Imac/Macbook desicions?

[Granty_]

Want peoples opinion/advice without trying to get into too much of a Mac vs PC war.

I have always liked the idea of a Mac and have a little experience of the OS from Hackintosh.

Now at present I have a pretty fast laptop so don't really need to replace it...just more of a want.

I was thinking of getting a Dell 27" screen. The U2711H model but it's crossed my mind to get the 27" iMac.

Now I know the screen isn't as good as the Dell, but does anyone know how much worse it is?

I've also pondered about getting the Dell monitor and a Macbook Pro 13" retina. The advantage of this being the portability, the fact I could perhaps process images on the go (when in hotels etc) reliably and two screens, one being better than the iMac. The downsides are less power, more clutter and a less attractive second screen.

So what are people's opinions? Which routes would you go? Does anyone use their iMac screen to professionally edit their photos?

James

 

[KayJay]

I've been comparing the Dell XPS 27 inch all in one against the imac and in most of the reviews I've read the Dell comes out on top. However it is worth noting that on the 15th October there is a high chance that Apple will unveil an entirely new lineup of machines using the Intel Haswell processors. Might be worth waiting a couple of weeks to see what the fallout of that will be.

 

[arad85]

Does anyone use their iMac screen to professionally edit their photos?

There are many, many people who do that.

If you have a top spec. laptop and are happy with it, just buy a big decent screen for it to be used on a desk whilst at home... Be careful though - check the max resolution able to be output from the laptop connections. The 27" monitors are (generally) 2560x1440.

 

[Chappers]

I've been using an iMac for both photo and video editing and it performs very well. The screen calibrates nicely to give good screen to print match. Video editing is also easy. so if you go for the iMac you'll have no problems. As to using a laptop and a desktop screen, I did this for a year with my MacBook pro and a Gatway monitor. This worked well, but I found it a bit cumbersome using the laptop as it's screen got in the way. So I finally succumbed to an iMac.

If you want to go the Mac route don't forget the Mac Mini. It just a box with a Mac inside. You will need a screen , but you may have that already plus a mouse and keyboard. Possibly a cheaper option for you.

have a look at the apple web site for specs.

However if you are thinking of going down the Mac route I'd wait for the potential new models being announced. They will have updated chips and probably the new 802.11ac gigabit wireless cards. The Air and the new Airport and time capsules already have it so I suspect new models with this facility may be round the corner

 

[LongLensPhotography]

Dell screen (same one) on the desk plugged to mac mini. It is the cheapest and the best way to go. I wouldn't want to suffer glossy imac screen, but if you need to take it out, maybe MBP is worth considering

 

[JKrause]

I've also pondered about getting the Dell monitor and a Macbook Pro 13" retina.

That's what I do, but have the 15" retina.
Depends if you want to take the macbook out with you a lot of the time. Mine goes nearly everywhere with me. Sometimes I shoot right to the computer on locations which is handy. I don't do it all the time but it's good to be able to do it. Also if you go around showing clients the work you've done it's also good for that. I edit on my macbook retina and my iMac but check finals my non-glossy screen.

Some good prices on 2nd hand macbooks and iMacs at the moment so don't knock that idea either.