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Dazed · Apr 8, 2007, 02:50 AM

Am thinking of getting a imac and was curious how good the 24" screen is compared to those of the cinema displays ?

I'm looking for a display thats good for photo editing so would the imac screen be suitable for this ?

Thanks

Eug · Apr 8, 2007, 02:42 PM

I like mine, but it's very bright, and the photo guys say it's hard to calibrate and while it's not a top tier screen, it can be calibrated close enough for such use if you're experienced at calibration. FWIW, Apple rates the contrast ratio of the 24" the same as the Cinema Displays, but I'm not sure how comparable those ratings are. Similarly, the 24" iMac has the same brightness rating as the 23" and 30" Cinema Displays.

I just did an end user type of calibration on my 24" iMac since I'm no pro, but I ended up turning the brightness way, way down. With that and my other adjustments, now I'm happy enough with it for my own basic non-pro use. It was unusable with the factory settings though IMO.

imitchellg5 · Apr 8, 2007, 03:51 PM

The 24" iMacs screen is brighter than the 20" Cinema Display. Quality is about the same. If you look at a Core Duo 20" iMac next to a Core 2 Duo 24" iMac you'll see that the 24" is a lot brighter than the 20". It is just fine for photo editing, although I would turn brightness down a little.

papadopolis · Apr 8, 2007, 04:22 PM

they are kick @$$

bensone1 · Apr 8, 2007, 04:50 PM

they are a great computer and have a wonderful display. it makes workin with cs2 a piece of cake with all the room coming from a macbook. for some who have a problem with the brightness, i recommend downloading an app called "brightness control" it works really well and is easy to use. one thing that i would recommend doing is waiting until the next imac line comes out. i bought mine in february, and looking back i am still please with my purchased but now that it is closer to WWDC i think that i would wait. but then again something bigger and better will always be on the horizon. happy mac'n!

Dazed · Apr 8, 2007, 05:01 PM

yeah, im thinking of waiting till WWDC, hopefully we will get a bump in speed if not a new design (I do love the current range though so its hard to wait

)

Im not a professional photographer, more of a hobbyist/prosumer so im sure the display will be fine for my needs. Has anyone tried to calibrate it with something like spyder ?

Thanks for the feedback.

Eug · Apr 8, 2007, 05:22 PM

Yes, wait, if you can. The May/June 2007 iMac will likely have:

2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo <-- No big deal
800 MHz bus <-- Nice
4 GB support <-- Nice

It may also get a new GPU, and it could even get a redesigned case.

Oneota · Apr 8, 2007, 05:47 PM

I've noticed that the 24" LCD on the iMac is kind of blue-ish if viewed from the side. Straight-on, it's not really noticeable, but if you look at it from an angle, everything gets skewed white-ish blue.

Eug · Apr 8, 2007, 06:33 PM

Originally Posted by Oneota

I've noticed that the 24" LCD on the iMac is kind of blue-ish if viewed from the side. Straight-on, it's not really noticeable, but if you look at it from an angle, everything gets skewed white-ish blue.

Was it calibrated?

Oneota · Apr 8, 2007, 06:40 PM

Originally Posted by Eug

Was it calibrated?

Yeah, and I've noticed it on every 24" iMac I've ever seen - it's inherent in the LCD panels or the backlight used on that model. Again, it's not noticeable if you're looking at it straight-on, but if you're looking at it from an angle, it's definitely there (you can really see it if you've got a 20" or 17" iMac in the same room).

imitchellg5 · Apr 8, 2007, 08:22 PM

Originally Posted by Oneota

Yeah, and I've noticed it on every 24" iMac I've ever seen - it's inherent in the LCD panels or the backlight used on that model. Again, it's not noticeable if you're looking at it straight-on, but if you're looking at it from an angle, it's definitely there (you can really see it if you've got a 20" or 17" iMac in the same room).

It's more of a LCD thing, not 24" iMac. LCDs are starting to be have a lot of blue built in. My Samsung SyncMaster came from the factory with a horrible blue tint- all white stuff was blue.

Oneota · Apr 8, 2007, 09:45 PM

Originally Posted by imitchellg5

It's more of a LCD thing, not 24" iMac. LCDs are starting to be have a lot of blue built in. My Samsung SyncMaster came from the factory with a horrible blue tint- all white stuff was blue.

Not really; like I said, 17" and 20" iMacs don't exhibit the behavior. And it doesn't affect the color of things on-screen if you're sitting in front of it. It just looks like the backlight is blueish if you're looking at it from the side.

Eug · Apr 9, 2007, 08:58 AM

I found my 24" iMac LCD colour to be a little on the cool side, so I had to calibrate it warmer, but it's fine now. I don't really look at it from the side.