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Glossy iMAC 27" inch screen

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joyfulwild

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I've recently purchased a 27" iMAC (just switched from PC) and I am having such a hard time adjusting to the glossy, reflective monitor! I did try it out at the Apple store before purchasing, and read every post I could find at dprevew on the subject. I know that this is a deal breaker for some!

For those of you who are new to this issue too - do you get used to it? Besides toning down the brightness and adjusting the position of monitor, any other ideas?

Thanks -
 
Have no problems with glossy iMac 27"... You feel it only if background is totally black...
Like dpreview sides :)
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It still annoys me after 3-1/2 years. But the benefits outweigh the costs.

Steve
 
I've been using my 27" i mac for about 6 months now and have had very little problems with the screen. Like another poster said only on dark backgrounds, like dpreview do I even notice it, and then very little.

I keep the ambient light down in the room where I use it, not dark, just dimmed a bit. I find that my images appear a bit sharper and more vivid. When I look at them on a PC with a Dell 30" monitor they still look good, but lack that extra little bit of aw! that I get from the imac. I also profile my monitor with a Color Munki system and that helps tone down the brightness to a more respectable level and helps with my prints.
 
Hi,

This is such a subjective question, it's always interesting to see the replies.

I've been on a 27" iMac since late 2009, before that, used the Cinema displays (matte). I really like the iMac, but am not a fan of the glossy screen. I'm in a completely light controlled room and fully calibrated, but even with that, I would trade my glossy screened iMac for a matte iMac in a heartbeat... if it were available.

I use a dual monitor setup, having kept my 23" Cinema display and using it as the second monitor. To me, under all lighting conditions, the matte is easier on my eyes. Thus, I'll second the earlier poster: the benefits of the iMac outweigh the drawback of the glossy screen. But it's all so personal with this issue :-)
 
Buy a small, mat screen.
Jules
joyfulwild said:
I've recently purchased a 27" iMAC (just switched from PC) and I am having such a hard time adjusting to the glossy, reflective monitor! I did try it out at the Apple store before purchasing, and read every post I could find at dprevew on the subject. I know that this is a deal breaker for some!

For those of you who are new to this issue too - do you get used to it? Besides toning down the brightness and adjusting the position of monitor, any other ideas?

Thanks -
Click to expand...
--
Julesarnia on twitter
 
I do not have any problems with the glossy screen;
I even tuned the brightness up all the way.
No reflections in my studyroom.
 
I sympathize with your plight and I wish that the people who responded with "the glassy display doesn't bother me" would realize that they are not in the least bit helpful...

You have several options:

1. Apply an anti-glare film to your iMac. A Google search turned up a bunch of hits: http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=iMac+anti+glare+film&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8 .

I use a RadTech anti-glare film on my iPad and it works very well. It makes the iPad easier to use and fingerprints are no longer an issue. The anti-glare film does not adversely affect the display; in fact, I get questions about why my iPad display looks better than others people have seen. After a year of use and cleaning with the excellent RadTech OmniClean it still looks good as new...

2. Purchase a matte display and use it with your iMac.

3. Sell the iMac and get a Mac Mini or Mac Pro.

If I were in your shoes I would try the anti-glare film. It's not expensive and it may just do the trick. Searching for "anti-glare film review" may turn up professional and user reviews that will help you make a decision about which anti-glare film to get.

I am firmly in the anti-glare display camp. (I have used both anti-glare and glassy displays. I am dismayed that Apple chose to eliminate the anti-glare option on iMacs and that the company won't even offer a matte BTO option...) I would like to replace my aging 24" iMac but it won't be with another iMac... I expect that there will be a refresh of the Mac Mini in the not-so-distant future and I will likely go that route with a high-end display that has a matte LCD.

If you do try an anti-glare film I hope that you will post your experience on DPreview after you have used it for awhile. The information would be useful for others having problems with the iMac display or who are considering purchasing an iMac.
 
I was recently in the market for a 27" screen. I spent a long time in the store looking at the Mac 27" glossy screen. I loved the pop of the images but also the reflections just drove me nuts.

I ended up going with a Dell Ultrasharp 27" screen and just love it. It has a coating over it and if I look real close I can see a sort of sparkle on the screen.

At normal viewing distances though it is invisible and the images pop, maybe not as much as the Apple but at least I am not continually distracted by the reflections every time there is a dark background in what I am viewing.
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You're right. I shouldn't have posted my comments; it serves no one (especially not the poster). I realized this when I pushed the button.
Sorry for this.
 
I did not buy an iMac because of the glossy screen, I went for a Mac Pro also because of the upgradability of the system.

Anyhow I would use a photomonitor if I were you. I am using the LaCie 324 with a matte screen and I am calibrating it regularly. If you are serious about printing, you will need a good monitor that shows the photos close to the print out. There is no meaning in having a monitor where the colors "pop" out, if has nothing to do with the final prints ... the monitor is maybe the most important hardware for processing the photos.

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if the non-glossy would have been out there ...
... my wallet would be thinner for a long while already.

but a glare iMac: no way!

therefore: waitin' waitin' waitin' ... [but with a 24" 1920*1200 Eizo non-glare TFT :-) ]

SpaceDoc
.
 
I don't have an Apple computer but I do have a Panasonic plasma TV which also has a reflective screen. I notice that I can 'train' my eyes to just focus on the surface of the screen and concentrate on the image thus reducing the attention paid to any reflections of the room behind me. If you allow your eyes to extend focus 'beyond' the surface of the screen than you see the reflections again and then have to pull focus back to the subject on the screen. I hope this makes some sense!
 
Thats because the iMac monitor show a colorspace in between Argb and Srgb. In fact pro photographers prefer to work with monitors calibrated at Adobe-rgb, gives more of a true color.

I calibrate my iMac-27, using X-rites Colormunki, comes pretty close to Adobe-rgb.
 
I have a current generation 27 inch iMac. The gloss of the screen is not a concern as I never noticed any reflection from my surrounding environment. I also have a matte 20 inch cinema display that I use as a second monitor. What concerns me is having colors that are objectively true (whatever that might mean!) and that is a callibration issue.

Apple has been the darling of many designers since the days of the first Macintosh in 1984 and why they would place their bets on a glossy monitor if that monitor estranges a substantial portion of such a critical audience leads me to suppose that most people don't care. For those so offended, attach a second monitor to your iMac or go high end and buy a Mac Pro with an Eizo monitor.
 
ArneMarco said:
I did not buy an iMac because of the glossy screen, I went for a Mac Pro also because of the upgradability of the system.

Anyhow I would use a photomonitor if I were you. I am using the LaCie 324 with a matte screen and I am calibrating it regularly. If you are serious about printing, you will need a good monitor that shows the photos close to the print out. There is no meaning in having a monitor where the colors "pop" out, if has nothing to do with the final prints ... the monitor is maybe the most important hardware for processing the photos.

--
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http://www.arnemarcophotos.com/
Click to expand...
Arne, what would you recommend for photo viewing, PP etc. I'm using a basic desk top at the moment and I have an uncalibrated work laptop. I've been wanting to upgrade and was considering the 27" iMac but reading this thread has put me off a bit. Is the MacBook Pro good enough for post processing, how about the screen is it glossy or matte? Or should I go the Mac Pro and buy a good quality monitor?

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