Would love some advice on what monitor I should buy. I am thinking of just going with the 23" Apple display to plug my new macbook pro into, but am wondering if there is a better value out there. I like the idea of sticking with Mac because I know I won't have to mess with color callibration (had great results with doing nothing on my old Imac G5.) Any thoughts? Dell? Samsung?

Thank you!

You will need to calibrate any monitor you use. The iMac we have is very bright. Much brighter than the images actually are. It's hard to find good CRT monitors anymore, but they're easier to calibrate. Brands I've heard are good for LCD are LaCie and Eizo. They often have 16-bit color capabilities which makes calibration easier.

If you are looking for a better deal, you can get the dell 24" for $674

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/product...mp;sku=320-4335

or the 30" for $1349
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/con...19&oc=W3007


p.s. you will have to calibrate any monitor regardless of mfg

Thanks. Is there anything better about the Dell or other non-mac brands?

We actually just bought a 22" Chimei from Micrcenter for about $285.00 (that is wih tax included). It has amazing color and contrast ratio. And also it is super sharp. Without tax iti is $269.00

Click here for more info.

the dell 24" and 30" are the same screens as the ACD's, just different housings. The Dell's come with a built in memory card reader too, and 4 usb 2 ports, the Apple comes with usb and firewire.

I have the Dell 24" and love it, and wll soon be doing the same as you with a MBP. It even supports PIP

Apple, Dell and 90% of the rest of the LCD bunch are 8 bit monitors. All can be calibrated but with only 8 bit color you will not see the smooth gradation of tone and color like most any CRT.

The high-end LaCie and Eizos will offer superior color like we are used to with a good quality CRT. They are 12-16 bit. Think of it as having more crayons in the box to color with.

A 24" Eizo is around $1600 but it is like the difference in a consumer and pro lens.

Now that I have said that, if your lab controls your color, a lesser monitor may be fine. Personally I do all of my own color correction.

HP just came out with a new line of monitors (including a 30"). They have them on display at B&H in NY.

Hi Michele,
Unfortunately, there are very few LCD monitors at that size for under $1k that can be color corrected. Yes, as others have mentioned you need to color correct any monitor. The Dells look good and the colors can be corrected but their blacks are never dark enough, even if you turn brightness to the lowest setting.
The best bet, and the monitor I will go with when my 24 inch Trinitron CRT lets go, is the NEC LCD2170NX. It is a 21 inch and goes for about $700. My understanding is that it is one of the very few LCD's under $1K that can be fully color corrected. If you're set on the 23 widescreen I would go with the Apple.