BenQ PD2705UA Evaluation

This article is a little different for us, but is in fact the first in a new series of monitor evaluations. 

We spend a lot of time looking at very advanced, expensive monitors - which are, of course, awesome and perfect for working imaging professionals with a deep interest in, and need for, colour accuracy.  But not everyone needs something of that level, and of course those high end options are not particularly affordable. 

In recent years, BenQ have been fleshing out their 'Designer' range of monitors with a bunch of high quality, interesting new options.  So we thought we'd start taking a closer look at what these more affordable models bring to the table - and, of course, what they do not bring, versus the higher end models.

Note: This is the first of three articles coming about BenQ PD monitors - the second (an evaluation of the BenQ PD2725) - will follow shortly, as will an article on a very exciting and unique new product from BenQ, that we're not yet allowed to talk about!

The BenQ PD2705UA is simply a BenQ PD2705U with its traditional monitor stand replaced by a flexible, ergonomic arm with a clamp mount.  You pay an extra $100 or so for this model over the standard model. A good quality monitor arm, on its own, will soon cost at least that.  On the face of it, then, this package presents good value.

(If you need something bigger - there is also a 32 inch model - BenQ PD205UA available with the Ergo Arm).

Let's dig in.

The core part of the package is the BenQ DesignVue PD2705U monitor, from BenQ's 'Designer' range of monitors.  BenQ have simply removed the traditional monitor stand and swapped in a high quality monitor arm, which dramatically enhances the usability and flexibility of this high quality monitor.

Let's look at some of the key specifications of the monitor itself:

• 4k (UHD) panel (3840x2160 resolution)
• Matte panel - no nasty reflections to throw off your deep shadow colours
• Uniform, high quality panel - consistent & quite accurate display of colour across the panel (dE < 3)
• Standard gamut (99% sRGB/Rec.709)
  
• Professional, sleek frame-less design
• Colour modes for various contexts - Animation, CAD/CAM, Darkroom, DICOM, HDR, Low Blue Light, M-Book, Rec.709, sRGB, User
• Does not offer support for direct hardware calibration, traditional calibration must be used
• Anti-flicker and low blue light eye-care features
• Picture-in-picture/Picture-by-picture support
• Ports: HDMI (1 * v2.0) DisplayPort (1 * v1.4), 1 * 'all-in-one' USB C (inc Power Delivery 65W, DisplayPort Alt Mode, Data)
• USB Hub for connecting mouse, keyboard, other peripherals
  
• Acts as a KVM Switch
• Hotkey Puck for fast and easy control of colour modes and/or KVM functionality.
• BenQ's Full List of Specifications
  

The arm supplied with the BenQ PD2705UA offers a very significant amount of adjustment to height, location, and pivot.

Some assembly is required (see below).  It then attaches to you desk with a standard, secure clamp system which allows for up to 60mm of thickness, meaning just about any normal desk or trolley should be covered.

The arm is attractive and simple in design, a lot less robotic looking than most, meaning it complements a neat, professional desk setup very nicely.  It also features integrated cable management, so you can keep everything nice and tidy whilst still have a highly flexible setup, where you can move the monitor to almost any position very easily.  

There is also a standard VESA 100x100 mount on the BenQ PD2705UA, should you ever wish to use another arm (e.g. a dual monitor arm setup) - or revert back to a traditional monitor stand, for some reason.

Positioning & Using The Arm

The clamp takes up very little surface room on your desk - much less than a monitor stand.  This makes for a very neat setup and means you now have access to a lot more useful room under the monitor.  I am in fact so convinced by this I am considering moving to an arm based setup permanently. 

It's just very nice to use - with lots of adjustment possibility, vastly more than with a stand - including e.g. swinging the monitor right out of the way to the side, should you wish to work on something else (like documents or a drawing) - with a clean, empty area.

You may want to experiment with the mounted clamp/arm a little, before you actually attach the monitor itself to the monitor head.  One thing I initially noted, when I first mounted the clamp in the same position as I had my stand (i.e. directly in front of me), was that even with the minimum extension, that is, the arm folded in on itself to place the monitor as far back as possible - the end position was still a little forward of where I wanted the screen (I've got to the point of having 'older eyes', I like my screen well back on the desk!).  Re-positioning the clamp more to the side proved the easy solution - I can now position it really anywhere I might want, and the clamp is very tidily at the back right of my desk, leaving a very useful expanse of uncluttered space under the monitor, which is now well back from my seating position.  All this I found easier to initially try out without the monitor panel itself actually on the monitor head.

Once I found the right spot, the adjustment possibilities are then just great - way off to the side, in place pivot - really whatever you might like. 

BenQ have a nifty video - that shows the process and possibilities.

Right, so we're finally at the switch-on stage!

In my case I have this attached to a custom imaging PC using an NVIDIA Quadro video card using Display Port, and a separate USB cable.  At this moment, I am using it as a second monitor alongside an Eizo CS2740 (also running at 4K @ 60Hz), but I've also tried it on its own.  Having the roughly ~$3000 Eizo (which is an exquisite machine) next to it makes for an interesting comparison, of course!

Once it's all plugged in, turn the monitor on.  The power switch is on the rear of the monitor (far left if looking from the rear).  Next to this you will also see the joystick control - more on this below - and two more buttons that can be used for manually switching inputs and colour modes - again, more on this below.

Fire up your computer, and with any luck you'll see a picture.  If you don't, you might need to manually specify the input the monitor should be looking at - you can use the button next to the joystick for this - keep pushing it and it will cycle through the inputs - if the monitor detects anything is connected to that port.

Before long you should see an image from your computer.  Once your machine has finished booting, we recommend navigating into the monitor's menus and making sure your monitor is receiving the signal it should be.  This information is found in System -> System Setting -> Timing.  It should say 3840x2160 @ 60 Hz if everything is correct.  If not, you might need to go into your Display preferences and tweak things in there until you achieve the correct output from your computer.

Quick impressions of the screen are that the coating is fairly matte - the gloss level is similar to the SW options prior to the SW321C, which has a marvellously matte coating we're yet to see on any other BenQ model.  But of course that's from their pro-line, and not really to be expected here (really great matte coatings are hard to do, and thus expensive!).  It's definitely matte, nothing like e.g. the glassy Apple screens where all you can see in deep shadows is reflections of what you're wearing...but you do notice, especially with a black background, it could be even more matte - in a perfect world.

The whites are clean and uniform - as is the colour reproduction across the panel as a whole.  There's absolutely nothing here that disturbs - it's a really very good image - straight out of the box (thanks to BenQ's factory calibration, see below).  I switch on and use $5000 monitors on a daily basis, so I'm not being easy on the BenQ here - most folks would find the out of the box image very impressive for sure.

Being 4K, it's lovely and sharp at any normal viewing distance.  (And, it really is time for 4K on the desktop).  The frameless design means pretty much all you are seeing is image, with only very narrow bezels at the side and top (~8mm, with the bottom bezel ~18mm).  It works really well in a dual monitor setup as the narrow bezels mean there is little break between your desktops.  Normally when you have such narrow bezels, the uniformity suffers, but I am not seeing that here - I'm surprised at how uniform it is, even towards the edges.  It's impressive.

The blacks are typical for the monitor class and type - being an IPS panel, they're never going to be superb, inky blacks. You have to pay a vastly higher amount for the really good black performance you might want if, e.g., you do professional video grading work. (E.g. the Eizo CG2700X is vastly more appropriate for that specific sort of work, but an order of magnitude more expensive, too...). With this the blacks are good, but there is (as always with IPS) some IPS glow, and you'll find these are best to use in environments that are not very dark. Normal room lighting is fine, and the 1200:1 native contrast is very good - e.g. video playback in general looks great.

This brings us nicely to an opportunity to talk about this monitor's controls....

Unusually for a monitor at this price point, the BenQ PD2705UA comes with an individual calibration report (Eizo could learn from this - the ~$3000 CS2740 I have sitting next to it does not, even though it has undergone similar processes - for some reason they don't include the report with CS models!).

All the BenQ AQ Colour models undergo extensive factory calibration - that is, all the PD Designer and SW Photographer/Video monitors, get this.  And further, these models get sent to industry bodies like Calman and Pantone for further verification that BenQ have achieved the promised levels of accuracy.  BenQ are not mucking about, and guarantee and out-of-the-box level of colour accuracy that other brands don't offer.

BenQ have an information page about their AQ Colour Programme and what it entails.  Suffice to say, it means good panels are selected, then these are properly tuned and calibrated for colour accurate performance. 

To the side you'll see a copy of the report that came with our unit.

It's undeniable from these results that the fresh-from-factory performance of the BenQ PD270DUA is excellent.  And my well-practised, critical eyes agree.  Colour reproduction of colours within the monitor's gamut limits (see more on this below) - is very very good.  No, it's not to the same levels as the SW series monitors - in particular, this monitor is not great at neutrals - but it takes a very good monitor indeed to really nail those.  For a monitor at this price range, the performance is excellent.

The performance is so good, I would suspect many folks who buy these will use these, with no further calibration, for several years (if ever!).  Pop the monitor into an appropriate preset mode, and the colour should be more than good enough for many content creation purposes, simply as as is.  Which saves the price of a calibrator, and the hassle of calibrating.  Huzzah!

Of course, a wider gamut model means you can display both standard gamut (in a standard gamut mode) AND display wider gamut, if/when you do need a wider gamut option.

BenQ have another great option for you, in that case - the BenQ PD2725 - which we'll be fully evaluating in the next month or so!

Of course, the colour can still be improved, and over time, the monitor will drift from its factory calibration through use. So as the monitor ages, calibration will become more relevant.  And, the preset colour modes are not necessarily the best, for all types of work. So calibration is still a very good idea, and worth looking at.

As ever, we recommend you invest in the industry standard professional calibrator - the Calibrite Display Plus HL.

We tried to use this monitor as a first test case to write our guide to their new software - Calibrite Profiler.  Unfortunately, that software proved a little buggy, and kept hanging on the section we were most interested in - the calibration results.

So, for the moment, I've simply been using the Eizo CS2740 sitting next to it - in its standard gamut mode - as the reference standard to judge the BenQ PD2705UA's post calibration performance.  The Eizo is more than three times the price of the BenQ, so of course it's a lot for this baby BenQ to compete against.  I've also been comparing the BenQ to some older Eizo EV models (which are closer in price terms) - and some good quality office monitors from Samsung (which are only a little cheaper).

The BenQ is well ahead of all of these comparisons, barring the Eizo CS2740.  It's not even a close fight - the colour and uniformity of the BenQ is immediately noticeably as significantly better than any 'general' monitor you're likely to be using.  (Honestly, it makes those others a bit hard to look at!).

Of course the Eizo ColorEdge CS2740 is a different beast. As I made clear in my evaluation - it's just a superb machine.  We've sold many of those to many professional image makers, with universally adoring feedback.  But in all honesty, in terms of general standard gamut colour reproduction, there's less room between these monitors than the price tags would suggest.  If you display a typical, colour, continuous tone image on both, they're going to display things very similarly.  From a distance and in many scenarios, you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference - and this would probably cover 90% or more of the actual work of even pretty serious image makers.

So why would you ever need something better than the BenQ PD2705UA?  Well, if you need to view and edit wider gamut tones, that's an obvious reason.  But there are other areas - e.g. if you're into fine art black and white photography, then BenQ PD2705UA does not have the excellent performance with neutrals you might want - even post calibration, there's a tendency for the neutrals to be overly cool and to vary in tone across different levels.  Indeed, a lot of photographic images will push this monitor past it's point of comfort - deep shadows and the highest highlights just won't have the nuance needed from a photographic monitor.  So - of course - that class of monitor is still the class to look at for higher end photo and video work.

But for your typical Content Creation work - say you're doing graphic design layouts, web design, or some sort of 3D content creation, such as an architectural visualisation - the very good colour performance of the BenQ PD2705UA is going to easily support your work.  Far more so than any typical office monitor or iMac type screen.  I know it's the ultimate review cliche - but the performance of the BenQ PD2705UA really is distinctly better than you'd think, given the price tag.  Certainly, it's a lot better than I expected.

Ok, so we've established this is a very good monitor. 

But above and beyond that, it's the arm that really opens up extra possibilities - particularly if you're using other gadgets, like microphones and cameras.

Let's look at a few specific scenarios a great monitor like the BenQ PD2705UA might be the perfect fit.

In a way we are just starting this journey - and we're starting it at the beginning.

The BenQ PD2705UA is, by Image Science standards, a humble monitor.  It's not the high end dream machines we normally use here.  But not everyone is running a world class fine art print studio.

There are many, many people who have a need and desire for good quality colour, but don't want to pay an arm and a leg for best-of-the-best colour.  In their work, or for their pleasure, good colour is important - and good colour means accurate colour.  BenQ's AQ Colour program, and the resulting DesignVue monitors, are tailor made for those people.

For less than $1000, you get a great monitor suitable for a huge variety of content creation tasks - AND a versatile, good looking arm mount - in an excellent value package.

Note - if you're after something bigger - there is also a very similar, but larger option, also available with the new Ergo Arm - the BenQ PD3205UA.

(Next, we'll be looking at the similar but very sleek, wide gamut PD2725 model, and after that hopefully something new and exciting for content creators - not a monitor, but we're not allowed to talk about it yet!).