dac,

Sorry the current debate in this section is a distraction from what you are looking for.

I have just finished testing the Eizo CE210W for a report for Shutterbug magazine. I would be pleased to answer any questions you might have regarding it, and compared to my report on the Samsung SyncMaster 244T and 214T in the current issue of Shutterbug.

dac,

Are you sure the ViewSonic is the cause of the problem or could it be that this monitor needs to be properly adjusted, calibrated and profiled?

The LaCie 321 is a rebranded NEC Professional MultiSync LCD2180UX which sells for hundreds of dollars less. I am also looking for an LCD monitor to replace my aging CRT and only NEC models are now on my short list. I only want an LCD with the IPS (in-plane switching) technology because it gives presumably the best possible color and gray-scale accuracy and minimal gamma shift at off-angles and is the best suited for demanding, color-critical applications. As far as I can tell, the Eizo LCD monitors do not apply the IPS technology. On my short list are:
- 19" NEC LCD1980FXi, about $575 without calibrator; the SpectraView II hardware/software calibrator will work with this display and should cost less than $400.
- 19" NEC LCD1990SXi, about $745 without calibrator; the SpectraView II or higher calibrator will become available this summer; I expect the LCD + calibrator to cost about $995
- 20" NEC LCD2090UXi, about $1083 without calibrator; with the SpectraView I expect it to cost around $1350
Note that the NEC 80 Series (LCD1980FXI and others) is being replaced by the 90 Series (LCD1990SXi, LCD2090UXi and others). The i in all these model numbers stands for IPS technology.

Frans Waterlander
pixographer/printer

Hello,

I am also in the market for a new monitor and have been looking at the Eizo CE210W as well. I know Eizo has a reputation for making reliable products and has a great warranty but like dac I'm not so certain to what extent this monitor is dedicated to the digital photographer. Because it is so recent I have not had much success in finding any reviews on it. David I greatly enjoyed your article on the Samsung SyncMaster 244T and 214T in the last issue of Shutterbug, and would greatly appreciate any feedback you might have on this monitor as well how it compares to say the 214T, the Apple Cinema, the Eizo CG19 or the NEC LCD1980SXi. I might watch movies/play a few games but what I am really trying to find is a monitor that gives me the most bang for the buck for digital photography and I would like to stay under $1300.00 (which leaves the CG19 out).

Any feedback greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

B. Rhodes

David,

What month will the report be in? Unfortunately I doubt I will be able to wait until it comes out in order to make my decision. I think a major reason I am interested in LaCie and Eizo is that these seem to be monitors that are made specifically for people doing graphics and color sensitive work. I will check out Samsung and NEC, but will probably favor something that I at least have a sense of being more reliable for my use. My basic question concerning the CE210W: is it a good monitor for photo-editing, color sensitive work? And how far ahead of it is the CG19? Thanks.

dac

Fran,

I looked up some of these briefly. Do you know of a good source with more information on them, especially any good reviews? As I stated in my reply to David, I am looking for something that is designed for photo-editing and color sensitive work. Do you know if that is what these monitors are designed for? Do they have hardware controls? Thanks.

dac

B. Rhodes:

As you may have surmised most of the more recent higher-end models like Samsung and Sony are designed for a broad market including office and home use primarily, to run all kinds of applications. All of the better brands and models have adjustments for contrast, brightness sometime separate backlight, color temperature, even gamma. So they can be configured to provide good and effective support for photographic editing, and once adjusted and profiled will provide better performance than what we relied on with large pro quality CRT's.

The Eizo ColorEdge is specifically targeted to the photographic and pro graphics market, and includes much more sophisticated control of the screen performance attributes with addition digital support in the monitor itself, as well as software support directly connected to the display through a USB connection to both adjust the monitor to precise target setting and simultaneously calibrate and profile the display. So it provides the easiest means to set -it up and adjust the display ideally and accurately for the kind of use intended. My experience testing and using it resulted in the most precise calibration and profiling I have encountered that supports critical print matching, and the screen image color gamut is significantly larger than a CRT in all dimension of the spectrum.

You can achieve almost the same performance with the Samsung Syncmaster 214T/244T, but not quite the refinement in adjustment and effectiveness of profiling, and it takes more effort and patience setting and adjusting the display. But then the 214T is $400 less than the Eizo CE 210W.

So far these are the two best LCD's I've tested and used. The Apple Cinema Displays are as easy to set up and use, and are designed to support photo editing and graphics but the performance is not quite as ideal and refined as either the Samsung 214T/244T or the Eizo CE210W.

The earlier model Eizo CG series is more narrowly configured for pro-graphics rather than photographic processing as I understand, and although I chose not to evaluate it because of the high price I am sure it is a superb performer and has a good reputation.

David,

Thank you so much for your reply. Based on your comments it sounds like the Eizo CE 210W is a safe bet. I'm very new to color management and just want to make sure I understand a few things with regards to this monitor. If I understand correctly this monitor works with sRGB but does not work with Adobe RGB (1998)? Assuming this is correct, how does this impact the final image output? Also does this impact things such as ProPhoto RGB? The emphasis again being on color/brightness/contrast quality on the final print output. Perhaps this is irrelevant and sRGB can be converted in Adobe photoshop to to ProPhoto RGB or to Adobe RGB (1998)? Please forgive me for my current lack of knowledge. I will be using this with an Epson R2400 and just want to ensure a wise investment.

I thank you again for your time and welcome any feedback you may have.

Best Regards,
B. Rhodes

B. Rhodes,

I don't understand why you think the Eizo CE210W only works with sRGB or that it works better or worse with any of the Photoshop working space profiles. ProPhoto RGB is a 5000K working space intended to provide users with a match to pre-press and graphics houses that still use the 5000K monitor environment standard. It is supported as are all standard working spaces by the Eizo. You just need to choose the same setup configuration with the display and calibrate and profile to it as the parameters of the working space.

sRGB should not be used for serious photography except for the purpose of outputting as internet/web content. It is a very small gamut space, by 300% and clips color content from Raw camera files or scans.

Hi David,

Thank you for your reply. It's not that I don't think it will work an Adobe RGB. It's just that I'm new to the digital darkroom world and although I have fragmented bits and pieces of knowledge and information, I don't really have a strong basic understanding of how the digital darkroom/lightroom works. So when I read the specs on the eizo showing sRGB but not Adobe RGB I falsely assumed that it would not work. A shortcoming on my part for which I apologize.

One thing I have been reading about in trying to learn about monitors is the recommended cd/m2 numbers. Thus far it seems like that most people reccomend around 120 - 150cd/m2 for an LCD, and I notice the Eizo comes in at a maximum of 450cd/m2. I know from your previous response that you were very happy with your results from this monitor, but could you advise in your tests how far you were able to throttle that 450 number down?

Though it's a very in depth subject, I would also be greatly appreciative if you might reccomend a book/website that gives a very basic introduction to the digital darkroom/digital darkroom work flow from which I could build a strong base foundation of knowledge and then get into the technical/complicated aspects on down the road as I progress.

I thank you again for your time and welcome any feedback you might have.

Best Regards,
Brian Rhodes

Brian,

The jargon used as specifications with LCD displays can be very misleading for one basic reason: because with an LCD the imaging facility and the light source are separate the manufacturers for their largest market segment of office/home use for general computing use a backlight that is very bright. With CRT's the light level and imaging were integrated, so the brightness was inherently low in comparison. So don't pay too much attention to the high brightness and and contrast potential and specs - big numbers sell more product.

With the Eizo CE 210W you can choose a specific, graphics desirable white point cd/m2 value like 110 as your adjusted aim point and calibrate and profile to that and get great performance and color management functioning. This is what Eizo calls their ColorNavigator software control and profiling, an important and essential feature you will not find with any consumer LCD.