I hope you guys have read my previous post about my collaboration with BenQ. I’m very pleased to share with you my review of BenQ SW320 Monitor. It has been a couple of weeks that I have been using and working with the BenQ SW320 and I can’t wait to share with you my experience of using the brand new calibrated monitor.
The Importance of a Calibrated Monitor as the BenQ SW320
These days, us photographers and videographers spend a huge amount of time editing during post-production to produce flawless and beautiful images. As it is a big part of the process, using the right tool with high competency is very important and they play a huge role in the final product.
Most of the time, the first important tool that we will have in mind are cameras and lenses. Following that will then be lighting and accessories, editing software (Lightroom, Photoshop, Capture One) and a computer.
A calibrated monitor doesn’t come first in the list, but for many photo and videography professionals, it truly is a must have! Nowadays, more and more photographers and videographers own a calibrated monitor because it provides the most accurate and outstanding color resolution- even hobbyists are investing on them!
Finally, a chance to own a Calibrated Monitor of my own
Before my collaboration with BenQ, I never had the chance to own one. I was doing all my work on my Mac Book Pro 13” and my iMac 27”. However, I did use a calibrated monitor to check the quality and color accuracy of my photographs before the printing process. I have done it many times in Singapore and even in France.
Since then, it has been on my wish list to have a calibrated monitor of my own. Not only in the process of making prints but also for the daily use in my commercial work and live photoshoots at my studio, COCO Creative Studio.
The BenQ SW320 monitor was my top choice and getting it was a true privilege- I have absolutely no regrets! I’m excited because right now, I can be more precise with the post production process. Having no doubts that the quality of the final product will be of the highest quality.
The components of the BenQ SW320 Monitor
Firstly, the 31.5 Inch big screen monitor sits on my desk with an impressive resolution of 3840 x 2160 UHD. The BenQ SW320 offers 99% Adobe RGB Color Space with IPS technology and High Dynamic Range (HDR).
Outstanding Color Accuracy and Resolution – 4K UHD Monitor
What’s a 4K resolution display?
4k is the resolution of FHD (1920 x 1080) x 4!! Which is very interesting for the reason that most of the camera can produce 4K video. Lately, I shot with the new FUJIFILM XT3 and I was amazed to see the quality of the footage displayed on the monitor. 4K UHD resolution monitor blew my mind and I was so impressed with the finest details, textures and color.
99% Adobe RGB -” Fully visualize the true colors “
This wide gamut monitor allows you to see more accurate, rich and realistic colors of your photos and videos. Adobe RGB color space offers a far greater range of color reproduction for shades of blue and green. With 10-bit panels which produces 1.07 billion perceivable colors, it provides natural color transitions and subtle shading.
Do you know that 10-bit has 64 times more color than 8-bit? That is an absolutely huge amount of colours!
Here’s a comparison in stats- 8 bit: 256 colors per value / 256x256x256 colors = 16,777,216 colors in total 10 bit: 1024 colors per value / 1024x1024x1024 colors = 1,073,741,824 colors in total.
For this reason, many of the gradients in an image will look a lot smoother and BenQ SW320 guarantees an outstanding quality of image.
Design and functional of the BenQ SW320
The Monitor comes in a huge box and keeps the product very well protected.
Inside the box, we have:
- The BenQ monitor A stand
- Hotkey Puck Connecting cables (Power Cord, HDMI Cable, mDPtoDP Cable, USB 3.0 Cable)
- Shading hood for horizontal (landscape) and vertical (portrait) usage
- Notice information papers.
As you can see in my images, the monitor and stand are very well designed. There is a hole created in the stand for all the cables to pass through. The Hotkey Puck also has a spot design at the very base of the stand.
The stand is very stable.
The overall color of the monitor is a sleek dark grey with a lighter shade of grey for the BenQ logo, displayed at the bottom of the screen.
Found at the bottom as well (right corner in the front face to be precise), is the power (on/off) bottom followed by 5 menu buttons.
Each set of detachable shading hood has its very own access at the top for calibration with a Spyder and X-Rite. They are easy to install for landscape or portrait orientation and useful for reducing screen glare from ambient lighting.The fabrics of shading hood inside is silk-like, which could help to absorb the reflection from screen.
Input Ports, USB 3.0 Hub and Memory Card Reader
Hotkey Puck
Black & White Mode
GamutDuo
Conclusion of the BenQ SW320 monitor for photographer
There are a few brands of calibrated monitor to choose from but I have to say that BenQ is the best in terms of value (quality + price). I’m glad that they make high-end products at an affordable price.
Overall the setup was a breeze and it’s compatible with Mac and PC. Also, the quality of the build fantastic- sturdy and robust.
I have used the BenQ SW320 monitor for a number of work and projects such as:
– Commercial photography for Shangri-La Hotel Singapore
– The Art of Chinese Medicine – 中药物的艺术
– Testing the new FUJFILM X-T3 with photo and video sessions in Little India and The Singapore Zoo
– Portrait shoots at COCO Creative Studio
The price for the monitor in Singapore is around SGD2,099.00 and for overseas US $1,499.00; EUR 1485.99.
You can purchase the BenQ SW320 on Lazada (Lazmall) or a local store in Singapore such as Alan Photo.
The website link to BenQ’s very own boutique (LazMall): https://www.lazada.sg/products/benq-sw320-315-inch-uhd-4k-color-management-photographer-monitor-i126824379-s142685388.html?spm=a2o42.searchlist.list.5.5af83b64vOKAR5&search=1
Do comment in the comment section below if you would like me to take you through the process of how you can calibrate your monitor! You can scroll down to find the specifications of the BenQ SW320 monitor!
You can find more information on the official website of BenQ: https://www.benq.com/en/index.html
Follow me on Instagram: @josejeuland & @coco.creative.studio As well as www.cococreativestudio.com for commercial work.
Please find bellow all the specifications of the BenQ SW320 Monitor:
Main Specifications
Screen Size: 31.5
Resolution (max.) :3840×2160
All Specifications
Display Screen Size: 31.5
Panel Type: IPS
Backligh Technology: LED backlight
Resolution (max.): 3840×2160
Brightness: 350
Native Contrast(typ.): 1000:1
Viewing Angle (L/R;U/D) (CR>=10): 178/178
Response Time: 5 ms (GtG)
Refresh Rate: 60Hz
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Display Colors: 1.07billion
Color Gamut: 99% AdobeRGB, 100% sRGB
Display Area(mm): 697.92×392.58
Pixel Pitch (mm): 0.182
PPI: 140 DCR (Dynamic Contrast Ratio) (typ.): 20M:1
Color Bit: 10bits
Audio
Headphone Jack: Yes
Monitor
Segment: photographer
Product Color: Gray Color Mode: AdobeRGB / sRGB / B+W / Rec.709/ DCI-P3/ HDR / Darkroom / Calibration 1 /Calibration 2 / Custom 1 / Custom 2 / CAD/CAM / Animation
HDR: HDR10
Display Mode: Full, Aspect Ratio, , 1:1
Color Temperature: 5000°K / 6500°K/ 9300°K / User Mode
Gamma: 1.6 – 2.6
K Locker: Yes
OSD Language: 19 Languages (English / Francais / Deutsch / Italiano / Espanol / Polish / Czech / Hungarian / Serbo-croatian / Romanian / Netherlands / Russian / Swedish / Protuguese / Japanese / Chinese / S-Chinese/Arabic/Korean)
PIP/PBP: Yes
HDCP: 2.2
VESA Wall Mount: 100x100mm
Display Screen Coating: Anti-Glare
Eye Care
Flicker-free Technology: Yes
Professional
Animation mode: Yes
CAD/CAM mode: Yes
3D-LUT: 14bits
Delta E: <= 2 ( avg)
Hardware Calibration: Yes
Video Format Support: Yes
Gamut Duo: Yes
Darkroom mode: Yes
Black & White mode: Yes
Black Level: Yes
Hotkey Puck: Yes
Factory Calibration Report: Yes
Connectivity
HDMI: HDMI (v2.0)x1
DisplayPort: DisplayPort (v1.4) x1
Mini DisplayPort: MiniDisplayPort (ver1.4)x1
USB 3.0 Hub: USB Downstream x 2
USB 3.0 Hub: USB Upstream x1
Card Reader: SD/MMC type / Support Format: SD/SDHC/SDXC/MMC
Power
Voltage Rating: 90~264V
Power Supply: Built-in
Power Consumption (based on Energy Star): 50W
Power Consumption (stand by mode): 0.7W
Power Consumption (sleep mode): 0.5W
Dimension and Weight
Dimensions (HxWxD mm) (w/o Base) (with shading hood): 448.15 x 759.4 x 257.89
Dimensions(HxWxD mm) (without shading hood): H: 652.25×747.2×223.61 / L: 502.25×747.2×223.61
Dimensions (HxWxD mm) (w/o Base): 448.15×747.2×72.12
Dimensions (HxWxD mm): H: 811.54 x 460.35 x 340.53 / L: 663.65 x 759.4 x 340.53
Net Weight (kg) (without shading hood): 12.8
Net Weight (kg) (without stand): H:10 / Pivot:10.3
Net Weight (kg): H: 14.2 / Pivot:14.5
Gross Weight (kg): 20.3
Tilt (down/up): -5/20
Swivel (left/right): 45/45
Pivot: 90˚
Height Adjustment (mm): 150mm
Software
Palette Master Element: Yes
Support Calibrator: X-Rtie i1 Display Pro / i1 Pro /i1 Pro 2 /i1 Studio, Datacolor Spyder 4/5
Environmental Standards
Energy Star: 7
Video Signal Data
Hor. Frequency (KHz): 30~140KHz
Ver. Frequency (Hz): 48~76Hz
Video Bandwidth (MHZ): 600M Hz
Included Accessories
Other Accessories: Shading hood, CD, QSG, Individual Calibration Report ,Hotkey Pucks
Power Cable: Yes(1.8m)
Signal Cable: HDMI cable 2.0 (1.8m), mDP to DP cable(1.8m), USB 3.0 cable (1.8m)
Reliability
Operating Temperature: 0˚C – 40˚C
Operating Humidity (non-condensing): 10% – 90%
Certification
Mac Compatible: Yes
Windows® Compatible: Windows®10, Windows®8.1, Windows®8, Windows®7
Technicolor: Yes
