KLambar Loc: New Jersey

I went with ViewSonic VP2768-4K PRO Professional 27 Inch 4K Monitor with 100% sRGB Rec709 14-bit 3D LUT Color Calibration for Photography and Graphic Design.

RJI

One way to look at the cost of a monitor is to consider longevity. If you keep a monitor for ten years (not unreasonable in my experience), then a monitor is a very minor part of your operating costs. Also, I use pneumatic monitor arms. I bought them so I could get desk monitors closer (old eyes) without losing desk surface. Just like moving to multiple monitors, once you have them you can't imagine doing without.

Sidwalkastronomy Loc: New Jersey Shore

Is this comment really necessary?
I though anyone could post a legit question without a nasty comment. Go troll someone on Twitter and act like a gentleman. Your comment just rude and uncalled for. That's my 2 cents

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088BC5HMM?ref=emc_p_m_5_i&th=1

16:10 gives you additional screen real estate. 16:9 makes you THINK you're not wasting screen when watching movies. (It really doesn't matter... It's a personal preference.)

edrobinsonjr Loc: Boise, Idaho

chrissybabe Loc: New Zealand

You will be hard pushed to find a reasonably priced 16:10 monitor as everyone seems to be going for HD picture size. And watch for monitors that don't allow swivel and height adjustment due to price cutting. For a time I made good money out of selling addon height adjustment stands.

Hip Coyote

PDC is apparently unaware that this is a forum where fellow photographers help each other out with such questions as this! It’s interesting that in a previous post he was asking for advice on what firmware updates do. One could have responded just like he did on this post...to think for yourself. Moving on:

My only advice is that I recently purchased a 27 inch iMac. I returned it for a few reasons. The main one was that in the Apple OS the menu bar is always at the top of the screen. If an active window is reduced in size the menu bar is still at the top of the screen. So, that required the user to look at the open window and then look all he way to the top of the screen. With a screen that large and sitting close to the screen at a desk, it was a chore. ...

coullone Loc: Paynesville, Victoria, Australia

Not True you can put it on any of the four sides.
I purchased a Viewsonic VS3111-4K-mnd which I can switch between my 2019 Mac Mini and my 2006 Mac Pro. This cost me just over $500 Australian
Most work done on the Mini these days but scanners set up on Mac Pro and it also has 7 TB of Hard disk for my 65 years of photos from a Kodak Brownie 127 to my Canon EOS RP. I am a photo hoarder and have copies of 95% of all photos I have ever taken!
One of these days must get rid of a lot of rubbish.

Martin,

Paynesville, Victoria, Australia on the beautiful Gippsland Lakes

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

With a 27" monitor, "wide" 16:9 format monitors are fine. If you consider 24", I recommend the less rectangular 16:10 format because it allows more room for "tools panels" in LR and PS.

That being said, if you can stretch your budget a wee bit more, the BenQ SW240 24" monitor is probably your best option at $369 (free shipping from B&H... plus tax? depends upon where you live). This is an IPS panel with 10-bit color (1 billion + colors) that's 99% Adobe RGB and 100% sRGB... all great specs for a photo editing monitor. It also happens to be a 16:10 format.

I'm very impressed with BenQ monitors and will probably be getting one in the not-too-distant future to replace my aging monitor. They do make 27" and even 32" for photographers, but the prices are well above your budget. But the BenQ 27" SW2700PT (16:9) is the next step up at $599. There's an even more full featured 27" SW270C at $800 and a larger, full featured BenQ 32" SW321C that's 4K resolution but almost $2000 (which I'll be buying as soon as I win the lottery). All these do include a shade that normally sells for around $100-$150, which the above SW240 lacks. That's a very nice accessory to have, protecting the monitor from ambient light that can affect color rendition, brightness, contrast, etc. It's especially helpful to shade a monitor in variable ambient light conditions, which are difficult to calibrate for, due to the constant changes in the lighting. (Might be able to find a shade elsewhere... I made one for my current monitor out of matte black, 1/2" foam board, some gaffer tape and Velcro fasteners... cheap, but works fine.)

If you don't already have it, you also should budget for a calibration suite. The most affordable and basic of those are the Datacolor Spyder X Pro and the X-Rite i1 Display, either of which sells for around $170. To get the best out of any monitor, it needs to be properly calibrated both for brightness and for color rendition. Plus, both these change gradually over time as the monitor ages, to it should be re-calibrated every so often. (I do it every month or two.) Right out of the box, all monitors are too bright for proper photo adjustment. This causes the user to make their images too dark without realizing it. Further, monitor color rendition needs to be optimized to give best results. A calibration suite (hardware and software) comes with a colorimeter "puck" device that takes readings directly off the screen, first helping you set an accurate brightness, then running a series of color tests from which it produces a color profile that's applied to the monitor to fine tune its color rendition. It's a relatively quick, easy process that makes a big difference, especially noticeable if you make prints from your images. In fact, if you do much printing the calibration suite will eventually pay for itself in savings of wasted paper and ink.

Some monitors also might require you to install a graphics card in your computer, if you don't already have one. These "daughter" cards have their own dedicated processor and RAM, accelerating the handling of graphics and allowing larger, more demanding monitors to be used on the computer.

There are many other brands of monitors out there... but most are not designed with photography in mind. They are set up for offices or gaming. You will have trouble finding a 27" monitor in your price range that has the necessary color fidelity, contrast and sharpness that are needed for photography. There are a lot of websites that list "best computer monitors for photographers" and might be worth your time. I find it interesting that at least one BenQ monitor is on every list... and some list two or more of them.

Some examples:
https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/buying-guides/best-monitors-for-photographers
https://www.techradar.com/news/best-monitor-for-photo-editing
https://www.creativebloq.com/buying-guides/best-monitors-for-photo-editing
https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-monitors-for-photo-editing
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/best-monitor-for-photo-editing/
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/buying-guide/best-monitors-for-photographers
https://expertphotography.com/best-monitor-for-photo-editing/
https://www.adorama.com/alc/best-monitors-for-photo-editing/

Note, check manufacturer websites for more info about specific monitors that interest you, but don't look to them for recommendations since they will only recommend their own. None of the above links are to manufacturer sites. Also take retailers (such as B&H and Adorama) with a grain of salt. As authorized dealers of various brands, they tend to recommend one from each to give a fair showing to each brand they carry, so may skip over some other good options.

Whatever brand you consider, look for the following...

- IPS or "in-plane switching" type of panel, considered the best for photography because it offers the widest color range.
- 100% sRGB, 99% Adobe RGB color gamut.
- 10-bit color (1 billion+ colors) is ideal. 8-bit color (16.7 million colors) isn't as good, but can be used.
- Refresh rate doesn't need to be all that high for photography. 60hz is plenty. (Gaming monitors often boast faster refresh rates, at a cost.)
- Response time also doesn't matter for photography. (Again, some gaming monitors are especially fast, at a cost.)
- 1000:1 contrast ratio or higher. This affects how close to pure black and pure white the monitor can render (although no monitor can do either truly purely).
- In a 27" 16:9 monitor look for 2560 x 1440 resolution (high definition). In 24" 16:10 it will be 1920 x 1200.
- 4K monitors have even higher resolution, but cost more. You also may need to change software settings so labels and tools won't be too small.
- A matte finish screen is ideal, reducing reflections and rendering colors most accurately. Possibly less eye strain, too.
- Look for a sun shade (even if not using it in the sun), but these can be bought separately and added later.
- Some monitors, mostly very expensive ones, have built in calibration devices.
- Look for up front controls to adjust brightness, contrast and color rendition.
- Some people like a monitor that can rotate from horizontal to vertical orientation. (I've had two monitors that can do that, but have almost never used it! )
- With smaller monitors, a 16:10 format can be helpful when working in lot of photo editing software. With larger ones, a wider 16:9 can be fine.

coullone Loc: Paynesville, Victoria, Australia

You can put the menu bar where you want it and have been able for at least 18 years! I keep mine on right side on my old 16:9 screen buy bottom on my Current Viewsonic VS3211-4K 32 inch.
It is entirely up to you. I believe that Windoze allows you to do the same.

Sidwalkastronomy Loc: New Jersey Shore

Windows allows you to move it. I did accidentally and had to Google it to fix it