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CRT or LCD?

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I'd probably get one of the Lacie electron blue CRT monitors.

As I understand it, CRTs produce more consistent, reliable color in differing lighting conditions. For the same money, you can get a much better CRT than an LCD. And I'm happy with my current CRT (Viewsonic pro series), and have a big enough desk for it.
TargetSu said:
I was wondering what is the best monitor for colour reproduction?
What would you buy if your current monitor died?
--
Paul S.
Canon EOS 10D

http://www.pbase.com/paulsurette

'Friends don't let friends shoot Nikon.'
Click to expand...
--
http://imageevent.com/merritt
 
We have 2 LaCie electron blue 19" monitors here in the office and let me say they suck, one of the worst crts I have ever used. my 4 year old sony multiscan E400 is 10X better.

If you want a quality CRT monitor get a sony or eizo.
 
generalizations from some tests done with an Apple Cinema Display:

CRT's are capable of darker blacks, but if you've got a lot of ambient light in your viewing environment that advantage is kind of mitigated. But theoretically those darker blacks means you've got more dynamic range with a CRT, especially if you're willing to turn out the other lights in the room when you're doing critical judgement work. LCD's, on the other hand, are usually set up to drive a bit brighter than the CRT so they're a bit nicer in normally-lit rooms. LCD's do have a problem with off-axis viewing - though the issue is very dependent on which LCD you're talking about. The cinema display is quite good at maintaining color fidelity off-axis but you'll still see blacks begin to wash out and eventually invert as you move away from straight-on. The color gamut of the two is fairly similar. LCD's are also much more stable in terms of color calibrations since the only real change you get is the backlight decaying over time. But this is over a really LONG time period so the net result is that you probably don't need to calibrate your LCD nearly as often as you do a CRT.

Also, these tests were to look at the two relative to theatrically projected film so the deep-blacks of the CRT were important. For print it may not be nearly the same issue since the dynamic range you can get on a piece of paper is a LOT less than that.

-rh
bee1000 said:
As I understand it, CRTs produce more consistent, reliable color in
differing lighting conditions. For the same money, you can get a
much better CRT than an LCD. And I'm happy with my current CRT
(Viewsonic pro series), and have a big enough desk for it.
TargetSu said:
I was wondering what is the best monitor for colour reproduction?
What would you buy if your current monitor died?
--
Paul S.
Canon EOS 10D

http://www.pbase.com/paulsurette

'Friends don't let friends shoot Nikon.'
Click to expand...
--
http://imageevent.com/merritt
Click to expand...
 
purchase any reasonably "decent" CRT display. I've spend 25 years designing CRT and LCD displays - trust me, you can't go wrong with a good CRT display for digital photography applications. The G series Viewsonic CRT displays will give you a LOT of bang for the buck.

Regards,

Joe Kurkjian, Pbase Supporter

http://www.pbase.com/jkurkjia



SEARCHING FOR A BETTER SELF PORTRAIT
 
Spent tons of hours researching and though LCDs are getting better, until now, nothing reproduces colors (especially dark areas) as well as CRTs. Used to have a Viewsonic G series and was not bad for the price, but since I wanted top quality, went with Lacie. Its unfortunate that the other poster had that experiece with his 19" monitors. I have been in the graphics arts industry for the last 10 years and the top service bureause use either Barco monitors or Lacie, but for the price, Lacie cannot be beat. I have used my Lacie ElectronBlue IV 22 for over a year and no issue whatsoever. Big, but nice ;-)

--
Just trying to learn! Equipment listed in my profile.
 
this is one case in which I think bigger is better :-)

TargetSu wrote:
--
Troponin (Trop)
Spooky's motto: 'You can run, but you only die tired'
 
Off axis not an issue, brightness great, blacks are a challenge. If you go LCD, absolutely positively go DVI - do NOT use VGA. The sharpness of DVI is stunning and once you see a VGA LCD, you can clearly and easily see the difference. Things looks for in LCD:

1) Brightness/Contrast Ratio
2) Off axis performance - both L to R and up & to down
3) The refresh rate - important for DVD viewing
4) Don't skimp on the video card; 64 MB or more

Awesome advantages of LCDs:

1) Flat screen
2) Little or no heat generated
3) Great definition (assuming DVI signal)
4) Small foot print, easy to move

Things that aren't so awesome...

1) The black can be issue in a dark, dark room
2) Tend to see a spot-light effect coming from the edges
Hard to explain, you need a totally black screen in a dark room
and you'll see what I'm talking about
3) DVD movie performance may have some ghosting:
Usually worse with VGA inputs
The pixel refresh rate is the key

Finally, price on LCD is very high compared to CRTs. Go as big as you can afford and make sure it has DVI inputs - even if you don't use them today, it ensures future use-ability.
 
My CRT is dying a slow death and I'm getting...another CRT.

I've done lots of research and tried playing with images on a few LCDs at work, but no matter how much I wish LCDs were up to the task, everything seems to look much better on a CRT.

Rumor has it you can get exceptional LCDs that are as good or better than CRTs, but they tend to cost several times more than a comparable tube. So unless you are fabulously rich, I strongly suggest a CRT like the LaCie ElectronBlue.

If you insist on an LCD, a lot of people seem to like Apple displays (which I think can be made to work with a PC as well). They are nice, but I wasn't blown away.
TargetSu said:
I was wondering what is the best monitor for colour reproduction?
What would you buy if your current monitor died?
--
Paul S.
Canon EOS 10D
http://www.pbase.com/paulsurette

'Friends don't let friends shoot Nikon.'
Click to expand...
 
Most people seem to think LaCie displays are very good. What don't you like?
FocusOnMe said:
We have 2 LaCie electron blue 19" monitors here in the office and
let me say they suck, one of the worst crts I have ever used. my 4
year old sony multiscan E400 is 10X better.

If you want a quality CRT monitor get a sony or eizo.
Click to expand...
 
The only LCDs I have seen recommended for photo work are the Sharp L-T1820 and L-T2020. Both are over $1000.

Bob Sheldon
Derekasaurus Rex said:
Rumor has it you can get exceptional LCDs that are as good or
better than CRTs, but they tend to cost several times more than a
comparable tube. So unless you are fabulously rich, I strongly
suggest a CRT like the LaCie ElectronBlue.

If you insist on an LCD, a lot of people seem to like Apple
displays (which I think can be made to work with a PC as well).
They are nice, but I wasn't blown away.
TargetSu said:
I was wondering what is the best monitor for colour reproduction?
What would you buy if your current monitor died?
--
Paul S.
Canon EOS 10D
http://www.pbase.com/paulsurette

'Friends don't let friends shoot Nikon.'
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
When I wrote "you can get exceptional LCDs that are as good or better than CRTs, but they tend to cost several times more than a comparable tube" I should have indicated that I was talking about 1600x1200 displays. By comparison some 1280x1024 displays are priced quite reasonably.
Derekasaurus Rex said:
My CRT is dying a slow death and I'm getting...another CRT.
I've done lots of research and tried playing with images on a few
LCDs at work, but no matter how much I wish LCDs were up to the
task, everything seems to look much better on a CRT.

Rumor has it you can get exceptional LCDs that are as good or
better than CRTs, but they tend to cost several times more than a
comparable tube. So unless you are fabulously rich, I strongly
suggest a CRT like the LaCie ElectronBlue.

If you insist on an LCD, a lot of people seem to like Apple
displays (which I think can be made to work with a PC as well).
They are nice, but I wasn't blown away.
Click to expand...
 
TargetSu said:
CRT or LCD? I was wondering what is the best monitor for colour reproduction?
What would you buy if your current monitor died?
Click to expand...
As for a great CRT, many have mentioned the LaCie blue screens as well as some of the better Sony screens. At work we have many 21-22" CRTs. Some LaCie, some Sony G-series, and some Viewsonics. The thing is, there is much variation from individual to individual. Can't say that brand A is better than brand B, although the Viewsonics definitely are the worst.

Some of the LaCie-screens are great and some have never been so (unsharp from day one, got it "fixed" under the on-site warranty, but little did it help). The best screen we have at work is a Sony G520, but another Sony G520 is definitely worse than the best LaCie screen we have. Another Sony screen, a G500, is really one of the worst screens we have.

My Apple 21" Colorsync Display (CRT) here at home puts all the screens we have at work to shame. Of course the screens at work get used many hours a day while mine at home gets to rest for the biggest part of the work-days. Aging is definitely an issue with CRT's! Plus there seems to be great variance from individual to individual even while the screens are new, no matter what brand.

If you want CRT-quality color reproduction in a flat panel screen, the price is high. I have seen this screen in action and it definitely is a great screen: http://www.eizo.com/products/graphics/cg21/index.asp .

I have also written a bit on the subject (flat-panel displays for photo-editing) here:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1018&message=8536825

Also, check out my post a couple of lines down from that one.
--
Olaf

I come from a flat land of horizontal sunlight and horizontal rains...

 
Yes CRT's are large, heavy, and use more power than an LCD.

But even the highest level LCD's still have their limits when dealing with color dynamic range, especially dealing with shadows.

When I have done side by side comparisons of photos blown up to 500% in Photoshop performing touch ups, the LCD's just blur the pixels.
My CRT's are sharp enough to manage even the smallest pixels during edits.
This is important to me, but may not be an issue for you.

I currently use a 19" Sony Trinitron for my left edit and a 19" ViewSonic for my right pallets with a dual head Matrox Video card.
I callibrate with Spyder Pro with Optical... The setup Rocks...
In some cases an LCD will do the job and they are easier on the eyes.

But until somone comes out with a better flat screen (NOT LCD's will never get that good) I will stick with CRT's.. I am hopeful that Flat screen technology will improve in th enear future.
Regards.
Vaughn
TargetSu said:
I was wondering what is the best monitor for colour reproduction?
What would you buy if your current monitor died?
--
Paul S.
Canon EOS 10D

http://www.pbase.com/paulsurette

'Friends don't let friends shoot Nikon.'
Click to expand...
--
Vaughn T. Winfree
Friends Don't Let Friends Shoot Film :)

pBase supporter http://www.pBase.com/vaughn
 
Vaughn T.Winfree said:
CRT's Still Rule.
Click to expand...
[...]
Vaughn T.Winfree said:
In some cases an LCD will do the job and they are easier on the eyes.
But until somone comes out with a better flat screen (NOT LCD's
will never get that good) I will stick with CRT's.. I am hopeful
that Flat screen technology will improve in the near future.
Click to expand...
You reallly should have a look at this one, and you just might have to eat your hat:
http://www.eizo.com/products/graphics/cg21/index.asp

Eizo, who have been providing uncompromising (and expensive) screens for the graphics market for years, has discontinued all their CRTs - that's how good their graphics TFT-screens are...
--
Olaf

I come from a flat land of horizontal sunlight and horizontal rains...

 
I have a pair of Mitsubishi 19" 930 SB, and I'm more than happy. It's a flat screen CRT. It'll handle 1920 x 1440. I use it almost exclusively at 1600x1200. I did the most basic calibratiion testing, adjusted it slightly, and compared it with my print results, and I'm very happy.

I think I paid $330 or so at Microcenter brick and mortar store, but I think you can get them through Microcenter.com too.
 
You are quite right here. Unless you are have big budget go for a CRT, the LaCie's are great, buy the BlueEye Calibrator with it, LaCie makes special offers on the bundle. I will personaly go for the 22".
The only LCD's that I found acceptable for true color management are following.
Eizo CG21 ( http://www.eizo.com/products/graphics/cg21/index.asp )
Eizo CG18 ( http://www.eizo.com/products/graphics/cg18/index.asp )

Barco Coloris Calibrator line ( http://www.barco.com/prepress/en/products/product.asp?gennr=1356 )

Have myself an Apple 23" Cinema Display. Sharp, stable, works great with EyeOne Calibrator but .... ONE YEAR GARANTY !!! Shame on you Apple !. This should be also a point in your decision I guess. LaCie, Eizo, etc are giving 3 Years garanty.
My two cents.

I know
Derekasaurus Rex said:
Rumor has it you can get exceptional LCDs that are as good or
better than CRTs, but they tend to cost several times more than a
comparable tube. So unless you are fabulously rich, I strongly
suggest a CRT like the LaCie ElectronBlue.

If you insist on an LCD, a lot of people seem to like Apple
displays (which I think can be made to work with a PC as well).
They are nice, but I wasn't blown away.
TargetSu said:
I was wondering what is the best monitor for colour reproduction?
What would you buy if your current monitor died?
--
Paul S.
Canon EOS 10D
http://www.pbase.com/paulsurette

'Friends don't let friends shoot Nikon.'
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
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