Compare for photo editing: iMac 17-in vs. Apple 20-in LCD

first of all, all Apple TFT screens are of above average image quality
and well suited even for pro image editing

having said that, there are brands out there (and if you are buying a
Powermac, I would seriously consider them) which offer TFT that are
faster (16ms), have more contrast (600:1), better viewangle and much
better features in terms of color control (e.g. Eizo/Nanao let's you set
individual RGB levels AND CMY levels) than Apple TFT screens

In terms of calibration, true color etc. I have given up the thought of
getting universally accepted perfect pictures and it's not my intention
anyway. I want to make sure that the image on screen somehow resembles
what I print and what I have printed for me. If there is a gap (and
there will be because screen is different from paper - PERIOD) I want to
make sure I know why there is a gap and how to compensate it and that
it's always the same gap.

I have worked in this business and there are two types of pros: those
who spent thousands on device calibration and those who don't use
colorsync at all. They both get excellent resuls and they both (at the
end of the day) rely on proofs.

And that's the key. Don't get too obsessed about TFT vs. CRT unless you
spend 95% of your computing life with image editing because TFT are so
much nicer to work with. If you have a critical picture, proof it or
print it and then adjust.

As for 17 vs. 20 inch... I always go for the larger real estate ...
and consider brands other than Apple (TFT with 1600 * 1200, check
Viewsonic, Nanao/Eizo, Sony and Samsung)

 

Hello,

I'm trying to evaluate the relative merits of going for an all-in-one
iMac (with all the latest bells & whistles) vs. a used PowerMac to which
I could add an Apple 20-in LCD monitor. This computer would get a
variety of uses, but the photo editing demand would be the most
demanding by far. (Note: I consider this to be "serious" editing, but
not "pro" editing.)

Has anyone looked closely at the 17-in LCD for this kind of use? How
does it compare to Apple's 20-in LCD, which (though we can debate CRT
vs. LCD endlessly) is generally well thought-of for editing?

Thanks,

Todd

 

Todd-

Go for the G4 with the 20" Display.

I have the Apple 20" Cinema Display on my Dual 800 G4, and I would take
it any day of the week over a Flat Panel iMac. Plus, you're gonna have
a faster system overall and more RAM expansion than the iMac. You can
also swap out the Video card and go with something like the GeForce 4
Titanium and get some killer graphics performance. Plus, all that extra
real estate.

Hope this helps!

-Steve