BenQ PhotoVue SW271 - Practically Pixel Perfect

The BenQ PhotoVue SW271 is easily among the very finest 27-inch AdobeRGB monitor for discerning photographers in India, for many reasons, discovers K Madhavan Pillai.

- K Madhavan Pillai

Rarely have I begun a review with the verdict, but then, in the past few years, rarely have I come across a monitor that offers a combination of accuracy, overall design functionality, and the level of quick-to-access, well-thought-out flexibility, while working, as the BenQ SW271. This is a factory-calibrated (CalMAN and Pantone validated, each monitor comes with its own factory calibration report) 4K UHD monitor, with native 10-bit colour depth, reproducing 99% of the AdobeRGB gamut.

Features

The monitor includes fixed modes for AdobeRGB, sRGB, Rec.709, DCI-P3, and accepts HDR10, supports any color temp. you wish to set, and has gamma presets from 1.6-2.6 in 0.2 increments. Options like PIP/ PBP show different input sources, which, quite uniquely, can also be independently set for gamut, white point, gamma and brightness. The on-screen menu is logically organised and fully detailed, allowing you to input adjustments for all of these parameters, including adjustments to hue and saturation values for each gamut. The SW271 is extremely customisable (quite unlike other pro monitors). Smartly implemented memory positions allow you to save individual adjustments, or reset to factory settings. It holds hardware level calibration that makes adjustments directly to the image processing engine in the monitor, without changing the graphics card output from your workstation, thus letting you keep colours (and the images you work on and view using the monitor) consistent, without your images being affected by settings on the graphics card.

Handling

The SW271 is built quite solidly, weighing a hefty 10.5kgs, and seems quite capable of years of rigorous daily use. Despite its weight (mounting it on the stand, though simple, is best a two person operation), the stand allows it to be adjusted by height, tilt, swivel or screen orientation, quickly and easily.