BenQ SW271C Review - The Best Monitor for Landscape Photography
Why i think the BenQ SW271C is the best photo editing monitor for landscape photography, and why a good monitor will make you more consistent and precise when it comes to processing your photos.
When it comes to editing your photos, monitors are often an overlooked part of a landscape photographers kit bag. Yet, I can guarantee all of us have experienced seeing the same picture look completely different when it’s printed, or even when you view it on your phone - so, why is that? Well, the simple answer is, it’s all down to your monitor.
Background Story
I’ve been using pretty basic IPS panels to do my photo editing for several years now, and it was only recently that I wanted to make the jump from 2K to 4K so that I could experience all of the detail from my Sony sensor. Introducing, one of the best photography investments (spoiler) I’ve made so far, the brand new BenQ SW271C photography monitor. This will be a very un-biased and honest review of the BenQ SW271C that, in my eyes, could very well be the best monitor for photo editing and landscape photography in 2021.
For a little background, I look at a computer monitor from anywhere between 8-12 hours a day, which when I think about it, is a pretty scary statistic. My average work day will have me sat on my desk doing anything from architectural work to graphic design, then once that’s finished, I’ll be straight to processing my landscape photographs, proofing my pictures ready for print, and doing general admin/website updates.
Therefore, when it came to the time to replace my existing IPS panel, I spent weeks researching the latest monitors on the market, and which one would be right for me. Straight away, I was leaning towards the BenQ range of monitors, with their incredible range of colours and calibrated accuracy, they seam to lead the line for the best photography monitors. So, after a few weeks of research, I took the plunge and got the latest BenQ SW271C to use as my primary monitor for photo editing and landscape photography.
I very rarely do reviews, it’s only when I get a product or piece of gear that really blows my mind, that I feel the need to share with everyone else. So, instead of your typical stat-filled review, which you can find either on BenQ’s website or your typical review sites, I’m going to give you my real-world, honest thoughts after 2 months of daily, professional use as a landscape photographer.
Setup and First Impressions
First things first, BenQ really know how to package a premium product - put it this way, mine came directly from Europe and there was zero sign of any damage on arrival. Upon opening, the first thing you are greeted with is your monitors own individual calibration report straight from BenQ’s AQCOLOR factory. I’ve got into the habit of religiously using my Spyder 5 Pro calibrator every few months, so pairing that with the SW271C’s built in hardware calibration and BenQ’s Palette Master Element (PME) software, was going to be a match made in heaven.
The first thing I did after setting up the base and stand, was fit the included protective lens hood, an absolute MUST in my eyes, especially in a room where I have a large window letting in loads of light, bouncing off the white walls. The 27” IPS panel has a matte finish, so glare is controlled extremely well, but having the hood, which is lined with a lovely soft felt, makes it that that much more immersive and a must for any serious landscape photographer.
In the box, BenQ obviously supply you with the SW271C panel itself, a seriously sturdy monitor base (this thing is BIG and heavy once put together, so you may want to check your desk space before ordering) and plenty of accessories to get you going. For all of you laptop and MacBook users, you’ll be delighted to know that the SW271C can be connected via it’s USB-C port which, as an added bonus for all of us cable-tidy mad users, will mean you only need one cable to connect to the monitor AND charge your laptop - that’s one tidy desk.
Unfortunately for me, I have a rather large, custom gaming PC with a pretty demanding graphics card (RTX3070) so using the supplied DisplayPort was the best way to go, and the built in cable management hole hides the cables from my line of sight.
Favourite Features of The BenQ SW271C
Hotkey Puck G2 and Paper Color (Colour) Sync Technology
When it comes to processing my landscape photographs, I want to know that I’m seeing the widest colour gamut possible. This is where the SW271C hasn’t disappointed, with it covering 99% Adobe RGB, 95% P3 and 100% sRGB colour space, making it perfect for processing images for web (sRGB) and also print (Adobe RGB) with the included Hotkey Puck G2 being super intuitive for switching between colour spaces and controlling the OSD menu.
What’s really useful and has saved me hours of fiddling in settings over the last few months, is the ability to press one of the three custom profile buttons on the Hotkey Puck G2, and preview my image for print in Adobe RGB, exploiting the full potential of the 99% gamut coverage, then with another click simulate the same image in sRGB ready to preview how it’ll appear on Facebook, Instagram and my website - I simply couldn’t be without it.
Included with the new BenQ SW271C is their brand new technology called Paper Color Sync, and let me tell you this, I was a little sceptical at first, simply because it sounded too good to be true, but after a few weeks printing my latest box set and customer prints, I was seriously impressed. It’s similar using a custom proof setup in Adobe Photoshop, but making it more intuitive by displaying your image as an on-screen preview of how the colours and contrast will appear on the paper itself.
Why is this so good? Well, it allows you to be confident in photo editing for print (proof processing) to ensure the image you see on screen (sRGB) appears accurately in print (Adobe RGB) thanks to the wide colour gamut.
I actually put BenQ’s Paper Color Sync technology to the test on a wide range of papers, from your matte, rough textures, to your smooth, high-gloss, and was astounded with the results. If you’re like me, and think this is just another software gimmick, please give it a try for yourself as I can assure you, you’ll be surprised!
Conclusion
I’ve had people message me on social media after seeing my stories on the BenQ saying it’s taken them years to fully appreciate the importance of a good monitor for landscape photography, especially when it comes to printing, and now they see the light, it feels like a proper “eureka” moment. In all honestly, it’s pretty simple really. We look at landscapes, at scenes in front of us with the most complex of all lenses, our eyes, and when we capture that with a sensor, a RAW file, we need the most colour accurate and precise screen to replicate exactly what we saw in that magical moment.
You can by all means have the most expensive, up-to-date gear on the market, spend thousands on the latest camera bodies and lenses, but at the end of the day, if you’re not processing in a consistent, accurate and precise manner, then how can you be happy sharing your work?
You have to remember, our work will never be seen the same by two people, as they are using different phones and laptops, all set to different brightness’s and calibrated differently, but our goal here is to know that to the best of our knowledge, our pictures have been processed on a monitor setup perfectly for the pictures to be seen, as we as artists, intend them to be seen. Whether that is on your website in sRGB colour space, or as a large, textured print behind museum glass, the BenQ Sw271C is your perfect companion.
That’s what landscape photography is about, capturing the natural colours, atmosphere and feeling of a scene, and processing that in the most natural way to share with others. This is why the BenQ SW271C is my monitor of choice, and why it is, in my opinion, one of the most important investments (yes, you heard me right, it’s a serious investment) you can make as a landscape photographer.
If you have any further questions about the SW271C, or would like me to go into more detail about the technical side of things (I am a big computer nerd so tried not to drag this out for too long), then please get in touch via the contact form and I’ll be more than happy to have a chat - thank you.
