BENQ DESIGNVUE PD3220U 32-INCH 4K DESIGNER MONITOR
BENQ DESIGNVUE PD3220U 32-INCH 4K UHD DESIGNER MONITOR
BenQ’s DesignVue series monitors are, obviously, aimed at graphic designers, but the PD3220U has plenty of appeal for photographers and video-makers too, plus it represents an affordable route to a 32-inch 4K calibrated display.
It’s primarily aimed at graphic designers, but the PD3220U also has plenty of potential as a more affordable 4K monitor for photographers and video-makers.
WITH THE PROFESSIONAL photography market having been severely hit – in just about every sector – by the pandemic-related restrictions of the last year or so, it’s not surprising that many are either putting off making new gear purchases or looking more closely at what might be available in terms of more affordable options.
If you were considering stepping up to a 4K resolution monitor or, indeed, thinking of upgrading to a bigger display, then BenQ’s SW321C – which we roadtested in Issue 228 in 2020 – would certainly be on the short list. BenQ is building a reputation for affordable high-performance photo monitors, but the SW321C is priced at a little over $3,100 and that may be too expensive for many right now. If you’ve already put a 32-inch display and 4K UHD resolution on the wish list, there aren’t a lot of cheaper alternatives… unless you browse the BenQ monitor catalogue, where you’ll find the PD3220U – one of the company’s DesignVue series models. It’s primarily aimed at graphic designers, but a quick survey of the key specs shows that it shares quite a bit with the SW321C, at least in terms of physical features and some display capabilities. The price tag? Around a grand cheaper at $2,199.
So OK, this is a monitor primarily made for designers and it has a number of design-orientated features, but some of these are equally useful to photographers as well… especially if you’re doing a bit of graphic design work too, either for yourself or clients. The key aspects for photographers are that it’s an individually factorycalibrated display with the ‘sweet spot’ specs – for image editing especially
– of a 31.5-inch panel and 3840x2160 pixels resolution representing 140ppi, so fine detailing is still easy to see at a comfortable viewing distance. In fact, BenQ emphasises the DesignVue monitors are designed to provide comfortable viewing over longer periods of time without creating eye fatigue.
The PD3220U has a matte anti-glare screen surface, and both Darkroom and Low Blue Light viewing modes, as well as flicker-free technology. LCD panels actually switch on and off at a very high frequency, and while you can’t really see this flickering, it’s a major cause of tired eyes if you’re staring at the screen for hours at a time. The Low Blue Light mode filters out the blue wavelengths that cause eye strain.
On Screen
The PD3220U’s display has 10-bit colour processing that delivers a palette of 1.07 billion, resulting in smoother shading, colour transitions and tonal gradations. In-Plane Switching (IPS) technology enables a fast response time of 5.0ms – an important spec for videomakers in particular – and gives a wide viewing angle of 178º.
In terms of reproducible colours, the panel delivers 100% of the sRGB colour space and its video equivalent, Rec.709, which is the standard for colour reproduction on transmissive displays, including tablets and smartphones.
The display also covers 95% of DCI
P3, which is a cinematographic colour space (but also the colour space of
Mac computers). For video-makers, the PD3220U also handles HDR content via HDR10 support.
BenQ doesn’t supply a specification for the Adobe RGB colour space, which is used by photographers for printing as it has a wider gamut. If most of your work will end up online and on electronic displays, then sRGB is the standard. You could certainly still use the PD3220U for print preparation, but its Adobe RGB coverage isn’t as wide as that of a dedicated photo monitor (we tested it at around 87%, which is actually a bit better than the quoted spec), but the overall accuracy of its colour reproduction, thanks to the factory calibration, is still a good start. Incidentally, while this monitor doesn’t support hardware calibration, you can still perform software-based calibration with a colorimeter – such as Datacolor’s Spyder X – that will ensure that the monitor is kept within specifications over time.
Looking Smart
On the physical side, the PD3220U has clearly been styled with fashionconscious designers in mind, so it’s actually much smarter looking than the PhotoVue models, with a rounded support column and wide stand that are both finished in contrasting silver-grey.
The stand provides a height adjustment range of 15cm and allows for both tilting and swivelling, plus a full 90º pivot for a portrait orientation.
The panel’s bezels are super-thin, with the physical controls arranged along the bottom right edge. Operation is via on-screen menus and the PD3220U is supplied with the current version of BenQ’s HotKey Puck, which is
Purely subjectively, the test images we displayed were very accurately rendered with good saturation and fidelity, nicely smooth gradations, a wide dynamic range and crisply resolved detailing.
a handy wired remote controller. It bypasses the various mode buttons on the monitor’s bezel, allowing for easier navigation of the on-screen menus and, probably more conveniently, quicker switching between assigned colour modes (for example, sRGB and B&W). This monitor also has a Keyboard Video Mouse (KVM) to easily switch between two computers or two monitors. There’s a ‘DualView’ mode for when you’re using one display with two inputs. Here, then, the PD3220U has appeal for both designers and photographers, enhanced by the provision of the much faster and higher bandwidth Thunderbolt 3 connectivity via its pair of USB Type-C ports. A Thunderbolt 3 cable is supplied with the monitor. This allows for the single cable transmission of both data and power (up to 85 watts through one of the connections), greatly simplifying the daisy-chaining of two 4K monitors… so, for example, you can display a big image across the two displays. USB-C doesn’t have the bandwidth to support two 4K displays.
As usual, we tested the monitor’s via software-based calibration using the SpyderX Elite colorimeter and DisplayCal measurements for colour gamut, tone response, white point uniformity, contrast, luminance uniformity, colour uniformity and colour accuracy. The PD3220U scored well in all these tests, so it’s more than capable of meeting the demands of photographers.
Purely subjectively, the test images we displayed were very accurately rendered with good saturation and fidelity, nicely smooth gradations, a wide dynamic range and crisply resolved detailing.
The Verdict
For photographers who don’t need to do a lot of printing, the BenQ PD3220U has everything they need for the processing and presentation of images. It represents a significant saving over the comparable photo monitor from BenQ, but still offers exceptional workflow efficiencies and flexibility for both Mac and Windows users. It’s also an excellent monitor for video editing, which is becoming another important consideration for professional photographers these days (probably more so than making prints). Overall though, the value-for-money proposition is very hard to ignore given the performance. So, while it might say “Designer Monitor” on the box, the PD3220U is more than capable of delivering as photo/ video monitor too.
For photographers who don’t need to do a lot of printing, the BenQ PD3220U has everything they need for the processing and presentation of images.