# Monitor Recommendations



## Tim Gilp (Nov 7, 2020)

Hi all . I have just purchased a MacBook Pro 16” and it’s fantastic but I really need a larger screen ( 23” minimum ) to get the best out of it with light room . I don’t really  want to pay a fortune and just wonder if anyone has a recommendation ? It only has thunderbolt ports - no USB so not sure if that makes a difference on the recommendation!


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## BarrySchwartz (Nov 7, 2020)

I have a 27" BenQ SW 2700, which I think ran around $600.  They have even better ones, now.  While it's been a great monitor, it's best not to use the calibration software that comes with it - really terrrible.  X-Rite is what I use, and it's great and very solid.  As for the Thunderbolt ports, Other World Computing makes great docks, and I've found those to be super helpful.  Lots of other reputable companies make docks, as well.  Those Thunderbolt ports are also USB-C, and adapters are easily available, so you'll still be able to connect just about any peripheral you need.


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## Tim Gilp (Nov 7, 2020)

Thanks Barry. Is the quality any different whether you connect with a thunder bolt port or through an HDMI cable or doesn’t it make any difference ?


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## BarrySchwartz (Nov 7, 2020)

It makes no difference, and adapters for the computers will also manage it, including Thunderbolt to HDMI.


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## Tim Gilp (Nov 7, 2020)

Thanks Barry. I have an adapter which has USB, HDMI, SD card and Ethernet ports but doesn’t actually have a thunderbolt port inbuilt . That goes into one thunderbolt port on the laptop but there are three others I can attach a screen to via a USB C cable or use the HDMI Port on the adapter. But no difference in quality whichever I choose ? You are so helpful thank you !


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## Replytoken (Nov 8, 2020)

What is your budget, how large of a gamut do you want your monitor to display, and will you be calibrating your monitor?  22'-27" monitors make up a large portion of the market, and might want to establish your criteria beyond just cost.  For additional examples, is a 16:9 ratio sufficient, or do you want the extra space of a 16:10 monitor?  Do you need speakers or ports?  Is 1080 enough resolution?  Do you want an IPS panel?  Do you prefer LED backlighting?  Lots of options are available at lots of price points, even in the mid-range.  And, as you are in the UK, what brands are available?  People often want to save money on a monitor, but it is one piece of equipment that can easily outlast your computer, and it is your eyes to your work.  You do not need to spend a fortune, but if you have ever used a nicer quality screen, you come to appreciate what it can offer.

Good luck,

--Ken


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## Tim Gilp (Nov 8, 2020)

Thanks so much for this . Many of the questions you have posed I haven’t even thought about but it did prompt me to look at a more specialist local company that supply all manner of computer equipment and monitors . It looks like I can get something like. 25” BenQ 1080 high definition  IPS monitor which seem to be very well regarded . They are £250.00 which is within my price range . In the final analysis I am not a professional photographer but an enthusiastic amateur so even putting criteria together I find challenging. ! I have a 23” iMac which is six years old  at the moment which I think looks fine but it hasn’t got the right connections for my MacBook ( or that’s what I am told !) any thoughts ?


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## Conrad Chavez (Nov 8, 2020)

Replytoken said:


> People often want to save money on a monitor, but it is one piece of equipment that can easily outlast your computer, and it is your eyes to your work.  You do not need to spend a fortune, but if you have ever used a nicer quality screen, you come to appreciate what it can offer.


Yes. A display for photography is like speakers for an audiophile: They’re where you want to reproduce the full quality the media, so they must be up to the quality of everything that’s connected to it.  Let’s see how your 16" MacBook Pro display stacks up in the areas that are important:

Color accuracy: Pretty good factory calibration, but profiling it yourself might improve it.
Color gamut: Wide gamut P3
Working area: By default, 1792 x 1120 pixels (at 2x pixel density), unless you selected something else in the macOS Displays system preference
Physical size: 16" diagonal
Pixel density: 226 ppi (Retina, 2x pixel density)
So what you want is a desktop display that’s up to the task of photography and at least as good as the MacBook Pro display.
Barry's SW2700 is a good choice:

Color accuracy: Reviews of the SW2700 say the factory calibration is very good, profiling is almost optional. Supports hardware calibration, which is better than just profiling, and this is a rare feature you won’t find on most other displays out there.
Color gamut: Wide gamut Adobe RGB, similar to P3
Working area: 2560 x 1440 pixels, so you can spread out your work a bit more than on a laptop display.
Physical size: 27" diagonal
Pixel density: Probably around 109 ppi (1x pixel density)
So the SW2700 is somewhat comparable to the MacBook Pro display in the ways that are important. It’s wide gamut with good color performance. But where they differ is that the $600 display is only half the pixel density (109 ppi vs 226 ppi, respectively). To me, that’s acceptable: Color accuracy is more important than pixel density, so if the budget doesn’t allow for a display that is both color-accurate and Retina-class pixel density, pick color accuracy. My MacBook Pro is connected to an NEC SpectraView that is comparable to the SW2700.

The SW2700 is considered an unusually good value at $600, because displays with its color quality and feature set typically cost over $1000. BenQ does sell color-accurate displays with 2x (Retina) pixel density if you really want that, but they start at $1099.

What are you going to get for a lot less than $600? Something not quite comparable to the MacBook Pro display:

Color accuracy might not be as good, profiling will probably be necessary to make it perform well for photography.
Color gamut will probably be sRGB, not wide gamut.
Working area could be bigger than the MacBook Pro, if the display is more than 1920 x 1080 at 1x pixel density. (A 4K display is 3840 x 2160, which is the same working area at 2x pixel density.)
Physical size will be bigger than 16", so that part should be an upgrade.
Pixel density will not be comparable to the MacBook Pro unless it’s 4K.
Hopefully this helps you focus on what’s important to you on a budget.


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## Tim Gilp (Nov 9, 2020)

https://www.ebuyer.com/918873-benq-...MIhNfwv7v17AIVSrTtCh2jnQdvEAQYASABEgLKMvD_BwE
does this one look good Conrad ? The 2700 is over £600 in the UK but this one looks to have a pretty good spec and cheaper than other sites .


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## Conrad Chavez (Nov 9, 2020)

Tim, that display looks like it could work well on a budget, as long as you know what you're getting. It’s designed and marketed as an HDR/gaming display; those usually aren’t preferable because features like HDR10 and high refresh sync don’t help current photography applications like Lightroom. But after skimming a few reviews of it, the reasons I think it might be a good choice on a budget are:

Wide color gamut (P3, like your MacBook Pro)
4K, 3840 x 2160 at 140 ppi, which makes it Retina-class for a desktop display, again a good match for your laptop.
That leaves color accuracy. The test results at RTings and Tom’s Hardware speak positively about its color accuracy out of the box except for the image being slightly warm/red. Both review sites said that user calibration can resolve that, resulting in very good color accuracy.

It seems like a better-than-average choice. You might not use the HDR10 and gaming-oriented Freesync features (Lightroom won’t), the viewing angles seem limited, and it lacks some of the high-end features of the BenQ SW series (which a lot of people don't even use). But what I saw in the reviews indicate the EW3270U should probably perform well enough for photography.

Only thing is that the reviews are about the EW3270U, not the EW3270UE. You might want to research if there are any real differences.


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## Tim Gilp (Nov 9, 2020)

What would I have done without you Conrad ? Thanks so much . The other one admittedly with a smaller screen size and a bit more expensive is the one below . Personally I am drawn to this as the reviews are excellent but have you a view ? 
BenQ SW240 Pro 24in IPS LCD Monitor | Wex Photo Video


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## Conrad Chavez (Nov 9, 2020)

That is a good example of where the trade-offs are.

The BenQ SW series, as we’ve said, uses pro level color display hardware covering the Adobe RGB color gamut. It is factory-calibrated very well, supports hardware calibration, has a panel with better viewing angles (I think), and has other advanced features for things like proofing and color management. But to reach its relatively low price, the one thing it compromised on was the pixel density. It’s 1920 x 1080 pixels, where the EW3270 is a 4K display with 2x the pixel dimensions. The pixel density does not affect color quality or ability to edit, the only difference is that text and images will look as they have on older displays, not as sharp as on high density (e.g. Retina or 4K) displays. If that’s OK, then you can consider the SW.

Here’s how I would approach this:

Are you curious about color to the point where you’d like to explore the possibilities and tweak the controls to get the best color you can? In other words, you feel like you will eventually want to “grow into” the additional color capabilities in the SW? If so, get the BenQ SW. This is the class of display that both of us in this thread use; mine is not a BenQ but it is comparable to the SW class.
Do you just want a good display that will work well enough for amateur enthusiast photography, you will never get around to fussing with color science details, and money is an issue? If so, get the BenQ EW.


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## mcasan (Nov 9, 2020)

Got used Dell UP3216Q.   Love a 32" 4K wide gamut monitor!


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## Ralf Bornat (Nov 11, 2020)

My recommendations are either the LG UltraFine 5K Display or LG 32UL950-W


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## donhudson (Nov 14, 2020)

Bit pricier - Viewsonic VP3268 - 4K


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## Norfolk Lad (Nov 18, 2020)

I see you have been looking at Wex for the BenQ 24 in monitor.  I looked at their BenQ monitors recently and then rang them.  Very helpful and knowledgeable person steered me to the Eizo CS2420 which is a bit more expensive but he said was a far better choice.  I was lucky to get a returned copy at a discount.  I see they are now awaiting further stock.


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