Photography News Issue 44

Photography News | Issue 44 | absolutephoto.com

First tests

BenQSW320Pro32in IPSLCD £1275

Specs

Small might be beautiful but big is undoubtedly better when it comes to computer monitors and enjoying your masterpieces on a high-quality screen is a real delight. The BenQ SW320 Pro is the company’s latest monitor aimed at photographers and film-makers with exciting features such as 4K resolution (3840x2160pixels). It shows 99% of the Adobe RGB colour space and has HDRmode which gives a more dynamic view of compatible movie footage. The screen is 32in diagonally which for £1275 doesn’t sound that impressive when you can buy a 55in LCD TV for under £400: but monitors and TVs are very different beasts. Monitors can be profiled, have the pixel density to make the most of your high-resolution images and you can sit a few feet in front of one for hours on endwithout wanting to poke your eyes out with a pointy stick. This unit comes with a two-part stand and screen as separate items but getting the components together takes no time at all. No tools are needed – another plus, especially if you want to use your screen for presentations on the road. It also comes with a Hotkey Puck, leads and a multi-section monitor hood. Minutes after unpacking the unit it was connected to my Mac Mini and after start-up I was marvelling at the impressive image. I use a 27in monitor (a BenQ as it happens) so I couldn’t resist putting the two side by side with the same image on show, as you can see below. For scale I added an 11in MacBook Air. The image on the larger monitor looked awesome. You wouldn’t think that the difference between the 31.5in and 27in screens would be that great but it was enormous and seemingly more than a few inches.

Five unmarked buttons at the bottom right of the screen bring up input options, colour mode, HDR, brightnessandvarious systemmenus. These buttons let you navigate the on- screen display menu and select the many options the SW320 provides. I wouldn’t say this system is intuitive but you get used to it with time. In the system menu the three buttons can be used as custom keys giving one-push access to a range of features. Another way of quickly accessing features is the supplied Hotkey Puck, with three controller key settings that you can customise via the screen’s menu. This gives quick access to most commonly- used features. For example, you can quickly view images in black & white before converting them. Of course Lightroom users can do this even more quickly with one mouse click. One of the headline features is the monitor’s HDR mode that shows off video footage in a dynamic way but you need HDR compatible devices and content. To be clear, you don't get cartoon-like, richly coloured images that many keen still photographers understand as HDR. View non-HDR compatible footage and the picture is bright, almost painfully bright, but get the right content and the end result looks fabulous. I downloaded HDR video footage on the internet and yes it looks awesome on this screen. Images have plenty of contrast but the shadows were boosted and the midtones and highlightshave lotsof snap.Obviously the screen’s high resolution means images are full of crisp detail too. Move in really close, and there is so much detail to appreciate and enjoy. The SW320 with its 4K UHD screen shows pictures in amazing detail and makes the most of high- res still pictures too. The matt finish

Price

£1275

Type

IPS

Size 32in/68 cm (684mm diagonal) Native resolution 3840x2160pixels, 16:9 aspect ratio In the box Mains lead, HDMI cable, mini displayport – display port, USB 3.0 cable, shading hood OSD controller, setup guide, Palette Master Elements software, quick reference guide Pixel pitch 0.185x0.185 mm Viewing angles (typical) 178°, 178° Brightness (max) 250cd/m2 Contrast ratio (typical) 1000:1 Input terminals HDMI 2.0 + DP1.4 + mDP 1.4, USB 3.0 (downstream x 2 (side), upstream x1) Typical power consumption 43.98W Power save mode

Less than 0.5W Preset modes

AdobeRGB, DCI-P3, Rec.709, sRGB, B&W, HDR, Darkroom, Calibration 1, Calibration 2, Custom 1, Custom

2, CAD, CAM, Animation Dimensions (WxHxD) 745x530x211.4mm Weight 20kg Height adjustment range 150mm Contact benq.co.uk

screen gives glare-free viewing and the IPSLEDbacklit screengives stable and accurate colour images. I did calibrate my sample using an X-rite Colormunki Display before doing any serious editing and printing. Spend any extended time in front of any monitor and eye strain and fatigue are hazards, but the SW320 proved a pleasure to use and with regular screen breaks I spent a full working day picture editing and word processing on it with no issues. WC

Top This BenQ screen offers popular connection options.

Above The five unmarked buttons at the bottom of the screen let you navigate the on-screen display (OSD) menu and select options.

Below The 32in screen is impressive when compared

with my 27in monitor (right) and provides excellent quality images.

The screen’s high resolution means images are full of crisp detail too

Verdict

Using the 32in BenQ is a real treat. To view pictures I’ve sweated or got frozen for on a big screen makes all the pain worthwhile. A big print is the ultimate but you can’t make big prints of every image you shoot, and to enjoy them on a big screen is a very good second best. At £1275, the BenQ SW320 32in IPS LCD is undoubtedly a big screen that is competitively priced and a leading performer. Pros Image quality, SD card reader, shade supplied, easily adjustable stand, screen size for the price Cons On screen menu not intuitive