Help: photography budget monitor suggestions

[BrickBrain]

Hi everyone! I'm a photography student in the UK and have been following these forums for quite some time, this is my first post I hope you can help me.

I am looking for a cheaper monitor I can hook up to my Acer 5742g laptop either via HDMI or VGA. It needs to have as wide of a gamut as possible, covering more than the usual range of sRGB and Adobe RGB. Size doesn't matter to me, its the price that is the issue as I am only a student I will not be using it to play games so frame refresh rate isn't important.

Thank you for your replies and for any suggestions!



P.S. My current laptop specs if they are of importance:
Acer aspire 5742G laptop
i5 M480 @2.67GHz
Nvidia GT540M, slight overclock for gaming
8GB RAM

 

[ssddx]

s-ips, h-ips and p-ips panels are generally regarded as the best for work where color accuracy is paramount to all else. the problem is that these are also the most expensive panels to purchase.

they are 8bit panels.

the rest of the panels (tn, va, e-ips) are all 6bit. color accuracy should be similar between these other panels. e-ips has a wide viewing angle to that there is less color distortion but otherwise should be similar to the quality of the others.

remember that buying a cheap knockoff brand can affect overall quality, even if it uses a superior panel type.

on a budget perhaps you should look into refurbished high end products...

http://www.google.com/search?q=vp201b&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&oe=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbo=u&tbm=shop&source=og&sa=N&tab=wf&ei=xcg7UMmUGYnA2gXvi4D4Aw

i have a vp201b myself and i think it has a s-ips panel but you might want to verify. its been a great monitor and has a true matte finish. not glossy and not the shimmering anti reflective coating like current screens. you could even use it for gaming (i did). the only con is that it has dvi inputs only so you might need an adapter.

 

[jeffredo]

Since gaming response isn't an issue I'd recommend the BenQ GW2450HM. Its a true 8 bit MVA panel with very good contrast at a very reasonable price. Has HDMI.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/BenQ-GW2450HM-inch-Full-Monitor/dp/B0081VNAUM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346170372&sr=8-1

If you need something larger there's its 27" big brother - GW2750HM. Same 8 bit MVA panel.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/BenQ-GW2750HM-inch-Full-Monitor/dp/B0081VNB6K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1346170372&sr=8-2

From the reviews I've read their color isn't very accurate out of the box but is very good once properly calibrated.

 

[BrickBrain]

s-ips, h-ips and p-ips panels are generally regarded as the best for work where color accuracy is paramount to all else. the problem is that these are also the most expensive panels to purchase.

Thanks, that's some really useful info on panel technology. I definitely want a matte finish monitor, as glossy types just don't work out with even the slightest ambient light.

 

[BrickBrain]

Since gaming response isn't an issue I'd recommend the BenQ GW2450HM. Its a true 8 bit MVA panel with very good contrast at a very reasonable price. Has HDMI.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/BenQ-GW2450HM-inch-Full-Monitor/dp/B0081VNAUM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346170372&sr=8-1

If you need something larger there's its 27" big brother - GW2750HM. Same 8 bit MVA panel.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/BenQ-GW2750HM-inch-Full-Monitor/dp/B0081VNB6K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1346170372&sr=8-2

From the reviews I've read their color isn't very accurate out of the box but is very good once properly calibrated.

Thank you those are nice offers, and very reasonably priced as well. I will look further into it