Macbook pro screen?

I'm about to buy a Mac (pc user now) I'm enrolled at a photography school (second quarter) and need a better setup than I got now. I can save $500 buying an Ezio monitor with the school discount and a few hundred discount for a Mac.

My question is this; how does the macbook pro monitors compair for color matching, contrast, etc.?

The mac pro w/Ezio monitor is about $5000 with discounts. A Macbook pro with discounts is around $2200 (15 in matt screen) and 4 gb of ram.

I want the best but of course money is an issue, and we are talking about alot of money difference. Even after market memory for the desktop is very expensive.

I guess what I'm looking for is some experence here, maybe a few of you use a desktop setup at work and use a laptop at home. I can always add an Ezio monitor at a later date to a laptop. Don't need the portability per se as I own several PC laptops and a copy of CS3 for PC should I need to travel with one. I know the Mac Pro is more powerful, but will I really need it for photography only (no video plans)?

Any experence would be greatful

I use a 2.2 Ghz MacBook Pro with a 21" Eizo CG21. It works pretty well with 4gb of ram but I still want a Mac Pro. The MacBook Pro can bog down under a heavy load

So how does the two screens compair. I never seen an Ezio in person, just know thier reputation.

So I guess if you are going to photography school the MBP will be easier to take in to school than the Pro & screen - I know you have many PC laptops but once you've made the switch I think that will gather more dust.

But seriously you are not comparing like with like one set-up is more than twice the price - so that would probably be better. You really need to work out what your budget is, how 'serious' you are about photography as you are just starting out and get yourself down to the local Apple store to see how good the MBP screens are. I know that the screen size is smaller and the dynamic colour range is not as wide and contrast is not quite so good as screens that cost the price of a MBP but the MBP screen is, in mine and many others opinions still very good (matt).

You might, as you suggest, also consider the MBP for portability and because it is great in its own right with an external monitor connected to it if you really really do need and can justify the best.

As this is a photography forum I think I should also point out that the difference between the two ($2800) might be better spent on photography equipment (lenses, tripod etc) rather than going overboard on PP equipment.

There are many comments on this and other forums of people making a good living with a MBP - some also with an external screen.

Don't forget to watch the Mac prices as there is an expectation of model refreshes in September/October (if you can wait).

Good luck with the studies, and maybe when the money rolls in in the future from paid work you'll not need to justify the cost of the 'best' kit.

Sure the Mac Pro would be a better setup for your digital photography, but at almost half the price and as a desktop replacement, I would get a 17" MBP for the 1920x1200 resolution. 4Gb ram and an external FW800 hard drive would be sweet. When budget permits, get a 23" apple cinema display and you are all set.

Since you say that portability is not an issue, another possibility would be an Intel-based iMac.

Either a 24" aluminum one ... or a refurbished "white plastic" 24" or 20" (if there are any left). (Those are the models with the S-IPS LCD screens.) You could start with the built-in screen and add an Eizo (?) monitor (as a second monitor) later.

Thanks for that great reply,

I don't need to bring a computer to school because they are all Mac there. I was thinking of homework (and personal work). I can use there computers on my time as well but the school is about 30 miles round trip for me. Of course I use thier printers because they are wide and pigment inks, the mandatory lab fees cover the inks, can't justisfy the need for a printer right now.

I have all the lenses I need/want (exept the 85L 1.2), I can cover 17 thru 400 in 4 L lenses, but it would be nice to have a FF camera. Maybe next year if/when the 5D is upgraded.

This is a career change for me, I am 48 and will be 50 when I graduate. I was downsized due to a Chinese buyout (don't support China by buying there products). I decided to take a 30 year love and run with it. So yes I am very seirous about making a future in photography. Right now since I have decided to take my severance and unimployment and focus on school the rest of the year, money needs to be spent wisely right now.

I haven't gave that any thought... My understanding is that they are all glossy screens. Glossy gives you an over saturated look and that makes the printout look different than expected. Great for web surfing, gaming, etc. but not for photo editing.

I will give apple a call and see if they have any matt refurbs. Thanks for the idea...

Check Apple's refurb store, but I believe the plastic iMacs have been gone for several weeks. We bought one for our daughter at the end of June and my wife liked it so much that we went looking for one for her in July. No luck at Apple, but we did find one at PowerMax in Portland (they also seem to be out now).

And yes, all of the Aluminum iMacs have glossy screens. The good news is that they support a second monitor, so you could buy an Apple Cinema Display or other display, use that as your main monitor, and use the iMac's screen as a secondary. I have a dual 20" ACD setup on my PowerMac and will move to a 23 + a 20" when I upgrade to a Mac Pro in a couple of months. There's a lot to be said for having dual displays.

Abbott

Thanks, yea I found that out also... Guess I'm back to my orginal delima...

Frankly, I think the glossy screen issue, particularly with the 24" iMac is over blown. Unlike laptop screens, and many standalone LCD monitors, the iMac screen is really a Matte screen with a piece of optically clear glass over the front, not bonded onto the screen. It is, therefore, easier to calibrate than the bonded screens.

As to you assertion that you have a PC laptop with CS3, it would seem that when you switch to Mac you would want to do the very inexpensive "cross grade" to CS3 for the Mac (call Adobe Sales and ask for the transfer, costs about $20 for shipping). Plus, it will be a good thing to be using the same thing at home, on the road, and in class. One way to save money is to not buy the 4 gig upgrade as part of the purchase from Apple. They charge way too much. Buy the laptop (or iMac) then add the 4 gigs after the fact buying from someone online like OWC.

I have a personal opinion thought about spending a lot for a monitor with a wider gamut like the Eizo. While they are wonderful to look at, even that monitor can only display a fraction of the available dynamic range your camera collected. And even the best printer can only print a fraction of what the monitor displays. So, IMHO, it just doesn't make sense, yet, to spend a huge amount for a slightly better display.
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Only my opinion. It's worth what you paid for it. Your mileage may vary! ;-}
http://www.dougwigton.com/

Thanks Doug,

I've owned both matt and glossy screens on laptops. My first glossy I thought "WOW, this is nice!" but it really is deceptive in what you see and what you get. For everyday stuff it is nice to look at but not for photoshop work. I can't speak for the imac's though. I wish we had an apple store around here.

I'm with you on mac memory, I can get 4gb of aftermarket for half the price a 2gb upgrade (macbook pro) from apple. On there mac pro, they want $500.00 for a 2gb upgrade!!! Crazy...

Macbook Pro is available with glossy or matt (anti-glare) screen. The anti-glare screen is better for editing, the glossy is better for viewing the final product. If you need to carry a machine around to show clients, it might be better to go for the glossy screen and then get an external display for editing work.

All the Macbooks and iMacs are glossy only, all the Cinema displays are matt only.
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Andy
http://www.photosig.com/go/users/view?id=196258
http://ajtaylor.smugmug.com

If you go for a MacBook Pro ... read this first:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=7755048#7755048

A 1 year life span is not what I expected. My MBP died 2 weeks past guarantee ...

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http://www.hildrup.com
http://www.hildrupphoto.com

Yes, but any equipment can fail and if your business relies on it you'll have the appropriate aftercare policy to get it fixed (tax deductable expense) and/or access to replacement kit e.g. through rental etc.

Alpha Doug said:

Alpha Doug said:

Alpha Doug said:

Frankly, I think the glossy screen issue, particularly with the 24" iMac is over blown. Unlike laptop screens, and many standalone LCD monitors, the iMac screen is really a Matte screen with a piece of optically clear glass over the front, not bonded onto the screen. It is, therefore, easier to calibrate than the bonded screens.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

The iMac LCD panel itself is glossy (I know because I took the front glass out of my iMac 24) ... so you have a glossy panel then on top of that a glossy reflective thick glass ... so the display 'looks' fantastic, but alot of eye fatigue when using it all day at work.

So I don't think is iMac glossy screen is an over-blown issue. I guess some people don't mind looking at themselves in the mirror all day