Advice please on 21" CRTs

[Spooky]

Hello

I am after a good quality 21" CRT flatscreen monitor.

Any recommendations what to get and where to get it?

The Lacie 22" is about the only thing I can find and it is $1450.

It seems most manufacturers don't make decent 21" CRTs anymore atleast don't bring them into Australia.

[big pix]

Spooky......... a MAC 20 inch cinema screen will work and is very good and cheaper.......

cheers
bp

EDIT; yes mac screens work on windows machines and make them look good

[birddog114]

MAC 20 inch cinema screen is less than $1300.00 GST Inc.
I've seen few of them at my customer's sites, they do like this model very much, but really I haven't had any try or chance of displaying and PPing on it.
The LaCie is using Mitsubishi Tube, I have the Mitsubishi 21" CRT and it does a great job in PPing.
Hard to find one of similar model atm.

[jethro]

we run 2x 21" diamondtrons and they are fantastic for everything

[Nnnnsic]

The LaCie, the Sony, and the Mitsubishi (that's them Diamondtron's) all use the Mitsubishi tubes... it's like that for most Dell, LaCie, Sony, and Mitsubishi CRT's.

[Spooky]

Not sure whether the LCDs will give me the true colours like the CRTs.

Also I don't think a widescreen is the way to go with monitors. Photos tend to suit the 4:3 screens better, especially for portrait photos.

Unfortunately I can't find the good Mitsubishi's or Sony 21" CRTs.
Unless somebody knows where I should look?

[birddog114]

Unfortunately I can't find the good Mitsubishi's or Sony 21" CRTs.
Unless somebody knows where I should look?

Both of these monitors do not exist anymore in Australia since beginning of the year.
You have to opt with the 19" CRT Mitsubishi or other brands.
Last time I sourced for one of our members with negative.

[Heath Bennett]

The Apple 20' is what made me move on from the Sony 21' CRT (now being lent permanently to a good friend).

Here is the real secret...

When brightness is turned all the way down, and when calibrated on OSX (with expert mode turned off) for the -stock- warm yellow (10 second job). All three of the office ones are perfect. And this is based on 4 test images printed by a Sydney printing company, and held up next to the monitor at the right time of day.

Thats the funny thing about colour correctness... the time of day!

Also take note that with a CRT your best efforts at colour calibration are destroyed quite soon after you calibrate. If there is any magnetic interferance it will effect. If you move the monitor (say from north facing to south facing) all your calibration will also change. Receiving images from the northern hemisphere will also look different down here in the south if there are two identical monitiors at either end!!!

LCDs are a practical solution to many of the issues for CRTs.

No one will regret the 20'. Don't buy the 23' as we had one for a while, and its colours are not anywhere near as correct as the 20', so we brought it back. Even the 30' is better in this regard I have heard, but have not had the opportunity to test it yet.

For $1250 it has dropped in price almost 1/2. The only other LCDs that I would trust at the moment would be the Formac ones as they can be calibrated (the mac 20' doesn't need expert calibration as all 3 we have are almost identical), and the new Lacie one that I'm sure would be great, but at twice the price of the 20' I can't justify (except that it has this cool portrait/landscape swivel function).

I wrote this in a rush before work so I hope it isn't full of too much unnessesary raving.

[Nnnnsic]

Let's see if I can't be of assistance, shall we...

Mitsubishi DV215A in NSW ($715)

Another Mitsubishi 215A this time in Queensland ($739)

And yet one more of those... in NSW at I-Tech ($769)

Looking at them, meh, I don't see what the big deal is.

I think that you should look at the Samsung, Viewsonic, or Philips monitors that are from 21"-22", honestly.

EDIT:
I've also found this, Mitsubishi 22" DP2070SB Flat screen Monitor, at this site, Marvel Computers, for $1040.

[gstark]

Heath,

Thats the funny thing about colour correctness... the time of day!

If the time of day is affecting how you view the colours on your monitor, then might I suggest that your interior lighting is ineffective?

Your view of the colours on your monitor should be, need to be, and must be a static view; otherwise you have no way to determine and predict consistency from one image to the next.

[Heath Bennett]

Hi Gstark,

Good point that is worth mentioning, but in the real world it is a tad idealistic.

Easy to control for the hobby orientated photographer at home... in a darkened room or artificially lit. Obviously in many many office environments lighting will vary - unless there are no windows, and no doubt this would effect morale!!!

One could always get up and close the blinds everytime I need to colour corrections, but I think this would be irritating to co-workers.

All images for the high end print jobs from my desk come out very well, so selecting the right time of day works alright in my instance.

I guess I could suggest that our office only works at night, and we all sleep during the day.

[gstark]

Hi Gstark,

Good point that is worth mentioning, but in the real world it is a tad idealistic.

Do you really think so?

Easy to control for the hobby orientated photographer at home... in a darkened room or artificially lit. Obviously in many many office environments lighting will vary - unless there are no windows, and no doubt this would effect morale!!!

I think it's far easier to control in a proper office environment., where you should have the same level of ambient light regardless of the time of day or night, and regardless of the current weather conditions outside.

By way of contrast with what you're suggesting, not only will the viewing conditions vary by time of day, but they will also vary due to whatever the current weather conditions might be. If it's cloudy or there's a storm outside, then the colour rendition you're seeing will probably be useless.

One could always get up and close the blinds everytime I need to colour corrections, but I think this would be irritating to co-workers.

This is still only telling me that the interior lighting is unsatisfactory.

All images for the high end print jobs from my desk come out very well, so selecting the right time of day works alright in my instance.

And I think you're hitting the nail on the head here, when you say "in my instance." It sounds like it's closer to being a matter of good luck rather than one of good design. Sorry.

[sirhc55]

Before the advent of PS there was the PaintBox system for professionals and this system was always used in a darkened room so there was absolutely no light interference.

Professionals still work in, let’s say a gloom like situation, so that there is no undue external light interference.

[Heath Bennett]

I can agree with everything you say, it is just from a different viewpoint.

I work in the creative industry and consider my mind more on the creative side than the technical side.

Working in an office without a good window (one that lets light in) is something that I need! I wouldn't sacrifice it for a more sterile feeling artificially lit option (something that may appeal to a more technically concerned person). For me, it would impact on my creativity.

To me, pulling out too many hairs about colour would effect the end result more - in crap/unimaginative design.