TFT Monitor Recommendation

[Ideologue]

My CRT monitor has failled and I need to replace it. I would like to replace it with a TFT monitor as I have heard many bad things regarding the danger of long term CRT radiation exposure.

Please could current TFT Photoshop users, and those with a good knowledge / experience of these monitors, recommend to me specific makes and models of TFT monitors. Ones that are good enough to use for photographic manipulation / digital darkroom purposes.

Thanks.

 

[ajmall]

I don't have an external monitor but i've heard great things about Sony ones. Their notebook screens are incredible. But don't forget the sony badge on products means a higher price

 

[Becky]

I did a lot of research before buying one... what you need to consider is the Refresh Rate in m/s of the screen, especially if you plan to watch films etc on it. I wouldnt look twice at anything more than 12ms refresh rate. Often the best looking ones such as Sony or Samsung have a hefty price tag, and a refresh rate of about 25ms, which is crap. You'll get whats called "ghosting" where in fast movements on screen or say an action scene in a film becomes difficult to focus on properly, and looks a bit odd. The best way to give this a quick check is move the mouse quickly on screen and see how much of a "trail" it leaves. Going for the best name might give you a great looking TFT with a not so great performance.

I eventually went for an Iiyama E435s which has an 8ms refresh rate, which I love to bits, and they have a great aftersales service. I had a powersurge during lightning at once stage and stupidly didnt bother to unplug it... I just said it stopped working suddenly and there was a new one on my doorstep the next day. This model cost me about £190 at the time, but now you can get a really nice tilting screen thinner version, the H431s for a similar price, or a E431s which is thin without the tilt for somewhere in that range too. My boyfriend uses both of these at once for video editing. Having seen all 3 in use I think theyre fantastic screens so definately worth checking some reviews on them.

Heres a pic of mine set up.... sometimes hard to get a good feel for them off a stock website picture...

I'll be the first to admit they probably aren't the hottest looking screens out there, and I'm certainly one for good design, but for once the performance just outweighed any other factors here. The other two models mentioned look a bit nicer than this one, although I still like it a lot.

I'd definately recommend these anyway... just my pennysworth and good luck! :blushing:

 

[Ideologue]

Thank you both for your replies.

Becky, how good is the viewing angle of your screen? A simple test would be to look at the top of the picture (the blue bar at the top of IE, for example), then retaining focus on that top segment, move your entire head straight down (only a few inches to a foot). If the top portion of the screen becomes darker or changes in quality, then the screen (in my opinion) has a poor uniformity throughout slight changes in viewing angle.

This viewing angle issue is very important to me and seems to be the hardest factor to establish though reading online reviews alone, without actually physically looking at a screen.

 

[Jakpro]

Samsungs are some of the best. I have an NEC 19" Multi-Sync that I like alot. Model 1960NXI

I researched them pretty hard at the first of the year and Samsung was almost always on top, but they are pricey.
You can check out reviews at pcmagazine.com or pcworld.com. They are both pretty fair on their reviews.

 

[Becky]

Thank you both for your replies.

Becky, how good is the viewing angle of your screen? A simple test would be to look at the top of the picture (the blue bar at the top of IE, for example), then retaining focus on that top segment, move your entire head straight down (only a few inches to a foot). If the top portion of the screen becomes darker or changes in quality, then the screen (in my opinion) has a poor uniformity throughout slight changes in viewing angle.

This viewing angle issue is very important to me and seems to be the hardest factor to establish though reading online reviews alone, without actually physically looking at a screen.

I'm not totally sure how you mean, but I can stand up straight, or sit on my floor, and still read whats on the bottom, and top of the screen, there is a slight darkening but very little. Its probably a good idea for you to go into an actual shop where you can see them and test all these things, and then buy online for the best price!

 

[airgunr]

FWIW, I recently had to replace my monitor. The old one died.... Anyway, after some research I decided to stick with a CRT and got a LaCie Electron22Blue IV. I am very happy with it. I bought it as a factory refurbished one from the LaCie site. Probably spent a little less than half of a new one and it came with a full warrenty.

They don't always have them on the site but if your interested you could see if there are any available. www.lacie.com