Ben Q monitor

[SarahIE]

Hi Brian,

Any thoughts on the new (or new to me) Ben Q photography monitor that comes with some kind of built in calibration system?  Designed for photographers apparently.   

I need to calibrate my screen as I was editing with the brightness all the way up and I figured out that's bad..!  But at the moment the 13" Macbook I'm using isn't mine, and I'm considering a desktop when I do have to buy so I'm planning ahead.  I couldn't believe the price of the calibration systems...and they expire?!  Mad

 

Thank you.

[Damien Symonds]

Hi @SarahIE, I'm not Brian, but I can tell you I've seen a few people report bad experiences with that BenQ calibration system in my group.

[SarahIE]

Ohh... ohh dear.  Thanks for that Damien.

[Damien Symonds]

1 hour ago, SarahIE said:

I couldn't believe the price of the calibration systems...and they expire?!  Mad

I'm not sure what you've been told.  Yes, of course calibrators are like all electronics - they don't live forever.  But as long as you treat it right you'll get quite a few good years out of it.

[Brian]

BenQ Displays aren't my favorite. Even for non-photographic purposes. Traditionally they have been a pain to calibrate, that said...our members have reported otherwise. Whatever you do, make sure you have physical prints to check your calibrated display against. Don't think for a hot-minute that you can run a calibration routine and you are "good." You NEED to compare your prints to your screen, no matter what marketing BS you are being fed, or what some YouTube Video says otherwse.

 

9 hours ago, SarahIE said:

I couldn't believe the price of the calibration systems...and they expire?!  Mad

ALL computer technology has a life-span. Whether it's the gradual over-all improvement, or simply the manufactures want to stay in business. Why bother making an automobile last for 28 years? Why not build it to last about 7 years or so? This way it gets the customers back into the market sooner rather than later!! Stockholders rejoice!!

Computer devices and washing machines, heating systems, refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, light-bulbs, clothing, basically everything that you purchase will wear out. Photography has never been a "Poor Man's Hobby." NEVER. Sure, the costs have come down, and you can thank technology for that, but nothing lasts forever. I'm not a big fan of having a Calibration Device be "Married" to a Display. What happens if you accidentally drop the calibration tool or your glass of water spills all over it and it breaks? Then what?

I will say, a calibration tool should last you a good 5+ years, provided that the Display Technology doesn't change dramatically. If you do end up with a quality display, 5 years or so is pretty typical, if not longer. Just think, you are probably into a new computer between 5-7 years, depending on what you buy. A good monitor is no different.

Going forward, choosing the right calibration tool depends on how many screens you are using at once. If you are in a dual monitor setup, the more expensive current SpyderX Elite is what you are after or a X-Rite i1Display Pro. If you are just going to use a single display, than you can go for a less expensive option with a SpyderX Pro or X-Rite i1Display Studio.

[SarahIE]

Married to a display?  The ones you recommended don't fall into that category do they?

Yes true I don't know what I was thinking re the expire thing, free upgrades or something... or far less expensive to begin with more like!   

I thought I'd need one for this Macbook which I only have on loan, and then a different or dual one if I was to change to a desktop... so maybe this isn't the case...sorry, a little confused here even though I've read the articles.  Need to go back and reread some stuff. But I was considering a 21inch Apple desktop until I read your articles saying AVOID...and the 27inch just sounds enormous (and really expensive when you upgrade the RAM and storage etc) ...but I definitely want to wait and buy right the first time...so the more I read the more confused I get!   ?

Anyway thanks for the recommendations- I'll look into those, cheers.

[Brian]

8 hours ago, SarahIE said:

The ones you recommended don't fall into that category do they?

No. You can use them on any display. The ones that come with displays and are the same brand are only really meant to calibrate that display only. So you can't just remove it when you buy another monitor and use it. The ones that I recommended, that's the ones that you can move them from monitor to monitor.

Calibration software does get upgraded from time-to-time, but the actual hardware device, they manufactures aren't THAT nice. That's like asking Toyota to give you a new car because yours wore out.  

8 hours ago, SarahIE said:

I thought I'd need one for this Macbook which I only have on loan, and then a different or dual one if I was to change to a desktop... so maybe this isn't the case.

The big question is if you are going to stay with a Mac or head over to a Windows computer and if it will be a laptop or not. If you are staying with a laptop and external display, especially a Windows-based computer, then look at the SpyderX Elite or X-Rite i1Display Pro, as both of those are the top of the line in their class, and are meant to calibrate two or more displays. 

For the Mac, either is fine...as there isn't much you can change other than brightness when it comes to a Mac. Damien prefers the i1Display Studio over the SypderX Pro, but only by a small margin. I will say that X-Rite orphaned the ColorMunki when Apple decided to make its Operating Systems 64-bit only, and the ColorMunki's software was 32-bit based. Spyder on the other hand, did offer a patch to make their software work with a new OS. So that get's points in my book.

Honestly between which one when it comes to a Mac? Either.

8 hours ago, SarahIE said:

But I was considering a 21inch Apple desktop until I read your articles saying AVOID...and the 27inch just sounds enormous (and really expensive when you upgrade the RAM and storage etc)

That's just it...24" displays are the "Norm" these days, and 27" isn't as "BIG" as you might imagine. Remember, that's 27" on the diagonal. My 27" iMac is only 25.5 Inches from side to side. So if you have a standard 60" desk, a 27" iMac is no big deal. Heck, you could go to a 48" smaller desk and a 27" iMac will still work. In fact, here is my desk currently:

Pleased heed my warning about 21.5" iMacs.

YOU. ARE. THROWING. MONEY. AWAY...IF YOU GO THAT ROUTE.

They are basically sealed units; even if you purchase a $1499 21.5" iMac and upgraded things, it will run slower than the 27" counterpart as the built-in components are less powerful. Plus, you will only be about a $100 or so less than a 27" model after you purchase the SEVERELY OVER-PRICED APPLE UPGRADES.

I hear it now...

"...But the size!! I don't have the Space!!!"

Don't let the whole size thing scare you. I realize that most people are only used to 17" or so displays or even 14" CRT tube displays. Do not let that old thinking come into play. Now, I can see if you were thinking about a 40" + display, that's a different story, but a 27" display is actually common-place in 2021. You are the odd one out if you do have a 19" or smaller display. Once you get used to it, you will not ever want to go back. I will say this, Apple does have scaling down to an Art-Form. You do not realize you are on a 5K (soon to be 6K) display. It just works and looks really good. Yes, you still need to get calibrated even if you are on a Mac product.

[SarahIE]

Great thank you for all that info (and photo!) Brian.

[Damien Symonds]

Just fixed Brian's typo

[SarahIE]

Ahhhhh I see, very interesting... ?

[Brian]

@Damien Symonds - Have you seen the current prices of Windows computers lately? $1999 plus the cost of a display for a computer that’s is “good” for photo editing.

I never thought I’d see the day that the price difference between a Mac a Windows computer would be minor.