iMac Retina 27 Display vs. NEC MultiSync P221W

[Kit-V]

I have been using an NEC MultiSync P221W display for editing photos in Lightroom for several years. However, I recently purchased a new iMac Retina 27. Although I have not calibrated the iMac yet, I am curious how the iMac's display might compare to the NEC in post processing. I would really appreciate your thoughts. Thank you kindly.

[JeanMichel]

I can't help with that particular comparison, but I do use a 5k 27" iMac. I calibrate it with a Spyder 5. There was no issue with going from my older Apple Cinema 30" screen to the iMac, but I wish the iMac was a 30" screen. No problems at all to produce prints from my Epson P80 and P6000, and equally no problems outputting cmyk files for press production.

I think that a good screen, properly calibrated, is important, but that there is also a bit of hype regarding super high-end monitors. The iMac may not be the ultimate monitor but it sure is up to the job.

Jean-Michel

[digitaldog]

I am curious how the iMac's display might compare to the NEC in post processing.

Just getting the two to match will be a challenge! One (the NEC) has far more capability in the calibration process than the other, the gamuts differ and most likely the backlight technology and even if the same, differing calibrations would be necessary to get the two close. So, use the NEC for the color critical work, maybe not even calibrate the other and just use it for palettes or non-critical color viewing.

[Kit-V]

Thank you, guys, for your input. I appreciate it.

I am not concerned about getting the two displays to match. I plan to use only one of the displays for post processing in Lightroom & then outputing to ProDPI for final prints. Obviously I want to get the best color match between the display & the final print. But being unfamiliar with the display on the iMac 27 Retina, I was curious how it compares to the NEC.

Which gives rise to another question: I have a wide-gamut SpectraView II puck & software which I use to calibrate my NEC display. (I suspect that SpectraView II is proprietary to NEC since the manual lists only NEC displays as being supported). Can this be used to calibrate the iMac display properly?

[digitaldog]

Use SpectraView everything!

[Kit-V]

Thank you, Andrew!

[dchew]

Use SpectraView everything!

Hmm. I have the same NEC monitor (P221W) and my MBP monitor. I have not figured out how to get the Spectraview software to calibrate the MBP monitor, so I've been using the i1pro and xrite software for the MBP, and the Spectraview / dedicated puck for the NEC. Pain in the butt.

Is there some way to use the NEC puck on the MBP?? The Spectraview II software says "unsupported" next to the built in display drop down.

Dave

[Kit-V]

That is precisely my question, Dave. Part of me expects NEC to only support NEC displays since the SpectraView II sensor & software are (assumingly) NEC products. The other part of me wonders why it cannot be used to calibrate non-NEC displays. This is what digitaldog suggests.
I will call NEC tech support to see if I can get some insight.

[digitaldog]

The NEC branded X-rite i1Display Pro will not work with X-rite's software but may with other 3rd party products like Argyll. https://displaycal.net/#instruments

[Kit-V]

Just got off the phone with NEC tech support. The SpectraView II sensor & software CANNOT be used with non-NEC displays. Apparently the software was designed for NEC displays only. I further inquired about using the SpectraView II sensor with third-party software to calibrate the iMac display. The answer unfortunately was also "No". So it seems that the SpectraView sensor & software were developed exclusively for NEC displays.

[David Eichler]

Just got off the phone with NEC tech support. The SpectraView II sensor & software CANNOT be used with non-NEC displays. Apparently the software was designed for NEC displays only. I further inquired about using the SpectraView II sensor with third-party software to calibrate the iMac display. The answer unfortunately was also "No". So it seems that the SpectraView sensor & software were developed exclusively for NEC displays.

That is why I chose not to buy the NEC puck with my NEC display and instead purchased the I1 Diplay Pro, the puck for which can be used with the Spectraview software, and the I can use the XRite software for other monitors.

[digitaldog]

Let's try this:
 https://hub.displaycal.net/forums/topic/nec-spectrasensor-pro-vs-x-rite-i1display-pro/