@jlewis02
We need to get this straight: are you in the market for a monitor where photo editing features are an actually serious concern, or do you just need something to facilitate tinkering around on APS-C DSLR photos or iPhone photos in Lightroom? There's a big difference in what can be recommended depending on how you answer.
If you are indeed serious about photo editing, you're looking at a panel that is:
- IPS
-
actually tested out of the box deltaE < 3 as a minimum, lower would be ideal
-
actually tested good contrast ratio, which is something a surprising amount of IPS panels fail at (VA is best at contrast ratio, but is not what you need here)
- no stupid god-awful green or yellow tint that exists for no reason
- bonus near-complete AdobeRGB coverage if that's what you're into
- maybe a bundled hood because
a calibrated monitor usually runs at like 15-20% brightness to actually get the colour accuracy
(read: games + serious photo editing don't mix)
The ones that check these boxes are generally quite a bit above $500.
And if you are serious about photo editing on a 27" panel, I can tell you right now that you don't stand to gain a heck of a lot with a 4K panel at that size. A 1440p panel will serve you just as well, and for a similar price point, you can step up to the big boys, near-professional 1440p monitors with things that'll actually help you edit photos.
Like, if you're in Photoshop on 1440p and find you want to examine a detail in a specific part of the image, you'd just switch over to the zoom tool anyways. You'd do so on the 4K panel too.
For the price of $500, the
Dell U2718Q comes to mind. However, like I've said, you pay a lot for 4K. You pay a lot for what is essentially your run of the mill monitor, upscaled to 4K resolution.
What I would probably recommend is the
BenQ PD2700U. It's a relatively new 27" 4K panel, and seems to be quite accurate from reviews, as it is geared towards colour-sensitive work without absolutely breaking the bank. 100% sRGB, don't expect Adobe RGB coverage. The input lag seems to be minimal so it can probably work pretty well in games, just don't get the PD2700Q (the 1440p version), as that one has massive input lag. BenQ advertises a higher standard of colour calibration for this one, as it's from the entry pro range, but someone needs to verify that first.
But again, if you really are serious about photo editing, you'll want to step down to 1440p at that size and go for at least a
BenQ SW2700PT (about $600-700 I think). That'll give you (iffy software though, BenQ) support to plug in your hardware colorimeter to personally calibrate your monitor, and 98% Adobe RGB colourspace coverage.
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Now, if you just want "photo editing", in other words you just need a good IPS panel. There are so many cheap 4K IPS monitors out there these days.
The
LG 27UL550/650/850 series are pretty much kings of value at this point. They're good all around monitors for the price, if you don't mind things like having no VESA mount, an external brick (because LG), and average build quality. Good if you just want 4K, IPS done well and without extra frills.
And again, the
PD2700U works at the higher end of the this category.
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The problem with finding a monitor for colour accuracy is that you'd need a reviewer like TFTCentral who actually has the equipment and knows what to look for, to put out a review with relevance to people who value colour-sensitive work. A lot of these panels don't, and you can quickly see if you just look at the list of reviews in TFTCentral's database. It takes time to review monitors like that. And unless someone actually verifies the manufacturer's claims, all their claims of out-of-the-box deltaE, contrast ratio, max brightness mean absolutely jack shit.
Then there's also colour/brightness uniformity, but that's not something you can test for. That's something you'll find out for yourself through the monitor lottery, which you play every time you buy a panel. Cross your fingers and hope for the best.
Oh and don't be swayed by "HDR10". It's horseshit that makes your monitor look worse. For "real" HDR, you'd need zone dimming ($$$$), a heck of a lot of brightness (like, close to if not 1000 nits, $$$$), etc. Which adds up to a lot of $$$$, you won't find real HDR here at 300-350nits brightness.
Don't be swayed by Rec.709 either. It means nothing colour-wise. If the manufacturer advertises Rec.709, it just means it's 99% or 100% sRGB. Which is good enough for your average joe.
Also consider that
if you want to game, you better be damn sure you'll either easily push 60fps in all your games, or you just don't mind 30fps. Reducing resolution at 4K for games doesn't work well, because 2560x1440 doesn't scale well into 3820x2160 and makes things hella blurry. Trust me, I've been there with a PB287Q and GTX 1070. That's why I would just recommend a 27" 1440p panel, maybe 144Hz like the
PG279Q if you want more games, or a
SW2700PT if you want more photos.
