NEC LCD2490WUXi-BK or Apple 23"

[Benjamindaines]

Which monitor would your recommend for professional-level photography? This NEC or Apple's 23" Cinema Display? The specs on the 2 displays are almost the same, but what worries is that NEC lists their display has having "more than 16 million" colors and Apple lists theirs as 16.7 million, so you don't actually know if they are equal or the Apple has more. Also they both have the same resolution, I know that the NEC being 24 inches will have a less sharp picture than the Apple display, but the NEC is a 16:10. Whereas the Apple is 16:9, so in my mind it would make sense that things wouldn't appear round (more egged) on the NEC. Any advice?

 

[timestamp]

They both use IPS panels, the NEC is simply newer and has better specs overall. As far as colors you will be getting more produced with the NEC,as it has a 12-bit LUT (Lookup Table) and it covers more of the sRGB color gamut as well. So you shouldn't be worried in the least about the NEC.

The extra inch won't make much of a difference in terms of the dot pitch. Unless you really want the Apple look, go for the NEC in my opinion. Wait for Macworld though.

I am actually still trying to decide what to do in the 30" arena. I am hoping Apple gives us an update at Macworld. If not, i am not sure what I will do.

 

[dante@sisna.com]

They both use IPS panels, the NEC is simply newer and has better specs overall. As far as colors you will be getting more produced with the NEC,as it has a 12-bit LUT (Lookup Table) and it covers more of the sRGB color gamut as well. So you shouldn't be worried in the least about the NEC.

The extra inch won't make much of a difference in terms of the dot pitch. Unless you really want the Apple look, go for the NEC in my opinion. Wait for Macworld though.

I am actually still trying to decide what to do in the 30" arena. I am hoping Apple gives us an update at Macworld. If not, i am not sure what I will do.

I agree with Timestamp.

If you do pro photography and reproduce your photos via SWOP or inkjet print you will have to "tame down" the higher gamut of the NEC in order for your screen work to match your printed out. This is not a big deal. Plan on spending $150 to $200 for a calibrator.

Apple's Gamut is less than the NEC and more resembles SWOP out of the box. However, if you are concerned with using as much of the S-RGB gamut that your camera is capable of -- say for web or broadcast reproduction -- the NEC is a better choice.

I have this issue between my ACD 30 and my HP LP3065. I prefer to keep multiple displays around -- high gamut ones for my web and broadcast work, and lower gamut ones for the print jobs I do. I even keep an older Mitsubishi 23" CRT around to simulate an older SWOP press at Taylor Publishing. This CRT is the only monitor I have that can represent the strange gamut of that old press.

Again, Timestamp is right on. Just adding more beans to the chili.

Dante

 

[supercooled]

Dante and Timestamp in equilibrium. *checks hell to see if it has frozen over*

Seriously, I don't know anything about gamut/LUT or what have you because I'm just an average user. I would give the nod to the Apple display if you're the same and high gamut, colour reproduction isn't paramount.

Timestamp, let's hope Apple at least drops the price of the displays tomorrow if they do nothing to introduce a replacement. I am in with with the 30" but I'm not sure if I want to stare at another Dell logo for much longer.

 

[timestamp]

Dante and Timestamp in equilibrium. *checks hell to see if it has frozen over*

Seriously, I don't know anything about gamut/LUT or what have you because I'm just an average user. I would give the nod to the Apple display if you're the same and high gamut, colour reproduction isn't paramount.

Timestamp, let's hope Apple at least drops the price of the displays tomorrow if they do nothing to introduce a replacement. I am in with with the 30" but I'm not sure if I want to stare at another Dell logo for much longer.

I am glad you are fine with admitting what most people around here to find silly. I don't think I could stand to stare at an ugly black monitor every day with my Mac Pro sitting under the desk.

Besides that the 30" Dell (3007WFP-HC) doesn't impress me. The 3007WFP has a myriad of issues, and while the Apple has some I would rather play the exchange game with Apple than Dell. The price recently increased as well, to $1399 so the difference isn't much.

The 3008WFP also has its problems, and frankly now that I have a bigger place and LCD TV I have no need for the inputs. When I sit at my computer I want to work, not play 360 or anything else. Plus, the thing is $2000 (you can get it cheaper by calling Dell and getting the right person.)

I know at the end of the day saving X amount of dollars won't override my displeasure of having an ugly monitor on my desk. I also know that the 30" ACD is a great display, albeit in need of an update.

Heres to hoping for an update tomorrow. Even a silent spec bump would do it for me, although I think that is less likely as they would have done something like that with the Mac Pro. At this point I think it is redesign and/or addition of iSight and remote or nothing.

 

[Wild-Bill]

Timestamp is BANNED?

What did he do?

 

[macgruder]

Which monitor would your recommend for professional-level photography? This NEC or Apple's 23" Cinema Display? The specs on the 2 displays are almost the same, but what worries is that NEC lists their display has having "more than 16 million" colors and Apple lists theirs as 16.7 million, so you don't actually know if they are equal or the Apple has more. Also they both have the same resolution, I know that the NEC being 24 inches will have a less sharp picture than the Apple display, but the NEC is a 16:10. Whereas the Apple is 16:9, so in my mind it would make sense that things wouldn't appear round (more egged) on the NEC. Any advice?

They are essentially both similar panel.
The ACD uses the LG.Philips LM230W02 (S-IPS)
and I think the NEC uses LG.Philips LM260WU1 (H-IPS)

S-IPS are the best. H-IPS I think is identical but just a coating so prevent purple in black at very oblique viewing agents.

I suspect that the NEC is perhaps a little better but then it is more expensive. The ACD is about the best display you can get for the money.

 

[BDK1022]

Which monitor would your recommend for professional-level photography? [but the NEC is a 16:10. Whereas the Apple is 16:9, so in my mind it would make sense that things wouldn't appear round (more egged) on the NEC. Any advice?

Are you sure about that? I don't know too much about the Apple monitors, but I find this hard to believe.

 

[dante@sisna.com]

They are essentially both similar panel.
The ACD uses the LG.Philips LM230W02 (S-IPS)
and I think the NEC uses LG.Philips LM260WU1 (H-IPS)

S-IPS are the best. H-IPS I think is identical but just a coating so prevent purple in black at very oblique viewing agents.

I suspect that the NEC is perhaps a little better but then it is more expensive. The ACD is about the best display you can get for the money.

Thanks for the info on H-IPS -- I always wondered how it differed than S-IPS.

Dante

 

[macgruder]

Thanks for the info on H-IPS -- I always wondered how it differed than S-IPS.

Dante

Well, it would be useful info if I were confident that it was correct

Of course, it's Wikipedia but it does tend to be pretty good for tech stuff. I can't really tell if it's just coating or not but the difference doesn't seem to be major

IPS
IPS (in-plane switching) was developed by Hitachi in 1996 to improve on the poor viewing angles and color reproduction of TN panels. Most also support true 8-bit color. These improvements came at a loss of response time, which was initially on the order of 50ms. IPS panels were also extremely expensive.
IPS has since been superseded by S-IPS (Super-IPS, Hitachi in 1998), which has all the benefits of IPS technology with the addition of improved pixel refresh timing. Though color reproduction approaches that of CRTs, the contrast ratio remains relatively weak. S-IPS technology is widely used in panel sizes of 20" and above. LG and Philips remain one of the main manufacturers of S-IPS based panels.
AS-IPS – Advanced Super IPS, also developed by Hitachi in 2002, improves substantially on the contrast ratio of traditional S-IPS panels to the point where they are second only to some S-PVAs. AS-IPS is also a term used for NEC displays (e.g., NEC LCD20WGX2) based on S-IPS technology, in this case, developed by LG.Philips.
A-TW-IPS – Advanced True White IPS, developed by LG.Philips LCD for NEC, is a custom S-IPS panel with a TW (True White) color filter to make white look more natural and to increase color gamut. This is used in professional/photography LCDs.
H-IPS – Released sometime late 2006, was the H-IPS panel which is an evolution of the IPS panel which improves upon its predecessor, the S-IPS panel. The H-IPS panel can be seen in the NEC LCD2690WUXi, Mitsubishi RDT261W 26″ LCD, Planar PX2611W[2] and Apple's newest Aluminum 24" iMac.
So to sum up, the pros/cons of the H-IPS over the S-IPS:
Pros:
Much less backlight bleed.
No purple hue visible at an angle
Backlight bleed improves looking at an angle
Less noise or glitter seen on the panel surface (smoother surface)
Cons:
Still some backlight bleed in areas that are green.
Viewing angles may have sacrificed in order to improve pros.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-IPS#IPS