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Best LCD for < $1,000?

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ryan909

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I just had a nightmare experience on ebay. Ordered a Samsung 214T that never shipped. Finally got my money back, but I wasted two and a half weeks dealing with this guy.

...anyways, on to the subject of my post:

I browsed many threads here and elsewhere, read reviews, and looked at specs for many different monitors before settling on the 214T.

My question is this: now that I have my money back, along with a second chance at a purchase, is there a better monitor out there for the money? (I can get one for around $650 - $700.) I'm willing to spend up to $1,000, but can't afford to go much higher than that. I prefer 21", but whether it's widescreen or 4:3 doesn't matter much to me.

I will be using this monitor exclusively for photo editing.

Thanks, in advance, for your responses. I value and trust the opinions of the members here, and I appreciate any help you might offer.

-Ryan
 
Thanks for the link. I've actually used that site quite a bit in my research.
 
Same guide recommended by lcdresource.com (previous poster.) Thanks, though.
 
I still haven't seen anything as good as the 214T in that price range.

Is anyone able to tell me otherwise with confidence?
 
These are professional monitors, DVI 21.5" 1600x1200.. with very thin bezels and great stands and are designed to be mounted in a single, double (up or down), triple, quad, etc, configuration using factory stands you can select from their on-line site.

I dont know about the VP2130's but they replaced the VP211b's which are fantastic monitors, far and away better than the Samsung/Dell/Sony stuff.. I currently have two workstations with 2 each VP211b's on double side by side stands and have been using them for 5+ years, back when they were almost 2k a panel. The new VP2130's I think are just over $600.. not sure.

There's nothing between these and the top of the line Eizo's price wise, but there are many below it.. and for good reason.

BKKSW
 
How does the Dell 2407 compare? I'd vote for that since I have the predecessor, the 2405. It's on sale now at $716. The 2405 uses a Samsung panel, don't know about the 2407.
 
exe said:
How does the Dell 2407 compare? I'd vote for that since I have the
predecessor, the 2405. It's on sale now at $716. The 2405 uses a
Samsung panel, don't know about the 2407.
Click to expand...
The Dell 2407 uses the same panel as the Samsung 244T, but I've read from several users that the 244T doesn't come close to the 214T for photo editing in terms of quality for some reason:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1004&message=18278168

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1004&message=18394710

...so one would assume the same would be true with the Dell version.
 
So you look at one review and that's it?

Exactly what is your criteria for a monitor? Did the review address your critieria or did yo assume their criteria and their little test is adequate for your needs? Just curious since most of these reviews are done with gaming in mind.. and don't really get into what makes a good image processing monitor.

Did you look at warranties? Viewsonics VP series comes with a three year warranty, how about the others?

The stand? Does it allow easy orientation from portrait to landscape or don't you care?

I haven't looked up reviews on the VP2130b because I don't need to buy a monitor right now.. but the model it replaced, the VP211b, did great in all of the "image processing" based reviews and pretty much stood out from the crowd. For sure they're miles ahead of the Dell FP's I've seen recently. I suppose the new model might not perform as well but that would be odd.. seeing it's got a few more years of technology behind it. Or maybe not, considering VP211b's originally retailed at over $2000.. and the new VP2130b retails at less than a third fo that. Perhaps they just made it cheaper.

It would seem worth while to check out some reviews from sites that use their monitors for image processing.. and prudent to consider the warranty, stand, and whatever else is important to you.

BKKSW
 
BKKSW said:
So you look at one review and that's it?
Click to expand...
Not usually, but in this case it seemed like enough.
BKKSW said:
Did you look at warranties? Viewsonics VP series comes with a
three year warranty, how about the others?
Click to expand...
The 214T also comes with a 3-year warranty.
BKKSW said:
The stand? Does it allow easy orientation from portrait to
landscape or don't you care?
Click to expand...
From what I have read, the 214T switches to portrait quite easily. I'm not a fan of the bulkier base of the VP1230b, and since the smaller stand of the 214T is more than stable enough, this is a slight point against the Viewsonic.
BKKSW said:
Exactly what is your criteria for a monitor? Did the review
address your critieria or did yo assume their criteria and their
little test is adequate for your needs? Just curious since most of
these reviews are done with gaming in mind.. and don't really get
into what makes a good image processing monitor.
Click to expand...
The red flag with the VP2130b (and the main reason I wrote it off so quickly) was the reviewer's comment regarding the grayscale:

"...there was an odd anomaly in one of the tests, indicating that there was a slight issue with the contrast: the darker grays were muted and the lighter tones brightened."

This might or might not be a big deal, but I edit a lot of B&W images (I shoot weddings), so this set off alarm bells for me.
BKKSW said:
It would seem worth while to check out some reviews from sites that
use their monitors for image processing.. and prudent to consider
the warranty, stand, and whatever else is important to you.
Click to expand...
Duly noted. I'll check out a few more reviews.

Admittedly, I have a bias towards the 214T because I've read so many stellar reviews in magazines, websites, and forums written by professional photographers who use it. So, in my particular case, I guess the burden of proof is on the rest of the field to show me a monitor that is significantly better.

Thanks for your comments.

-Ryan
 
I picked up the 214T a couple of weeks ago and I'm very pleased with it. It calibrated nicely with the eye one. I shopped around and picked it up at provantage.com. Only took a couple of days to ship. Good luck.
 
"Not usually, but in this case it seemed like enough. "

You must not need very much in the way of a monitor then. Samples vary quite a bit when it comes to monitors as do the testing methods. The review you linked was far from complete for image processing monitors and only included one sample of each in their testing. I normally read several reviews from different sources, make sure what's important to me is covered, and look for any inconsistancies.

"The 214T also comes with a 3-year warranty. :

That's good. Do they have a "hot repair" option? Viewsonic (mine were $29 I think when I purchased them) offers a 5 year extension complete with free shipping and a hot repair.. which means they'll ship you a new monitor (refurbished is a possibility) postage paid while you're still using your old one and a pre-paid shipping tag where UPS will come pick up the old one after you've put the old one in the new box.. I've used this once and it was really handy. My monitor didn't reach the luminosity level I was after, everything else worked fine, so they sent me a new one.. nice of them.

"From what I have read, the 214T switches to portrait quite easily. I'm not a fan of the bulkier base of the VP1230b, and since the smaller stand of the 214T is more than stable enough, this is a slight point against the Viewsonic."

Far bulkier? Ok.. I've never considered my stands bulky in the least.. but then they're in the closet and I'm using the dual panel stand from Viewsonic. Does the Samsung support a dual monitor stand? This is quite a bit better than two separate monitors side by side.. and less bulky...:)

"The red flag with the VP2130b (and the main reason I wrote it off so quickly) was the reviewer's comment regarding the grayscale:"

I see.. do you think the "odd anomaly" is the norm with all of them or perhaps unique to this specific sample? For sure I haven't seen this with the six VP211b's I have, but like I said I haven't researched their replacement the VP2130b.. I do know that Viewsonic's VP series is normally top flight and if I saw something inconsistant with that I'd look at some other reviews to verify it was a problem with the design and not that particular sample.

"Admittedly, I have a bias towards the 214T because I've read so many stellar reviews in magazines, websites, and forums written by professional photographers who use it. So, in my particular case, I guess the burden of proof is on the rest of the field to show me a monitor that is significantly better."

This might not be the best tact.. I'm also biased towards the monitors I've been using for quite a while now with great results.. but I'd certainly check out all the monitors available if going out to purchase six more panels again.. When I've read about the 214T the comment I hear the most is "for the money this is a great..." and I'm sure it is. The thing is I'm more interested in colour/image accuracy, a great warranty/return program, sample to sample consistancy, and the ability to use the dual/triple panel stands than I am saving a few bucks. Everyone has their criteria though..

Enjoy whatever you end up getting..

BKKSW
 
BKKSW said:
"Not usually, but in this case it seemed like enough. "

You must not need very much in the way of a monitor then. Samples
vary quite a bit when it comes to monitors as do the testing
methods. The review you linked was far from complete for image
processing monitors and only included one sample of each in their
testing. I normally read several reviews from different sources,
make sure what's important to me is covered, and look for any
inconsistancies.
Click to expand...
I've been looking for more reviews of the 2130b, but have been unable to locate any written by a graphics or photo professional. If you know where I might find one, let me know. You're right, though. The reviewer might have simply received a bad sample.
BKKSW said:
When I've read about the 214T
the comment I hear the most is "for the money this is a great..."
and I'm sure it is. The thing is I'm more interested in
colour/image accuracy,
Click to expand...
As am I, and I've read nothing but praise for the 214T in this regard. It uses the same LG PVA panel as one of either Eizo or LaCie's lower-end LCD's (although I can't remember which, off the top of my head.)
BKKSW said:
a great warranty/return program, sample to
sample consistancy, and the ability to use the dual/triple panel
stands than I am saving a few bucks. Everyone has their criteria
though..
Click to expand...
I'll be using it side-by-side with my CRT, so no dual stand capability is necessary for my purposes.

I have no doubt the 2130b is just as good as 214T, if not better. However, I recently found a 214T at a price that was far too low to pass up, so I bought it. It comes in tomorrow.

I'll let you know what I think after it has been calibrated.

Thanks again for your input.

-Ryan
 
I've had a 214T for about 4 months now and it's been nothing but superb. Highly recommended.

Make sure you figure-in the cost of a calibration system that will handle the LCD panel. I bought X-Rite's MonacoOptix, which was very easy and produced very accurate profiles.

There's also a great article over at Shutterbug magazine at http://www.shutterbug.net/equipmentreviews/software_computers/0506samsung/index.html that was very helpful to me.

Skip
 
Enjoy the Samsung..

Btw - My 50" DLP big screen is a Samsung.. I think they make the best DLP's on the market. I also have a big screen colour calibrater and puck from Spyder.. and profiling your big screen makes one hell of a difference.

BKKSW
 
Skip Williams said:
I've had a 214T for about 4 months now and it's been nothing but
superb. Highly recommended.

Make sure you figure-in the cost of a calibration system that will
handle the LCD panel. I bought X-Rite's MonacoOptix, which was
very easy and produced very accurate profiles.

There's also a great article over at Shutterbug magazine at

http://www.shutterbug.net/equipmentreviews/software_computers/0506samsung/index.html that was very helpful to me.

Skip
Click to expand...
I'm glad you're enjoying it.

I'm planning to purchase the EyeOne D2 for calibration (I've heard the colors on this monitor come extremely hot out right of the box). I've also heard very good things about the X-Rite. Do you know if there's a big difference in terms of quality between the two?

-Ryan
 
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