New monitor: Nec, Eizo or Lacie 700?

[ruud]

Dear all,

time to add a second monitor to my config : my old CRT Sony is dead (it was my second monitor) and I would like to have my today's primary monitor (Eizo Flexscan 19'', 3 years old) become my secondary and purchase a new one for photo proofing and printing (I work on PS CS3 and use an Epson 4800 printer).

Purpose: only photography (no video), as good as possible for colors but also for b&w (I work a lot with black and white photos); the greys nuances is key for me.

I already have a Gretag Eye One Display 2 calibrator

I do not need a king size: between 21'' and 22'' is good enough (with the second monitor)

My budget is between 1000 US$ and 2300 US$.

The choice (in France) would be between 3 monitor makers : LaCie, Nec and Eizo.

I tried to find on the forum and on google serious compares and reviews made by photographers to photographers (and not only PC geeks) but was not able to make my choice (there always pros and cons and the technical differences between the various screens technologies are just too tricky for me).

May I ask you to advise me?

The Lacie 700 serie seems impressive (more than 100% of Adobe RGB space and the blacks are very black) but others consider that Nec Spectraview 2190 is still better (the 21 Reference is just 3 times my budget); what about Eizo (but at what price...!).

Thank you very much for your help.

Ruud

[geotzo]

I really like the new Lacie LED monitors. They come in a decent price and specs look good on the 7 series you mention. Check out light uniformity though. I own an older 324 model (last year's series) and it is very nice for what I paid, but uniformity from corner to corner is an obvious problem. Otherwise check on the latest Eizo CG series. You can't go wrong on them from my personal experience, plus it should fit your budget for 21".

[Morris Taub]

Purpose: only photography (no video), as good as possible for colors but also for b&w (I work a lot with black and white photos); the greys nuances is key for me.


Ruud

Hey ruud...i think this is a good question and an answer I'd be interested in too...say between a wide gamut NEC 2690 and the 2490 which is standard gamut...would one be better or easier to work on for b&w retouching? color retouching? and manipulation work, cropping backgrounds in and out of images etc.?

I did read the extended review that Sean Reid did on the NEC 2490wuxi...he does lots of b&w work and he loved/loves that monitor...

and I've read quite a few of the forum posts here and many of the photographers here are very happy with the 2090/2190wuxi series of standard gamut monitors from NEC...seems like that whole ..90's series is a sweet spot for image quality and price...

I'm still sitting on the fence about this purchase myself, and I'm in France too...my budget is more like 1200 euros max...I won't go lacie because i've read they're rebadged NEC panels (not sure about the newer 700 line of led backlight displays)...and eizo, even for their pva panels is pretty expensive...once their line includes ips panels they go way way out of my budget...

what i've read and feel is that NEC is a good compromise between quality and price...their warranty is pretty good in europe...the one caveat...the ridiculous added cost for the spectraview models...they double the price for the software and puck in france...ridiculous...

I did find one internet place in the united kingdom that sells the NEC 2690 spectraview model for 1100 pounds or about 1260 euros including shipping to france...http://www.warehouseexpress.com/product/de...spx?sku=1026092

the monitor isn't the newer 2690 (2) version but the first one got/gets great reviews...

the cheapest I've found in france is graphic reseau for about 1700 euros and that's the first version too...

oh, one last thing...if I had the budget you do I might look into the Quatographic monitors...I've read that they're excellent and you can buy them in France...check this site out...under produits numeriques look under material > moniteurs...

http://www.prophot.fr/

ok...good luck with your purchase...

M