Good for photo editing? - Dell UltraSharp 2408WFP

[Truelight]

CNET rates this as their top LCD monitor --

http://reviews.cnet.com/lcd-monitors/dell-ultrasharp-2408wfp/4505-3174_7-32886455.html

I'd been thinking of getting my new Dell system with two smaller 19" monitors, but maybe I'd be better with this bad boy and then a cheap second 17" monitor for palletes, menus, etc.

I'm not a gamer, but do use my PC a -lot- for photo editing. Is the 2408FWP the way to go? Anybody have "eyes-on" experience with this monitor?

--
Rick
http://www.pbase.com/truelight

 

[M. Anthony]

I have the Dell 2408WFP and after calibration with the X-Rite eye One Display, I am very happy with this monitor.

I edit with CS3 and so far my printed images are very close to what I see on the monitor.

After many years of using CRT monitors inclucing 21" versions I am happy to report that this monitor is better than all the rest.

I looked at LaCie monitors and for the difference in cost the Dell 2408 is the better bargain.

M. Anthony

 

[rmlewis]

Hi

I have this monitor and am now pleased with it

They come overbrightened like a lot of monitors these days and you need to do a bit of work to get the right calibration. There are plenty of threads on this across the net.

It's not S-IPS but it still gives good output.

When I bought the screen it was a trade off between expensive S-IPS monitors or medium priced S-PVA panel.
--
Rob Lewis
http://www.broughttolight.com
http://www.pbase.com/rmlewis

'Being rich is having money; being wealthy is having time (to take photos).' Apologies to Stephen Swid

 

[bunyarra]

Yup - had this and was disappointed initially. But, after the latest Color Munki calibration s/w was loaded, it is giving excellent results. My r2880 and Dell screen are as close a match as I could wish - very happy indeed.

--
----------------------------------------------
Michael Gove
http://photosignals.smugmug.com

 

[Truelight]

I'm hearing good things about this monitor (provided it is calibrated). Where can I learn how to calibrate a monitor? Will I need to buy hardware/software? What will do a good job? Will I need a course in quantum physics before I attempt if?

And finally (brace yourself...) I -don't- use Photoshop, but rather Corel Paintshop Pro as my photo editing software. Is calbrating possible or even worthwhile for the non-PS user?

Thanks...
--
Rick
http://www.pbase.com/truelight

 

[M. Anthony]

My monitor, printer and CS3 are calibrated for Adobe RGB (1998).
This is the way I feel I get the largest color space for my printing.

Color calibration, software and printing are subjects that entire books deal with.

As for your software I know nothing about it. I wish I could I help answer your questions.

The X-Rite Eye One Display 2 is a hardware package with a colorimeter including software. If you research monitor calibration on Google the information will help you. Before I calibrated my Dell 2408 I had never done it before. It is not too difficult as the software walks you through the process.

Should you calibrate? If you want what you see on your monitor to be accurate and to match your prints I would say, yes.

Good Luck.

M. Anthony

 

[Jil]

So mine was delivered yesterday and I'm ready to get it calibrated, I have a good DTP94 device and ColorEyes Display Pro software.

From reading other threads, it is still unclear to me as to whether people are adjusting baseline settings (eg brightness, custom RGB at each channel) before calibrating. I think the brightness has to be manipulated to get the luminance down to the 100-120 range.

For you guys who are satisfied -- what was your approach? Mine will also be paired to a (new) R2880.

Thanks,

JT

 

[wklee]

I read that there are two versions of the monitor, one with the the original firmware A00 which has 4 steps of sharpness (25% increment) and a newer firmware A01 with 10 steps of sharpness (10% increment).

"The new firmware addresses:

1. Input lag.
2. Not coming out of standby with some video cards.
3. Changes the Sharpness settings to increments of 10 rather then 25."

http://en.community.dell.com/forums/t/19166732.aspx

The revision A01 Dell 2408s are out there but there's no guarantee which one you'll get.

Good Luck!
--
Never buy version 1.0 of anything.

 

[Suntan]

In that price range, I would get the HP L2475w before the Dell.

-Suntan

 

[DRG]

My personal monitor is an HP LP2475w. However, I recently ordered and installed the 2408wfp in my wife's office and calibrated it for her using ColorEyes Display Pro. The result was outstanding, with a very small Delta-E across the board.

Subjectively, the monitor is very pleasing, with good black levels and little light leakage. Filling the display with uniform gray or white does show a little bit of nonuniformity across the display but you don't notice this with normal viewing.

What I do notice and typically don't like about S-PVA monitors is the way that the deepest shadows tend to shift when you move your head from the sweet spot. Most colors are quite stable with S-PVA, especially compared with TN. However, the darkest 10% or so does shift. Details that are buried in black when staring straight on emerge from darkness when you move off center as if there's a slight gamma shift. This is why I prefer S-IPS despite the slightly lower contrast of such panels. I wouldn't avoid the Dell as a result, however, since it is inexpensive and does a good job if you know to judge the shadows from a single, centered location.

BTW, I was able to buy my LP2475w for a net cost of $408 by using Microsoft's Live search cashback in conjunction with eBay/PayPal. I found a vendor (TekWave) through this program and received the monitor in perfect working order (i.e. no fraud). So, it is possible to get an excellent S-IPS monitor for less than then Dell if you're willing to go through a few extra pains and catch Live Search cashback on a good day (the amount of cashback and the categories to which it applies seem to change periodically if not daily).

David

 

[DaveIsHere]

Anyone have any thoughts on the previously mentioned Dell and HP versus the Samsung 245T? I also am looking to get a new 22-24" monitor, and these three seem to be most commonly mentioned. I will need a new graphics card to drive it at those native resolutions.

 

[glasswave]

..it's now all pink. Do you know how I may fix it?

How can you turn the profile off?

Yup - had this and was disappointed initially. But, after the latest
Color Munki calibration s/w was loaded, it is giving excellent
results. My r2880 and Dell screen are as close a match as I could
wish - very happy indeed.

--
----------------------------------------------
Michael Gove
http://photosignals.smugmug.com

--

There is simply too much beauty in the world to photograph it all, but I'm trying.

 

[bunyarra]

..it's now all pink. Do you know how I may fix it?

How can you turn the profile off?

Are you using the latest version of the s/w or the one that came bundled? The last revision had specific changes for wide-gamut displays.

I had that once with some Spyder hardware. I re-ran the calibration and all was fine. Try that.

--
----------------------------------------------
Michael Gove
http://photosignals.smugmug.com

 

[UltimaOnliner]

I have a dual setup with the Dell 2405WFP and my recently acquired 2408WFP rev A01.

The 2408WFP compared to my older 2405WFP is INTENSELY brighter and with a cooler white. My 2405WFP looked fine, but when next to the 2408, looks very yellow and dim.

I calibrated both monitors with the Eye-One Display 2 individually (since I have separate PCIe video cards) and they look "different" still.

I like both monitors, but prefer the 2408WFP, but this might be because of the usual psychovisual preference for brighter displays.

--
'A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-
one percent of the people may take away the rights of the
other forty-nine. '
-Thomas Jefferson

'Democracy is two wolves and a lamb deciding on lunch.
Liberty is a well-armed lamb disputing the vote.'
-Benjamin Franklin

 

[JohnnyTsunami]

--I have this as well. If you don't want to spend several thousand on an Eizo or comparable monitor, then this is an excellent choice. Calibrated with an Eye One and then printing on an Epson 3800 with various papers produces stunning results. One downside is the overbrightened display; even on the lowest setting I wish I could drop it a bit further!

 

[mike in london]

I have this monitor and after calibrating the colour for profile aware apps is good, but general Vista stuff looks very saturated.

Can the profile be applied in Vista's colour system defaults viewing conditions profile (display settings/advanced/color management/advanced - i think thats correct) to improve how Windows looks or wont that work?

Have I heard as well that some people dropped the brightness and RGB values before calibrating? I just used the RGB preset and went from there...

Mike

--
http://www.thephotographer.me.uk

 

[NewsyL]

I have this monitor and after calibrating the colour for profile
aware apps is good, but general Vista stuff looks very saturated.

When you say Vista, do you mean viewing images while surfing the web with a browser?

Have you tried FireFox3? It can be made colour profile aware. You do have to enable it though as default mode is off.

--


Newsy http://newsy.smugmug.com

.

 

[mike in london]

I have this monitor and after calibrating the colour for profile
aware apps is good, but general Vista stuff looks very saturated.

When you say Vista, do you mean viewing images while surfing the web
with a browser?

Have you tried FireFox3? It can be made colour profile aware. You
do have to enable it though as default mode is off.

--


Newsy http://newsy.smugmug.com

.

i have firefox and it has profile turned on.... I meant for general windows vista icons explorer windows etc

Mike
--
http://www.thephotographer.me.uk

 

[damocles_far]

You will lose shadow detail in the dell compared to higher end monitor - Colour repro is passable but I don't like the horizontal colour shift in dark tones. If you are just messing with photographs that's not a problem. If you are producing professional or high quality output then it's a false economy to buy the dell - You could spend much more over the years in reprints / print house tweaks / sample prints / proof matching etc.....better to get it right first time.

I'm not saying everyone should rush out and get a NEC or Eizo but the difference between an Eizo and a Dell are poles apart. For example, I have loads of shadow detail in an image with my Eizo. The same image on the dell shows that part as a dark mass without any detail.......also the Dell luminance will only go down to 170 cd....which is much too bright unless you're in a really bright room.

Just my 10p's worth

 

[Charlie Self]

CNET rates this as their top LCD monitor --

http://reviews.cnet.com/lcd-monitors/dell-ultrasharp-2408wfp/4505-3174_7-32886455.html

I'd been thinking of getting my new Dell system with two smaller 19"
monitors, but maybe I'd be better with this bad boy and then a cheap
second 17" monitor for palletes, menus, etc.

I'm not a gamer, but do use my PC a -lot- for photo editing. Is the
2408FWP the way to go? Anybody have "eyes-on" experience with this
monitor?

Got it six or eight months ago. I love it.

--
Charlie Self
http://www.charlieselfonline.com