In summary
If you’re in the market for a new monitor and have some spare dollars to invest, it’s worth taking a serious look at Eizo’s latest ColorEdge monitor, the CS240. Positioned at the entry-level to the company’s ‘professional’ monitor line-up, the CS240 provides many of the features of the company’s premium products at a mid-level price.
The price tag (RRP AU$1595 – or $1450 without GST) is high for anyone who isn’t totally serious about imaging quality and doesn’t make prints of their best images. But Eizo monitors are built to last. We have been using a ColorEdge monitor continuously since October 2006 and it hasn’t missed a beat and still reproduces colours accurately, according to our regular re-calibration tests. So you can consider this monitor as an investment and amortise the price across the 10 years or more of its anticipated lifespan.
Potential purchasers concerned about running costs will appreciate the CS240’s low power consumption. The screen typically uses 27 Watts during normal operation and only half a Watt in the Power Save and Standby modes. When the monitor is turned off via the power button on its front bezel it consumes no electricity.
Eizo supports the CS240 with a five-year manufacturer’s warranty, which covers all components including the LCD panel. Also avsailable is an optional shading hood (CH7), which is designed for use in both horizontal and vertical orientations.
Full review
If you’re in the market for a new monitor and have some spare dollars to invest, it’s worth taking a serious look at Eizo’s latest ColorEdge monitor, the CS240. Positioned at the entry-level to the company’s ‘professional’ monitor line-up, the CS240 provides many of the features of the company’s premium products at a mid-level price.
Eizo’s ColorEdge CS240 monitor in use. (Source: Eizo.)
Technological advantages
The CS240’s screen is an IPS (In-plane switching) type with a very wide colour gamut that can reproduce at least 99% of the Adobe RGB colour space. This means raw file images converted to Adobe RGB and JPEGs shot in Adobe RGB will be displayed with faithful colours.
The diagram above compares the colour gamut of the ColorEdge CS240 with other commonly-used colour spaces. (Source: Eizo.)
The eco-friendly LED backlight supports efficient power usage, with a typical power consumption of 27 watts during normal operation, which reduces to less than half a watt in the Power Save and Standby modes. (The panel contains no mercury so it will have minimal environmental impact when it is eventually disposed of.)
The ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) driving the display has been developed by Eizo specifically for the graphics market and uses proprietary algorithms to drive high-precision colour processing and produce smooth colour tones. Eizo’s patented digital uniformity equaliser (DUE) technology minimises fluctuations in brightness and chromaticity on different parts of the screen to deliver uniform screen brightness and colour rendition.
The gamma level for each ColorEdge monitor is adjusted at the factory by measuring the R, G, and B gamma values from 0 ““ 255, then using the monitor’s 16-bit look-up table (LUT) to select the 256 most appropriate tones to achieve the desired value. Using the DisplayPort input and a graphics board and software which support 10-bit output, the monitor offers 10-bit simultaneous colour display from a 16-bit look-up table which means it can show more than one billion colours simultaneously.
Who’s it for?
ColorEdge monitors are designed for serious graphics users, particularly photographers and designers who can benefit from easy and accurate colour calibration and superior stability. They are also flicker-free and easy on the eyes, making them ideal for anyone who spends a lot of time in front of a computer screen.
For video editing, the CS240 offers a grey-to-grey response time of approximately 7.7 ms, which helps to ensure moving images appear clean and sharp without the ghosting that can occur on displays with slow response rates.
You don’t need a top-of-the-line colorimeter to calibrate the CS240 with the bundled ColorNavigator 6 software. So if you already have a device from Datacolor (Spyder) or X-Rite (i1 Display or ColorMunki) it should do the job quite adequately.
Design and Ergonomics
Most monitors these days are widescreen panels and the CS240 is no exception. With an active area measuring 518.4 x 324 mm, a native resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels and a pixel pitch of 0.270 x 0.270 mm, it has a 16:10 aspect ratio and is framed with a dark grey bezel.
The bezel is 25 mm wide at the top and sides but 45 mm wide along the bottom of the screen, where it carries buttons controlling all major adjustments. As usual, these buttons are the same colour as the bezel and labelled in grey that is a tone or two lighter than the bezel, from left: SIGNAL, MODE, RETURN, â–²,â–¼, ENTER, POWER.
The CS240 comes with a specially-designed stand that has a separate, circular base plate which clips onto the vertical panel fixed to the back of the screen. This panel is counter-sprung to be widely adjustable.
Angled rear view of the CS240 showing the height-adjustable stand. (Source: Eizo.)
The ColorEdge CS240 rotated into the portrait (vertical) orientation. (Source: Eizo.)
You can raise the screen or lower it vertically through 130 mm, tilt it upwards through 35 degrees and down through five degrees. The screen can also be swivelled on its stand through 344 degrees or rotated through 90 degrees to provide a portrait view.
The illustration above shows the range of adjustments available for the CS240. (Source: Eizo.)
Multiple inputs enable the CS240 to be connected to several devices simultaneously. DisplayPort, HDMI, and DVI-I inputs are included for connecting to various types of graphics boards and the HDMI input also offers direct connection with digital cameras. Two USB upstream ports allow two computers to be connected at the same time, eliminating the need to reconnect the USB cable when using the ColorNavigator software and switching between them.
The input ports on the CS240. (Source: Eizo.)
For video editing or post production work, an overdrive circuit is included to reduce gray-to-gray response time to 7.7 ms and ensure that moving images look clean and sharp with a minimum of ghosting. Brightness modulation technology ensures a flicker-free image display to help prevent eye fatigue.
Software
Most graphics monitors rely upon third-party software, which often provides limited support for operating systems and calibration devices. The ColorEdge CS240 comes with Eizo’s proprietary ColorNavigator 6 calibration software, which is compatible with all popular operating systems (Windows, Mac and Linux). It also works with colorimeters (measurement devices) from X-Rite, DataColor, and other manufacturers.
ColorNavigator 6 includes pre-set adjustment targets for photography, web design and printing. Users can also set their own values for brightness, white point and gamma and create target profiles for specific applications. There’s also a facility for measuring the white of printing paper to ensure optimal screen-to-print matching plus profile validation for verifying calibration results.
Eizo recommends using ColorNavigator 6 for the initial set-up because it calibrates the monitor itself, whereas the software supplied with colorimeters works on the graphics card in the computer. Additionally, the ColorNavigator 6 uses 16 bits of data, while the third-party software is 8-bit based.
Setting Up
When you open ColorNavigator 6 you are presented with an initial screen showing the current settings and providing three ‘target’ options: Photography, Printing and Web design. The default setting is ‘ Photography’, which is recommended even if you are editing images for printing.
The initial set-up screen.
Eizo suggests photographers click on the ‘Create a new target’ box below the Target box, select ‘Adjust’ and enter the following values in the panel on the right hand side of the screen:
Brightness: 80-100 cd/m2, depending on the brightness of the ambient lighting (the default 100 cd/m2 works well for rooms that are evenly lit with low-to medium light levels);
Black level: 0.4 (this provides the best match for paper contrast, setting a contrast ration of 250:1);
White point: 6500K (the default 5500 K setting is a little too warm)
Gamma: 2.20 for each of the R, G and B settings
Leave the priority on Standard and click on ‘Create a new target’.
This opens a new screen for setting the monitor gamut (colour range). Leave this on ‘Monitor native’. Clicking on ‘Next’ opens a new screen for adjusting Brightness and White point settings. Check that the settings comply with the recommendations listed above and click on ‘Next’ to open the black level settings, which should be checked and, if necessary, adjusted..
The next page covers the tone curve settings, where you should ensure that the All RGB box is checked and the gamma setting of 2.20 is selected. The Priority setting in the lower section of this page should be set to ‘Standard’. Proceed to the next page to see the default name for the adjustment target, which will be stored in your computer once the monitor is calibrated. Check the ‘Start adjustment’ box before clicking on ‘Finish’. The monitor is ready to calibrate.
Plug in your colorimeter and check whether the software has detected it. If not, select it from the dropdown box. Clicking on ‘Next’ takes you to the start of the calibration pages. Position the colorimeter on the displayed target (shown above) and follow the instructions as.the software steps through the various colour measurements before producing a screen (shown below) with the resulting ICC profile, which is stored automatically in the relevant section of your computer.
The next time you open ColorNavigator 6, the target list will include the last profile as well as the adjustment date (when the profile was created) and the time since the last adjustment. You can find the results of the actual measurements on the final page (see below).
Performance
The review screen was very easy on the eyes and appeared to be totally flicker-free. We saw no trace of colours in either greyscale or white patches and gradients were smooth and evenly distributed. Colour reproduction appeared accurate straight out of the box and we found no evidence of banding. Neither did we detect the irritating ‘fizz’ that can occur on monitors that require dithering to encompass a wide colour gamut.
We re-calibrated the review monitor with our Spyder4 Elite colorimeter and software, a combination we have used when reviewing other monitors in the past couple of years. The results presented here can provide an objective comparison of various aspects of monitor performance.
1. Colour Gamut
The review monitor delivered a top performance in this test, as shown in the graph above. The green triangle shows the boundaries of the sRGB colour space, while the purple triangle delineates the Adobe RGB colour space. The red triangle shows the measured colour space for the monitor, which covers the entire Adobe RGB colour space and is significantly larger than sRGB.
2. Gamma
Gamma plots show the relationship between the brightness of a pixel as it appears on the screen, and the numerical value of that pixel. They are a good indicator of how mid-tones are reproduced. If gamma is set too high, mid-tones appear too dark.
The graph of the measured gamma (above) shows it to be the recommended gamma for image editing with Windows PCs.
3. Colour Accuracy.
The plot of colour accuracy shows all hues to be close to the desired positions and well within acceptable tolerances.
4. Screen Uniformity
The two Screen Uniformity tests check the brightness and colour consistencies of the display in nine sections of the screen, at various luminance levels. Separate graphs are provided for luminance (brightness) and colour measurements across four luminance levels. We present the upper and lower graphs for each category.
4a. Luminance Uniformity.
Luminance uniformity was above average, although slight deviations from the ideal measurements were identified in the lower third of the screen.
4b. Colour Uniformity.
Colour uniformity results were very good overall.
5. Overall Rating
The graph above shows the review monitor to be a good overall performer with top performance for colour gamut, tonal response, contrast and colour uniformity. Scores for white point, luminance uniformity and colour accuracy were almost as highly rated and the overall rating is as expected for a monitor at this level.
Conclusion
The price tag (RRP AU$1595 – or $1450 without GST) is high for anyone who isn’t totally serious about imaging quality and doesn’t make prints of their best images. But Eizo monitors are built to last. We have been using a ColorEdge monitor continuously since October 2006 and it hasn’t missed a beat and still reproduces colours accurately, according to our regular re-calibration tests. So you can consider this monitor as an investment and amortise the price across the 10 years or more of its anticipated lifespan.
Potential purchasers concerned about running costs will appreciate the CS240’s low power consumption. The screen typically uses 27 Watts during normal operation and only half a Watt in the Power Save and Standby modes. When the monitor is turned off via the power button on its front bezel it consumes no electricity.
Eizo supports the CS240 with a five-year manufacturer’s warranty, which covers all components including the LCD panel. Also avsailable is an optional shading hood (CH7), which is designed for use in both horizontal and vertical orientations.
SPECS
Panel Size: 24.1-inch / 61 cm (611 mm diagonal)
Active Display Size (H ø— V): 518.4 x 324 mm
Panel Type: IPS
Viewing Angles (H, V): 178 °, 178 °
Brightness: 350 cd/m2
Contrast: 1000:1
Response Time (Typical): 7.7 ms (Grey-to-grey)
Native Resolution: 1920 x 1200 (16:10 aspect ratio)
Pixel Pitch: 0.270 x 0.270 mm
Greyscale tones: DisplayPort, HDMI: 1024 tones (a palette of 65281 tones); DVI: 256 tones (a palette of 65281 tones)
Display Colours: DisplayPort, HDMI: 1.07 billion from a palette of 278 trillion; DVI: 16.77 million from a palette of 278 trillion
Wide Gamut Coverage: Adobe RGB: 99%
Look-Up Table: 16 bits per colour
Internal Processing: 16 bits per colour
Features: Digital Uniformity Equaliser, Preset Colour Modes (Custom, Paper, Adobe RGB, sRGB, Calibration), Screen Adjustment (Clock, Phase, Position, Resolution, Range (Auto)), Screen Size (full screen, enlarge, normal), Colour Adjustment (Brightness, Independent 6-Color Control, Gamma, Colour Gamut, Temperature, Saturation, Hue, Gain, Reset), HDMI Settings (Noise Reduction), Range Extension, Signal Switching, OSD Menu Settings, Overdrive, Input Skip, Mode Skip, USB Selection, Signal Info, Monitor Info, DUE Priority, Key Lock, Signal Bandwidth, Power Indicator, All Reset
Video Input Terminals: DVI-I 29 pin (with HDCP), DisplayPort (with HDCP), HDMI (with HDCP, Deep Colour)
Digital Scanning Frequency (H / V): DisplayPort, DVI: 26 – 78 kHz, 23.75 – 63 Hz (VGA Text: 69 – 71 Hz); HDMI: 15 – 78 kHz, 23.75 – 61 Hz (VGA Text: 69 – 71 Hz)
Analog Scanning Frequency (H / V): 26 – 78 kHz, 47.5 – 61 Hz
USB Ports / Standard: 2 ports for monitor control, 2-port USB hub / USB 2.0
Power Consumption: 27W (typical); less than 0.5 W in Power Save and Standby modes
Height Adjustment Range: 130 mm
Tilt / Swivel / Pivot: 35 ° Up, 5 ° Down / 344 ° / 90 °
Dimensions (W x H x D): With Stand: 575 x 423 – 553 x 245 mm; Without Stand: 575 x 398 x 71 mm
Net Weight: With Stand: 8.7 kg; Without Stand: 6.0 kg
Supplied accessories: AC power cord, signal cables (DVI-D – DVI-D, Mini DisplayPort – DisplayPort), USB cable, setup guide, EIZO LCD Utility Disk (ColorNavigator software, PDF user’s manual), quick reference, warranty card
Rating
RRP: AU$1595; US$1030
- Build: 9.2
- Ease of use: 8.8
- Viewing quality: 9.2
