Official Retina 5k iMac Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Sam Posten]

I'm color blind (red/green and blue/brown deficiencies) John so I don't put any stock in color accuracy other than a simple Spyder calibration. I believe mixing wide and normal gamut could be a problem tho I have no specific details.

 

[JohnRice]

Sorry for the confusion. There are two basic color spaces with digital images. RGB and sRGB. Basically, everything online is sRGB, which has a smaller color range. When working with full RGB images for high quality prints, you really need an RGB monitor to assure the print comes out like the screen image. I use a quad core Mac Mini, not an iMac, with two monitors. One is wide gamut (RGB) and the other is sRGB. I use them both for browsing and general use, which works fine, but when I am working with images, if the final use is for print, I use the RGB monitor. If the final use is for web, I use the sRGB monitor.


Most monitors, including the Retina iMac, are sRGB.


Here's an article that explains it.

 

[JohnRice]

No matter how many times I'm tempted by the iMac, the simple fact is, I'm not an iMac customer, and I never have been. Every objection I have to it is solved with even a base model Mac Pro, which is about the same price as the iMac that suits my needs. For one thing, I use a LOT of external peripherals, from multiple optical drives to two monitors, to multiple RAID enclosures, and 6(!!!) Thunderbolt 2 ports is a dream come true. Besides,I simply don't want my monitors and computer to be the same unit. I need to be able to select monitors that do what I need them to do. The one thing which absolutely kills the iMac for me is the soldered RAM in all but the most expensive models and lack of i7 processor in all but the most expensive models. I do a lot of video processing, and the i7 almost doubles the speed.

The Quad Core Mac Mini was an incredible value for me, and a great alternative, but Apple has dumbed the Mini down too far to consider for my main computer, and the Quad Core i7 version was probably a one time offering.


Between home, work, and keeping the folks equipped, I manage six computers, and the Mini is fine for five of them. I think next time on my personal one though, it will be a Mac Pro.

 

[DavidJ]

Tom's Hardware tested the Retina iMac and it interestingly covers 102% of the NTSC gamut which is quite good and equal to the LaCie 324i. Unfortunately it does not look like they tested Adobe RGB. For reference the LaCie covers 98% of Adobe RGB.

 

[JohnRice]

That's very good NTSC performance. I'm guessing Apple did that to aim the iMac for video production. Unfortunately, you can't correlate that to Adobe RGB, even though it seems like you should be able to. The Retina is probably about 80-82% Adobe RGB, but I can't find any results other than NTSC and sRGB.

 

[JohnRice]

OK, Here's something about the iMac Retina and Adobe RGB. According to the article, the Spyder is not suitable to calibrate for video production, though it is standard for still photography. Their test shows it as 79% Adobe RGB, which is a little better than standard monitors, but not up par for print work.

 

[DavidJ]

I used a LaCie 324 when I was doing more photography and some video at home. It made a difference. And I have a Flanders Scientific for critical color correction of digital video, but I know of companies that just roll with the iMacs. That a bit surprising about the Spyder. I believe cinematographer Shane Hurlbut recommends and uses a Spyder system in his workflow.

And 79% wouldn't cut it.

 

[JohnRice]

I have no idea about the Spyder and video. The reference in that article may have been full of it. I found another test of the iMac Retina that was 76% Adobe RGB, so that seems to be a reliable number.

 

[DavidJ]

I have no idea about the Spyder and video. The reference in that article may have been full of it. I found another test of the iMac Retina that was 76% Adobe RGB, so that seems to be a reliable number.

And that's a poor number for what you need.

 

[Thomas Newton]

The one thing which absolutely kills the iMac for me is the soldered RAM in all but the most expensive models and lack of i7 processor in all but the most expensive models. I do a lot of video processing, and the i7 almost doubles the speed.

The only iMac that has soldered RAM is the dual-core 21.5-inch model. All other iMacs have socketed RAM, although you must go up to the 27-inch iMacs if you want four sockets (maximum of 32 GB of RAM), or the ability to get to them without tearing the iMac apart.

 

[JohnRice]

According to Apple, in the configuration for the 21.5" 2.7 GHz Quad Core, at the top, in the link where it says "How Much Memory is Right For You", it says the following...


Important note: Every 21.5-inch iMac comes with 8GB of memory built into the computer. If you think you may need 16GB of memory in the future, it is important to upgrade at the time of purchase, because memory cannot be upgraded later in this model.


To me, that indicates soldered RAM, not just having to tear it apart. If that's not the case, I don't know why Apple would say it's impossible rather than difficult.


To get socketed RAM, you have to go to a 27"

 

[Thomas Newton]

According to Apple, in the configuration for the 21.5" 2.7 GHz Quad Core, at the top, in the link where it says "How Much Memory is Right For You", it says the following...


Important note: Every 21.5-inch iMac comes with 8GB of memory built into the computer. If you think you may need 16GB of memory in the future, it is important to upgrade at the time of purchase, because memory cannot be upgraded later in this model.


To me, that indicates soldered RAM, not just having to tear it apart. If that's not the case, I don't know why Apple would say it's impossible rather than difficult.


To get socketed RAM, you have to go to a 27"

Apple's Technical Specifications table has separate columns for the $1099 (dual-core), $1299 (quad-core), and $1499 (quad-core) 21.5-inch iMacs.


http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/imac (then scroll down to the specs table and expand it)


The entry for the dual-core 21.5-inch iMac says "8 GB of 1600 MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory" – "onboard" being a "nice" word for "soldered". Entries for the quad-core 21.5-inch iMacs say "8 GB (two 4 GB) 1600 MHz DDR3 memory (two SO-DIMM slots, not user accessible). Configurable to 16 GB."

 

[JohnRice]

Regardless of which it is, it makes virtually no difference to me. Soldered RAM or socketed RAM that you can't get to, is functionally the same thing. I'm not buying any computer where I have to pay Apple RAM prices and/or have a technician install or replace it.


Apple has stepped back 10 years with these changes to the Mini and iMac.

 

[Johnny Angell]

Been doing a little research and have found the following items I'm interested in. Some are recommended in this thread.
External Backup Drive
http://smile.amazon.com/Seagate-Backup-Desktop-External-STDT4000100/dp/B00HFRWXQ0/ref=cm_rdp_product

External Blu Ray
http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00ACOQF...TF8&colid=3399ER5R6AD9I&coliid=I2EVUB2N49ED6G

External USB Powered Hub
http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B005NGQW...lid=3399ER5R6AD9I&coliid=I2QJR79MLU1RZH&psc=1

Media Card Reader
-Haven't Picked one yet

32gb Memory
The memory Ron recommended from HP, was it? Link is elsewhere in this thread.
Here's the link.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/889298-REG/crucial_ct2k8g3s160bm_16gb_2x8_204p_sodimm.html

I welcome any comments on these choices and suggestions for items I may need.

This week I tried to use my external blu-ray for the first time in ages and it doesn't work. It doesn't seem to be attached to the iMac correctly. In Finder it shows up as a Remote Disc and is not identified by it's model number or however it was, but it wasn't Remote Disc. Additionally any disc shows no content in Finder.

I have rebooted, changed usb ports that it's plugged into. turned the drive on and off, tried different discs and nothing fixes it. In the next day or two I will move it over to my wife's iMac to see if it works there. If it doesn't I don't think it proves the the drive is bad. I'm thinking that Apple has made updates to the OS that makes it incompatible. Not far-fetched since they don't support blu-ray at all. I can't remember if I ever put a blu-ray into the drive. If I have to replace it, I won't even get a blu-ray.

You'd think a DVD in the drive would still work. Has this happened to anyone on the forum?