4k Monitor for photo editing yes or no (1 Viewer)

[Taxboy]

I'm looking to upgrade to a 27" monitor for photo editing - I don't do video.
Looking for recommendations please on whether to go for a 4k version or not.

My online research has left me confused with some saying it makes it difficult to assess sharpness with 4k whilst others claiming anything other than 4k is old tech.

Any plain language advice appreciated

 

[njlarsen]

I have a 32" 4k monitor and do not feel it is difficult to view whether it is sharp. I bought it mainly for being future proof: my camera is 4k video capable and I don't know if I will start using that. If you are 100% sure you will not use video, then 4k might be overkill for you.

One thing to look out for is whether the monitor is intended for gaming with all sorts of color adjusting software built in. I actively avoided that because I feel it would make it much more difficult to judge colors correctly.

Niels

 

[Mono]

One possible problem with 4k monitors is program scaling. Most current programs will scale their menus and dialog boxes to suit but some older programs will not making them appear very small. It is usually possible to run them in compatibility mode but this may not be possible with printer and scanner dialog boxes. It is worth a quick Google to see if anyone has had problems with a particular version of a program and 4k scaling.

 

[mummymonkey]

I would get a 4K panel for sure.
I buy & evaluate a lot of IT equipment for local government and for CAD, mapping and image creation 4K is a no-brainer.

 

[Taxboy]

I have a 32" 4k monitor and do not feel it is difficult to view whether it is sharp. I bought it mainly for being future proof: my camera is 4k video capable and I don't know if I will start using that. If you are 100% sure you will not use video, then 4k might be overkill for you.

One thing to look out for is whether the monitor is intended for gaming with all sorts of color adjusting software built in. I actively avoided that because I feel it would make it much more difficult to judge colors correctly.

Niels

Thanks for that I can't ever see me getting into video though. I'm looking at IPS monitors with Adobe RGB colour space

 

[Taxboy]

I would get a 4K panel for sure.
I buy & evaluate a lot of IT equipment for local government and for CAD, mapping and image creation 4K is a no-brainer.

I would only use it for photography so does 4k make a difference here please

 

[mummymonkey]

I would only use it for photography so does 4k make a difference here please

Yes. I was including photography under "image creation" really.
For the issues described above by Mono we've not had any that couldn't be fixed by changing the High DPI scaling settings:



Maybe you could get a look at one or two units before buying? (Not always possible I appreciate)

 

[Mono]

For the issues described above by Mono we've not had any that couldn't be fixed by changing the High DPI scaling settings:

I agree this can solve most things but a problem I have had is with printer and scanner dialogs. One cannot access such DPI settings for printer dialogs and I can recall a particular printer whose many fancy options were inaccessible because the scaling is all wrong.

 

[jlacasci]

I agree this can solve most things but a problem I have had is with printer and scanner dialogs. One cannot access such DPI settings for printer dialogs and I can recall a particular printer whose many fancy options were inaccessible because the scaling is all wrong.

I highly recommend the Eizo Cs2740. I spent weeks reviewing monitors for superior color accuracy, quality, internal color lookup table. I don't do video but still went with the 4k. The monitor is truly amazing. This monitor combined with the i1 display pro for calibration is a dream.

 

[Figge]

I highly recommend the Eizo Cs2740. I spent weeks reviewing monitors for superior color accuracy, quality, internal color lookup table. I don't do video but still went with the 4k. The monitor is truly amazing. This monitor combined with the i1 display pro for calibration is a dream.

No matter what you buy, you have to colour calibrate it. I agree. Also check the colour gamut (basically the number and distribution of colours the monitor is able to display) of the monitor you intend to buy. As high as possible. Eizo is good stuff. Gaming monitors are rarely (acually never) optimized for good colour rendition.

If you print yourself, make sure your printer matches what you see on your screen.

I am retired now but earlier I was involved in these matters. Maybe I am spoiled, but I am used to professional standards.

 

[Taxboy]

Thanks for the replies. I forgot to say budget was £500 ish so no Eizo I'm afraid ☹️
I'm considering the Benq SW 270 which is pretty much Adobe RGB but not 4k. I understand there are other 4k monitors around my price point but don't have the full Adobe RGB. Is there a point on the colour gamut above which you get into diminishing returns ? For example would a 4k with say 80% be a good compromise ?

 

[jlacasci]

No matter what you buy, you have to colour calibrate it. I agree. Also check the colour gamut (basically the number and distribution of colours the monitor is able to display) of the monitor you intend to buy. As high as possible. Eizo is good stuff. Gaming monitors are rarely (acually never) optimized for good colour rendition.

If you print yourself, make sure your printer matches what you see on your screen.

I am retired now but earlier I was involved in these matters. Maybe I am spoiled, but I am used to professional standards.

I've been a photographer for a long time. I don't do it professionally any longer but have in the past. Figge is 100% correct on calibration and the color gamut. Eizo is known to be one of the best in the industry. You get what you pay for. If you send your prints to a professional lab, you should be able to obtain ICC profiles to soft proof your images. Basically, this just means that with the lab's profile installed on a properly calibrated monitor, what you see on the monitor is what the prints will look like. If you have a quality photo printer at home, you may want to opt for a spectrophotometer (this will profile your monitor and paper) rather than a colorimeter which only does displays and projectors. In my opinion, x-rite is a leader in this area and has recently split off this part of their business to Calibrite. They have 3 options for colorimeters and 1 for spectrophotometers.

Joe

 

[Taxboy]

I've been a photographer for a long time. I don't do it professionally any longer but have in the past. Figge is 100% correct on calibration and the color gamut. Eizo is known to be one of the best in the industry. You get what you pay for. If you send your prints to a professional lab, you should be able to obtain ICC profiles to soft proof your images. Basically, this just means that with the lab's profile installed on a properly calibrated monitor, what you see on the monitor is what the prints will look like. If you have a quality photo printer at home, you may want to opt for a spectrophotometer (this will profile your monitor and paper) rather than a colorimeter which only does displays and projectors. In my opinion, x-rite is a leader in this area and has recently split off this part of their business to Calibrite. They have 3 options for colorimeters and 1 for spectrophotometers.

Joe

I don't disagree at all with what you say but sometimes the cash isn't there. The Benq gets good reviews as being a very good Eizo substitute and with a calibrator plus paper profiles from the manufacturers I'm hoping to remove colour issues from printing...still got to get the shot correct in the first place 😁

 

[Figge]

Thanks for the replies. I forgot to say budget was £500 ish so no Eizo I'm afraid ☹️
I'm considering the Benq SW 270 which is pretty much Adobe RGB but not 4k. I understand there are other 4k monitors around my price point but don't have the full Adobe RGB. Is there a point on the colour gamut above which you get into diminishing returns ? For example would a 4k with say 80% be a good compromise ?

I do not know that monitor, and I am not updated on the latest offerings. It used to be true that you should avoid TFT panels and look for IPS panels in order to get better colour rendition.

By the way, I now notice that this post is quite old!

 

[Taxboy]

Oh gosh I hadn't realised how old it was

 

[jlacasci]

Oh gosh I hadn't realised how old it was

Yikes, I didn't realize how old this thread was either. However, I did a quick search on BhPhotovideo for 27" photo editing monitors with 99% Adobe and 99% sRGB under $800 and these three showed up. All are IPS one is 4K, and all are a bit above your price range (closer to 750- 800 US.)

Best Monitors For Photo Editing | B&H Photo Video

Shop B&H's in stock, large inventory for fast shipping, great service and everyday low prices on Best Monitors For Photo Editing. For more info, please call 800-947-4415

www.bhphotovideo.com

Joe

 

[Figge]

Yikes, I didn't realize how old this thread was either. However, I did a quick search on BhPhotovideo for 27" photo editing monitors with 99% Adobe and 99% sRGB under $800 and these three showed up. All are IPS one is 4K, and all are a bit above your price range (closer to 750- 800 US.)

Best Monitors For Photo Editing | B&H Photo Video

Shop B&H's in stock, large inventory for fast shipping, great service and everyday low prices on Best Monitors For Photo Editing. For more info, please call 800-947-4415

www.bhphotovideo.com

Joe

Seems to be very good suggestions. Apart from a wider color gamut, IPS panels have two more advantages. Higher contrast and quite important with large monitors: much better viewing angles. The colors stay correct also when you look at the picture edges.

 

[njlarsen]

I have a BENQ AQ-color monitor and happy with it. Mine is 4k because I wanted to be able to do that level video if I ever decide to (my camera has 4k capability). BENQ makes a lot of gaming monitors with built in dynamic color optimization which means that you never know what you will get and a few that are meant for actual PC work on images, make sure your choice is one of the latter and not one of the gaming monitors.
Niels