Thread

There is only so much time I can keep reading reviews of monitors which contradict each other.

I was looking at Eizo monitors but these are just too expenive.

So I have shortened down my list of 24” monitors to:

NEC 2470WNX
Dell UltraSharp 2408WFP
Apple 23”

I would appreciate some opinion.

Thanks chaps

apple displays are gorgeous. I am not as familiar with the others… but at some point in time you just have to click the button and be done with it. 😉

As Marcus says Apple monitors are absolutely fantastic. Admitted they are a little more expensive but I totally believe that you get what you pay for and I simply love Apple so believe in what I am paying for as I always keep all my Apple computers for at least 10 years before even contemplating finding them a new home.

10 years!!! wow… You have more patience than I do. I just got my mac book pro 1 or 2 years ago and I am already contemplating a new one. Not that this one is worn out or lacking (4G of RAM will help that). But I just get itching for the gadgets…

M.

apple displays are gorgeous. I am not as familiar with the others… but at some point in time you just have to click the button and be done with it. 😉

Therein lies the problem. Once you buy you’re still not done with it and have to look at your choice every day.

As the old knight in Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade said, choose wisely.

I, too, have been very happy with my multiple Apple Cinema Displays through the years (aluminum model). The new Apple LED model (more new displays expected soon) has so much glare that I’m seriously beginning to look at other displays. Apple seems more interested in mainstream commercial success (glossy vs. matte) than putting out displays for pros.

That’s funny I prefer the gloss over the matte….

That’s funny I prefer the gloss over the matte….

Which is why Apple goes there. Most users prefer gloss because, well, it’s glossy—colorful, attractive, bright, vibrant, a modern day digital version of the Kodachrome Effect. The glare can also be bad on the eyes.

I am looking into displays as well and I just can’t seem to bring myself to buy an Apple display. I am looking into LG right now (http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=32704&vpn=W2242T-PF&manufacture=LG Electronics) simply due to pricing.

I had the same problem a couple of months ago and I ended up with the Dell 2408WFP.

The main issue I had when I plugged it in was the massive change in colour rendition. It is so “colourful” it looks a bit false at first, but now I’ve been using it a while I just think everything else is a bit dull (all to do with the 110% colour gamut I understand).

I spent quite a bit of time sorting out the calibration and learnt a lot about colour profiles in the process.

So you need to check out design colour schemes on a few other monitors to make sure that you have made the colours strong enough.

I was put off the new Apple 24” because of the lack of connections (only a Display Port), whilst the Dell has just about every video connection invented. I have 3 computers connected to mine and can just cycle between them (Mac Mini, Macbook and a PC).

The main issue I had when I plugged it in was the massive change in colour rendition. It is so “colourful” it looks a bit false at first, but now I’ve been using it a while I just think everything else is a bit dull (all to do with the 110% colour gamut I understand).

Hence on of the problems with many of the new displays, particularly some of the backlit LED models. They’re, well, too “colorful.” The color looks so good, so saturated, so Kodachrome, that going to another display, even one with better calibration and more accurate color rendering, makes the difference astounding. I’ve noticed a lot of subtle color mixing to show up over saturated on the LED displays, Apple’s included.

My favorite display ever was the old clear plastic 23-inch Apple Cinema Display. LG and Samsung, as I understand it, are major suppliers to Dell displays, as they were with Apple’s former Cinema Display models. I don’t know who does the new LED models.

Thanks everyone.

Mark: I know many happy Apple users, but they have bought them many years ago. One large problem as I think Erin might know is that the Apple display is so old. Investing that much money in something that may be replaced in the morning is worrying. And the Apple 24”, even though it looks wonderful has glossy display that I do not really like.

Paul: I have heard of this problem with the Dell, but so many great reports on this monitor.

NEC still in the lead.

MarcusNeto: apple displays are gorgeous. I am not as familiar with the others… but at some point in time you just have to click the button and be done with it. wink

Button will be clicked some time tomorrow, as I am impatient.

I bought my Dell UltraSharp 2408WFP last week as a refurbished unit from a company listed on eBay, and it came with a three-year warranty. I like it quite a bit, but calibration is still an issue. This is a high-color monitor, which I assumed would be either favorable or easily tamed, but the default setting is too saturated across the board. I switched the built-in setting to sRGB, then ran an advanced calibration within my MacBook Pro. The results are fair but a tad washed out, with pure blue being too dark.

Now I’m considering buying a Spyder2 Express calibrator, which with the cost of the monitor is still much cheaper than a new Apple monitor.

This Dell looks nicer next to my MacBook Pro than I first thought it would (my desk is against a wall and I see only the front of it) and has more features than the Apple monitors do. Especially nice are the height adjustment and ability to rotate it to a vertical position very easily. Long web pages sit nicely at 1,920 pixels deep and 1,200 wide, and portraits are life-size.

We’ll see how future calibration goes, but since I haven’t been earning a living from freelancing just yet, the price and warranty suit my comfort level for now.

Steve C
Pretty much the same reaction I had when I switched it on. I got a Spyder 3 Pro to do the calibration, and whilst it is very saturated it looks good once you get used to it.

There seem to be some issues with the new Apple monitor and the DisplayPort connection. If you haven’t got a new Macbook you need conversion cables and they seem to be limited at the moment.

I’m looking at getting this one: http://www.benq.com.au/products/LCD/?product=1368
I can get it for about 300AUD.  Any thoughts?