Sling

Monitors IPS or TN looking for some advice on them. I am sure I can get some good advice from our UHH members.
My monitor is going bad. It’s a 5 year old Dell . I it looks like some of the LED’s are going out. I thought Monitors were all the same for Gaming and Photo Editing. I found out that is not the case. I do play gaming on line and photo editing as an advance hobbyist. My first choice for a monitor would be for Photography. I did read some on line and they indicate that an IPS for photo editing and TN for gaming. Is there one that is suitable for both?
I have been looking at the View Sonic VX2478 SMDH and the VP2468 for Photo editing , and the XG2401 for gaming. I read that the Response time should be below 5ms and Hz above 60 and 144Hz is good for gaming. IPS (In Plane Switching ) and TN ( Twisted Nematic ). I guess the Dynamic Contrast Ratio range 80,000,000:1 - 20,000,000:1 the higher 80m:1 is better.
When I look at a photo on my Monitor I want it to look like the picture I took and edit it and down load it to a flash drive to be printed. I want the print to come out the way I edited it.Not getting that now.There is something that I am missing to achieve that. Trying to get advice before I make a purchase and I think the Monitor is the first step. I have PS Elements 13. I Will up grade to a new Photo Editing and Video Editing Software . Corel Paint Shop Pro X9 , Light Room. or not sure.
Thank You for your advice.
Sling.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

For photography I prefer an 8 bit display, IPS, for standard gamut. 1920x1280 is more than adequate. For color critical work I like a 10 bit display, or an 8 bit that uses FRC to simulate a greater bit depth for wider gamut. If you go wide gamut and greater bit depth, then you'll need either an NVida Quadro or an ATI FirePro graphics card so you can use the 30 bit color option in Photoshop. Of course, you would purchase a display profiling tool. Spyder is fine unless you get a Dell 2413 or similar, which has a programmable LUT. The Xrite i1 Display Pro at around $225 would be the right choice there.

WayneT Loc: Paris, TN

I have two of these and absolutely love them. They are bright sharp and have excellent color. I use them extensively for photo post production and they have worked out extremely well. For the price I haven't seen anything else that much better.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0148NNKTC/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

We have two of these IPS monitors in the house - Dell 2717HX. Good monitor and good price. Amazon is not selling them directly right now.

https://smile.amazon.com/Dell-SE2717HX-RVJXC-Full-Monitor/dp/B01LXTK4T6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1489235738&sr=8-1&keywords=dell+2717hx

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Here's a very good monitor, if cost is no object.
EIZO ColorEdge CG318-4K 31.1" DCI 4K Hardware Calibration IPS LCD Monitor 4096x2160
--Bob

BebuLamar

Good monitor is good for both but I think for gaming you need monitor with fast refresh rate. For photo you need accurate color.

THaupt

I am in the medical monitor business, and deal with the IPS / TN question a lot. First, there are many variations of TN, and definitely not all created equal. On paper, the specs look great: super fast response times, super high contrast ratio. But you will not be looking at a spec sheet, and in general the viewing angles and color reproduction of even the best TN panels are inferior to any current IPS panels.

Not all IPS is created equal either, but for any photographic application, definitely the better choice. The contrast ratios are good, and the response times are not a problem for gaming (small chance you will be bothered by any smearing - these are used for critical medical imaging such as MRI, cardiac studies and angiography, where speed is a definite consideration).

Actually the contrast ratio numbers are mostly fabrications and don't indicate front-of-screen performance well. The black levels of IPS are fine.

The prices of IPS are very close to TN, so in direct price comparison is little difference. Just purchased two 21" FHD Lenovo IPS for $85 each. But consider the new 4096x2160 monitors too, as these will provide 4x the screen resolution (get a larger size of course, such as 30-32 inch). The prices are reasonable on these now for what you get, which is room for several high resolution photos or documents on screen at once. The prices will continue to reduce significantly through 2017 and beyond.

SusanFromVermont Loc: Southwest corner of Vermont

Gene, I have a question [as usual!]. I have a Dell U2713HM monitor. I know that LUT is a "lookup table" and has something to do with managing color. I suspect that this is what the calibration device is affecting, is that right? My question is why you recommend the Xrite over the Spyder? I do have a Spyder and it does seem to make my photo printing more accurate, but sometimes I wonder!


Sling, from the way you phrased your question, you undoubtedly understand Gene's answer better than I do. My technical understanding is of limited depth...

However, I can speak to the rest of the problem! A good monitor is definitely the place to start. And, in my opinion, it should be large enough to see down to the fine details. Mine is a Dell Ultralite 27", which I find very good. Might have gone a bit larger or to a two-monitor system, but my space is limited. And even a good monitor will need periodic calibration, so that is another item you will want to purchase.

If you like PS Elements, consider getting the Adobe CC subscription, which includes both LR and PS. LR CC has some good editing functions that are quick and easy to use [or you can take more time if you want], and is a great Cataloging tool. And PS CC has a lot more features/capabilities to offer than Elements. The transition to PS should be easy since you already understand how it works. In addition, with the subscription, you will always have the latest version, no extra charge. These two programs are designed to function together, so moving from LR to PS is simple. And when you save your image in PS, it is saved to the folder on your HD and LR is automatically able to read it. If you are used to ACR and want to continue using it, it is there, but with LR you do not need it.

Hope this helps.

johneccles Loc: Leyland UK

Whichever monitor you choose it must have IPS, this is a must for photo editing.

Billy Bob

Try HDTV I

Billy Bob

Try HDTV it works great for me. I have 3 32" HDTVs and 27" monitor, I like the TVs better. Use them for photo work only. Yes I have 4 PCs I use most days.

Billy Bob

Its not the monitor its your graphics card.

The Watcher

Here's an article that will give you a better understanding of monitors.

https://www.slrlounge.com/what-is-an-ips-monitor-understanding-ips-displays/

asiafish Loc: Bakersfield, CA

I have an older 24" Eizo ColorEdge; FANTASTIC monitor. The thing weighs a ton and has hardware color calibration capability (I use an EyeRight X1 calibrater tool).

Color accurate, but more importantly it has true blacks and whites. I shoot with a Leica M Monochrom and true blacks are difficult to see with other monitors.

Sling

All good information.
Looking up all the information. Never knew about the Eye right and Spyder color Monitor Calibration tool. I Will do more research on this also. Looks like I will may go with a 27"+ on more Monitor. Monitor vs TV. will look into this also. Graphics card will check this out also ( Nvidia G Force 1080 or AMD Radeon Rx or R9. Will up grade PC this year to. 2 TB hard drive.
I am like a rat looking for cheese and trying not to get caught in a trap . Photo Shop CC Light Room monthly, May go that route. Can you down load to more than one PC without an extra charge? The links are good information.
Thank you all for the feed back.