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Archive 2015 · What’s the difference NEC UHD VS PA monitors

  
 
ben egbert
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · What’s the difference NEC UHD VS PA monitors



Obviously the two are different size and resolution, so I want to know if there are any other major difference, specifically wide gamut. Both show aRGB at 99.3% are called AH-IPS. But the PA is labeled wide gamut while the UHD is not. Also the PA says GB-R LED backlight while the UHD is LED backlight. Bothe come with SpectraviewII.

I currently have the NEC LCD 2690WUXi.and Spectraview II

My interest is for a much higher pixel density to more closely match my 50 mpix camera files. This is why I am looking at the 24 inch version of the 4K monitor rather than the 32. I do not want to give up wide gamut.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=1006642&gclid=CNaWwJTr7ckCFYMDaQodC4IP-g&Q=&ap=y&m=Y&is=REG&A=details

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=1006642&gclid=CNaWwJTr7ckCFYMDaQodC4IP-g&Q=&ap=y&m=Y&is=REG&A=details



Dec 21, 2015 at 04:08 PM
Peter Figen
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · What’s the difference NEC UHD VS PA monitors


Both of your links appear to point at the same monitor.


Dec 21, 2015 at 07:45 PM
ben egbert
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · What’s the difference NEC UHD VS PA monitors


Sorry, try this for the UHD model

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1098693-REG/nec_ea244uhd_bk_sv_24_4k_uhd_multisync.html



Dec 21, 2015 at 08:33 PM
Alan321
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · What’s the difference NEC UHD VS PA monitors


The PA has only 109ppi vs 185ppi for the EA

According to the specs posted by B&H both have wide gamut covering most of Adobe RGB plus a bit extra.

The PA is bigger but has fewer pixels.

I suspect that the EA does not have the same 14-bit internal processing engine as the PA, which would be a pity, and yet it still covers Adobe RGB and has uniformity compensation. Maybe they don't go together on the EA. I don't know. NEC specs don't mention bit depth at all for the EA but make a big thing of it for the PA.

On balance I'd go for the EA because I really like the higher ppi a lot for viewing large photos and 24" is a very comfortable size. However, I wear glasses nowadays and they magnify the screen a bit. You'd still have the old 2690 monitor if you wanted the lower ppi for viewing normal Windows stuff.

- Alan

P.S. Reality check: No screen matches 50Mpx while displaying every pixel. UHD is only about 8Mpx, so the extra physical size of 27" vs 24" does not offer much, while the higher ppi of the EA monitor is a significant gain because the individual pixels are less apparent when viewing stuff at 1:1.



Dec 22, 2015 at 12:13 AM
Peter Figen
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · What’s the difference NEC UHD VS PA monitors


I think you have to be careful what you wish for in terms of screen resolution. With every increase in screen pixels, the image when viewed at a specific percentage gets smaller, and even thought that sounds like a great thing, unless you have excellent ultra closeup vision, you might end up missing the finest details in your file. You'll end up having to enlarge the image to 200 percent or more just to see the pixel level details. I think my CG277 runs at 2560 for a 27 inch screen, and that seems like a great place to be with reading glasses. If you're considering an ultra high res screen, you should probably take a bunch of files to a store where you can try before you buy.


Dec 22, 2015 at 01:21 AM
ben egbert
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · What’s the difference NEC UHD VS PA monitors


My vision is terrible, like Mr MaGoo, but I can see my screen fine without glasses, just not something 20 feet or further away.

Here's the deal, a 50mp image at 100% is very soft on my 2690, it's the same as printing at 90 inches wide. It gives a false impression that the image is soft. You also see a very small section of the image.




Dec 22, 2015 at 10:43 AM
ben egbert
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · What’s the difference NEC UHD VS PA monitors


Alan321 wrote:
The PA has only 109ppi vs 185ppi for the EA

According to the specs posted by B&H both have wide gamut covering most of Adobe RGB plus a bit extra.

The PA is bigger but has fewer pixels.

I suspect that the EA does not have the same 14-bit internal processing engine as the PA, which would be a pity, and yet it still covers Adobe RGB and has uniformity compensation. Maybe they don't go together on the EA. I don't know. NEC specs don't mention bit depth at all for the EA but make a big thing of it for the PA.

On
...Show more

I wonder how it compares to my 2690 in terms of bit depth. I will see if I can find the specs.



Dec 22, 2015 at 10:46 AM
ben egbert
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · What’s the difference NEC UHD VS PA monitors


Looks like the 26090 is only 95% ARGB versus 99.3% for the the newer models. I can't find bit depth other than 12 bits for gamma. It also has a lower contrast ratio.

So it appears that either monitor will be better than my old one.

I am a bit concerned with text size and how non photo processing viewing looks. I don't have space for a two monitor set up.

I will also need to upgrade a video card and am not sure my power supply will support that, so I may need to wait for a new computer.




Dec 22, 2015 at 01:05 PM
Doug Goldberg
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · What’s the difference NEC UHD VS PA monitors


Just moved from a 2690 to the new Dell 3216 (31.5", 4K). I think 4K works only when sufficient screen size is available. A 27" is a tad small for 4K IMHO. The Dell is >99% ARGB and has an internal LUT ect like the NEC. It uses an XRite provided software app for cal with I1 Pro. Really, really, really nice....


Dec 22, 2015 at 01:34 PM
ben egbert
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · What’s the difference NEC UHD VS PA monitors


why do you need such a large monitor? I am looking for DPI here, and it's not even 27 but 24. I would not have a chance to try one out around here. What are the specific issues?



Dec 22, 2015 at 02:29 PM
Tony Ross
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · What’s the difference NEC UHD VS PA monitors


I don't know for sure, but I suspect the big difference is that the PA monitor can be hardware calibrated using Spectraview, but the other one can't.

The ability to be calibrated makes a big difference when using a monitor for photo editing. If you can afford it, I'd recommend you get the PA monitor.



Dec 22, 2015 at 02:52 PM
ben egbert
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · What’s the difference NEC UHD VS PA monitors


Actually they both come bundled with Spectraview.


Dec 22, 2015 at 03:09 PM
Alan321
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · What’s the difference NEC UHD VS PA monitors


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



Dec 22, 2015 at 07:56 PM
ben egbert
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · What’s the difference NEC UHD VS PA monitors


Thanks Alan. First off, I probably only have 5 more years or so with Photo Editing, so the next monitor will probably last that long.

What you say in Cons 1 and 2 are the most disturbing. And of course the problem that I may need a computer upgrade to make this jump. In that case, I would make the jump first and put a 4K on the back burner. Also, I have no reason to upgrade half way. It's 4k or stick with the 2690 which while old is still working fine.

Small photos, as seen here, especially landscape where they still enforce 850 is already an exasperation. I view my own images at 1920 and almost as large as a print. I print 16x24 or 16x29. The 850 versions never look as good.

For me another advantage I anticipate is that the 100% views will appear much sharper and it will help me with sharpening, although I have greatly reduced sharpening already. But at 90 or so dpi, things like edge and corner sharpness fall off is greatly exaggerated, while in print they may look fine.




Dec 22, 2015 at 08:57 PM
Charlie K.
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · What’s the difference NEC UHD VS PA monitors


Ben, I just took delivery of my Pa 322UHD and all I can say is wow. I have a 5DS and the files look amazing on the new monitor without sharpening. I did have to use the scaling option of Win 10 to get acceptable text for web browsing and some programs. On day one I was not sure it was the right choice for me, but after a few days, things just looked right on. Some of the images on FM do look smaller and OOF images look really bad. You will need a good graphics card to power the 4k resolution no matter the size of the monitor ( 24"- 32" ). You may want to open your case and look at the power supply and PCI bus to see if your current machine can accept a newer graphics card. In the end if you can support 4k I don't think you will be disappointed with the larger monitor over the smaller as long as you have the space.


Dec 23, 2015 at 08:45 PM
ben egbert
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · What’s the difference NEC UHD VS PA monitors


I asked that question a few months back and even showed a picture of the inside of the case. The verdict was I needed a new power supply. I think they said I could get a graphics card I will need to look it up. But I sort of concluded then that I probably needed a computer upgrade.

I am in a quandary, my Epson 3800 also needs replacement. so I need to decide, computer and monitor, or printer. Or do I even want to do anything. I sometimes feel like I am about at the end of photography, but that could just be a wintertime thing.

Link to old thread, I need to reread it.

https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1384133/0



Dec 23, 2015 at 11:31 PM
Charlie K.
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · What’s the difference NEC UHD VS PA monitors


I went back and read your previous post and think this should work in your case.
EVGA 02G-P4-3753-KR G-SYNC Support GeForce GTX 750 Ti Superclocked 2GB 128-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 Video Card
I am not sure what your machine preferences are but for the price of a good monitor, graphics card and power supply you could get a new 5k IMAC. The newer ones start at 1799.00 for a 27". Just food for thought as I run dual systems and could go either way for editing photos and printing.



Dec 24, 2015 at 09:39 AM





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