21.5" vs. 27" iMac for Photo Editing

.Ian.

.Ian.

Active member
Hi guys, if anyone out there has a little advice for me on buying an iMac, I would greatly appreciate it if you could just take a little time and help me out.

I'll kind of explain my situation here so you guys can get a little background on my budget and such.

I'm a 17 year old Homeschool student. I'm going to be using this iMac mainly for photo editing and just taking some notes for school, with some occasional video editing every once and awhile. I'll also be making some music on it every once and awhile and connecting a MIDI keyboard to it.

I'm going to be paying for this computer by myself. I mean, I don't really need to specify that I'll be paying for all of this. For some reason though other kids now and days seem to get whatever the hell they want from their parents, so I wanted to make sure you guys understand that I'm going to be working hard to pay for this myself, just like everything else that I own, just so that people don't assume I'm some spoiled kid.

Now, I have a job that pays alright, considering I don't have too many expenses to pay for, also considering I'm 17. I work a couple days a week and am currently saving up to afford this computer. I had a few hundred saved, except today I just had to use that to pay my income taxes for the year... woohoo.

I currently have an HP DV7 laptop that I'm going to be selling to afford this iMac. It has a 17" screen which is big, for a laptop. Except when editing photos on it, even though I've calibrated it as best as I could, there is a big difference between prints and what I've been editing. Also even though the screen is large for a laptop, editing a few hundred RAW files on it, and trying to keep an organized workflow gets a little tricky/annoying.

So those are my reasons for upgrading from my laptop.

I've read a few different people's opinions on which iMac is best for photo editing. Some people say go with the 21.5" and buy an external monitor right away. Others say go with the 27" and buy an external monitor if you need it. I just don't know which one would be right for me. So that's why I'm hoping someone who has experience can give me some recommendations on which iMac to purchase. Especially since my budget is basically the cheapest option I can get that will be the best for what I'm doing.

Also, I just want to add, please don't turn this into a Mac vs. PC debate. I've made up my mind on purchasing an apple computer and even though it's more expensive, I'm going to wait and save up more for one. Maybe I'm just ignorant, but it's my choice to wait and save up.

So hopefully I can save up enough for whichever option I choose soon. I'm selling my DV7, drumset, possibly xbox, and anything else I can sell to afford this. I've even considered giving up dirtbiking to afford this computer. If you're interested in anything, let me know. Haha.

Thanks so much for any help guys. I'm sorry for the long read too. I tend to go off on little sidetracked stories when I make threads. Sorry about that.

I searchbarred too and didn't see anything on this type of situation.

Thanks again.
 
I have a 27 inch, I love it. It's incredible to have this much room for photo editing, and unless you're getting intense with Photoshop, you won't need an extra monitor.

I had it calibrated, and everything I've has printed has come out exactly as I'm seeing it on screen. Obviously there's a little bit of a translation you have to get used to between a backlit screen and a printed piece of paper, but color values are spot on and I couldn't be happier.

It's also zippy as fuck. I chew through 3 gig design files like it's nothing.

I would totally suggest 27, it's absolutely wonderful to work on.
 
been editing on a 21 for a while now, 0 complaints

honestly it comes down to price, can you afford the 27? if so then go for it, if not then the 21 is still a kick ass machine to work on
 
Thanks so much for the help guys.

I don't think I would ever feel the need to purchase an external monitor to go along with the 27". Oh and I do understand it's going to look a little different on a backlit screen vs. a print too, and if I'm going to get EXTREMELY picky with colors wouldn't a matte screen be more "true" to colors. I'm not going to be that picky though so I'm glad to hear that a calibrated 27" runs and displays perfect for photos, Thanks Twoods.

To Balto, It's really just about how long I want to wait and go without a computer for while I save up haha. I'm basically just trying to justify whether the 27" is worth the wait of saving up or whether the 21.5" will be fine and I can save some saving up time by purchasing that. They both seem to be sounding like either one will be good right now. Thanks again.
 
I bought myself a 24 inch a while back. Best decision ever, sold my MacBook and saved some money and went to. Big iMac screens are superior, they are just amazing. I never have any problem editing (more video than photo,) but room isn't a problem, and of the few pictures I've printed colors have been pretty right on. Also, the compliments never stop when people are over ;) hahaha
 
i can't live without two monitors personally (firstworldproblems). you'll be able to have your photo open on one of your screens and be doing whatever you want on the other. makes multi-tasking a dream.

oh and my screens are 21.5" i think, no problems at all.
 
Yeah, I can't handle working on one screen, with video dual is clutch.

I had the 27" imac before and its epic. I had a 24" get fucked up and they just gave be a brand new 27" and theyre huge. The 21.5" is still pretty big too. Do you have a store that carries apple near by that you could look at both? The 27" was almost overwhelmingly big and i just transition to a 17" laptop (both with 24" external monitor) and Im pretty used to it now but i definitely miss my 27", but it was impractical for me to have a laptop and desktop when i traveled a bit and what i need was just one bad ass laptop.
 
Thanks for all the help guys. I actually do have an apple store close by, and I checked out both the computers awhile ago. I should check them out again, or soon when I get closer to having enough money to purchase one. I mean, they're going to feel different working on one in my house vs. the apple store, but, I still think now that I'm actually going to be buying one I should go check them out again. I'll open up iphoto and imovie (or whatever programs they have installed) and test out how it looks to run either one on both. I'm going to be running lightroom on it, but I'll try iphoto/aperture to see how it is while I'm at the store.

I was actually looking on amazon and there's some Asus 24" monitor that seemed to get some good reviews for photo editing for about $250, which seems pretty cheap to me. Maybe I'll go with the 21.5" and put the extra money towards a monitor and any software I need and apple care and such.

I think I'll just keep saving up, and depending how long it takes me to save, I'll decide whether I'll wait and go with the 27" or if the 21.5" is going to be good. If I can save up for the 27" quickly, I don't see any reason not to wait and get it. Honestly they both sound great right now, I just wanted to get an idea of you're guyses opinions on them so I can at least think about it for awhile.

Thanks again for all the help! You guys are the best!

 
If you plan on photo editing on an external moniter, buy a monitor that will for sure perform better and longer than your main screen. There's no point in buying a second screen if it's not going to look as good / be as accurate for as long as your mac screen.
 
Oh ok, right that makes sense. I don't know why I didn't think of that first. You don't have any recommendations on any external monitors, do you? I know you sad you only use your 27" right? Just wondering if you've ever used any that you really liked or anything.

If anyone else has external monitor suggestions feel free to post up some different ones.

I'm going to go look around some more for some good monitors. I mean obviously NEC's are supposed to be pretty good right? They seem pretty expensive for the higher end ones though.

Maybe I will be better off just going with the 27".

Thanks.
 
I used a 28" LCD for a while connected to my labtop and it honestly was a bit too big.

It was definitely baller as fuck tho. felt like a G changin colors n' shit haha
 
Meh, you could do all your actually work on the mac screen and put stuff that doesn't need to look right on your external. Thats how I roll, my views on the left and preview on the right so when i color correct im using the mac screen.
 
I got a 27" fully loaded. Let me tell ya, the porn is phenomenal. It's like I'm right there with her.
 
Alright I'm definitely leaning towards saving up a little longer than I expected, but getting the 27". It seems like it will be worth it in the long run.

I'll keep saving and if something convinces me to go 21.5 with another monitor, I'll go that route.

For right now though I think I'm going to set my goal at the 27".

How do you guys think the "base" model 27" will perform for mostly just photo editing stuff. I may decide to upgrade to 8gb or RAM but I don't think it will even be necessary right away. What are your guys thoughts on that?

Thanks for all the help again guys.

Also, if anyone wants to take a look at my sale thread to afford me this computer here's the link:

https://www.newschoolers.com/ns/forums/readthread/thread_id/681145/

Haha thanks.
 
I don't think you need 8. I run 8 and it's really fast, but I do design work with huge file sizes... just for photos (unless you've got a medium format digital or a d800 in your future) you won't need it.
 
Alright I'll just save my money and stick with the stock 4gb then. I figured my 15-20ish MB RAW files would run fine on basically anything. That's good though, because now I'll have extra money to buy lightroom too, haha. I was thinking about upgrading my body (D7000) to a D400 next year, but since that's still a crop sensor the files shouldn't be too much larger, and I'll be all set anyways.

I don't do too much video either, so it's not like I'm going to be exporting anything large also.

Getting a little sidetracked here, but do you have a personal website that I can go check out your photos at? Just wondering, because I saw someone post a shot of yours in the "skiing photos that get to you" thread and I've wanted to look at more shots of yours.

Thanks again Twoods. Just letting you know I already have you at 10/10 for all the times you've helped me in the past too, if there was a way to give you more karma I would haha.

 
I work with another photographer, Ben Kuhns, as I'm mostly a graphic artist. You can see some of my shots and some of his shots as well as design work at www.lunarsolarcreative.com

my flickr is also up - but I haven't re-upped my pro account so only the last 200 some of my photos i've uploaded are up there. I also haven't uploaded my submissions to mags from last year on there yet, I guess I should do that soon? haha. I'll do that later today.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11084378@N05/
 
Alright awesome! I'll definitely check out the ones you upload later too. I'm checking your design work and stuff out right now, Thanks!
 
Alright guys, I'm gonna bump this only because I have a few more questions now.

I've worked the past week or so since I made this thread and sold a ton of stuff and have about $1200 saved up for my 27" iMac.

I plan on working a few more weeks to save up to $1599 (because I get the $100 off for being a student).

I was just looking on their site though and the refurbished 27" iMacs are only $1400 for the same computer.

It says they also have the same warranty as their new products. I've never bought anything refurbished from apple before and I just wondered if anyone's had any experience with it or not.

I plan on buying Lightroom 4 too, so I'm thinking maybe if I bought a refurbished mac, I could put the extra money towards that.

If people tell me it's worth it to just wait a few weeks longer and save for the new mac though I'll definitely do that. Thanks again guys.
 
wait for the new one, then either buy the model that is out now for cheap or get the new one. win-win situation if you can wait, it shouldn't be long.
 
Yeah I was also thinking the same thing, because people were saying that they really aren't going to change to much with the new one. So I'll wait a little longer. Problem is, I'm not going to have a computer for awhile. I'll be able to use my brothers if I need it, it'll just be annoying. haha. I'll see how it goes.
 
So I ended up getting a new 27" iMac last week. The first one I got had the yellow tint problem and a seagate HD with some messed up head or something that was wicked noisy. So I brought it back and they gave me a new one. The one I have now has 2 stuck pixels. I mean 2 really isn't a big deal, but will it get worse overtime or anything? Does anyone else have any stuck pixels, and should I return this one? Thanks.
 
where are they located on the screen? if they are in the corners or something no big deal, but in the middle or somewhere noticeable i'd bring it back. If you have Applecare (which it sounds like you do), use it!
 
One is in the top left hand corner and then one is in the middle/bottom. Yeah, I'm debating bringing it back or not haha. I just wondered if it will get worse, like if more will die as time goes on or something. If not then I don't really care because they're really not that distracting or anything. Plus I know it is tough to find/get a perfect screen. I know a few little things could be wrong with it. I don't know i'll think about it. Haha thanks.
 
Haha as a matter a fact... my friend just gave me a 21.5" LG LCD TV 1080p. I'm looking up what I'll need for the cables to run it as a dual monitor right now. It's not going to be the best for photo editing, but hopefully it will speed up my workflow. I can post pics if anyone wants me too? haha
 
don't use a tv as a second monitor. Totally pointless, the pixels in them are larger, making them look blurry and not as high res as your mac.
 
Yeah I figured the resolution would be pretty bad on it. I was planning on connecting it with a minidisplay to hdmi adapter just to use for now until I can save up for an actual monitor. Maybe you're right though, why waste the money, I don't know. The fact my friend gave it to me, and the fact that I don't have another monitor, made me think I could just use it for a little. though.
 
If as you say; you got your iMac ; and it has a proble; you should make sure it works perfect or return it; for a replacement or have the persons you bought ii from fix it. You are not really so rich that you can risk you money on something the is not working good for you; or can you afford to throw your money away?

Back in November of 2013 I found an iMac 27" computer in a dumpster in my ally behind my house; I was collecting aluminum cans ; I opened the container and I saw no cans; but I did see ; what I thought

was a was a TV or monitor; the cord had been cut off. I has a hell of a time getting it out;Iam 5 foot 3 inches about 125 pounds and at that time I was 73 years young. hahaha. it was so heavy that I went back to my house , got my car and came back for it; got it home; spliced another power corc on it ; turned it on and; wala' it came up beautifully. thats 3000 dollars worth of Apple; that I would never have been able to buy myself;"the trash-fairy" has been very very good to me over the years. "Smile, ya' know how I love to see you Smile!!" And the box it came in was also there too; can you believe my good fortune? But I do have a problem with it; it comes on like a dream it's loaded; but I couldn't

even update some of the apps, because I did not know the original owners password so I checked in to my problem and in order for me to fix it I had to re-install the operating system. I got a free up-

grade to Maverick 10.9.4 OSX. Processor 2.93 ghz intel core 17 Memory 16 GB 1333 mhz DDR3

iMAC 27"Mid 2010, ATI RADEON HD 5750 1024MB internet connect speed 4.8 GT/s it has cd-dvd re-writ-able disc. burning, built in camera, built in speakers wi-fi,wwan.

My friend wanted to buy it from me the minite nshe saw it; said she would give me $1000.00 cash

But I wanted to keep it; I had never had a brand new ,computer before. Anyway; back to my problem it turns itself off right in the middle of my movies or what ever project I'm enjoying. some times it's 30min. sometimes it's 6 hours or more. But even if I had to pay a couple of bills to get it working perfectly; I'd still be coming out ahead. RIGHT?

sO IF ANYONE OUT THERE KNOWS ANYTHING ABOUT MY PROBLEM, CAN YOU OR MAYBE A FRIEND CAN HELP ME.

THANKS TO YOU ALL. dEANNA
 
Currently working on a Mac Mini 2.5 Ghz Intel Core i5 with 16gb of Crucial brand ram on a Dell U2913WM 21:9 aspect ration monitor, and its incredible. The monitor is so crisp, more so than the current external Lightning apple display but not as good as a Retina display. The computer devours .ai and .ps file sizes of 2gb and bigger in both applications with no problem, while also running itunes and other apps. Plus, I got it all for much less than a complete apple package. #stoked
 
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