Archive notice: This article was originally published on March 25, 2019. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Another new Eizo already? Okay, what have we got? The CG279X is a 68.4 cm (27 inch) wide-gamut IPS panel with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels, built-in colorimeter, 16-bit look-up table and 350cd/m2 luminance that can handle the usual HDR standards. Eizo calls for an RRP of 2,199 euros (including VAT). And what do you actually get?
Packaging and Delivery
As usual, the screen comes in large, sturdy packaging that should withstand even the roughest suppliers (note the subjunctive, delivery services these days … sigh).
When you start unpacking, you will first be pleased with the heavy stand, which will also survive contact with the clumsiest intern. As with all CG monitors from Eizo, cleaning products and a detailed factory calibration report are included.
Colors
From the date of purchase, the monitor has a color and brightness guarantee for a maximum of 10,000 operating hours. Eizo guarantees a brightness of 120 cd/m2 and a white point of 5,000 to 6,500K. That sounds good, but what else are we used to?
In the measurement, we had – each at an interval of four weeks – a Delta E of Δ1 with a maximum value of Δ2 distributed over a total of 9 measurements (but it may also have been a user error), and if the worst value is still below the perception threshold, then you cannot complain.
Why is this so much better than with most other monitors? On the one hand, solid hardware is installed; on the other, the built-in colorimeter helps – a small arm is hidden in the upper middle of the bezel and extends at regular intervals (you can set these yourself; in the test we set it to “once a week”) and performs a quick calibration. This means that the colors never drift too far and, realistically, you can completely dispense with an external colorimeter for the first few years.
The temperature-controlled correction of color drift and brightness seems to work. Just a few minutes of warm-up are enough to calculate away the drift until stable colors are reached during the warm-up phase.
Measured results included 100% coverage of the sRGB color space, 98% of Adobe RGB, 88% of P3 and 92% of NTSC. That is not quite as much as Eizo specifies, but still within the measurement error range.
The 10-bit panel is a pleasure, especially when grading, and stray light is not an issue either thanks to the easy-to-attach light-shielding hood. The contrast is strong enough to get clean black, and the brightness overdrive enables the evaluation of HDR material.
Usability
What we liked was the menu – not quite at NEC clarity yet, but after less than a minute of familiarization, everything is clear and easy to find.
The colorimeter works reliably and, after the initial setting in the menu, also completely unattended. The screen is light enough not to pose a challenge even to a monitor arm that is now slightly worn.
The rest of the equipment is the same as on the big one – displayable frames, a cornucopia of supported presets – namely BT.2020, BT.709, DCI, PQ_DCI, PQ_BT.2100, HLG_BT.2100 – and a brightness distribution with less than 8% deviation (which is why we do not print the chart), as well as almost one hundred percent luminity conformity.
In terms of connectivity, the CG279X offers USB Type-C, DisplayPort, DVI-D and HDMI inputs as well as 4 USB outputs (to replace the hub). Apart from a Mini DisplayPort and VGA, the complete range is therefore available, and all necessary cables are included in sturdy versions.
Who Is the Screen Suitable For?
After this avalanche of laurels, there are of course also a few points of criticism: the brightness does measure 350 nits, but for HDR assessment a few more candela would not have bothered us. The only thing that really bothers us in everyday use is the resolution – a 16:9 aspect ratio at this diagonal is nice, but 1,440 lines is already a little tight in 2019, especially since the arrangement and simulation in multi-monitor operation is still not so great now (which is due to Windows and Linux, not Eizo).
Conclusion
A clever menu, the usual excellent color reproduction and calibration that is spot-on make the CG279X the perfect low-cost HDR ingest monitor, but due to the screen resolution it cannot hold a candle to its big brother. For everyday film work, especially in a multi-monitor setup, it is ideal as a preliminary reference because of the excellent color reproduction. However, anyone working in complex programs such as Nuke and C4D is advised to place a 4K monitor next to it.
