line and LCDs have gotten so much better. From what I've seen, it's now a toss-up. The low-buck CRTs are fairly crappy and the new LCDs are pretty decent, which balances out. It still comes down to paying more for a better monitor, no matter which way you go.

Here's my experience: http://thephotoforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51261

Azuth · Sep 2, 2006

The key with colours on an LCD are the number of bits per pixel. A 6 bit panel will claim 16 or 16.2 Million colours, this is not good, it's 16 million with dithering. An 8 bit LCD panel will generally claim 16.7 Million colours, it's a BIG difference. The Apple cinema displays use 8 bit panels, as do many of the larger Dell LCD's and a number of more expensive panels. The cheap fast 17" and 19" panels are mainly 6 bit.

Torus34 · Sep 2, 2006

At the low end of the price range, dollar-for-dollar, the CRT rules. For big bucks, both are great.

tasman · Sep 2, 2006

When it comes to LCDs you get what you paid for in some models.
Make sure that you get one with a Low Dot Pitch meaning 0.264 s better than 0.29 the pixels are closer together better resolution. High contrast ratio, and a faster refresh/response time in milliseconds. Also the bigger the monitor the dot pitch changes to generally 0.29 or wider.
The best thing is when you are in the store looking at different models have some text and a picture displayed on the screen to compare. If it is hard to see the text or it looks fuzzy, dont buy it.