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Author Topic: Best Gear for Photo Editing?  (Read 1877 times)

steverap

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Best Gear for Photo Editing?
« on: June 27, 2022, 03:25:34 pm »

I am a full-time creative photographer with a Lightroom+Camera Raw+Photoshop workflow and I need to replace my aging 27" iMac. I currently use a Sony a7R II but will replace it with an a7R IVa (61 mp sensor) or perhaps the forthcoming a7R V. An image from an a7R IVa saved after a handful of fairly simple Photoshop edits exceeded 1 GB in size and I do heavy editing, so I can image my files approaching 2 GB in size. Thus I want to make certain that Photoshop running on my new system can handle files that large (without, for example, waiting 5-10 seconds for a selection to be processed).

I am considering the following gear:
Mac Studio M1 Max (not Ultra) with a 10-core CPU, 24-core GPU, 64 GB memory, 1 TB SSD storage
BenQ SW321C PhotoVue display

My reasoning is that I don't need more than a 10-core CPU since my sense is with Photoshop the incremental improvement from 10- to 20-core CPU and/or 16- to 32-core GPU is not great enough to warrant the additional cost of at least $1,400. The 2 TB SSD drive would be nice, but I can move images to an external drive if I need more than 1 TB of storage space.

I've agonized over the display decision for days, but the BenQ seems to be the best display under $2,000.

I'd be grateful for any comments on these choices. Thanks, Steve
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TechTalk

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Re: Best Gear for Photo Editing?
« Reply #1 on: June 27, 2022, 05:12:55 pm »

Below is a link to a Google Translate English version of the German monitor review site PRAD's test of the BenQ SW321C. It's a thorough review which should give you some insight into its performance and characteristics.

https://www-prad-de.translate.goog/test-benq-sw321c-grafik-monitor-mit-16-bit-3d-lut
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TechTalk

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Re: Best Gear for Photo Editing?
« Reply #2 on: June 27, 2022, 06:51:09 pm »

The alternative 4K display for color critical work, in your price range, would be the smaller 27-inch Eizo ColorEdge CS2740. It's  the same 3840 x 2160 resolution (16:9 aspect ratio) in a smaller screen, so it has a higher pixel density of 164 ppi (pixels per inch) compared to 137 ppi with the BenQ SW321C.

Given the specs and quality for the price, the CS2740 is a standout in value. There is an English translated PRAD review link below.

https://www-prad-de.translate.goog/test-eizo-cs2740-4k-monitor-fuer-kreative

Whatever you decide to buy, I expect that you'll be happy using it. Ultimately, you're the only one that needs to be satisfied with your monitor. Once you've decided, just ignore the online chatter and enjoy!
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sbay

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Re: Best Gear for Photo Editing?
« Reply #3 on: June 28, 2022, 12:53:49 pm »

Mac UI is geared for 110 or 220 ppl screens so you may find ui elements either too big or too small on the Benq (137ppi). See https://bjango.com/articles/macexternaldisplays/

govindvkumar

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Re: Best Gear for Photo Editing?
« Reply #4 on: July 29, 2022, 01:21:50 am »


Mac Studio M1 Max (not Ultra) with a 10-core CPU, 24-core GPU, 64 GB memory, 1 TB SSD storage
BenQ SW321C PhotoVue display

This combination looks pretty good and powerful

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