Portable Monitor - Thoughts?

[Cunedda]

I have an iMac 27" desk set up , and also a MacBook M4 pro. I have been up to now an only Mac user. I want to work more on the MacBook Pro for photography and was think of attaching a portable display for different locations, but mainly around the house, but odd times on site. I would be mainly culling in Lightroom and Fast Raw Viewer, later transferring to the 27". This move I hope will speed up my workflow, and avoid too much desk sitting.

I know I need P3 and 16" and potentially OLED with a 16-10 ratio, are their other considerations members can advise. I would also be interested in other peoples experience and opinions. Other issues might be Brands, longevity, colour accuracy and attaching to a Macbook M4.

Comments welcome.

 

[amateurphotographer]

I have an iMac 27" desk set up , and also a MacBook M4 pro. I have been up to now an only Mac user. I want to work more on the MacBook Pro for photography and was think of attaching a portable display for different locations, but mainly around the house, but odd times on site. I would be mainly culling in Lightroom and Fast Raw Viewer, later transferring to the 27". This move I hope will speed up my workflow, and avoid too much desk sitting.

I know I need P3 and 16" and potentially OLED with a 16-10 ratio, are their other considerations members can advise. I would also be interested in other peoples experience and opinions. Other issues might be Brands, longevity, colour accuracy and attaching to a Macbook M4.

Comments welcome.

If you google "Amazon, portable, monitors, 16 inch" etc you will find quite a few monitors available, with reviews from customers.

The top of the line portable monitors seem to be the Asus Pro Art PA169CDV, but you will be of course paying for this higher quality monitor.

I have several Interhill monitors, mainly for my editors when working on location. Colours are okay, but i find hard to get decent whites, even after calibration. I guess mainly because of the screen tech. There are a whole array of these Chinese bands monitors, including HP, Lenovo, Philips, etyc.

Main thing to check is a) connection to your monitor, b) the ability to modify the colours as necessary. But as you are "culling in LR and Fast View" , i would assume most monitors would be good enough for that purpose.

In terms of longevity, the chinese brand monitors aren't too expensive (pre tariff), and as screen tech is constantly updating, I wouldn't be too worried about lifespan.

 

[Cunedda]

I have an iMac 27" desk set up , and also a MacBook M4 pro. I have been up to now an only Mac user. I want to work more on the MacBook Pro for photography and was think of attaching a portable display for different locations, but mainly around the house, but odd times on site. I would be mainly culling in Lightroom and Fast Raw Viewer, later transferring to the 27". This move I hope will speed up my workflow, and avoid too much desk sitting.

I know I need P3 and 16" and potentially OLED with a 16-10 ratio, are their other considerations members can advise. I would also be interested in other peoples experience and opinions. Other issues might be Brands, longevity, colour accuracy and attaching to a Macbook M4.

Comments welcome.

If you google "Amazon, portable, monitors, 16 inch" etc you will find quite a few monitors available, with reviews from customers.

The top of the line portable monitors seem to be the Asus Pro Art PA169CDV, but you will be of course paying for this higher quality monitor.

I have several Interhill monitors, mainly for my editors when working on location. Colours are okay, but i find hard to get decent whites, even after calibration. I guess mainly because of the screen tech. There are a whole array of these Chinese bands monitors, including HP, Lenovo, Philips, etyc.

Main thing to check is a) connection to your monitor, b) the ability to modify the colours as necessary. But as you are "culling in LR and Fast View" , i would assume most monitors would be good enough for that purpose.

In terms of longevity, the chinese brand monitors aren't too expensive (pre tariff), and as screen tech is constantly updating, I wouldn't be too worried about lifespan.

As a long term mac user I'm reluctant to acquire non Apple kit. That ultimately is my problem. Thanks for the comment about 'whites' - seen it many times, and is not helpful for me in culling. Never sure if the white balance is off. The cheaper imports - you make a good point, they are essentially disposable, but I think I will wait awhile. A secondhand Thunderbolt display could emerge out of the local studios.

 

[amateurphotographer]

I have an iMac 27" desk set up , and also a MacBook M4 pro. I have been up to now an only Mac user. I want to work more on the MacBook Pro for photography and was think of attaching a portable display for different locations, but mainly around the house, but odd times on site. I would be mainly culling in Lightroom and Fast Raw Viewer, later transferring to the 27". This move I hope will speed up my workflow, and avoid too much desk sitting.

I know I need P3 and 16" and potentially OLED with a 16-10 ratio, are their other considerations members can advise. I would also be interested in other peoples experience and opinions. Other issues might be Brands, longevity, colour accuracy and attaching to a Macbook M4.

Comments welcome.

If you google "Amazon, portable, monitors, 16 inch" etc you will find quite a few monitors available, with reviews from customers.

The top of the line portable monitors seem to be the Asus Pro Art PA169CDV, but you will be of course paying for this higher quality monitor.

I have several Interhill monitors, mainly for my editors when working on location. Colours are okay, but i find hard to get decent whites, even after calibration. I guess mainly because of the screen tech. There are a whole array of these Chinese bands monitors, including HP, Lenovo, Philips, etyc.

Main thing to check is a) connection to your monitor, b) the ability to modify the colours as necessary. But as you are "culling in LR and Fast View" , i would assume most monitors would be good enough for that purpose.

In terms of longevity, the chinese brand monitors aren't too expensive (pre tariff), and as screen tech is constantly updating, I wouldn't be too worried about lifespan.

As a long term mac user I'm reluctant to acquire non Apple kit.

There currently isn't a portable mac screen.

That ultimately is my problem.

Thanks for the comment about 'whites' - seen it many times, and is not helpful for me in culling. Never sure if the white balance is off.

I'm a working colour focused product photographer for over 10 years and I only use Macbook's for interim work, knowing the limitations of the screen. I usually take the capture one session then continue the editing on a imac with Eizo CG connected.

I have found that although Macbooks / Imacs are "ok" for editing for the majority of people, their monitors are not perfect for colour critical work. But then you need to pay more for that privlege. If colours are critical you are better off with say Eizo or the more affordable Asus /BenQ highest end monitors (which some now have settings to match your mac colours), but those are not portable.

Even your Macbook P3 is not 100% its around 80%.

I personally use a colour chart in all photos and grey card for work, plus i look at the RGB values when editing.

Personally i still recommend the Asus Pro Art if you have the budget, if you don't trust the screen colours, then set up LR so that all the controls are on that monitor while your Macbook is your viewing screen for editing. But that is probably a waste of this monitor, and if for culling is probably not necessary.

The cheaper imports - you make a good point, they are essentially disposable, but I think I will wait awhile.

You will find most portable (say up to max 17 inch) displays are only USB C.

Colour accurate monitors really aren't that portable, (but depends on your definition of portable)? 20-24 inch are typically low res gaming monitors. However, Asus do have a ProArt 21.6 inch screen.

A secondhand Thunderbolt display could emerge out of the local studios.

Do note unless you want to daisy chain off the external monitor (but your mac has 3 hubs already) there is probably no need for Thunderbolt for an external monitor, USB-C will do.

Current Thunderbolt displays tend to be large monitors, say over 24 inch.

If you have the $$$ then yes get a Mac Studio Display, but that is 27 inch . I wouldn't consider that portable.

Hope this helps

--
Keep It Simple

 

[Cunedda]

Thanks for the ProArt PQ22UC 4K HDR OLED - that does look like the perfect solution. It would hopefully last a few years as it is an ASUS. Sadly no stock in the UK - 'taiff wars' will need to be resolved, before we probably see any choice reappear in the market.

 

[Eduard]

I have an iMac 27" desk set up , and also a MacBook M4 pro. I have been up to now an only Mac user. I want to work more on the MacBook Pro for photography and was think of attaching a portable display for different locations, but mainly around the house, but odd times on site. I would be mainly culling in Lightroom and Fast Raw Viewer, later transferring to the 27". This move I hope will speed up my workflow, and avoid too much desk sitting.

I know I need P3 and 16" and potentially OLED with a 16-10 ratio, are their other considerations members can advise. I would also be interested in other peoples experience and opinions. Other issues might be Brands, longevity, colour accuracy and attaching to a Macbook M4.

Comments welcome.

Covid allowed my wife to work remote for the first time in her finance career. (I've been traveling/remote for the majority of my career.) We've taken advantage of it and worked in warmer areas for a couple months during the winter.

The initial portable monitor I purchased was the ViewSonic VG1655 15.6 Inch 1080p. It is a great USB powered monitor suitable for business apps. It is very easy to travel with and super light. The resolution is good but it doesn't get very bright IMO. I'd use it as a second monitor with LrC to display my library but editing was done on the MBP screen.

Last year I broke down and purchased the not inexpensive ViewSonic VP16-OLED 15.6 Inch 1080p Portable OLED Monitor because it is Pantone validated and factory color calibrated. It feels like having a second MBP screen. I really like it. Even thought the weight is almost the same as the VG1655, the base makes it a little clunky to travel with. I tend to only bring this one on extended or driving trips. In my experience the color accuracy is exceptional with this monitor.

FWIW for extended stays, I did bring both monitors and create a 3 monitor setup. It was pretty sweet.

 

[Jacques Cornell]

When I take my M1 Pro 14" MacBook Pro to long event jobs to process photos onsite for immediate delivery, I often use my 12.8" 3rd Gen (ancient) iPad Pro as a second display. It can work wirelessly or plugged into the MBP, and color and contrast are a good match for the MBP's screen. I put Lightroom's and/or PhotoLab's thumbnail grid on it, which frees up the MBP's screen for tools and a single image. Very, very handy.

 

[Eduard]

When I take my M1 Pro 14" MacBook Pro to long event jobs to process photos onsite for immediate delivery, I often use my 12.8" 3rd Gen (ancient) iPad Pro as a second display. It can work wirelessly or plugged into the MBP, and color and contrast are a good match for the MBP's screen. I put Lightroom's and/or PhotoLab's thumbnail grid on it, which frees up the MBP's screen for tools and a single image. Very, very handy.