Why a Computer Monitor is a Great Christmas Gift for Photographers
- Why You Need a Curved Monitor for Photo Editing
- How To Choose a Monitor for Video Editing
- Monitor Buying Guide: Features That Minimize Eye Strain
- The Best Upgrade I’ve Made to My Editing Studio
- Best Items Photographers Need to Invest In
- First Impressions: ViewSonic Ultra-Wide Curved Monitor
Is there a big ticket photographic gift for a loved one in your holiday plans? If so, a new computer monitor might be something to consider. A high-quality computer monitor will last a long time and is among the most useful gear additions for intermediate and advanced photographers.
If you haven’t shopped for a computer since Win98se, you might be surprised at the choices available in computer monitors. One huge new feature that has made a splash in the world of photographic and video editing is curving the screen display, a curved monitor.
What Is a Curved Monitor?
photo by Gajus via iStock
We’ll get the easy answer out of the way first, it is a monitor that has a curved face instead of a flat face. It is going to look very similar to a flat screen TV as opposed to an older style cathode ray tube. If you recall, some of those large CRTs had a significantly curved front panel, but these were not curved screen monitors.
Here is an example of the new ultra wide curved screen monitors:
This is what a curved screen CRT looked like (note the older smartphone, too):
photo by trumzz via iStock
Current monitors for photo or video editing are amazingly advanced compared to monitors from just a few years ago. New monitors are thin front to back because they don’t use a classic picture tube ultra widescreen, closer to the aspect ratio of a new TV, and very high resolution.
How curved is a curved screen? Well, we’re not talking Disney Circarama style of curvature. It’s a noticeable enough curve but not extreme at all. For those of you who like math, the measurement of curvature in R(mm) averages about 560, but anywhere from 400 to 600 is usable in a curved screen monitor for photo editing.
Why Edit With a Curved Monitor?
The main benefits of curved monitors for photo editing are wide aspect ratios and immersive viewing. A wide aspect ratio gives you a wider field of view and is very useful for video editing also. Immersive viewing makes the photo and video editing experience more like actually being involved in the scene in person.
One thing worth noting about all of these statements, it doesn’t really matter with smaller monitors. In order to fully reap the benefits of curved monitors, larger ultra widescreens are better. If an external monitor is only around 20-27 inches, being widescreen and curved won’t give you the extra benefits like it would if your curved monitor is 34-45 inches.
In the image above, you see two different size curved monitors, one 34 inches and the 38 inches. Notice the huge difference in size compared to the laptop screen (which is one of the larger-screened laptops). It’s the combination of large size, widescreen aspect ratio, and curvature that equals an immersive viewing and editing experience.
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Our Picks for Curved Monitors for Photo Editing
Except for that still life of obsolete electronics, all of the images in this gift guide are the ViewSonic high-resolution, widescreen, curved monitors, specifically the VP3881 38 inch computer monitor and the VP3481 34 inch curved monitor.
Recently, I upgraded my personal video and photo editing studio to a dual screen set up in order to make full use of all of the new features in cameras, computer programs, and computer monitors. You can get all of the benefits of curved monitors with either one of these and your photographer friend receiving one as a gift will be blown away.
ViewSonic Monitors Are Superb
I’ve been a fan of ViewSonic for a while now because of their consistently high quality and modern features. Here are a few reasons why I chose these two new curved monitors and why either one will make a great gift:
High Resolution - Extreme levels of sharpness are standard with ViewSonic. These two curved monitors are very high resolution, so you can view and edit in native quality without losing any detail.
Amazing Color - The color accuracy of the VP3881 and VP3481 are superb. Either monitor is capable of 4.39 trillion colors. Trillion is a huge number. What it means is that you can edit to the finest detail of sharpness, contrast, and color fidelity.
Improved Workflow - Combined with the large screen size and wide aspect ratio is the ability to tile windows of the same program or different programs so you don’t have to keep switching back and forth.
Reasonable Price - Ultra widescreen, high-resolution, curved monitors are not cheap, but ViewSonic monitors are very reasonably priced when you consider their high-quality, awesome features. While many may prefer the larger 38-inch version, the 34-inch is just as good, only slightly smaller, and somewhat less expensive.
Immersive Viewing - All of the size, quality, and features add up to the ViewSonic curved monitors delivering a superior immersive viewing and editing experience.
Wow! What a Nice Gift
photo by Moyo Studio via iStock
If you give the gift of a ViewSonic ultra widescreen, high resolution, curved monitor to a photographer or videographer, they will be very well pleased. This is a gift for photographers that will keep giving for many years.
Since you’re in a gift giving mood, have I ever told you how much I like the new [insert luxury car brand here]... ?
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