The New BenQ PhotoVue SW271C & Kupo Grip

BenQ have made a considerable effort in recent years to design and produce a range of affordable monitors that are very well built but, more important are specifically designed for us photographers.

The PhotoVue range of monitors offer all the features a photographer needs and the big plus here is that they are very reasonably priced when compared to similarly featured displays from other manufacturers, so they are not only accessible to the professional but also the amateur photographer who understands that colour management is an integral part of a good and reliable imaging workflow.

The new SW271C is no exception and is a feature packed 27” screen with high 4K resolution which is endorsed by leading world colour organisations, being Calman verified and Pantone validated.

The included viewing hood prevents unwanted stray light from hitting the screen and affecting the perception of the image colour and density, and the Hot Key Puck ensures access to the monitor settings and modes are just a fingertip away.

As with all PhotoVue monitors, colour management is handled by hardware calibration using the bundled Palette Master Elements software and a third party colorimeter such as the ever reliable X-Rite i1 Display Pro. Hardware calibration is the optimum way to control monitor colour as it ensures greater colour accuracy than software colour management where the signal from the computers video card is modified to make the colour corrections.

The amount of colour that a monitor can display is also a vital factor and like all PhotoVue monitors the SW271C can display 99% of the Adobe RGB colour space in 10 bits, for the smoothest colour gradations, and also using 14 Bit look up tables provide superior RGB colour blending with a DeltaE less than 2. What this means in layman’s terms is if you are photographing in the larger colour space of Adobe RGB the SW271C can display 99% of that colour and provide the most accurate representation of the colour contained within the original file. This representation is also true for those working in the smaller sRGB colour space.

The list continues with features such as the ability to seamlessly switch between Adobe RGB, sRGB and B&W modes by the simple press of a button on the Hot Key Puck or even view an image simultaneously in two different colour spaces using GamutDuo mode. Finally, the SW271C includes Uniformity Technology ensuring accurate colour across the entire screen so your images will be colour accurate and look great regardless of what part of the screen you are viewing them on

With the monitor now sorted my next hurdle was to find a way to tie the whole system together and make it work in a way that could be easily moved around the studio and positioned as close as possible to my camera set up.

photography scene here in Australia and one not readily identified by many photographers, but to those in the know, KUPO Grip is a company that is taking Hollywood by storm providing all the grip needs the photography and film industries require, and just like BenQ at a more reasonable price point than many competitors that provide products of comparable high quality.

“Grip” is a term used in the film industry to describe all the items we use to hold everything together or in place such as light stands, C-stands, booms, clamps and much more.

I started with the base, the 2.68m tall Kupo 320M Junior Roller Stand with lockable caster wheels. I selected this stand as it has a load capacity of 12kg’s and extra wide legs to ensure the system remains stable. To this I added a Vesa monitor mounting kit with a Super Knuckle to secure the monitor to the top of the stand using the BenQ’s standard Vesa mount.

To support the MacBook Pro a combination of a Kupo Tethermate table was attached to the shaft of the stand using a Convi Clamp, 15cm Extension and a KCP-414 Supergrip Finger which was added to provide angle adjustment of the table.

Since this collection of components works so well together as a mobile tethered workstation, KUPO’s Australian distributor have decided to put them together as kit called the Kupo 320M Tethermate Monitor Kit (320TMK) which will be made available through all good photographic resellers at a slightly better price than purchasing the components separately.