Eizo FlexScan L885 review: Eizo FlexScan L885

Eizo FlexScan L885
Think you need a CRT monitor for high-quality precision graphics? Think again. The 20.1-inch Eizo FlexScan L885 LCD offers some of the best image quality and image-adjustment options we've seen in any monitor--LCD or CRT. Although we're used to seeing a host of multimedia features in such high-priced displays, the FlexScan L885 isn't really built for gamers or video hounds. Instead, it's for professional architects, designers, and anyone else who needs superprecise images and text and wants to work on an LCD with a native resolution of 1,600x1,200. Professional photographers and desktop publishers are advised to consider Eizo's ColorEdge CG18, which also offers terrific performance and is built specifically for calibrating true color.
The charcoal-gray Eizo FlexScan L885 lacks gaudy flourishes that might distract you from your work. Its thin bezel runs about three-quarters of an inch from the screen, and the eight easily accessible front-panel buttons are so understated that they're almost invisible (although we do wish you could turn off the glowing, blue power light). Set upon an exceptionally sturdy double-footed base, Eizo's FlexScan L885 offers a good range of adjustability. The panel swivels 35 degrees to the left and right, tilts 40 degrees backward, telescopes to give the panel an additional four inches or so, and pivots between Landscape and Portrait modes.
The FlexScan L885's design is nice, but image control and quality are where this monitor shines. The display has analog and DVI inputs (Eizo provides both cables) and an upstream USB input that lets you adjust images via a mouse or a keyboard using the bundled ScreenManager software. Whether you use the software or the front-panel buttons, the onscreen menus are easy to navigate and use, and they offer a host of image controls that include brightness, hue, and color temperature. But the FlexScan L885 goes beyond the mundane. You can also adjust the gamma, the color saturation, and even the red/yellow/green/cyan/blue/magenta levels. Frankly, the adjustment menu offers so many bells and whistles, we can't give them their due here.
The FlexScan L885 aced CNET Labs' DisplayMate test suite. The panel has a 1,600x1,200 native resolution and is viewable from extremely wide angles. The FlexScan L885's bright and crisp images, rich colors, and exceptionally sharp text raise the bar for LCDs. It exhibits extremely uniform backlighting and produces the subtle shades between dark grays and dead black as well as any LCD we've seen. The Eizo FlexScan L885 delivered a decent performance in our DVD tests, but this LCD is not the best choice for video or motion.
Eizo backs the FlexScan L885 with outstanding support, including a generous five-year "--="" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">&siteid=7&edid=&lop=txt&destcat=ex_1&destUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eeizo%2Ecom%2Fsupport%2Fwarranty%2F5year%2Easp">warranty that covers defects in materials and workmanship. Eizo will replace a FlexScan L885 that has six or more dead pixels--about average for the industry. The company plans to introduce lifetime, 24/7, toll-free technical support in March 2004.