Is a IPS/Pro monitor is necessary if one doesn't print much.

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vkumar
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p.2 #1 · Is a IPS/Pro monitor is necessary if one doesn't print much.

Thank you for the detailed writeup.

I figure I am going to do this only once so I may as well do it right. So it will be either the U2711 or the U3011 for me.

Feb 20, 2013 at 09:41 PM

photosenior
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p.2 #2 · Is a IPS/Pro monitor is necessary if one doesn't print much.

Thank you all for the input!

Feb 22, 2013 at 07:27 PM

dshigeno
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p.2 #3 · Is a IPS/Pro monitor is necessary if one doesn't print much.

BTW: Here's another deal on a wide color-gamut IPS monitor -- the UltraSharp U2410 is on sale at Dell for $379.99 including free shipping.

24-inch Dell UltraSharp U2410 1920×1200 IPS-panel LCD Monitor w/3-Years Warranty for $379.99 with free shipping

Add the monitor to your cart, enter coupon code "MNXN0MQWV?WW2L" on the view cart screen, and click on the "Apply Coupon" hyperlink.

Coupon expires 2/27/2013 at 7:00 AM CT

DTS

* fine print: "Offers subject to change. Coupon may not be combined with other offers, discounts or coupons. Taxes, shipping, handling and other fees apply. Valid for new U.S. online purchases through the Dell Home Electronics and Accessories site and for phone orders of electronics and accessories purchased without a system only. Free shipping and handling offer available in Continental (except Alaska) U.S. only. Availability of electronics and accessories varies and quantities may be limited. Dell reserves the right to cancel orders arising from pricing or other errors. Coupon expires 2/27/2013 at 7:00 AM CT. Not valid for resellers and/or online auctions. Purchase limit of 5 items per order, but coupon discount applies to only 1 item"

Feb 25, 2013 at 10:04 PM

RustyBug
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p.2 #4 · Is a IPS/Pro monitor is necessary if one doesn't print much.

Late to the party ... but as a litmus test question, if you had to choose between color gamut and ips ... I'd choose color gamut. To my way of thinking about it, Color Gamut is about how much of what you are able to see. IPS is about where you can be and still see what the monitor is showing.

I'd rather have a 95% Gamut without IPS, than a 72% Gamut with IPS ... IF I were concerned about color. IF I'm worried about viewing angle, then the IPS comes into play more. Of course, both are good to have, IPS isn't the tell all do all. Fortunately, it is possible to have both, and once I've got my workstation positioned ... viewing angle doesn't change much. Although in my laptop, the IPS is nice ... just wish I had more gamut to go with it ... someday.

Feb 25, 2013 at 10:14 PM

photosenior
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p.2 #5 · Is a IPS/Pro monitor is necessary if one doesn't print much.

Thanks for the great distinction between color gamut and ips!!!
What monitors have a high color gamut and would be the best bang for the buck?
thanks!
Ben

Mar 03, 2013 at 05:01 AM

15Bit
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p.2 #6 · Is a IPS/Pro monitor is necessary if one doesn't print much.

photosenior wrote:
Thanks for the great distinction between color gamut and ips!!!
What monitors have a high color gamut and would be the best bang for the buck?
thanks!
Ben

I think Dell are just replacing the U2410 now, so getting one of the last of those would be pretty good value. Many folk here (inc. myself) have them and are happy with their performance.

Mar 03, 2013 at 08:04 AM

RDKirk
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p.2 #7 · Is a IPS/Pro monitor is necessary if one doesn't print much.

RustyBug wrote:
Late to the party ... but as a litmus test question, if you had to choose between color gamut and ips ... I'd choose color gamut. To my way of thinking about it, Color Gamut is about how much of what you are able to see. IPS is about where you can be and still see what the monitor is showing.

I'd rather have a 95% Gamut without IPS, than a 72% Gamut with IPS ... IF I were concerned about color. IF I'm worried about viewing angle, then the IPS comes into play more. Of course, both are good to have, IPS isn't the tell all do all. Fortunately, it is possible to have both, and once I've got my workstation positioned ... viewing angle doesn't change much. Although in my laptop, the IPS is nice ... just wish I had more gamut to go with it ... someday.

Depending on what the specific ranges are, I'd rather have more consistency over viewing angle than a wider gamut. That's because i shoot for print and printers have a smaller gamut than darned near any respectable monitor. So the greater opportunity for error will be with inconsistent viewing angle.

Mar 03, 2013 at 05:08 PM

RustyBug
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p.2 #8 · Is a IPS/Pro monitor is necessary if one doesn't print much.

+1 @ different strokes for different folks.

I just used 95% and 72% as example. I've seen some IPS monitors with specs as low as 60% gamut. Just something to be aware of, not saying one is better than another for all applications, but IPS alone doesn't guarantee you're getting what you want/need.

Some people feel IPS is the mark of a good monitor and is a "must have", but that doesn't by itself always hold true.

Mar 03, 2013 at 06:24 PM

boingyman
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p.2 #9 · Is a IPS/Pro monitor is necessary if one doesn't print much.

Interesting to read. Thanks for peoples input since I hope to get a new computer and monitor this year.

Mar 04, 2013 at 07:55 PM

Bifurcator
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p.2 #10 · Is a IPS/Pro monitor is necessary if one doesn't print much.

Yeah, AFAIK IPS isn't about gamut... it's more about viewing angle. IPS typically means that you don't have to be hyper conscious about the position of your head when trying to determine proper WB, brightness, and contrast by hand. I don't think IPS has anything to do with gamut specifically.

I'm also going to take a leap here and say gamut isn't important almost at all. I have a XPS-12 laptop that's IPS with an extraordinarily low gamut and it's awesome. I have another IPS which is rated in the 90's and I can't tell any differences... In fact if anything the XPS-12 looks a lot better. Some trusted friends of mine have both told me now that the biggest waste of money they ever spent on equipment was in purchasing wide-gamut monitors. Both (independently) say there's just no difference - or at least not enough to be humanly detectable. (again, according to them). I used a wide-gamut monitor in the past for awhile myself but it was too long ago to remember enough to comment on anything accurately. I thought it was great... but maybe I was looking at the brand-name logo when those thoughts occurred.

I guess the specs that matter the most are actual bit depths (i.e.. as long as it isn't 6-bit), the back-lighting type, the viewing angles, and the contrast levels it can produce. On the later it's good to be cautious as I've had several people tell me that the manufacturer stated contrast ratios are very often just total BS. Where you're supposed to get accurate specs I dunno but that's something to consider I guess.

Mar 04, 2013 at 11:44 PM

bboule
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p.2 #11 · Is a IPS/Pro monitor is necessary if one doesn't print much.

I have one of the U2410 monitors from Dell and it's been great.. I'd almost be tempted to buy another one to have 2.

I have tons of experience with the Dell TN & H-PVA, etc.. monitors that are cheaper than the U2410, I'm a software developer and have had at least 2x24" monitors for many years now at work and often at home.

The reason Dell is still shipping the U2410 is the newer U2412 is not as good of a monitor for photographers. The U2410 has a Cold Cathode ray tube which gives it the good uniformity and wider color gamut. The U2412 switched to an LED backlight.. it made it cheaper, it will use less electricity and warm up faster, and it meets the consumer buzzword bingo.. but it won't have the same color performance. IIRC it is not even rated as a wide gamut screen. The U2410 is also 16:10 ratio like Ultrasharp monitors were for years, the 2412 switched to 16:9 which is not as good for almost any work usage IMO. (They switched because it means they can buy an HDTV panel instead of having to get a more expensive dedicated monitor panel.)

Grab the U2410 at a good price while you can.

For me a good monitor is very important.. TN & PVA monitors can introduce some really crazy bugs that would be maddening for photography. We all see the uniform color shifts when moving your head but sometimes they can be much more subtle and bizarre and really screw you up. I've seen some amazing images where major portions of a composition will completely disappear when moving your head. Once you have seen this kind of stuff you will not want to use a cheaper screen if possible.

I know it sounds unbelievable but one of the example images I saw was a tree frog on a branch. On an IPS screen you saw there were 2 leaves out of focus in the background. On a TN/PVA screen you could not see one of the leaves unless you moved your head *off axis*. If you were sitting right in front of the monitor it was invisible!

That 29" 21:9 Dell monitor is quite something.. almost like a replacement for 2 x smaller monitors it's so wide!

Mar 18, 2013 at 11:14 PM

Mescalamba
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p.2 #12 · Is a IPS/Pro monitor is necessary if one doesn't print much.

I have old Eizo with S-PVA screen, 10-bit HW LUT.. simply some bells and whistles. It was kinda expensive, but its absolutely great. Never regretted that for a moment.

I would say that good monitor is important, especially those which spare your eyes.

Otherwise for printing its obvious. I didnt use it that much for this, but with color profile from printing lab I got pretty much exactly same colors on printed photo as I saw on my LCD.

For web use I think that quite important might be 100% sRGB coverage and accurate one (profiled).

As for view angles, I guess its about price, no issues with mine. Maybe just a little bit of off center crush, but thats all.

Mar 18, 2013 at 11:53 PM

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