Alan321 Offline Upload & Sell: Off
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Ben, there are pros and cons with using high dpi monitors, whether or not they are 4k. Luckily, the cons are gradually being addressed by the software authors.
Pros include:
1. Photos look like photos with no visible gaps between pixels and no discernible shape to the pixels. This makes it easier to assess capture sharpening without being influenced by the pixel grid at low dpi.
2. More of the photo fits on the screen
3. It makes a better slide show photo display tool.
4. It allows you to use a physically smaller screen, which I find is a great advantage when wearing glasses because my depth of field is too small to be using big screens comfortably.
Cons include:
1. Everything looks smaller. This can be a real problem with text and icons. It is mitigated somewhat by using reading glasses, if they are already required. It is also mitigated by using your 2690 monitor for viewing Office documents and general Windows stuff.
2. The further away you get from 96dpi the more problems you will have some software. 96dpi is standard for Windows. 100dpi or 110dpi is standard for some browsers.
3. Small photos, such as you see posted here on FM, look more than a bit too small.
4. It is harder to see the finest details, but what you do see is free of pixelation. Also, if you had to enlarge the image on-screen even by as much as 2:1 then it is still the equivalent of 92dpi, which is about the same as your 2690 monitor (89dpi).
It is quite possible that the EA monitor will not even allow 10-bit input, let alone more than 10-bit internal processing. That's not a huge problem now but it's something you might miss in a few years if Adobe and MS get their acts together and support 10-bit output properly. On the other hand, the EA is probably a lot cheaper than your 2690 was and replacing it in a few years will not be as painful.
I'm pretty disappointed with NEC's lack of info about the EA UHD monitor. It's as if they don't want to sell any of them to photographers.
Now, in terms of previewing one of these monitors, the closest you are likely to get at a local computer shop is a 216dpi MS Surface Pro 3 or 4 screen, or a 220dpi MacBook (Pro) Retina screen. Both have a glossy surface and the Retina screens show some ghosted reflections of ambient highlights. The matte screens work much better in my opinion.
Younger people with good eyesight will wonder what the fuss is about with high dpi because they can adjust focus easily and therefore adjust seating position and viewing distance easily without losing focus on the screen content. All of that goes out the window when your eyes get older and less flexible. I used to be fine with 90dpi but not anymore. 140 dpi or thereabouts is my bottom limit these days but it's not easy to come by without going to 32" 4k screens or 15-17" 2k screens.
- Alan
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