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My 20 inch Philips monitor just died. Screen went black and didn't want to come back. It's done it once before under warranty, but no chance of a replacement now. Ah well, it had a good run.

Now I'm running an old 17 inch I have lying around. So small! Almost claustrophobic. Time for me to get shopping for a replacement. I know there are several other similar buying threads in here I have yet to study in detail, but if there's any particular hot models right now, I'm listening.

My requirements would be: not less than 20 inch widescreen but I don't think I want to go too massive. Resolution to exceed 1080p. Absolutely must NOT be a gloss screen. My most demanding use right now is of course photo editing, so if any has features particularly suited to that would be a plus. I don't seriously game any more so doesn't need a particularly fast response. No particular budget in mind - whatever I get will be with me for years so it has to be fairly good without going insane.

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Canon DSLRs: 7D, 5D2, 1D, 600D, 450D full spectrum, 300D IR mod
Lenses: EF 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 135/2+SF, 28-80 V, 70-300L, 100-400L, TS-E 24/3.5L, MP-E 65, EF-S 15-85 IS
3rd party: Zeiss 2/50 makro, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300 f/2.8 OS, Celestron 1325/13
Tinies: Sony HX9V.

Hi popo,

Bad luck. But the good news is that Custom PC, which got delivered here today, has a review of 24" monitors. Worth checking out.

Bob.

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OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.

Hi Popo,

Sorry to hear about your bad news. I've been looking for a new monitor recently to replace my current main monitor (and relegate it to my second).

Going through what you're looking for there are quite a few 1080p monitors on the market at 20+ inches but to exceed that resolution you'll probably want to step up to 1920x1200 which tend to come in at 24"+.

I've kind of settled on the HP LP2475W as my next buy (when money is available) and it might also be suitable for your main uses too. There seems to be lots of very good reviews to it and a bonus is that it uses an IPS TFT matrix rather than the normal TN matrix (so colour definition should be more accurate, in theory - perfect for photographic editing). The monitor is ~£450 so also fairly reasonable in price. A fairly in depth summary can be found at TrustedReviews (admittedly not the best review site but there's plenty of information here).

Would be interested to see what you go for in the end to see if it affects my decision for the future

Jamie

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Canon EOS 450D, EF 70-200 f/4L IS USM, EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6, Sigma AF 30mm F1.4 EX DC HSM, Canon Speedlight 430EXII, 9/16/30mm macro extension tubes.

Yep, that was Custom PC's choice as well.

Bob.

_________________
OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.

Reviews generally seem positive on the HP but there also seem to be widespread user reports of uneven lighting across the screen. Wonder how big a deal it really is? I really don't want to be dealing with returns.

The Eizo seems nice. Drop the price tag by a digit and I might have a chance.

In a random browse, there's a bucket load of 24 inch 1080's for under £200. I know these are low end panels but that's so cheap! I still remember paying £300+ for a 15 inch TFT in the old days! I still have it and it still works, if a bit on the tiny side by today's standards.

The search continues...

_________________
Canon DSLRs: 7D, 5D2, 1D, 600D, 450D full spectrum, 300D IR mod
Lenses: EF 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 135/2+SF, 28-80 V, 70-300L, 100-400L, TS-E 24/3.5L, MP-E 65, EF-S 15-85 IS
3rd party: Zeiss 2/50 makro, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300 f/2.8 OS, Celestron 1325/13
Tinies: Sony HX9V.

I just checked when I bought my current monitor... August 2006! It has a 3 year on site warranty so I should be able to get it swapped again. As much as I'd like a new monitor, can't argue with having more money for lenses

_________________
Canon DSLRs: 7D, 5D2, 1D, 600D, 450D full spectrum, 300D IR mod
Lenses: EF 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 135/2+SF, 28-80 V, 70-300L, 100-400L, TS-E 24/3.5L, MP-E 65, EF-S 15-85 IS
3rd party: Zeiss 2/50 makro, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300 f/2.8 OS, Celestron 1325/13
Tinies: Sony HX9V.

If the warranty gives you a free swap-out then it would be silly not to use it.

I'm hoping the uneven lighting across the screen is a non-issue or corrected in the manufacturing process. It doesn't appear to be affecting everyone so I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Thanks for the heads-up on the Custom PC reviews, Bob. I'll try to grab a copy.

Jamie

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Canon EOS 450D, EF 70-200 f/4L IS USM, EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6, Sigma AF 30mm F1.4 EX DC HSM, Canon Speedlight 430EXII, 9/16/30mm macro extension tubes.

I know that in the past Dell has made some pretty impressive monitors. You may want to check them out. I know their PCs are crap but they do make good displays - at least that's how it was a year ago when I was shopping around. I'd recommend a Viewsonic if you want a monitor that will last. I bought a 22" wide screen and there isn't a single broken pixel. It's been going for about 4 or 5 years without a problem. The quality is pretty good but it won't blow your mind, I was mostly looking for something that was going to last. Another thing which may not matter is that the build quality is pretty good. The screen seems like it's not easy to scratch, it has an anti glare surface which just seems to fix any sort of harsh lighting.

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Waiting to hear back on my possible warranty return now... they have record of the previous swap out and purchase date, but their system takes the serial number of the monitor being returned which is showing as out of warranty.

Debating if I should just get a 2nd monitor anyway...

More in general, are there any life issues with monitor backlights? I've not seen any other non-laptop TFT go in this way before. Or maybe it's a weakness of the model I bought.

Ooh, I better get distracted with something else now. A bit inside my head is trying to justify getting the Eizo again...

_________________
Canon DSLRs: 7D, 5D2, 1D, 600D, 450D full spectrum, 300D IR mod
Lenses: EF 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 135/2+SF, 28-80 V, 70-300L, 100-400L, TS-E 24/3.5L, MP-E 65, EF-S 15-85 IS
3rd party: Zeiss 2/50 makro, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300 f/2.8 OS, Celestron 1325/13
Tinies: Sony HX9V.

Just ordered the HP LP2475W on next day delivery

Earlier I spoke to Philips again. They confirmed I can get a warranty replacement, but they don't have the model in stock and can't say when they will...

_________________
Canon DSLRs: 7D, 5D2, 1D, 600D, 450D full spectrum, 300D IR mod
Lenses: EF 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 135/2+SF, 28-80 V, 70-300L, 100-400L, TS-E 24/3.5L, MP-E 65, EF-S 15-85 IS
3rd party: Zeiss 2/50 makro, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300 f/2.8 OS, Celestron 1325/13
Tinies: Sony HX9V.

Hi popo,

Shame about the delay with Philips but I'll look forward to your report on the HP if you have time. It'd be nice to think that Philips would offer some compensation but I've always been an optimist.

Bob.

_________________
OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.

Order tracking says it's out, so should arrive as expected tomorrow. I will report back then Suppose I should tidy my desk beforehand. Was hard enough to extract the old one

On the warranty service, I guess they never specified any time scale so a minor delay is not unexpected. I get the implication that should one not be available prompty, they may replace with a different model. The monitor has been out of production for a long time now, so any they have will likely be refurbished returns.

_________________
Canon DSLRs: 7D, 5D2, 1D, 600D, 450D full spectrum, 300D IR mod
Lenses: EF 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 135/2+SF, 28-80 V, 70-300L, 100-400L, TS-E 24/3.5L, MP-E 65, EF-S 15-85 IS
3rd party: Zeiss 2/50 makro, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300 f/2.8 OS, Celestron 1325/13
Tinies: Sony HX9V.

So you were forced to go down the dual monitor route - what a shame

I also look forward to reading your first impressions. I've read a couple of reports that the colours were ghastly out the box so you may need to spend ½hour calibrating before you're happy. Enjoy your new purchase.

Jamie

_________________
Canon EOS 450D, EF 70-200 f/4L IS USM, EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6, Sigma AF 30mm F1.4 EX DC HSM, Canon Speedlight 430EXII, 9/16/30mm macro extension tubes.

I tried and never liked dual monitors. Certainly two widescreens like this is too much for my desk! Almost like my camera sensors, I'd rather have a high pixel density in a big enough size.

Anyway, the monitor arrived at work at 8:30am this morning. It's still in the box right next to me unopened. Just 4.5 hours to go until I can take it home and try it

_________________
Canon DSLRs: 7D, 5D2, 1D, 600D, 450D full spectrum, 300D IR mod
Lenses: EF 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 135/2+SF, 28-80 V, 70-300L, 100-400L, TS-E 24/3.5L, MP-E 65, EF-S 15-85 IS
3rd party: Zeiss 2/50 makro, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300 f/2.8 OS, Celestron 1325/13
Tinies: Sony HX9V.

Hi popo,

I see you have started a new thread for your new monitor (good call) so discussion about that monitor should continue at HP LP2475W initial impressions with this thread discussing only the old monitor.

Bob.

_________________
OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.