Reader Question: NEC PA271Q as Editing Display
See my Mac wishlist and color management wishlist.
Louis M writes:
I am a serious amateur photographer now with a portfolio worth marketing. But I also use my computer for my day job.
My Mac died and am now intending to buy a Mac mini.
In my price range for a monitor I THINK I settled on the NEC EA271U-BK-SV. I have read that the 4K is overkill (I think it will leave an option open for future video editing). Is this monitor too weak in the gamut range for photography (I use Lightroom, Photoshop and some additional software for HDR and painting)? It comes with Syder5 but locals say that there are better calibration tools – more confusion on my part. I was leaning toward ColorEdge CS2730 EIZO but scared off due to possible incompatibility with Mac mini. Comments? I like the idea of built-in calibration sensor.
DIGLLOYD: when editing photos, 4K pixel density is high, which makes it hard to evaluate image sharpness—I don’t find it viable. See 2.5K or 4K or 5K Display for Image Editing and Viewing?. But it is better to have 4K for video editing.
It looks like the NEC PA302W can still be ordered with a white bezel as of today, probably remaining stock as the black-bezel model has already been discontinued. The PA302W has been my workhorse display for years now.
As to the gamut of the NEC EA271U-BK-SV, IMO is far too narrow; I would not choose it for photos, and even for video it’s going to fall far short in gamut like Rec 2020.
I would stick with the NEC PA271Q and the sensor it comes with. Gamut of the NEC PA271Q is excellent, a bit less than the now discontinued NEC PA302W but greater in the greens and yellows. I have not tried the EIZO ColorEdge CS2730 so I cannot speak to it, but I don’t know why it would be less compatible than the NEC PA271Q.
See my Mac wishlist and color management wishlist.