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The GS27FA is fine out of the box for color, gamma and grayscale. But only fine. If you want perfection, it isn’t quite there, but some careful compromise can produce a satisfying image.
Grayscale and Gamma Tracking
Our grayscale and gamma tests use Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays. We describe our grayscale and gamma tests in detail here.
Starting with the grayscale chart, a 1.15dE starting score is about as good as it gets for a factory setup. The 100% brightness step is a tad blue, but that error is barely visible. Gamma is an issue though in that it’s visibly light in tone. The dips at 10 and 90% further flatten the image. There is definite room for improvement.
Calibration is a compromise. Grayscale tracking is improved to 0.69dE which won’t be visible to the naked eye. There is no ideal gamma setting though. You can either have it too light or too dark. I always choose the latter because it’s easy to compensate by adding a few clicks to the brightness slider. The picture is more lifelike and saturated as a result. You’ll see the effects of this in the color test below.
Comparisons
The GS27FA is the best of the bunch in the out-of-box grayscale test, and it calibrates to an even higher standard, no complaints there. But gamma accuracy lags behind the rest. My calibration is a compromise because no gamma preset provides flat tracking at the 2.2 reference. You can either stay with gamma 3 and 2.06 or change to 4 as I did for 2.29. In both cases, the trace isn’t flat. The range of values is relatively wide at 0.23. My final adjustments do improve color though.
Color Gamut Accuracy
Our color gamut and volume testing use Portrait Displays’ Calman software. For details on our color gamut testing and volume calculations, click here.
The GS27FA measures very well out of the box with a 1.90dE color gamut error. This is nearly invisible but compared to the second chart, the picture is a little flat. That’s a product of the light gamma tracking I noted earlier. Though the calibrated gamut has a slightly higher error, it is visibly more saturated with no change in detail or clarity. It’s a compromise, yes, but the right call for a more colorful picture.
Comparisons
Though I took a slight step backward in the GS27FA’s color gamut accuracy, it is visually improved thanks to greater saturation. The darker gamma preset is the primary reason for this. Yes, it’s a compromise. But 2.27dE is still firmly in the realm of visual perfection.
I could ding the GS27FA for its lack of a DCI-P3 color gamut, but as you can see, that isn’t a given in this segment. With 80% coverage of DCI-P3, it’s the best of the rest. The top three screens all advertise DCI-P3 and deliver most of that gamut. With 112.81% coverage of sRGB, it could be termed an sRGB+ display. It isn’t well suited for critical color grading, but it is a very colorful monitor in this segment.
Test Takeaway: The GS27FA can’t be calibrated to perfect accuracy but with the right adjustments, its picture can be improved from stock. The default settings have gamma that is too light which reduces color saturation. My changes take the GS27FA to the other side of accuracy but in a good way. And there is more than 100% coverage of sRGB so there is plenty of color here to satisfy.
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