Ultrawide monitors- are they good for photography?

rob-nikon

rob-nikon

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Short story:

Are Ultrawide monitors good for photograph?

Long story:

With the current lockdown I’m working from home on a works laptop. Due to this fact and that I’ve been considering moving from my 2012 iMac back to a PC I‘m looking at options whether I could consolidate to one monitor to connect my own computer to and the works laptop (previously I’d logged in remotely using my iMac and Citrix which worked ok until mh company upgraded their computer system prior to the lockdown). I’m not the most computer tech savvy guy so I’ve done a bit of research and found modern monitors can connect to two computers by having two HDMI (I told you I’m not the most computer savy!). This sounds perfect as I could have a desktop permanent connected and connect my works laptop when I need to. At work Im used to two monitors so I’d like to duplicate that but I gather it’s not possible on the works laptop unless I used a docking station, which would likely make connecting my own computer difficult. Whilst looking through different monitors I came across Ultrawide 21:9 monitors. It seems an ideal solution to give a larger than normal screen but in one monitor.

Ive been looking through different monitors and came across this LG Ultrawide monitor. With my knowledge it looks a ok option for both photography and for my work laptop.

https://www.lg.com/uk/monitors/lg-34WL750

are there any others worth looking at In the up to £400 range?
 
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I don't have one for photography, but at work I love my ultra wide as I can have two items effectively full-size alongside each other. When I re-do my home PC system, I'll be considering one
 
andrewc said:
I don't have one for photography, but at work I love my ultra wide as I can have two items effectively full-size alongside each other. When I re-do my home PC system, I'll be considering one
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I think for home working is where I will see the benefit. For photography I usually only use one program at a time so probably won’t need the extra space but it should still be a step up in resolution on my iMac’s 21.5 inch 1920 x 1080 screen.
 
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This doesn't answer your question but......

At work Im used to two monitors so I’d like to duplicate that but I gather it’s not possible on the works laptop unless I used a docking station, which would likely make connecting my own computer difficult.
Click to expand...

Maybe look into something like this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/AmazonBasi...ed-search-10&pf_rd_t=BROWSE&pf_rd_i=430482031

My wife uses a company laptop and due to lockdown she works at home all the time. By day she plugs her (company) laptop into the dock and uses 2 monitors , keyboard and mouse. By "night" she just swaps a single USB lead and moves the 2 monitors and keyboard to her personal desktop. It works remarkably well. (The mouse should work too but it's very laggy when plugged via the dock so it's one more USB lead to swap.) If she wanted she could actually use the laptop screen as a third.

2 decent 22 inch monitors and a dock are probably going to be cheaper and possibly better than an ultra wide. IMO using 2 screens is very different from one big on. (And right now I have a 32inch and two 22s running on this PC :) )
 
I used to really want one as it beats having two side by side but rather than get 34 inch ultra wide I bought a 32 inch ‘regular’ which has far more usable screen space.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I’ve been doing a bit more research and I’ve also spoken to a mate who’s a computer programmer and works from home majority of the time but also a very good photographer. I can see the point that an ultrawide monitor may not be the best option regarding resolution or use for photography. At the moment I’m space limited as the desk downstairs is only 95 cm wide. I’ve worked out I could potentially fit dual 21.5 inch monitors in this space but that would completely fit the width. A 34 inch ultrawide should fit in this space with about 5-10cm left over each side. A single 27inch 4K monitor could fit in this space.

I’m in discussions with the boss (aka the wife) whether we should change the use of the small bedroom (it currently has a sofa bed in there that’s used once a year) to a home office as I think one outcome of the lockdown will be we can both work from more in the future. I‘d have the potential to increase desk space to 2m which would give much more space.

JonathanRyan said:
This doesn't answer your question but......

Maybe look into something like this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/AmazonBasi...ed-search-10&pf_rd_t=BROWSE&pf_rd_i=430482031

My wife uses a company laptop and due to lockdown she works at home all the time. By day she plugs her (company) laptop into the dock and uses 2 monitors , keyboard and mouse. By "night" she just swaps a single USB lead and moves the 2 monitors and keyboard to her personal desktop. It works remarkably well. (The mouse should work too but it's very laggy when plugged via the dock so it's one more USB lead to swap.) If she wanted she could actually use the laptop screen as a third.

2 decent 22 inch monitors and a dock are probably going to be cheaper and possibly better than an ultra wide. IMO using 2 screens is very different from one big on. (And right now I have a 32inch and two 22s running on this PC :) )
Click to expand...

A docking station is an option for connecting the works laptop to one or more monitors. I have found that some ultrawide monitors have a built in ddocking station via usb-c. That would be perfect for me as it would simplify both the works and home use set ups.
 
I set up a new home office a couple of years ago. First stab was giant 30-something inch LG that I found on clearance. Initially it was impressive, but I got tired of it pretty quickly. It was plenty big enough to hold a lot of different windows, but I was constantly resizing things and moving them around. Got tiresome.

Went to 2 merely-large monitors and never looked back.
 
Mozthecat said:
I have two monitors. One is on the desk on its stand. The other is to one side on an arm similar to this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Duronic-Mo...1&keywords=Monitor+arm&qid=1587057163&sr=8-36 . This gets around the small desk issue as it hangs to one side.
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Thats a good solution but sadly not something I could use on our desk downstairs. Our desk was built into the kitchen worktop when we replaced the kitchen at the end of last year. It was based on the design in the Howdens link below:

https://www.howdens.com/kitchens/fitted-kitchens/greenwich-super-matt/greenwich-super-matt-grey


At the moment I'm starting to edge towards a 27 inch 4K monitor as its larger than what I presently use at home and work. If I do create a home office in the bedroom I could add a second monitor at a later date. A 27 inch 16x9 monitor also fits my existing desk well too.
 
rob-nikon said:
Thanks for all the replies. I’ve been doing a bit more research and I’ve also spoken to a mate who’s a computer programmer and works from home majority of the time but also a very good photographer. I can see the point that an ultrawide monitor may not be the best option regarding resolution or use for photography. At the moment I’m space limited as the desk downstairs is only 95 cm wide. I’ve worked out I could potentially fit dual 21.5 inch monitors in this space but that would completely fit the width. A 34 inch ultrawide should fit in this space with about 5-10cm left over each side. A single 27inch 4K monitor could fit in this space.
Click to expand...

I've just measured my desk and it's 120cm - so a fair bit wider than yours. At the moment I have a 22 inch on it angled slightly inwards so it takes 45cm of space. Next to it is a 32inch 4k and then there's an extra cupboard with a 22inch on. You'd fit dual 22s no worries on a 95cm desk.
 
JonathanRyan said:
I've just measured my desk and it's 120cm - so a fair bit wider than yours. At the moment I have a 22 inch on it angled slightly inwards so it takes 45cm of space. Next to it is a 32inch 4k and then there's an extra cupboard with a 22inch on. You'd fit dual 22s no worries on a 95cm desk.
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Thanks for the reply and measurements. I’ve now made a decision as I found a Dell 27 inch 4K monitor (U2720W- 2020 version release a couple of months ago) on the Dell website this afternoon that has 20% off (it was £628). It has USB-C connectivity so I can connect the works laptop directly to it which was something I would like to do without a power lead. Most Dells with this feature are around £800-850. A 27 inch should fit nicely on the desk downstairs. I have an end of worktop next to the desk that I can put the laptop on. As it’s raised 15cm above the desk height I could potentially use the works laptop screen as a second monitor. If in the future we create a home office upstairs I can get a bigger desk so dual 27 inch monitors may be the way to go. The only downside of the one I’ve ordered is delivery won’t be until early June but luckily I’m not in a rush for it.

The 32 inch 4K monitors look nice. I was considering one as the real estate would be amazing. There is a Dell version with USB-C but it was £220 more than the 27 inch so I couldn’t really justify the extra cost. Even £600 for a monitor seems quite a bit but I’m hoping it will last years.
 
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Looks like you've made a decision, but I do lots of photography processing and gaming on my Dell UltraSharp 34 Curved Monitor: U3417W - very happy with it. 3440x1440
 
dancook said:
Looks like you've made a decision, but I do lots of photography processing and gaming on my Dell UltraSharp 34 Curved Monitor: U3417W - very happy with it. 3440x1440
Click to expand...
It was definitely a close run thing. I really like the idea of the Dell Ultrawide as they look awesome but it was the UBS-C connectivity that became the deciding factor. The Ultrawide version with USB-C would be £840 so the £210 saving for the 16x9 4K was too big a saving to justify an ultrawide. If they would have been the same cost I think I’d be:runaway:making that decision!
 
rob-nikon said:
The 32 inch 4K monitors look nice. I was considering one as the real estate would be amazing. There is a Dell version with USB-C but it was £220 more than the 27 inch so I couldn’t really justify the extra cost. Even £600 for a monitor seems quite a bit but I’m hoping it will last years.
Click to expand...

Yeah my Benq 32 inch was £322.30 - at that price it was a no-brainer :)
 
I had a surprise today. The monitor I ordered that was supposed to be on a June estimated delivery turned up on my doorstep this afternoon! Ive taken a quick look but I didn't turn it on. my initial thoughts are it felt wider than I was expecting it to be. The ultrawide‘s must be pretty wide!
 
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