John,
Ok, earlier generation of the ColorEdges were all ment to be targeting to 80 cd/m2. Eizo even went so far that they said that the warrenty was not covering these panels if driven higher than that. That's a clear fact.
It was kind of unique at that time when the border had to be crossed between the last CRT's and the new TFT's for professional use. Any other brand was up at at least 130-140 cd/m2 as reccomendation. For all of us who had been using dim CRT's at 80-90 cd/m2, the Eizo route was a kind of blessing. It was very difficult to just jump over to the TFT's at those higher levels plus a completely different feel of sharpness and contrast. So, 80 -90 cd/m2 was a soft move.
Coming out to places to calibrate where still there are a few older CG's mixed with newer one, the typical 80 cd/m2 concept reminds me. Bumping up to 100 or more, the blackpoint wants to follow upwards to easily. They were never ment to run high. Even the CG222/223 with VA panel (the older CG's … were actually all IPS's….it was the budgetlines that had some VA's) had clear restriction by Eizo not to run higher than 80. Otherwise the warrent wasn't covering the panel. I don't know how they would be able to prove such a thing, but anyway. They made that point.
So, 80 candela is a typical Eizo target. ColorNavigator many times dafults to 80….. still today. Remember that older IPS's had very low contrast ratios and high blackpointlevels. Most older IPS panels had. Eizo was delivering highend TFT's when Artisan CRT still was the industry standard. They were way ahead of all the rest in the first years of TFT's. Also in the very low budgetsegment. Even those were possible to run low. But the 100 cd/m2 was a better compromise with them. Many of my newspaperclients ( photographers and picturedesks ) simply REFUSED to let me take any monitor higher the first years. Especially in those departments were a dimlight had been standard for long time. I tried to fool them gradually, sometimes it worked, sometimes they called me back the day after I've been there. "never do that again!"…. I did it again next session, of course, but we're all friends today
If Eizo runs natively or taking any shortcuts has never been up in my mind. I assumed that they really know why they restricted their older ones to 80. They never been bad performing…..so I can't say anything about that. But please explain.
Today things are different. It's no big problem running an Eizo high. New kind of IPS's are probably the reason. And new attitudes. I put them where they belong depending on ambient lightlevel (which not always can be discussed with people in charge to be changed…) and it will be in the span between 100 cd and 140. In photo departments often at the 100-110, newsdesks and advertisingdepartments up at 130-140. The ambient is higher at non photodepartments and mixed by nice daylight sipping in….
The contrastratio is the only thing that actually is important. If you know what you want and target to, and then get the blackpoint along upwards in locked ratio when bumping the whitelevel, you can put it almost wherever you want. Ok, gamutsize tend to hang on and increase slightly when going up, but who cares about that kind of crap anyway
At highend places the same concept is used if no lightbox / hardproofing has to be involved. The ambient rules it all when it comes the whitelevel then.
So, what model? "Avoid" the oldest lines CG19, CG21 and those. They still are alive and kicking s-RGB but the backlight has probably more to desire today. The contrastratio when using the "grey" setting in Colornavigator, delivers a really narrow contrastratio and drags the blackpoint up to much if going 90 and above. (slightly better ratio if using the "Contrast" choice. But on an older CG when the backlight started to drift by aging you want the "grey"). You will be able to use it at 80 and get a blackpoint at minimum 0,35-0.4 or so using grey…. forget anything lower. They never disapoint me generally when meeting an oldie now and then, especially when it comes to getting a very clean greyramp. But again, the ratio can be a PIA -- ff in mixed environment with newer CG's. Some of the older ones needs older versions of Colornavigator which doesn't support Discus or newer probes for example. Some newer features will also be lacking. The newer Colornavigators are simply better allover.
At all periods there has been a slitghtly lower ColorEdge line side by side with the best line, some of them used VA's. (CG222/223 calibrates superb with Colornavigator) The main issue against them was the viewangle . Gamutwize and smoothness as good and large as anything at the same period of time. Even at the small panelsize of the 222 the viewangle is disturbing at a normal viewing distance. I just woulden't get a VA today. I've also been editing very much at picturedesks on the 222/223's not just calibrating loads of them. Some lower level series of the Coloredges and wide 16:9 had shown some edgebleeding or at least "glowing IPS edges" more than I liked. I can't recall the models and I don't think a got my calibrationreports kept on them anymore, it was about three years ago. I wasn't that happy to see it.
I don't know if there really is that much saving in going USED and find a two three years old Eizo? I have no idea about the pricelevel, but could imagine it to be higher than it should be because it's an Eizo.
The choice for a new, instead of a used one, "should be" between any of the CX's Edges and NEC 271 if you ask me. I've never been fully into the NEC camp with both feets since the earlier bad and arrogant attitudes about service/warrenty policys. Eizio NEVER EVER been a problem. New monitor comes in box. Unpack it and then put old monitor in box , send it back. Problem over. No discussion. My experinces from LaCie CRT's / TFT's and NEC's have been the other way around mildly speaking. Things may changed in some countrys. I dunno. They really pissed me off more than once. The 271 may perhaps change my point of view, I might get the Reference myself (as a protest against the swing-eizo). So, never slam the door.
However… a bottomline…….after all, perhaps you would be happy with anything from USED Eizo's if the 80cd/m2 is your only preference (but keep in mind the low contrast ratio that can come with the oldies if you change your mind and start bumping up).
Ok, back to the LaProaig. I almost forgot I just opened one
