Looking for a monitor around $200-300

[Tatiana_]

There are so many options out there, I get overwhelmed. I'd appreciate any recommendations. I'm a beginner and don't do any complex editing. But I would like a big screen (I'm on a lap top now) so I can learn on a nice bright screen.

Thanks!

 

[astroNikon]

First you may want to be specific on the exact model and make of laptop that you have. And pay attention to what kind of video ports that it has .. VGA , hdmi dvi .. if any ??

Otherwise We could recommend a monitor which could require you to upgrade your laptop.

 

[Tatiana_]

Sorry! I have HP Pavilion

•8GB DDR3L - 1 DIMM
•1TB 5400 rpm Hybrid Hard Drive
•5th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-5500U Dual Core Processor + Intel(R) HD Graphics 5500
•15.6-inch diagonal Full HD WLED-backlit Display (1920x1080)

What else can I provide?

 

[Braineack]

does your video card have a displayport?

 

[SquarePeg38]

I have this one and I love it. I use it with my laptop. I got it 2 years ago on sale for $35 less than the current price. There's a $20 rebate going on now.

ASUS PA248Q 24" LED Backlit IPS Widescreen Monitor PA248Q

 

[Tatiana_]

does your video card have a displayport?

I have HDMI port.

 

[KmH]

Tutorials on Color Management & Printing

Note the Asus display linked to by Square Peg can only display 16.7 million colors.
That essentially is saying it can only display 8 bits of color per red, green, and blue color channel.

Here's how that works out.

The 8 bit digital number, 11111111, is 256 in our normal - base 10 - number system.
So 8-bits can display 256 discrete shades of red, 256 discrete shades of green, and 256 discrete shades of blue.
256 x 256 x 256 = 16.7 million (rounded off).

Digital cameras make image files (Raw files) that are 12-bit or 14-bit files which can code way more discrete shades of color.
12 bits can display 4096 discrete shades of red, of green, and of blue or 4096 x 4096 x 4096 = 6.87 trillion colors.

The main plus for you about that Asus display is that it is an IPS (In-Plane Switching ) type of display that has wide color accurate viewing angles.
You could spend less getting a TN (Twisted Nematic) Type display, but TN has such narrow color accurate viewing angles that with a large display you can't see accurate colors across the entire screen.

If you want the colors in your photos to be displayed accurately, regardless the complexity of your edits, you would want a 10-bit, or more, display.
But as the bit depth capability of a display goes up the more a display costs.

Also. Even that inexpensive Asus IPS display will have to be routinely calibrated for it to continually accurately display the colors it can display.
Monitor Calibration for Photography
So I recommend a basic display calibration tool that you would use about once a month:
X-Rite ColorMunki Smile
Even better would be a:
X-Rite ColorMunki Display

 

[SquarePeg38]

+1 for the ColorMunki. And yes the Asus is only an 8 bit but for the budget being discussed, it's nice for the price and eliminates the angle of view affecting the colors and the exposure when editing.