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Eizo ColorEdge CG279X monitor review
This Eizo CG279X screen is at the top of the Eizo 27 inch monitor hierarchy and therefore part of the ColorEdge range. At first glance, this is the best 27-inch screen with only the 4K missing: QHD, matte panel, Adobe RGB, Rec2020, HDR HLG, Lookup Table (LUT) 10 / 16 bits. To this you add an automated internal calibration and validation of it by all current certifications (ISO 12646 standards) and its custom shading hood. Everything to make it a reference screen!
But who is this almost perfect monitor for in theory?! To everyone would I be tempted to tell... if you are willing to spend $2500 for a 27 inch panel, certainly "only" QHD, but what a panel by the way ! Only videographers could find fault with this, but they have the Eizo CG319X at their disposal for photographers, this screen is, a priori, perfect for them. Let me explain...
Introduction to the Eizo ColorEdge CG279X
Here to start with some illustrations of this screen with its flawless ergonomics... and surely the best quality of manufacturing that I have seen pass before my admiring eyes, like the latest creations of Eizo by the way (since 2018)! |
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| Average price : $2,430 |
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Panel size |
27 inches 16:9 - 2560 x 1440 - 108 ppi |
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Panel technology |
IPS white LED (matte panel) |
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Uniformity check |
Yes - DUE function |
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Color gamut |
99% Adobe RGB, 98% DCI-P3, 100% Rec 709 |
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Certifications |
Fogra PreCert Class A |
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Brightness |
350 cd/m2 / 350 cd/m2 measured |
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Contrast |
1300 : 1 / 1085:1 measured at 90 cd/m2 |
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HDR support |
Yes: Hybrid Log Gamma |
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Look Up Table (LUT) |
10 bits / 16 bits - Hardware calibration |
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Response time |
9 ms |
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Screen dimension |
24,8" x 15,3" / 17,7" to 22" x 10,4" |
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Edge thickness |
20 mm |
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Calibration software |
Yes - ColorNavigator |
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Connectivity |
DP 1.2 (60 Hz) + HDMI (30 Hz) + Hub USB 3.0 |
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VESA compatibility |
Yes - 100 mm |
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Hood |
Yes |
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Warranty |
5 years - Eizo US |
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Company |
eizo.com |
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You'll find in the box...
The monitor is sold with:
- The power cord... of course!
- A DisplayPort to DisplayPort cable,
- An HDMI to HDMI cable,
- A USB 3.0 cable for hardware calibration and powering the USB 3.0 HUB.
- ColorNavigator on CD + integrated colorimeter
- The shading hood
 Note about the content! This Eizo CG279X has an excellent built-in colorimeter that you will use with the ColorNavigator software sold with this monitor.
The size and perceived quality
The monitor has a 27-inch panel and is 25 inches wide (the panel is 24 inches wide). It is therefore a screen that is not yet too bulky, promoting a multi-screen working environment. |
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As for the perceived quality, it is excellent, really. Perhaps the best finish I've seen in my tests so far (with other recent Eizo CS or CG)... Just look at the profile screen to understand that the screen is really under control as it is so thick: 2.7 inches of electronics!
The Eizo ColorEdge CG279X monitor and its new generation panel
1 - Definition/resolution - It is an IPS panel with white LED backlighting, matt (without reflection) selected on the hand because of class A, normal on this slot of the screens called "Graphic Arts", of 2560 x 1440 pixels. Its panel is 24 inches wide so its resolution is 108 ppi. It is obviously a display close to perfection even if it is not a 4K panel. Photographers will probably not care much, videographers will probably care less.
2 - The panel and its anti-glare coating - I notice that recently and clearly on this screen, the "matt " anti-glare coating no longer marks the pixels, which gives this panel a magnificent finish on images and gradients. Very beautiful and frankly, it's perfect!
 3 - Brightness and homogeneity with the DUE function - This very efficient function which acts as an equalizer ensures a homogeneous display with differences not exceeding 5% measured. In other words, invisible or just like that!
4 - The built-in calibrator - This very small 30 mm long calibrator, integrated at the top of the monitor, in the center, which works in conjunction with the famous ColorNavigator software provided with the screen and detailed below, will allow you to perform a perfect calibration with validation according to the latest current standards and this possibly automatically, at a frequency you have defined - 128 hours by default or 12 days on average for a professional. You can still perform a calibration with your favorite sensor but it is perfect and the calibration is very fast. |
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 My advice! It is therefore possible to program the calibration at night to find yourself the next morning in front of a display that is always perfect. The monitor will then turn on by itself and preheat for 7 minutes. This is the time it takes for this new generation of displays to be perfectly at the right temperature, whereas a few years ago it took at least half an hour... You will perform a calibration every 147 hours and that will be perfect. On the one hand, the new displays are very stable because they heat much less than the CRT displays so they do not need to be calibrated very often and on the other hand, this display allows you to program your calibration when you are not using it, so no matter how fast you program!
5 - The video part -The video part of this display is really complete and represents the best in the business. Here's why:
- The 3D Lookup Table (LUT) manages the 10-bit input and 16-bit output for a perfect gradient display, especially if you install this display on a 10-bit graphics card.
- It reproduces 98% of DCI-P3 and 100% of Rec 709,
- It supports the BT. 2020,
- Predefined modes PQ (DCI and BT. 2020) and HLG (BT.2100) HDR compatible.
6 - Gamuts - All the 2019 photo and video gamuts are available in direct access in the OSD menu of the monitor:
As promised by the manufacturer, this Eizo CG279X reproduces 99% of Adobe RGB and 100% of sRGB.
 Important note! Warning of out-of-range values of an image - New CG279X
It is possible to activate a function that warns areas of an image that exceed this or that gamut but, as in Photoshop, this can be impressive and therefore not always very fine because we do not know if we exceed this or that gamut by 1% or 20% what is there, much more embarrassing. This is what I call a good idea that is not well implemented and does not help in understanding gamut overruns. Indeed, in the image below in the center, almost all the rose seems to be out of gamut, however if it is for less than 5%, I wish you courage to see this "loss" of gamut and therefore saturation. But that doesn't spoil our experience!
The connectivity
This monitor has all the sockets you would expect in 2019, even the USB-C that is missing from the Eizo CG319X. We will find a Display Port 1.2 socket, an HDMI 2.0 socket (with direct connection to a digital camera or a video camera), a USB 3.0 socket to guarantee hardware calibration, i.e. to send the ICC profile generated by ColorNavigator directly to the Lookup Table on the display and not only on your computer graphics card and finally two USB 3.0 socket which are accessible on the left profile on the display.
ColorNavigator software
 My recommandation! Even if the calibration with the i1Display Pro is very efficient as you will see below, the interest of this monitor lies, among other things, in its built-in colorimeter + ColorNavigator. It happens to be perfect and even a little better than my favorite sensor, especially in grey neutralization. I highly recommend the use of the built-in colorimeter which can only work with ColorNavigator!
This monitor is sold with its calibration software, the well-known ColorNavigator which works in conjunction with the built-in calibrator. This high-end software will not only allow you to perform an "ideal" calibration but also to verify that it complies with the ISO 12646 standard. This guarantees you an ideal and above all easy calibration for those who do not master the meaning of all target values |
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ColorNavigator also manages other control and comparison functions between the screen and a print seen in a control booth for example and many other things.
Thickness of the screen edges
They measure 19 mm (compared to 27 mm on the CG277) so we have to deal with a screen with clearly reduced but still thick edges in 2019 where we see many screens blooming whose edges measure between 5 and 10 mm only! (Read: my advice to choose your photo monitor photo - Updated Nov. 2019 - 8 pages) 
Ergonomics (see photos above)
The ergonomics is classic + ! The amplitude of the screen's movements in height (over 4 inches), inclination and rotation will allow all users to find their ideal setting. Really perfect! The menu buttons on the screen are electrostatic and can be turned off. |
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ColorNavigator also manages other control and comparison functions between the screen and a print seen in a control booth for example and many other things.
Thickness of the screen edges
They measure 16 mm (compared to 27 mm on the CG277) so we have to deal with a display with clearly reduced but still thick edges in 2019 where we see many displays blooming whose edges measure between 5 and 10 mm only! This does not especially favour multi-screens but do we necessarily need them in 32 inches, 4K moreover? (Read my advice to choose your photo monitor photo  ) |
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What is the Eizo CG279X screen worth after calibration with the i1Display Pro or ColorNavigator?
First, I calibrated this display with the best current sensor in an excellent price/quality ratio: the i1 Display Pro + i1Profiler software (version 3.1.1). This allows you to compare this monitor with the other monitors on the market, even if it is very clear that I strongly advise you to use the built-in colorimeter + ColorNavigator, which is even better, especially in the neutralization of grayscales. You'll see that the numbers are already barely believable, so it could only be better with ColorNavigator but I'm afraid you won't see the difference anymore. And even though at this level, there are no uncertainty errors in the sensor and/or software. I would remind you that a very efficient eye distinguishes 1/200 of a difference. We are talking on average here about 1/400 or even 1/600 deviations!
I chose the following settings :
- Mode 8: Adobe RGB
- Gamma : Adobe RGB (2,2)
- Color temperature: 6500K
- Luminance: 90Cd/m2 (90 Cd/m2 setting on the display)
And as target values in the i1 Profiler software...
- Display technology: White diodes is selected automatically,
- D65 or possibly a little less if you want a slightly warmer screen. (Note that at D55, the screen is really hot but never yellow as on low-end screens),
- Luminance: 90 Cd/m2 or more depending on your main use (90 Cd/m2 Web to 120 Cd/m2 print) and especially the brightness of your room,
- Contrast: Native for the Web or 287:1 for those who print a lot,
- Gamma at 2,2 – standard curve, (The L* is only available with ColorNavigator and there is a lot to say about this "gamma" which will make the dark parts very bright, too bright...)
- ICC standard: V2 (to avoid incompatibility problems with some image viewing software (images too dark) and obviously V4 if you know what you are doing.
And the result is?
Objective data: what does the final report say after calibration?
a) Final calibration report - At this stage, we will check the color temperature reached by the panel as well as the level of its blacks and finally its contrast ratio at 90 Cd/m2:
Once the calibration is complete, the color temperature of the white point reached is 6486 K, the luminance of the black is only 0.083 Cd/m2 so very deep, especially compared with the 0.146 Cd/m2 of the Eizo CS2730 (The blacks are almost twice as deep). The measured native contrast is 1085:1, also to be compared with the 810:1 of the Eizo CS2730.
b) Delta e - The figures for delta E (Standard 2000) are obviously exceptional, well below the value of 1 since I found a record value of 0.33 for the average and 0.79 for even the most remote patches from the ideal, only in grey values by the way. This shows that i1Display Pro favors a slight warming of the display unlike ColorNavigator which will be perfectly neutral. This value for the highest patch is therefore to be taken with hindsight. So it's already almost perfect with this calibration solution. You will see that with ColorNavigator you just get an improvement of the grays and blacks.
Now uniformity tests in luminance and color temperature:
1 - Brightness uniformity - While many displays in 2019 achieve sufficient brightness uniformity at 255 levels, this is very often not the case at lower levels (127 and 63). This is obviously not the case with this Eizo CG279X, perfect again because it does not exceed 3% at L255!
Once again, these are superlative readings: 0% at L127 and L63 on a 27-inch panel! On my test copy, we have to flirt with the record of this site since August 2018.
2 - The uniformity of the white point:
In color temperature, it is just as spectacular since the difference will never exceed 1.0 ! On 27-Inch it's not common...
Calibration with the built-in colorimeter and ColorNavigator software
The Eizo ColorEdge CG279X screen eliminates the need to purchase a colorimeter because it integrates one in its upper middle edge. It will come out of its small hatch when the calibration request is made. This excellent colorimeter - even better than i1Display Pro (in this test with my personal sensor) - is controlled by the ColorNavigator software provided with the monitor. This software is a benchmark for its performance and control capabilities once calibration is completed. I therefore recommend it to you without reservation.
 Warning! To be able to calibrate your Eizo CG279X with the built-in colorimeter and ColorNavigator, it is essential to connect the USB 3.0 cable sold with the display. It allows communication between your computer and the screen as well as injecting the ICC profile directly into the Lookup Table of the monitor. Otherwise, ColorNavigator will not offer you to calibrate your display with the built-in calibrator.
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1 - Calibration programming
The calibration can therefore be programmed. It will therefore be carried out alone where, usually, we are simply warned that it will have to be done. And even louder, it can be made even screen off so at night. Calibration will therefore not interfere with working time! The Eizo CG319X's very short heating time - 7 minutes - would not leave the screen unusable for long, but even it is expected if you calibrate your display at night. It will light up well 7 minutes before starting the process. For professional use, I recommend a monthly calibration, just to be really, really reassured!
2 - A real hardware calibration
 To benefit from hardware calibration and be able to use ColorNavigator, the monitor needs to be connected to the computer that will at least be used for its calibration using the USB 3.0 cable provided and through which the ICC profile will pass directly to the monitor's Lookup Table (LUT).
 Hardware calibration? The ICC profile is directly injected into the Lookup Table of the screen. This has two benefits: on the one hand, it guarantees the best possible calibration, but also the possibility of installing this monitor on another computer that has not been used to calibrate it. Usually, the ICC profile is installed in a Windows or MacOS folder, so on your computer. With a hardware calibration, the profile is part of the screen which can therefore be installed on any other computer while still being calibrated. But to do this, it is absolutely necessary to connect the USB cable sold with the display. This cable will therefore not only power the two USB 3.0 sockets on the display.
3 - Choose the target values
In ColorNavigator I chose to edit the default target. To do this, right-click on the "Calibration" button: |
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- Brightness: 90 Cd/m2 for printing use and 100/120 Cd/m2 for mainly Web/graphic use,
- White point: 5000K for printers and 6500K for others,
- Gamut: native, close to Adobe RGB
- Gamma: 2.2 (the L Star lightens dark tones too much in my opinion).
Note! It is of course possible to change a lot of target values in ColorNavigator but if you need to choose others you know why and you will know how to do it, where and which values to choose.
When everything is ready click on the button at the bottom in the middle "Calibration..." (2)
Then choose the built-in calibrator as a colorimeter and start the calibration, rather fast you will see.
Objective data: what does the final report say after calibration?
Once the calibration of this Eizo CG279X has been completed with ColorNavigator, the color temperature of the white point reached is 6496 K, the black luminance is only 0.08 Cd/m2 so as with i1Display Pro + i1Profiler and the measured native contrast is 1054:1, again very close to the i1Display Pro + i1Profiler.
Delta E according to the 2000 standard gives values on all patches extremely similar to those obtained with the i1Display Pro + i1Profiler.
Finally, to validate all this, it is possible to launch a validation - something you cannot do with the Eizo CG2730 which has the same panel. |
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And my subjective data: what does my eye see?
Objectively, I could say that the grey neutralisation is perhaps even "more neutral" with the ColorNavigator + integrated sensor solution and that the grey scale test is even more progressive but really because there must be a winner! The real winner is the ease of use thanks to the programming of this built-in solution and the validation according to ISO 12646 standard, impossible with i1 Display Pro + i1Profiler. If perfection is to have a name, it will be this Eizo CG279X!
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| Panel uniformity |
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| Resolution |
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| Ergonomics |
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| Connectivity |
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| Manufacturing quality |
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| Quality / Price ratio |
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- Figures after calibration of very high level with the i1Display Pro: Delta E average of 0.33 and maximum deviation of 0.79 (Standard 2000) when the eye has precisely a pain of dog to distinguish differences under 1.0 so perfect colors !
- Delta E is essentially the same under ColorNavigator but grey even more neutral,
- Matt IPS panel with a perfect finish, soft without the granular effect of the previous generations,
- Large gamut (Adobe RGB, sRGB, Rec709 and Rec2020, DCI-P3, etc.) and Fogra Cert certification,
- Excellent built-in calibrator + ColorNavigator,
- Fast, accurate and programmable calibration,
- The ideal monitor for retouching photographers,
- The best manufacturing quality I have ever tested.
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- No 4K panel,
- And the slightly higher cost of certifications and other validations compared to the Eizo CG2730.
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9,75 / 10 ! A reference 27-Inch |
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 This beautiful panel is shared within the ColorEdge Eizo range with the Eizo CG2730 model which was already perfect if you don't need a 4K panel. So what does it bring? Two three refinements like the ratio after calibration (You have a perfect screen and you know it whereas with the Eizo CG2730 it is just as perfect but you don't know it!). It also allows you to validate your calibration according to ISO 12646 certification. Few users will need it. It is therefore an absolutely perfect panel to retouch your photos, but ask yourself if you really need its refinements because the Eizo CG2730 is still $200 cheaper. Video editors will prefer a 4K panel and will turn to the Eizo CG319X if they have the budget. |
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$2,426.00 |
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$2,137.00 |
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£1,599.25 |
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£1,599.00 |
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