BenQ SW271 27 Inch 4K Photography Monitor, 3840 x 2160 UHD, HDR, IPS, 99 Percent Adobe RGB, 100 Percent sRGB, 10 bit - Grey

Product Information

I’d been looking for the new CS2731 to understand pricing but it appears it won’t be available in the UK until early 2020 and it’s currently only available in Japan. Nb. Delta-E (ΔE) is the measurement of the difference between the expected or requested colour, and the actual colour measured by the calibration device. The lower this number, the better. After I launched the software for the first time, it immediately recognized the X-Rite i1Display Pro colorimeter and showed me the following screen:

SW271 User Manual | BenQ UK

Designed for photography, and colour accurate work such as graphic design, the monitor is designed to work with BenQ's Palette Master Element software, which is used to calibrate the monitor display, and updates the monitor's LUT (Colour Look Up Tables) to ensure accurate colour is consistently displayed. The monitor is calibrated at the factory, and a sheet is provided to show the results of calibration with a maximum colour deviation of below 2 (max 1.02 - tested using a KM CA310). It's a good idea to calibrate regularly and to do this using the provided software you will need to use a calibration device such as a Spyder4, 5 or i1 Display Pro. If you use multiple monitors, then it's worthwhile calibrating both devices. I also looked at the Eizo CS2730/31 but they only use 8 bit + 2 bit FRC panels. There is much debate about this, with some saying true 10 bit is crucial while other say it cannot be seen by the human eye so 8 bit + is fine. I would great appreciate your opinion ColorConsultant and/or Nasim on where the true 10 bit qualification should fall on my list of considerations. The connection options comprise a pair of HDMI ports (Version 2.0), Display Port, USB 3.0 (upstream for hubbing) and USB Type C plus a 3.5mm stereo audio headphone output. Two downstream USB 3.0 ports are located on the rear left side of the monitor along with a slot for SD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards which, apart from the convenience factor, also frees up one of the main USB ports for the great many photographers using this format. A circular port in the support column serves as a cable run to keep everything tidy. Performance

The results from the factory calibration look pretty good, showing passing numbers for all the tests. Let’s take a look at the sRGB color profile: One of the toughest tests for any monitor is how well a monitor can display white. So we've taken a photo of the screen displaying 100% white, with white balance on the camera set using the central point of the monitor. The monitor has a slight magenta / pink hue on the right-hand side of the monitor and a very slight green cast on the left-hand side of the monitor. I would even say the same for true 10bit end to end communication (Photoshop 10bit and that stuff)… a dithered 8bit communication ( or 10bit comunication dithered to 8bit in some step) should be visually equivalent: Lightroom, CaptureOne and ACR, all use dithered outputs, all render “10bit test ramp” smooth. You just need to ensure that your calibration caused no banding (realiable HW cal or good GPU)

BenQ SW271C｜27-inch 4K AdobeRGB USB-C Photographer Monitor - BenQ

Keep in mind that this is what you normally get with most budget options on the market. Unless you are ready to move up to NEC and Eizo monitors that offer good overall uniformity and uniformity compensation features, most other monitors are going to struggle in this department. Verifying Factory Calibration This resolution provides more than enough space for working with several programs on at the same time, and you can view a full 8-megapixel photo at 100% on the screen. If you regularly deal with large images or need to view a lot of an image, in detail, then the high-resolution will be particularly useful. For 4K (UHD) video, the monitor's resolution is ideal, letting you view the full detail in the video.Earlier last year I had a chance to test the BenQ SW320 monitor, which turned out to be a solid choice for my photography needs. I was able to calibrate the display using both BenQ’s native Palette Master Element software and DisplayCAL, which provided me with great results at the end (you can see my calibration results in my detailed BenQ SW320 Review). I wanted to explore BenQ’s product line even further and this time I will be taking a closer look at the smaller 27″ version of the monitor, the SW271. Quite a few things have changed since last time I looked at BenQ monitors and with the most recent updates to calibration software, it seemed like I could get even more out of these wide gamut displays. Let’s take a look at what I was able to achieve with the BenQ SW271 in my environment. Thank you for your time, extraordinary knowledge and opinions. What you recommend will greatly influence my final decision on a monitor. FYI, for the most part, I use PS and LrC to edit in Windows 10.

BenQ SW271C Monitor Review: Love the Updates - PetaPixel BenQ SW271C Monitor Review: Love the Updates - PetaPixel

As with all the BenQ PhotoVue monitors, the SW271 is calibrated before it leaves the factory and a printed report is included in the supplied documentation. Subsequently, hardware calibration – via an external colorimeter – is performed via BenQ’s proprietary Palette Master Element software (supplied on a CD-ROM). Hardware calibration is generally considered superior to software-based calibration (which also requires a colorimeter), but the latter will still ensure you keep the monitor within specifications over time. Using BenQ's software Palette Master Element you need to use a calibration device to calibrate the monitor, such as the X-Rite i1 Display Pro. The BenQ SW271 impresses with its business style design and thin and flat bezel around the top and sides of the screen. There is a blue ring for putting the cables through. A weight of 16.4kg is quite heavy, although the stand has no problem supporting the weight, whilst offering ease of adjustment for height, tilt and orientation. The power light and on/off button isn't too bright a white.I had looked at the NEC PA271Q as I could continue to use the NEC branded i1 calibrator, which apparently will only work with NEC monitors but your review gives me pause. Viewing angles are 178 degrees for both vertical and horizontal, which is very good. Although the viewing angle is typical for a high-end display using IPS panel technology, those who are used to the older TN panel technology will be impressed by the difference this makes. Colour and brightness remain fairly consistent, although can change towards the left and right if you are not positioned in front of the middle of the monitor.