I Bought A Dell S2721QS 4K Monitor, My Review

 Dell S2721QS, 4K 60Hz, 2021, 99% sRGB, 8bits+FRC, $249 on Amazon.

OK, this is the first one I bought from my list of 15, because it was the least expensive 27' 4K 8bits+FRC monitor, and I wanted to see what I could get out of a budget Dell display.

It arrived from Amazon quickly. I immediately plugged it and... Noticed something odd.

On the default settings there is a visible color shift across the screen. It's bluish on the left, yellowish on the right. No! 😫

I asked my friends and family to have a look at the screen displaying a full screen white image, and they all saw the defect. So it's fairly obvious, not anodyne in any way.

I fiddled with the menu, nothing really helped. There isn't much in terms of customization anyway except for a User Colors setting, i.e. RGB sliders, Brightness and Contrast adjustments.

Otherwise, the screen is really nice. It's bright - way too bright on the default settings - crisp, compared to my old HD monitor, with a very smooth and stable image. The stand is adjustable, but it's kind of wobbly.

Time for calibration.

100% sRGB, 74% Adobe RGB, 84% DCI-P3, it's decent.

Not too bad. Not too great.

After calibration the color shift is somewhat less visible, but I can still see it! Darn! 😖

Let's measure the uniformity:

Not so great uniformity... 

So three negatives points for this Dell S2721QS model:

• Color shift across the screen
• Shoddy uniformity
• Wobbly stand

I don't like the suboptimal uniformity of this Dell, and I'm even more bothered about the color unbalance. There is definitely a yellowish blob tint on the right and a cyan tint on the left. These two problems compound badly to make the screen look cheap/bad.

Dell, Dell, did I get a lemon? Possibly some units are better than others? Maybe. I don't know if I want to try and order another one just to see. Probably not.

I will be using this panel for a little bit, overall though I would not recommend this model, and I think I will ultimately be returning it.

Do you have a S2721QS? Does it look good to your eyes? Do you see a color shift like I do? I'd be interested in knowing what's your experience.

I Need A New Computer Monitor. My List Of 15 Contenders For Creators Like Myself

 OK, I am in need of new computer monitors. One of my old ViewSonic monitor had a breakdown. One of the lamps is busted, the bottom of the screen is now dark, and it's not coming back. I need a replacement.

I've been using two identical Viewsonic 24' (1920 x 1080) monitors for a while. I'm OK with the dual monitor setup. I feel that I need 27', or maybe even 32' at this point.

Resolution should be upped from full HD to QHD (2560 x 1440) for 27', or even 4K. Since I'm using Macs, 5K would be great, but the price of 5K monitors is too high.

As a film/video editor and finishing artist, I am picky in terms of uniformity, both for color and luminosity.

Finally I am a frugal guy, and I really don't want to break the bank, so I will keep the price under or near $500. Sounds impossible... We'll see.

I've gathered information on the web, and I've rounded a few suspects:

A) 27' QHD 2560 x 1440 monitors:

Asus PA278QV 2020, 100% sRGB, 100% Rec.709, 95% DCI-P3, DeltaE<2, 8bits, $294 on Amazon

Benq PD2700Q, 2020, 100% sRGB, 100% Rec.709, DeltaE<3, 8bits+FRC, $297 on Amazon

Asus PA278CV, 2020, 100% sRGB, 100% Rec.709, DeltaE<2, 8bits, $319 on Amazon

Dell U2722D, 2020, 100% sRGB, 100% Rec.709, 95% DCI-P3, 8bits+FRC, $349 on Amazon

Dell U2722DE, 2021, 100% sRGB, 100% Rec.709, 95% DCI-P3, DeltaE<2, 8bits+FRC, $405 on Amazon

B) 27' 4K 3840 x 2160 monitors:

Dell S2721QS, 2021, 99% sRGB, 8bits+FRC, $249 on Amazon.

LG 27UP650-W, 2021, 95% DCI-P3, 8bits+FRC, $249 on Amazon

HP U28, 2020, 100% sRGB, 90% DCI-P3, DeltaE<2, 8bits+FRC, $324 on Amazon

LG 27UL850-W, 2019, 99% sRGB, 8bits+FRC, $376 on Amazon

LG 27BP85UN-W, 2021, DCI-P3 95%, 8bits+FRC, $447 on Amazon

Asus PA279CV, 2020, 100% sRGB, 100% Rec.709, 95% DCI-P3, DeltaE<2, 8bits+FRC, $447 on Amazon

Dell U2720QM, 2020, 99% sRGB, 99% Rec.709, 95% DCI-P3, DeltaE<2, 8bits+FRC, $464 on Amazon.

Dell P2723QE, 2022, 99% sRGB, 99% Rec.709, 95% DCI-P3, DeltaE<2, 8bits+FRC, $525 on Amazon

C) 32' 4K Monitors:

LG 32BN67U-B, 2020, 95% DCI-P3, 8bits+FRC, $399 at B&H

LG 32UN880-B, 2020, 95% DCI-P3, 8bits+FRC, $399 on Amazon

I feel a 32' monitor has to have 4K resolution. Unfortunately this limits the number of models available under $500.

So there, that's my list of 15 monitors with decent specs, under/near $500. If you have any other ideas, please share!

I now need to select one and give it a go. I feel like it's gonna be a 27' 4K display for me, I'll keep you posted.

Final Cut Pro and Davinci Resolve Scopes Compared

 Resolve scopes: hard to read, distorted, not showing out of range values.

FCP scopes: easy on the eyes, clean, showing out of range values.

Now, Resolve is the reference color correcting software. Reflect on this for a moment.