EIZO Monitors - where to buy?

[landyvlad]

I'm looking for a 'lower end' EIZO monitor. I've come to this conclusion after HOURS of internet research - forums and camera review websites...


The monitors I am considered are:



Eizo Flexscan Foris FS2333 23 Inch LCD Monitor ($480) 16:9


Eizo EV2336W 23 Inch Widescreen FlexScan LCD Monitor ($505) 16:9


Eizo EV2436W 24 Inch Widescreen FlexScan LCD Monitor ($730) 16:10 --< seems best but the price is a tad too much.




If anyone can point me to somewhere I can get an EIZO at a great price... in Australia of course... I'm all ears.

[I @ M]

Good luck with that.
The brand is retailed through many photography dedicated establishments and their prices are all very similar and then you will find it at a few monitor specific retailers as well as some computer gear shops.
Eizo don't have a huge presence in Australia but I feel that their prices have dropped in real terms over the years as they attempt to gain sales.
The Foris monitor appears to be aimed at gaming with faster refresh rates and a lower price point, I haven't seen anything about them in relation to photographic work.

If you do buy one you will probably never regret it, after you brought up the subject I looked at the info panel on ours which was bought with about 400 hours use on it and it now has over 13,000 trouble free hours -----

[ricktas]

I agree with Andrew ^. Not available everywhere, so you will have to seek out selective retailers, and thus, the prices are not going to come down a lot even with a bit of haggling. They know you cannot go next door to JB or HN and get it cheaper. Eizo do make great monitors, but in recent years we have seen a lot of high quality monitors being produced from others. The cheaper end of the monitor market has crept up in quality, while Eizo has not really crept up by the same level of progress, and thus the difference in monitor quality is now a lot less.

Still worth buying, but their prices do need to come down a bit more, as the quality margin has closed up.

[landyvlad]

Im looking at a new computer build and need an IPS monitor in this price bracket so any other suggestions from people that KNOW (rather than have 'heard' ) would be welcome...

[hakka]

Dell ultrasharp. They have sales about once a month so if you're not in a hurry you can save a few hundred $.

[NikonNellie]

My son bought an EIZO but not sure where he purchased it - I do know it was in Australia, it wasn't cheap but he loves it. I will ask him when I ring him tomorrow.

[hakka]

www.imagescience.com sell a range of Eizo and NEC screens.

[landyvlad]

Yeah I saw image science and was wondering if anyone was cheaper.

The NECs are the other option but they seem pretty much matched spec for spec at a price point with the Eizo monitors.

If anyone knows of a website comparing these brands (objectively) or could offer personal experience in that $ range (say $700 max) that would be really helpful.

[Lance B]

My Dell U2713H is a great monitor and gets a good write up. Very happy with it!

[landyvlad]

Thanks. I ended up going for the EIZO EV2436W, for just $651 plus just $17 freight. Two other retailers $730 and $729.

If anyone is looking to buy an EIZO contact me privately and I can point you to where I got it. I think its against forum rules for me to say so publicly at this point...?

[ricktas]

Thanks. I ended up going for the EIZO EV2436W, for just $651 plus just $17 freight. Two other retailers $730 and $729.

If anyone is looking to buy an EIZO contact me privately and I can point you to where I got it. I think its against forum rules for me to say so publicly at this point...?

Yes, until you have 30 days membership, and you have been told so privately as well. But also be aware the site rules apply to the personal message system as well. So again, I suggest you read the site rules...more carefully!

[landyvlad]

Well if anyone cares ask me a week from now. Thanks for the clarification ricktas.

[JM Tran]

None of the above mentioned Eizos are worth buying for photo editing, since they are not aimed at photo editing etc.

You would have been much better off buying a Dell 24' or 27' with Premier Color, allowing for better colours and Adobe RGB coverage if need be. For the same price as these entry level Eizos.

The way I see those monitors above, is like having a Ferrari badge, without the actual engine.

[arthurking83]

JM is right in that this model Eizo is not specifically targeted to photo editing(as their high end screens are), the main spec factor is in the 16miollion colour capability of the panel.

But in saying this, it seems to calibrate well(default settings appear to be way out by comparison) which is an important step in general all round photo use.
And as already said, the price premium seems to be a bit high, considering there is a ton of similarly capable IPS screens available for much less money.

One review I've seen of this monitor is summed up this way:


"EV2436W is actually one of the best IPS monitors we have tested in the mid-range price segment"

So it seems the monitor is one of the better ones in it's class(which you would hope).
But as already said, a similarly priced Dell, would have given the option for a wider colour gamut 1 billion colours.
Whether you would make effective use of the ability to render closer to aRGB colours on your monitor is questionable tho.

The next question is, do you have a calibration device?

[landyvlad]

Yeah I did a heap of research and ended up with the Eizo. No doubt the Dells are good too. Doesn;t matter now as I bought the Eizo.

Calibration device... no. I was hoping I might be able to borrow one from somebody in Brisbane ?

[ricktas]

Yeah I did a heap of research and ended up with the Eizo. No doubt the Dells are good too. Doesn;t matter now as I bought the Eizo.

Calibration device... no. I was hoping I might be able to borrow one from somebody in Brisbane ?

Considering you need to calibrate regularly ( I do mine monthly), you are better off buying your own.

[ricktas]

to add. I actually investigated buying some calibrators for AP and renting them out to the members, but under the conditions of use agreement in the packages of these devices is a clause saying they cannot be used on multiple computers, that they are for licensed for use on a limited number of monitors. So borrowing one and installing the software (you need to enter a CD key) could invalidate the licence.

[landyvlad]

I did not want to hear that considering my now very limited budget and still want a tripod OK let's hear recommendations for affordable but adequate calibrators please

[nimrodisease]

I bought my Eizo monitor on ebay with only a couple hundred hours on it, I've had it for a couple of years now and with over 3000 hours I'm still loving it.

For calibration I use a DataColor Spyder3 Express, and while it's in the lower end of the market I've found it to be quite adequate for my use.

[ricktas]

I did not want to hear that considering my now very limited budget and still want a tripod OK let's hear recommendations for affordable but adequate calibrators please

http://www.ausphotography.net.au/forum/showthread.php?91096-Monitor-Calibration-Devices

[Bercy]

I bought an EIZO at least 10 years ago - have gone through 3 computers in that time but the screen has not changed. I would not even dream of changing it - to gain what! However although it is a bit of lifetime purchase I tend to agreee with Rick in that there are lot of good screens out there and the law of diminishing returns is well and truly operating here. Indeed the screen itself may not be the issue but rather casings and adjustability in height and angle for viewing. Also consider many screens are brighter but that does not make them better - the Eizo is quite "matte" - there is probably a better term for it in the screen world - but you don't suffer reflections from other light sources.

[arthurking83]

..... - the Eizo is quite "matte" - there is probably a better term for it in the screen world - but you don't suffer reflections from other light sources.

LOL! I have a glossy screen sitting right here behind me, that I can't connect to the PC(as a second monitor). It's not only reflections from other light sources I worry about, it's reflections of reflected light off me that concerns me more! :D

I agree, matte screen finish is much better.

[Fruengalli]

My nearest & dearest at looking at higher end monitors but does the graphic card affect/effect performance of the screen?

[JM Tran]

My nearest & dearest at looking at higher end monitors but does the graphic card affect/effect performance of the screen?

Nope, only for gaming and if you are doing hardcore 3D rendering.

[arthurking83]

My nearest & dearest at looking at higher end monitors but does the graphic card affect/effect performance of the screen?

Actually it can to a very slight degree.
Calibration can be affected by the choice of your graphics cards.

Going from a Nvidia card to an onboard chip(AMD/Radeon tho) .. my calibration delta is out by a wee bit more than it used to be when I used the dedicated card.
Whether this is an nvidia/radeon difference issue, or the fact that the graphic chip is a 4xxx series (ie. lower end) chip .. or maybe a driver related thing .. I don't really know.

Which reminds me .. I keep forgetting to head out and get a proper replacement one day :o
But in terms of rendering your static images to any real advantage .. no! The quality of the screen is more important.

And FWIW: the difference between a $150 graphics card and the free to use onboard integrated GPU isn't a massive problem.
The calibrated delta difference between the nvidia card and the radeon GPU is 1.2 vs 1.5(I think in the blue channel).
All other channels are pretty much the same ... or close enough to not make a difference(all less than 1).

Other aspects that the graphics card type/quality/performance can affect is the ability to connect multiple monitors. Some do, other don't .. and a better quality one will do a better job of it(maintain faster refresh rates over multiple screens).
So if you wanted to connect multiple high end monitors to a lowly specced GPU, it may not have the ability too allow those additional connections, or may display some artifacts if it's a bit too under powered(and you should try to keep a monitor to at least to 60Hz).
if the card can pump out 120Hz easily(real 120Hz, not frame dropped psuedo speeds!) then it should easily run multiple versions of higher end monitors OK too.