Massassi tech department I have a question:

I need to get a new monitor. Primary function: Photoshop and photography retouching. I'm looking for 22"-24", good viewing angle (colors don't get skewed on the edges), good contrast(white whites and black blacks). And I'm looking at up to $600, preferably $500.

I know the Apple cinema display is good but it's overpriced (~$900) and I'm concinced it's not the best out there.

Any advice?

[edit] forgot to mention that I'm into LCD, no CRTs please kthx

First, the specs are garbage. The important things are panel type and input lag, but you have to hunt around for those. For photo editing you really want an IPS panel. If you get a TN or *VA panel, you'll get inconsistent colors or contrast depending on where you are in orientation to the screen. You really can't work with photos that way.

Second IPS screens are expensive and hard to find. The best you will probably be able to do as far as I can see is theDS-265W

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16889187076

TV but has DVI in... its an IPS panel like Obi says...

That would probably be great for games, but the resolution does really pay off with photo editing.

Check out TFT Central. They have a whole slew of measurements in their reviews. They covered a few professional models, you should look at those.

How critical is color accuracy for you? Are you doing professional work or just amateur/hobbyist? Do you need an actual professional model or is a high end consumer/prosumer model good enough?

Panel type matters the most. IPS panels are the best, hands down. MVA/PVA are also decent, but not as good. Still better than VA or the TN-film trash you see in mainstream monitors.

Thanks for the advice. It's for my girlfriend, she does photo editing and retouching on a professional level, but that doesn't mean we can afford an actual professional model Prosumer models will be fine. Her main concern is not getting something off the 'internet' without knowing what it is - she uses a NEC 1970NX at work and so has me looking mostly at NECs.

This is what we'll probably go for - Samsung 245T - http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/samsung_245t.htm. It's an S-PVA.

Thanks for the link Emon, that site was excatly what I needed. I also found this German site with English reviews which has very in-depth monitor analyses.