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Author Topic: apple 27 inch thunderbolt display for color critical work  (Read 18629 times)

woof75

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apple 27 inch thunderbolt display for color critical work
« on: June 21, 2012, 10:40:34 am »

Hi, how does this display hold up for color critical use compared to the competition?
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digitaldog

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Re: apple 27 inch thunderbolt display for color critical work
« Reply #1 on: June 21, 2012, 10:42:55 am »

Hi, how does this display hold up for color critical use compared to the competition?

What competitors? Certainly not like an NEC SpectraView II or Eizo. There isn’t anything really at all special about Apple displays in terms of color critical work nor have there been for years and years. I’m sure it is an OK display. But a smart display system like the two mentioned? Nope.
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woof75

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Re: apple 27 inch thunderbolt display for color critical work
« Reply #2 on: June 21, 2012, 11:09:22 am »

Yes, I know they aren't right up there with the Eizo's etc but is it a real noticeable difference, how far off are they?
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digitaldog

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Re: apple 27 inch thunderbolt display for color critical work
« Reply #3 on: June 21, 2012, 12:55:31 pm »

It’s more than ‘how far off’. It’s the control one has over the process such as the ability to create multiple calibration targets and load, on the fly with the associated ICC profile. The ability to finely control the panel hardware as you alter calibration aim points to nail a match to the print(s).
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Ellis Vener

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Re: apple 27 inch thunderbolt display for color critical work
« Reply #4 on: June 21, 2012, 02:36:36 pm »

What type of color critical work? In general the current Apple displays are very good if not quite in the same class as the Eizo CG's and the higher end NEC displays.
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MrSmith

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Re: apple 27 inch thunderbolt display for color critical work
« Reply #5 on: June 21, 2012, 02:52:33 pm »

they crunch the blacks and have too much saturation compared to an eizo CG class monitor imho.
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tastar

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Re: apple 27 inch thunderbolt display for color critical work
« Reply #6 on: June 21, 2012, 08:52:16 pm »

Apple Cinema displays will display millions of colors and roughly represent the sRGB color space. They don't have onscreen controls so there aren't any adjustments for contrast or for the R, G or B values. If you are working in sRGB they should be fine. If you are working in Adobe RGB or ProPhoto RBG, you'll be losing a big chunk of the gamut. HP has a 27 inch display (ZR2740W) that will display billions of colors and will display Adobe RGB or ProPhoto RGB, but they omitted the onscreen controls (to reduce cost), just like the Apple displays. If you are working in the larger color spaces, why buy either one? Neither can be accurately calibrated, and in my opinion can't be used for critical color work. You won't find these shortcomings with real color accurate displays.
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lfeagan

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Re: apple 27 inch thunderbolt display for color critical work
« Reply #7 on: June 22, 2012, 01:08:10 am »

The color gamut of the ACD LED 27" is nothing to write home about. It barely does better than sRGB and my MBP 15" display.

I made some graphics comparing my ACD LED 27" to my NEC PA301W when deciding on a second monitor. The PA301W beats the ACD mightily. Just look at the charts.

http://blog.vectorcomputing.net/2012/05/10/monitor-comparison/

Not surprisingly, I now have two NEC PA301Ws sitting side-by side on my desk. Working on panoramas is heavenly on this setup.

--Lance

« Last Edit: June 22, 2012, 01:09:52 am by lfeagan »
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Lance

Nikon: D700, D800E, PC-E 24mm f/3.5D ED, PC-E 45mm f/2.8D ED, PC-E 85mm f/2.8D, 50mm f/1.4G, 14-24 f/2.8G ED, 24-70 f/2.8G ED, 70-200 f/2.8G ED VR II, 400mm f/2.8G ED VR
Fuji: X-Pro 1, 14mm f/2.8, 18mm f/2.0, 35mm f/1.4

woof75

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Re: apple 27 inch thunderbolt display for color critical work
« Reply #8 on: June 22, 2012, 02:53:05 am »

The kind of colour critical work is for magazine publication, ad work, that sort of thing. I don't need to make multiple profiles or anything like that. I just need to be able to accurately profile it. The Eizo's are expensive. What's the best 27 inch solution price quality ratio at the moment? I'm actually using my macbook pro 17 inch screen as my working display at the moment calibrated with i1 match 2 and I'm pretty close between display and print.
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tastar

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Re: apple 27 inch thunderbolt display for color critical work
« Reply #9 on: June 22, 2012, 08:50:04 pm »

The least expensive 27's that will approximately display Adobe RGB are the Dell U2711 at about $950.00 (USD) and a DoubleSight Displays DS-277W at around 1050. A NEC PA271W-BK will run around 1270, and with a calibrator, around 1580. An Eizo Flexscan SX2762W-BK would be about 1550, and around 1660 with the calibrator. A Datacolor Spyder4 Elite calibrator for the Dell and DoubleSight would be 249. The Dell and the DoubleSight have 3 year warranties, the NEC, 4 years, the Eizo, 5 years. All are 2560 x 1440 resolution. And, in my opinion, all should all do a great job with what you are trying to do.

Tony
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woof75

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Re: apple 27 inch thunderbolt display for color critical work
« Reply #10 on: June 23, 2012, 04:26:52 am »

Great, thanks Tony!
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woof75

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Re: apple 27 inch thunderbolt display for color critical work
« Reply #11 on: June 25, 2012, 05:13:33 am »

So after a bit of digging around I'm buying a Eizo CG 245W I do like the idea of built in calibration.
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lfeagan

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Re: apple 27 inch thunderbolt display for color critical work
« Reply #12 on: June 26, 2012, 02:34:21 am »

Out of curiosity, what changed? You were initially wanting a 27" and thought the Eizo was too expensive. You went with a 24" Eizo that does 1920x1200 instead of the 2560x1440 of a 27" screen.
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Lance

Nikon: D700, D800E, PC-E 24mm f/3.5D ED, PC-E 45mm f/2.8D ED, PC-E 85mm f/2.8D, 50mm f/1.4G, 14-24 f/2.8G ED, 24-70 f/2.8G ED, 70-200 f/2.8G ED VR II, 400mm f/2.8G ED VR
Fuji: X-Pro 1, 14mm f/2.8, 18mm f/2.0, 35mm f/1.4
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