EIZO ColorEdge CG211

Rotating LCD monitor

The ColorEdge CG211 21.3″ (54 cm) LCD monitor from EIZO might seem small, but once it’s calibrated and profiled, the soft proofing is so accurate that size won’t be a consideration for professionals who demand precision color management. The CG211 has a native resolution of 1600×1200, a 170° angle of view, and a contrast ratio of 500:1.

The display has a thin black frame (gray is also available) with an eight-button control panel on the bottom edge. The screen moves smoothly, tilting back and forth, swiveling side to side, and rotating from landscape to portrait positions. On the back are three powered USB ports, one of which is used to connect directly to your computer to activate the bundled ColorNavigator calibration software. There are two DVI ports but no VGA (as claimed on EIZO’s website).

The calibration and profiling software is compatible with several popular colorimeters including ColorVision’s Spyder2, MonacoOPTIX XR, and Eye-One Pro. The software lets you select from presets using the most common industry settings for brightness, white point, and gamma. Or you can configure your own settings and specify your preference for brightness, gamma, and white/black levels. The results are written directly to the display’s built-in 12-bit Look-Up Table (LUT), which can produce close to 100% of sRGB color space.

The upshot was a display that evenly and accurately displayed colors, with smooth gradients and good shadow and highlight detail. From side to side, top to bottom even at acute angles, color and brightness is uniform without any appreciable falloff. To reduce stray light and reflections, EIZO includes a sturdy adjustable hood.— Steve Baczewski

PRICE: Approx. $2,800
FROM: Eizo Nanao Technologies, Inc.
PHONE: 800-800-5202
WEB: www.eizo.com
FOR: Mac and Windows
RATING: 4.5

LAYERS VERDICT
HOT Accurate soft proofing
NOT Price