Displays

Multiscan F500R

1 May, 2000 By: Ron LaFon Cadalyst


Sony
Star rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

A top-of-the-line monitor with a top-of-the-line price, the Sony Multiscan F500R has just about everything you'd want on a contemporary monitor, although at $1,899 it costs at least $530 more than any other monitor in this review.

The Multiscan F500R is based on the virtually flat FD Trinitron (aperture-grille) CRT and is well designed and well engineered. In addition to BNC and mini D-sub vertically mounted connectors, it incorporates USB support (one upstream and four downstream). The F500R weighs 70.5lb and is covered by a standard three-year warranty.

Although Sony doesn't publish dot clock figures for any of its monitors, the F500R has a horizontal scan range of 30–121KHz and a vertical scan range of 48–160Hz. Maximum resolution for this monitor is 2048x1536 at 75Hz. Dot pitch is an ultra-fine 0.22mm. The on-screen image is both stable and very pleasing.

As you might expect on such a high-end monitor, it has a full range of adjustments. You access an excellent on-screen menu with an innovative and extremely easy-to-use joystick mounted just below the primary front bezel. In addition to the standard range of controls, Sony also incorporates such niceties as zoom, menu position, lock, and language. The language feature is the most complete I've seen on any monitor, covering Italian, Swedish, Russian, Italian, French, English, Japanese, German, and Spanish. The Multiscan F500R performed quite well on the CADALYST test suite, turning in perfect scores for brightness, contrast, focus, geometric distortion, and raster rotation. Only color purity was slightly less than perfect, with greens slightly indistinct and not very well separated. All colors, however, were very well saturated.

If your budget has room for a display such as the Sony Multiscan F500R, you won't go wrong. This is the kind of monitor that will be easy to live with and use for years to come. — R.L.


About the Author: Ron LaFon


AutoCAD Tips!

Lynn Allen

Autodesk Technical Evangelist Lynn Allen guides you through a different AutoCAD feature in every edition of her popular "Circles and Lines" tutorial series. For even more AutoCAD how-to, check out Lynn's quick tips in the Cadalyst Video Gallery. Subscribe to Cadalyst's Tips & Tricks Tuesdays free e-newsletter and we'll notify you every time a new video tip is available. All exclusively from Cadalyst!
Follow Lynn on Twitter Follow Lynn on Twitter


Latest News from Cadalyst Partners
Feed
AutoCAD WS is now AutoCAD 360   24 May, 2013

I wanted to share this blog post from Steve Bedder regarding AutoCAD WS/AutoCAD 360. This will be of interest to any WS...More>>Read more Without a Net blog posts>>

Feed
Load ‘Em Up! Stackers, Conveyors, and Advanced Assembly   23 May, 2013

Mineral resources come out of the ground and are then processed into energy, fertilizer, steel, and so on. We all kind of knew that already. But...More>>Read more PTC Creo blog posts>>

Feed
Excel Hyperlinks & Document Management Tricks   22 May, 2013

Do you have to keep track of a lot of different folders and files? Do you wish you peers could open the correct Revit file? Are you tired of having...More>>Read more BIMbuilder blog posts>>

Feed
Can spatial aptitude tests help predict your success as an engineer?   24 May, 2013

Do you enjoy taking these tests?  I know I...More>>Read more SolidWorks Blog posts>>

Feed
Sunglass.io Launches Library, Brings 400+ Suppliers to the Collaboration Platform   24 May, 2013

Here’s a quandry. How many supplier-certified parts and assemblies do you need to make your 3D viewing experience via the web worth it? What if...More>>Read more SolidSmack blog posts>>

Poll
What type of input device (besides the keyboard) do you use at your primary CAD workstation?
Standard mouse
Trackball mouse
Programmable mouse
3D navigation device
Pen/tablet
Multiple devices
Submit Vote




Considering Wide Format Printing Solutions?
Four FREE White Papers Available:






Subscribe Cadalyst Newsletters