4k vs 1440p Ultrawide Monitor for Photo Editing ?

reeftool · 07-05-2017, 08:26 PM

Personally, I think the curved screen is more of a gimmick feature than anything else. I haven't seen many curved monitors but the stores are full of curved HDTV's. It's starting to show up on smartphones too. My old eyes just don't see any benefit. I'm sure a believer will chime in and try to convince me otherwise.

I'm currently using an LG IPS 1920 x 1080 monitor. At the time I bought it, it was the nicest looking monitor on a whole wall of monitors at our local Best Buy store. That's the way I buy monitors. I see what I like and buy it. To be real honest, photos and video look pretty good on both 1080 and 4K to my eyes but I also read a lot and the difference in text clarity is noticeable.

Fcsnt54 · 07-05-2017, 09:33 PM

Originally posted by reeftool

Personally, I think the curved screen is more of a gimmick feature than anything else. I haven't seen many curved monitors but the stores are full of curved HDTV's. It's starting to show up on smartphones too. My old eyes just don't see any benefit. I'm sure a believer will chime in and try to convince me otherwise.

I'm currently using an LG IPS 1920 x 1080 monitor. At the time I bought it, it was the nicest looking monitor on a whole wall of monitors at our local Best Buy store. That's the way I buy monitors. I see what I like and buy it. To be real honest, photos and video look pretty good on both 1080 and 4K to my eyes but I also read a lot and the difference in text clarity is noticeable.

I think those curved screens and tv's are more for preference then anything. I own one and absolutely love it more then the old flat screen i had before. Although i forget that the tv is curved sometimes, many people i know say the same thing on not realizing it is curved, i feel like it gives a slight 3d pop to the movies i watch on it.

**Digitalis** · 07-05-2017, 10:29 PM

Originally posted by photoptimist

Curvature reduces the "field of view" of the reflections off the screen

If you are getting excessive reflections from your screen then there are workspace design issues that need to be addressed. Facing a window when working with a PC, or having your back to a window is probably the worst design choices for any workspace. Though this depends upon the design of the room, the positioning of the windows and how much light they bring in from the sun or artificial sources.

Originally posted by reeftool

Personally, I think the curved screen is more of a gimmick feature than anything else.

I'm inclined to agree with you. I have seen some arguments that curved screens address the issue of colour accuracy and provide improved screen illumination in the corners with larger screens, but IMO the best solution to this if it is so critical: it to simply sit back further. Most IPS panels have very good colour accuracy even when viewed off-axis, and as for corner illumination - if you cheap out on your monitor you should expect uniformity to be compromised : more expensive monitors generally have fewer issues with uniformity.

photoptimist · 07-06-2017, 05:34 AM

Originally posted by Digitalis

If you are getting excessive reflections from your screen then there are workspace design issues that need to be addressed. Facing a window when working with a PC, or having your back to a window is probably the worst design choices for any workspace. Though this depends upon the design of the room, the positioning of the windows and how much light they bring in from the sun or artificial sources.

Indeed! And in an ideal world, one would change the room to correct these issues.

But if the workspace has windows on three walls and a wife that loves the views and all the light they bring in, then a curved monitor is both cheaper and martially smarter than changing the workspace.

Winder · 07-06-2017, 07:17 AM

I went from 1080 to 1440 and I was pretty amazed at the look of the images. I have used 4K a couple of times to edit at a friends house and its a pretty big jump. You can really see the effects of you sharpening and small contrast adjustments. When I edit an image on my system and then edit the same image on hers I end up with different adjustment levels in LR. My system can't currently run 4K, so an upgrade is in the works. I need a little more horse power to handle batch processing the K-1 files and a better graphics card to handle 4K.

reeftool · 07-06-2017, 07:55 AM

Originally posted by photoptimist

Indeed! And in an ideal world, one would change the room to correct these issues.

But if the workspace has windows on three walls and a wife that loves the views and all the light they bring in, then a curved monitor is both cheaper and martially smarter than changing the workspace.

This is actually a pretty good example of buying what works for you. My workspace is in a corner of the bedroom has one window and if need be, I close the blinds. I worked evening and night shifts for over 20 years and needed to sleep in the day so the room can quickly become very dark if need be.

While a curved screen may very well solve a reflection problem in certain lighting, marketing people tend to to think everybody needs one. I really don't think I do and there's no way I'm going to pay any kind of price premium for a feature I don't think I need. If curved screens become the standard with no price premium attached, then I won't care. As I mentioned earlier, I buy monitors based on what I see in store displays. I'll probably be getting 4K or better with my next computer.

07-05-2017, 10:29 PM	#18
Digitalis Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Melbourne, Victoria Photos: Gallery Posts: 11,694	Originally posted by photoptimist Curvature reduces the "field of view" of the reflections off the screen If you are getting excessive reflections from your screen then there are workspace design issues that need to be addressed. Facing a window when working with a PC, or having your back to a window is probably the worst design choices for any workspace. Though this depends upon the design of the room, the positioning of the windows and how much light they bring in from the sun or artificial sources. Originally posted by reeftool Personally, I think the curved screen is more of a gimmick feature than anything else. I'm inclined to agree with you. I have seen some arguments that curved screens address the issue of colour accuracy and provide improved screen illumination in the corners with larger screens, but IMO the best solution to this if it is so critical: it to simply sit back further. Most IPS panels have very good colour accuracy even when viewed off-axis, and as for corner illumination - if you cheap out on your monitor you should expect uniformity to be compromised : more expensive monitors generally have fewer issues with uniformity. Last edited by Digitalis; 07-05-2017 at 10:37 PM.

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07-05-2017, 08:26 PM	#16
reeftool Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Upstate New York Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 9,554	Personally, I think the curved screen is more of a gimmick feature than anything else. I haven't seen many curved monitors but the stores are full of curved HDTV's. It's starting to show up on smartphones too. My old eyes just don't see any benefit. I'm sure a believer will chime in and try to convince me otherwise. I'm currently using an LG IPS 1920 x 1080 monitor. At the time I bought it, it was the nicest looking monitor on a whole wall of monitors at our local Best Buy store. That's the way I buy monitors. I see what I like and buy it. To be real honest, photos and video look pretty good on both 1080 and 4K to my eyes but I also read a lot and the difference in text clarity is noticeable.

07-05-2017, 09:33 PM	#17
Fcsnt54 Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: California Posts: 621	Originally posted by reeftool Personally, I think the curved screen is more of a gimmick feature than anything else. I haven't seen many curved monitors but the stores are full of curved HDTV's. It's starting to show up on smartphones too. My old eyes just don't see any benefit. I'm sure a believer will chime in and try to convince me otherwise. I'm currently using an LG IPS 1920 x 1080 monitor. At the time I bought it, it was the nicest looking monitor on a whole wall of monitors at our local Best Buy store. That's the way I buy monitors. I see what I like and buy it. To be real honest, photos and video look pretty good on both 1080 and 4K to my eyes but I also read a lot and the difference in text clarity is noticeable. I think those curved screens and tv's are more for preference then anything. I own one and absolutely love it more then the old flat screen i had before. Although i forget that the tv is curved sometimes, many people i know say the same thing on not realizing it is curved, i feel like it gives a slight 3d pop to the movies i watch on it.

07-06-2017, 05:34 AM	#19
photoptimist Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2016 Photos: Albums Posts: 5,123	Originally posted by Digitalis If you are getting excessive reflections from your screen then there are workspace design issues that need to be addressed. Facing a window when working with a PC, or having your back to a window is probably the worst design choices for any workspace. Though this depends upon the design of the room, the positioning of the windows and how much light they bring in from the sun or artificial sources. Indeed! And in an ideal world, one would change the room to correct these issues. But if the workspace has windows on three walls and a wife that loves the views and all the light they bring in, then a curved monitor is both cheaper and martially smarter than changing the workspace.

07-06-2017, 07:17 AM	#20
Winder Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Tennessee Posts: 6,617	I went from 1080 to 1440 and I was pretty amazed at the look of the images. I have used 4K a couple of times to edit at a friends house and its a pretty big jump. You can really see the effects of you sharpening and small contrast adjustments. When I edit an image on my system and then edit the same image on hers I end up with different adjustment levels in LR. My system can't currently run 4K, so an upgrade is in the works. I need a little more horse power to handle batch processing the K-1 files and a better graphics card to handle 4K.

07-06-2017, 07:55 AM	#21
reeftool Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Upstate New York Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 9,554	Originally posted by photoptimist Indeed! And in an ideal world, one would change the room to correct these issues. But if the workspace has windows on three walls and a wife that loves the views and all the light they bring in, then a curved monitor is both cheaper and martially smarter than changing the workspace. This is actually a pretty good example of buying what works for you. My workspace is in a corner of the bedroom has one window and if need be, I close the blinds. I worked evening and night shifts for over 20 years and needed to sleep in the day so the room can quickly become very dark if need be. While a curved screen may very well solve a reflection problem in certain lighting, marketing people tend to to think everybody needs one. I really don't think I do and there's no way I'm going to pay any kind of price premium for a feature I don't think I need. If curved screens become the standard with no price premium attached, then I won't care. As I mentioned earlier, I buy monitors based on what I see in store displays. I'll probably be getting 4K or better with my next computer.