Question: Is this a good monitor for color grading?

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Zia Basith

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Question: Is this a good monitor for color grading?

PostTue Nov 14, 2017 3:05 pm

Hi y’all,

I am an independent freelance colorist. I found this monitor at B&H “ BenQ BL2711U 27" 16:9 4K UHD IPS Monitor“ which has the following. Is this good for color grading to start off with?
100% sRGB
Color depth- 10-bit
27” 4K LED
Display color- 1.07 billion
Here’s the link:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... ultra.html

Thanks in advance

Zia
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Kays Alatrakchi

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Re: Question: Is this a good monitor for color grading?

PostTue Nov 14, 2017 4:17 pm

You're about to get told that unless your monitor's name starts with the letters FSI or EIZO -- IT"S CRAP! :D

I think BenQ can make for workable grading monitors for some people and situations. Having said that, I am not familiar with this particular model and I am skeptical that a $450 4K monitor is decent enough for grading.

You might consider the 2.5K models like:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N4GVEAQ/_e ... C7U6MBJ09D

or

https://www.amazon.com/BenQ-Photographe ... 6AVZXN9AYK

That's what I use and I find them to be workable as long as you're meticulous about calibrating them.
>>Kays Alatrakchi
Filmmaker based in Los Angeles, CA
http://moviesbykays.com

Resolve 18.1.4, Mac OS X 12.6.3 (Monterey), iMac Pro 64Gb RAM, Decklink Mini 4K, LG C9

Mac Book Air M1, Mac OS X 12.6 (Monterey), 16Gb RAM
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Zia Basith

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Re: Question: Is this a good monitor for color grading?

PostTue Nov 14, 2017 7:05 pm

Thank you so much.
I’m going to get the BenQ PV270 you recommended.
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RipNoel

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Re: Question: Is this a good monitor for color grading?

PostTue Nov 14, 2017 10:01 pm

Greetings,

I am new to this stuff but I too am shopping for a monitor and fount this one at B&H:

BenQ SW271 27" 16:9 4K IPS Monitor

It looks fairly good spec. wise and I am hoping some of the folks here can let me know what they think about this choice.

Cheers,

Rip
ALL POWER LIES IN THE WORLD OF DREAMS
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Zia Basith

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Re: Question: Is this a good monitor for color grading?

PostWed Nov 15, 2017 12:09 am

yeah, it does look good for the price. I checked on Amazon, it says BenQ SW271 Photographer 27" Screen LED-Lit Monitor. My guess is this one is for photography.
However, the link below shows the BenQ PV270 27" Video Post-Production IPS Monitor. If you check the images, they show Davinci Resolve interface. So I am assuming this is for video color grading app.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N4GVEAQ/_e ... BJ09D&th=1

Let's wait to hear from the Pros...
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Zia Basith

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Re: Question: Is this a good monitor for color grading?

PostWed Nov 15, 2017 1:58 am

Kays, I have a question for you, you recommended this 27" BenQ
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N4GVEAQ/_e ... BJ09D&th=1

They also have a 32" BenQ. Would you recommend this?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N4GVEAQ/_e ... BJ09D&th=1
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Dan Sherman

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Re: Question: Is this a good monitor for color grading?

PostWed Nov 15, 2017 4:46 am

If your looking for monitors in the price range, anything that covers 100% of srgb and can be custom calibrated should be plenty good enough assuming you have a calibration tool.
AMD 7950X | AMD 7900XTX (23.20.24) | DDR5-6000 CL30-40-40-96 2x32 GB | Multiple PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME | ASUS x670e HERO | Win 11 Pro 23H2 | Resolve Studio 18.6.5 B7
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Kays Alatrakchi

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Re: Question: Is this a good monitor for color grading?

PostWed Nov 15, 2017 6:49 am

Zia Basith wrote:Kays, I have a question for you, you recommended this 27" BenQ
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N4GVEAQ/_e ... BJ09D&th=1

They also have a 32" BenQ. Would you recommend this?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N4GVEAQ/_e ... BJ09D&th=1


I'm not familiar with the 32" model but...

1. I find that a 27" monitor is plenty large for desktop grading. Typically larger monitors can work against you if you're working close to them (although they're good for clients who tend to seat behind you).

2. If you're good in the $1k+ range, then you should consider the EIZO ColorEdge which would be a solid choice for grading.

Also (to Dan):

"If your looking for monitors in the price range, anything that covers 100% of srgb and can be custom calibrated should be plenty good enough assuming you have a calibration tool."

Hmmm...maybe? 100% of sRGB doesn't necessarily imply a correct/trustworthy image. The main shortcoming of calibration is that the meter is only sampling a small portion of the screen, and some of the lesser quality monitors are not consistent from edge to edge. But I supposed it also has to do with your idea of "good enough."

In my experience, it's possible to get a reasonable image for grading from an off-the-shelf sub-$1k calibrate able monitor, but this becomes increasingly difficult in the sub-$500 range.
>>Kays Alatrakchi
Filmmaker based in Los Angeles, CA
http://moviesbykays.com

Resolve 18.1.4, Mac OS X 12.6.3 (Monterey), iMac Pro 64Gb RAM, Decklink Mini 4K, LG C9

Mac Book Air M1, Mac OS X 12.6 (Monterey), 16Gb RAM
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Dan Sherman

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Re: Question: Is this a good monitor for color grading?

PostWed Nov 15, 2017 4:05 pm

Kays Alatrakchi wrote:Hmmm...maybe? 100% of sRGB doesn't necessarily imply a correct/trustworthy image. The main shortcoming of calibration is that the meter is only sampling a small portion of the screen, and some of the lesser quality monitors are not consistent from edge to edge. But I supposed it also has to do with your idea of "good enough."


That was my point, if you are looking in this price range, you will have to deal with compromises.


Kays Alatrakchi wrote:In my experience, it's possible to get a reasonable image for grading from an off-the-shelf sub-$1k calibrate able monitor, but this becomes increasingly difficult in the sub-$500 range.


I agree, my recommendations for 4k would be one of these two models, but neither is cheap or top of the line.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... x2160.html $800

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... x2160.html $1300


The best thing anyone can do is search for reviews and take everything you read with a grain of salt. Tom's hardware reviews a lot of monitors, but not a lot of Pro grade ones.
http://www.tomshardware.com/t/monitors/
AMD 7950X | AMD 7900XTX (23.20.24) | DDR5-6000 CL30-40-40-96 2x32 GB | Multiple PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME | ASUS x670e HERO | Win 11 Pro 23H2 | Resolve Studio 18.6.5 B7
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Dermot Shane

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Re: Question: Is this a good monitor for color grading?

PostWed Nov 15, 2017 5:41 pm

i find anything smaller than 50" to be untrustworthy when judgeing noise/NR/sharpening/key edges/mask edges/banding in shadows etc etc...

i'd look for a good low mileage used BT -or- 60 series Pana Plasma, (they are now going for more than they were new on my local craigs list btw) or new a LG c7 OLED, and be very carefull about burn in....
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RipNoel

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Re: Question: Is this a good monitor for color grading?

PostWed Nov 15, 2017 6:09 pm

Greetings All,

Thanks to everyone for trying to help us arrive at a good workable 4k monitor solution. Regarding Dan's suggestions above the problem I run into is size. Both of those monitors won't fit into our edit suite (which in built in a semi trailer for location work). I have a max width of 24 inches. When I look at the 27" models of those same monitors they will not handle 4k.

Also looking once again at the first monitor I was considering the "BenQ SW271 27" 16:9 4K IPS Monitor" in addition to it fitting I do also see it has a faster response time 5ms and also see it handles 3D LUTs, Yes (14-bit 3D LUTs). Additionally, here are the specs for the color gamuts: 100% Rec.709 / sRGB 99% Adobe RGB / 93% DCI-P3.

Again, I am brand new to this video color grading world but I have been working with color as a still photographer for many years. I do not, however, want to make a buying mistake so can someone tell me what I am missing?

Also if budget were not an issue what would be the "BEST" monitor for me that would fit a 24 inch wide space? Just FYI... additionally, we do also have a 55" OLED client monitor on the wall directly to my left which we also keep color managed.

Again, thanks a million to everyone for your help! This is an invaluable forum, especially for me!

Cheers,

Rip

PS I also read that this 27 inch BenQ monitor is Technicolor Certified... what the heck does this mean?
ALL POWER LIES IN THE WORLD OF DREAMS
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Dan Sherman

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Re: Question: Is this a good monitor for color grading?

PostWed Nov 15, 2017 11:02 pm

RipNoel wrote:Greetings All,

Thanks to everyone for trying to help us arrive at a good workable 4k monitor solution. Regarding Dan's suggestions above the problem I run into is size. Both of those monitors won't fit into our edit suite (which in built in a semi trailer for location work). I have a max width of 24 inches. When I look at the 27" models of those same monitors they will not handle 4k.


At 27" and smaller UHD/4k resolution have higher pixel densities than what your average consumer is comfortable with, and thus isn't very popular.


At UHD/4k and 27" or less these are really the only options I would personally would consider. keep in mind what you are trading off for a lower price.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... ultra.html
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... ra_hd.html
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... k_led.html
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... e_rgb.html
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... hd_4k.html
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... 27_4k.html
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... n_lcd.html
AMD 7950X | AMD 7900XTX (23.20.24) | DDR5-6000 CL30-40-40-96 2x32 GB | Multiple PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME | ASUS x670e HERO | Win 11 Pro 23H2 | Resolve Studio 18.6.5 B7
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Zia Basith

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Re: Question: Is this a good monitor for color grading?

PostWed Nov 15, 2017 11:57 pm

Thanks everyone for all this information.
Kays, you said to check out EIZO ColorEdge so I did and I found one with EX3 Calibration Sensor and one
without the EX3 calibration sensor.
With EX3 Calib sensor, will I still need to purchase calibration tool like the X-Rite colorMunky?
Or should I be considering the one without EX3 Calibration sensor and purchase the ColorMunky separate?
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Kays Alatrakchi

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Re: Question: Is this a good monitor for color grading?

PostThu Nov 16, 2017 3:00 am

What I like about the EIZO's is actually their built-in calibration sensor. You can set it and forget it which to me makes it worth the price. So yeah, if you get the one with the sensor (you should) then you won't need another calibration device like the X-Rite or other.
>>Kays Alatrakchi
Filmmaker based in Los Angeles, CA
http://moviesbykays.com

Resolve 18.1.4, Mac OS X 12.6.3 (Monterey), iMac Pro 64Gb RAM, Decklink Mini 4K, LG C9

Mac Book Air M1, Mac OS X 12.6 (Monterey), 16Gb RAM
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Zia Basith

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Re: Question: Is this a good monitor for color grading?

PostThu Nov 16, 2017 6:13 am

Thanks Kays, that's the one I'm going to get!
I also wanna thank everyone else that contributed to this post...

ZIA
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RipNoel

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Re: Question: Is this a good monitor for color grading?

PostTue Dec 19, 2017 6:05 pm

Yes, A large thank you to everyone for all the comments. I personally went with the BenQ SW271 a great recommendation thanks again! I did also invest in the Xrite i1 color management system and use it to profile both my SW271 as well as my client monitor a 55" Samsung UHD (8000 series I believe).

Cheers to all and happy holidays!

Rip Noel
ALL POWER LIES IN THE WORLD OF DREAMS

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