dpattinson Posted August 19, 2009 Share #1 Posted August 19, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) I'm looking to buy a new monitor, primarily for doing post-proc on my M8 files. I've looked at the NEC 2690 Spectraview Reference (107% Adobe RGB, Hardware calibration), which goes for around £1300 here in the UK. I'm wondering what practical advantage that screen has over the standard NEC 26" Multisync monitor ( NECMultiSync LCD2690WUXi2), which is quite a bit cheaper. Either way I will be calibrating the screen with a Spyder 3 Pro. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted August 19, 2009 Posted August 19, 2009 Hi dpattinson, Take a look here How good a monitor is 'good enough'. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
haroldp Posted August 19, 2009 Share #2 Posted August 19, 2009 I recently switched from a generic LCD monitor (calibrated with a Spyder 2 pro), to a Samsung XL20 which is a real graphic arts monitor (also calibrated with a Spyder 2 pro). The difference is dramatic in terms of accuracy in editing because: - Standard LCD's cover about 72% of the NTSC gamut, the Samsung XL20 covers 122% of NTSC and is closely aligned with the adobe rgb gamut. - Instead of cold flourescent backlighting, the Samsung XL20 uses arrays of RGB led's for precise tuning of white balance. The result is that my prints look more like my display, and I am getting it right with fewer try's. After Monitor calibration and ICC print profiling, getting a real graphic arts monitor was the next step in improving the accuracy of my editing. I am assuming based on price that the EIZO you are looking at is also a real graphic arts monitor and similarly featured. If you photograph to print (as I do), investing in editing and printing accuracy is almost as important as the capture side of the chain. I hope this is helpful. Regards .... Harold Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted August 19, 2009 Share #3 Posted August 19, 2009 I have the 24" version (plenty big enough for me) LCD 2490WUXi with Spectraview II built in. Each of the MultiSync series comes with the option to include SpectraView or not. Sean Reid and others reviewed this option and praised it highly, so I purchased accordingly. The SprectraView comes with a "puck," which I think might be their "Eye One" version, and the calibration, as I understand it, communicates directly with the monitor. I'm no engineer, but all I can say is that I'm very pleased with the results. Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjt1 Posted August 19, 2009 Share #4 Posted August 19, 2009 Another benefit of a good monitor is that its contrast should be much more even over the whole screen. Last year I got a cheap 24 LCD monitor and noticed that the top of the screen was much more contrasty than the bottom, simply because the angle I was seeing the two parts of the screen were different (sort of like the effect when you tilt a laptop screen). It was particularly noticeable on black and white pics. I got a (looks at the name badge on the monitor) Eizo CG241W and that fixed it. The one you are proposing to get sounds better than mine, as I think mine is almost Adobe 1998 but not quite. However I am well pleased with the Eizo - its nice to get a good idea of what I am going to print and soft proofing is much more believable now. You can set the software to remind you to calibrate, and this takes about 10 mins for 50 hours viewing. HTH Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_j Posted August 20, 2009 Share #5 Posted August 20, 2009 Good Evening- I have a 2690 and an happy with it. It does require the optional NEC software but the software works well with an Eye One puck if you have one (no need for the NEC version). Ther lastest version of the 2960 has a 2 at the end and it covers more of a color spectrum. There is chatter on the internet about the type of screen it has being inferrior but chatter is chatter. I am looking at a second monitor. My major contenders are an Eizo 241 or 222. Or perhaps another 2690 with the remote chance of a 3090 or Eizo 301. Best in yiur selection, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpattinson Posted August 20, 2009 Author Share #6 Posted August 20, 2009 I decided on this one: NEC MultiSync LCD2690WUXi² It's either 97 or 107% Adobe RGB depending on which site you look. I'm sure it will be absolutely fine for my use. Amazon should ship it early next week Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisC Posted August 20, 2009 Share #7 Posted August 20, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) David - Could you please report back after you've experienced your new monitor? .................. Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpattinson Posted August 26, 2009 Author Share #8 Posted August 26, 2009 I ended up purchasing the NEC 2690 Multisync (Model LCD2690WUXi2). It's a 26" LCD monitor with 25.5" screen, 107% Adobe RGB. The other stats are on NEC's website if you're interested. First impressions: * It's huge - really huge, I'm going to have to get used to such a big screen after editing photos on a 13" laptop for the past 5 years or so. * Colours are as you'd expect, very good when dealing with colour managed images. However on normal webpages or other graphics the reds in particular are eye-burning. Apparently the screen has a hardware sRGB mode which might be better for non-photographic work. * Even when I calibrated it with my Spyder 3 Elite, the reds seem to bee too saturated. However skin tones look good, so I'm not sure if perhaps the reds really are that bright. * My post-proc hasn't actually been as bad as I expected. I thought I would see a multitude of sins on the new monitor, but actually the stuff I did before doesn't seem too bad. (Apart from the saturated reds). * Installing and using the NEC driver from the supplied CD visibly changed the colours on the screen compared to the Windows generic driver that I initially used. * There are some utilities from NEC supplied with the screen, which appear to allow gamma correction and other technical controls. I haven't used these as I suspect they would interfere with the Spyder software. I'm not entirely certain that I have properly calibrated the screen. There are a lot of controls for the screen and following the advice in the Spyder documentation I have left them on default values. I'd be interested if anyone has specific advice about any screen set-up I should do prior to calibration. I was wondering if the Spyder advice to leave brightness set on max is good advice in particular. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_j Posted August 26, 2009 Share #9 Posted August 26, 2009 David- You really ned to use the NEC specta view software for calibrating this monitor. It can be purchased on their website. Also note, some calibration pucks are not compatible with this set-up. This information is also on their site. Enjoy the new monitor, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpattinson Posted August 26, 2009 Author Share #10 Posted August 26, 2009 David- You really ned to use the NEC specta view software for calibrating this monitor. It can be purchased on their website. Also note, some calibration pucks are not compatible with this set-up. This information is also on their site. Enjoy the new monitor, Unfortunately, it appears the European version of this monitor has some firmware block to prevent the use of the Spectraview software... you have to buy the 'Spectraview' branded version which in the UK at least costs about £500 extra (60% or so). If I could get an evaluation copy of the software I could check to see if this is true, but I don't knwo how to get an eval copy and I'm damned if I'll pay $90 for the download only to find out that it's unusable. I'll pursue with NEC EU and see if what I read is true. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpattinson Posted August 27, 2009 Author Share #11 Posted August 27, 2009 Received a prompt reply from NEC. It appears that one can in fact use the Spectraview software with my monitor. I'll download the trial version and see how it goes. Response from NEC: thank you for the interest in our products. With the SpectraView Profiler 4 you can do a combined hard- and software calibration with the MultiSync 2690WUXi2. But the software is not free of charge for the MultiSync monitors. For a 14-days-trial period you can download the software from: NEC Display Solutions Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted August 27, 2009 Share #12 Posted August 27, 2009 Hmmm, David...maybe should have considered post #3 above. And, 24" is plenty big...could have invested in MultiSync instead. Sorry. Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpattinson Posted August 27, 2009 Author Share #13 Posted August 27, 2009 Hmmm, David...maybe should have considered post #3 above. And, 24" is plenty big...could have invested in MultiSync instead. Sorry. Jeff In the UK at least, the "Spectraview" branded model (software for free) of the 2690 costs £1300, whereas the 2690 Multisync model is only £830 (same monitor spec, no software and puck). I very much doubt that the software will cost more than £50, so I'm pretty happy to have saved the £400 as I already have a Spyder. Probably 24" would be big enough, but I figured if I'm going to buy the monitor I intend to keep it for a long time, so might as well get the larger one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted August 27, 2009 Share #14 Posted August 27, 2009 In the UK at least, the "Spectraview" branded model (software for free) of the 2690 costs £1300, whereas the 2690 Multisync model is only £830 (same monitor spec, no software and puck). I very much doubt that the software will cost more than £50, so I'm pretty happy to have saved the £400 as I already have a Spyder. Probably 24" would be big enough, but I figured if I'm going to buy the monitor I intend to keep it for a long time, so might as well get the larger one. You may be right, but the Spyder may not "communicate" the same way with the software as NEC's own device and built-in software (I meant to say Spectraview in my last post, not MultiSync). As I said, I'm no engineer, but Sean wrote about this in his review and encouraged the built-in approach. The cost in US, with SpectrView built-in, was eqivalent to about 800 BP. Anyway, good luck. Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpattinson Posted August 27, 2009 Author Share #15 Posted August 27, 2009 You may be right, but the Spyder may not "communicate" the same way with the software as NEC's own device and built-in software (I meant to say Spectraview in my last post, not MultiSync). As I said, I'm no engineer, but Sean wrote about this in his review and encouraged the built-in approach. The cost in US, with SpectrView built-in, was eqivalent to about 800 BP. Anyway, good luck. Jeff NEC say the Spyder 3 is supported, so I'll see how it goes with the trial software. There are a few utilities bundled on the CD along with the device drivers. I haven't tried using any of them yet. One appears to be for gamma correction, and the other for sharpness. Did you get those in the US, if so - did you use them at all? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_j Posted August 27, 2009 Share #16 Posted August 27, 2009 Hi- I thought that the SV version on the 90 series monitors just included the software and puck. I didn't think there was a difference in the monitor itself. There is a difference in the 70 series and 90 series as the 90 feature hardware calibration of the monitor, where as the 70 series makes changes to the video card. Let us know how the trial of NEC software works for you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted August 27, 2009 Share #17 Posted August 27, 2009 NEC say the Spyder 3 is supported, so I'll see how it goes with the trial software. There are a few utilities bundled on the CD along with the device drivers. I haven't tried using any of them yet. One appears to be for gamma correction, and the other for sharpness. Did you get those in the US, if so - did you use them at all? I don't think so, but a photo bud of mine who's also a computer guru helped set up my system, including new Mac, NEC, and Epson. I had just sold off my entire darkroom, and went whole hog on the "lightroom" replacement. As far as I know, however, the monitor worked well out of the box after he used the supplied calibration puck (in conjunction with the built-in SpectraView software). He and I were both impressed...no color problems. We did, however, adjust brightness down to better match printer results. He's out of town, but I'll ask when I catch up with him. Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
osscat Posted August 28, 2009 Share #18 Posted August 28, 2009 David, This may seem off the point but I am always up for a bargain - my current system I aquired second hand and only three years old - G4 Mac Tower with dual processors and a Mitsubishi Diamond Plus 230 SB 22" Monitor (20" view). This came with PSCS2 suite, Quark, Dreamweaver and a bundle of other stuff. This cost £300. The Monitor can be seen here on Ebay for sale in London, EC2A - auction closing 31st August. (not me selling) Since I had this screen I have been able to match prints to the screen with very little problem. It is a big beast. Just thought I would throw this into the pot. There is also he 2070 SB - the resolution is excellent on these monitors - I am very pleased with mine, especially for the price I got it for. Osscat Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpattinson Posted October 1, 2009 Author Share #19 Posted October 1, 2009 Downloaded a demo of the NEC Spectraview profiling software. Installs and works fine with the Spyder 3 pro. I honestly can't see much difference between the calibration afforded by the NEC software and that from the software bundled with the Spyder. However I'm willing to believe that the ability to write to the monitor hardware LUT is going to make some difference. I will purchase the NEC software and see if their tech support can give specific advice on calibrating the NEC2690. Now that I've been working with the monitor for a while - it no longer seems overly large. I can certainly see that a 30" monitor would be handy for post-proc. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptarmigan Posted October 1, 2009 Share #20 Posted October 1, 2009 I'm looking to buy a new monitor, primarily for doing post-proc on my M8 files. I've looked at the NEC 2690 Spectraview Reference (107% Adobe RGB, Hardware calibration), which goes for around £1300 here in the UK. I'm wondering what practical advantage that screen has over the standard NEC 26" Multisync monitor ( NECMultiSync LCD2690WUXi2), which is quite a bit cheaper. Either way I will be calibrating the screen with a Spyder 3 Pro. I think it all depends on your 'output' requirements. If you shoot professionally where client brands dictate specific colour rendition (to pantones or similar) - you have many challenges in correct colour rendition but the first will need to be a very accurate monitor properly and expertly profiled/calibrated. For most of us, I run a late 2006 iMac that has been set up using an EyeOne2 and Coloreye Pro software, you'll be fine with much less. Outputting to the web is still a lottery as you are at the mercy of browsers and how they render colour/deal with embedded colour profiles and of course the viewer's own monitor. More important is closing the loop if you are printing and you need some form of closed loop profiling/calibration to be able to keep control over what you print in relation what you see on your monitor. So, only you can decide how accurate a monitor you need and the differences between properly calibrated monitors can be quite small in practical terms. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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