Samsung SyncMaster 305T 30" LCD Monitor Review

Picture Quality

We always recommend that before you buy ANY monitor online, you find a store with the model you are looking at in order to have a look-see. This is because one person’s vision differs from the next and thus one may find a monitor to their liking while the other will hate the color it produces.

Before we start with these somewhat subjective tests, it should be noted that the Samsung 305T has an S-PVA panel which is built by Samsung.


Viewing Angle



Overall, the viewing angles of the Samsung 305T are excellent with very little color shift as you more off-center. There was a bit of an increase in image contrast as I went more than 150° off-center but it was almost unnoticeable. I found this to be one of the best monitors I have used to date when it comes to viewing angles and this really came in handy considering it is mounted on a wall which means that direct viewing is sometimes hard.


Contrast

For this test we used the Lagom LCD test since additional subjective impressions regarding contrast will be covered in the General Usage Impressions. As you can see below, we used the Contrast Test where we should be able to see all of the squares from left to right increasing very slightly in intensity from one square to the next. You can go to the Lagom site here: LCD monitor test images to test your own monitor or use the image below.


It seems like Samsung really hit the nail on the head with the factory calibration of the 305T because contrast was absolutely spot-on according to the test with clear distinctions seen from one color to the next in the test. This was borne out when using this monitor in other situations as well where there were clear definitions between the greys and blacks in nearly all images.


Color Hue / Saturation


With past monitors, I have always had to resort to renting color calibrating tools from LaCie or other manufacturers in order to make the necessary changes to the colors on a monitor so they suited my viewing habits. To be honest with you I didn’t put too much stock in this monitor’s claim of being “pre-calibrated” at the factory but the second I got it up and running I was stunned. To my eyes all the colors were spot-on in both daylight and low light conditions without any colors being oversaturated. If there was one thing that gives this monitor its wow factor it is the accuracy with which it represents colors. It is simply amazing.