🚀 go-pugleaf

The optimum luminance for your screen is dependent on the screen and very much so on the level of ambient light in your room.

CRTs have traditionally been calibrated in the 80-90 cd/m2 range and used in very subdued ambient light.

LCD screens have a secondary problem in their luminance. They don't get as black in the blacks as a good CRT can, but they are easily much brighter on the white point luminance. Because of this, most experts recommend that LCD ambient lighting be higher than CRT. This will have the combined effect of making the screen seem less bright overall, and more importantly (to me) give the impression of a more solid black point, as LCD blacks tend to look grayer in low ambient light surroundings.

As for the actual readings, you need to take them at as a basic starting point and experiment to see what works best for you. The numbers you get from, say, Sony's Artisan colorimeter for their CRT are not going to be directly transferable to any other measuring device. There is not enough agreement between devices, particularly when measuring blacks.

It's unfortunate that Apple is marketing these screens as being suitable for higher end graphics. I think there should be some sort of disclaimer.