Apple Studio Display - Owners Thread

[Arctic Moose]

Panel tech is expensive and hard and I would want them to put all effort into that.

Implementing stage manager with all the cropping and noise reduction nonsense has been a significant effort compared to just connecting a decent camera and calling it a day. (This is evident by how long it took to get a patch out to make it useable at all.)

And I do not doubt the iPhone being better, but if you take a portrait with the front facing camera and compare it to a photo booth portrait on the studio display, how big is the difference?

The iPhone 12 mini is the newest phone I have to test with, and it is significantly better. Night and day.

It zooms in on my and I don't look so far away from the camera in conference calls.

You can have zooming and cropping without the silly-wide lens.

Besides, with a reasonable lens you would likely look just fine without zoom, that’s sort of my point.

 

[KurtMann]

Implementing stage manager with all the cropping and noise reduction nonsense has been a significant effort compared to just connecting a decent camera and calling it a day. (This is evident by how long it took to get a patch out to make it useable at all.)



The iPhone 12 mini is the newest phone I have to test with, and it is significantly better. Night and day.



You can have zooming and cropping without the silly-wide lens.

Besides, with a reasonable lens you would likely look just fine without zoom, that’s sort of my point.

I was taking panel tech, not camera tech.

Yes the software is probably very advanced, but that also rings true for mobile photography in general. I am not convinced that the camera in the screen is so bad, I think the screen reveal the limits of this technology. Software can only do so much.

My screen is also 27inch, but only 2500xsomething, and I’m not impressed by the phones camera on my display. 5k must be pushing it way too much.

I mean, what’s the size of the sensor?

 

[Arctic Moose]

I was taking panel tech, not camera tech.

You wrote "Panel tech is expensive and hard and I would want them to put all effort into that." Did you not mean that you prefer Apple put their R&D time and resource budget into the display technology instead of the camera technology?

Yes the software is probably very advanced, but that also rings true for mobile photography in general. I am not convinced that the camera in the screen is so bad, I think the screen reveal the limits of this technology.

Obviously not true since both mobile phones and cheap external webcams produce much better results on the same display.

Software can only do so much.

Exactly, which is why Apple should have used a more suitable camera.

I mean, what’s the size of the sensor?

That is sort of half the point. The thickness of the monitor, the volume inside the monitor and the wide bezels would absolutely have been able to accommodate a better camera with a larger sensor.

The other half, as already stated, is that the fisheye lens requires significant zooming, cropping and software magic to look somewhat normal. This is probably the most significant contributor to the horrendous results.

 

[KurtMann]

You wrote "Panel tech is expensive and hard and I would want them to put all effort into that." Did you not mean that you prefer Apple put their R&D time and resource budget into the display technology instead of the camera technology?



Obviously not true since both mobile phones and cheap external webcams produce much better results on the same display.



Exactly, which is why Apple should have used a more suitable camera.



That is sort of half the point. The thickness of the monitor, the volume inside the monitor and the wide bezels would absolutely have been able to accommodate a better camera with a larger sensor.

The other half, as already stated, is that the fisheye lens requires significant zooming, cropping and software magic to look somewhat normal. This is probably the most significant contributor to the horrendous results.

That’s exactly what I meant. Most/many great monitors in this price range don’t even have a camera. A camera is a plus. It seems to be underwhelming, so it’s sad if it’s almost a gimmick.

I will have to take your word for it. I only have my phone and my monitor. Some images online look surprisingly bad though.

A larger sensor is better but it brings different challenges with the lens. But I would love if they designed it like Hal from 2001. That is an instant buy. They could make Siri sound like him.

 

[MisterSavage]

You can have zooming and cropping without the silly-wide lens.

Besides, with a reasonable lens you would likely look just fine without zoom, that’s sort of my point.

I still like it better than how the camera framed me on my iMac.

 

[Arctic Moose]

That’s exactly what I meant. Most/many great monitors in this price range don’t even have a camera. A camera is a plus. It seems to be underwhelming, so it’s sad if it’s almost a gimmick.

Yeah, if it is not going to get any better with future updates, which I doubt it can, I would have preferred not having a camera at all.

I would have felt less silly about doing this:

 

[xraydoc]

Yeah, if it is not going to get any better with future updates, which I doubt it can, I would have preferred not having a camera at all.

I would have felt less silly about doing this:

I'm not sure about the little Logitech webcam, but there's no built-in camera that would be superior to your Canon SLR...

 

[Arctic Moose]

I'm not sure about the little Logitech webcam, but there's no built-in camera that would be superior to your Canon SLR...

I would have been happy enough if Apple just managed to match the $60 Logitech C920S. I wouldn't have bothered dealing with the 5D if that had been the case.

I would have been overjoyed if Apple managed to do something better than that, even if it did not get close to the 5D.

 

[xraydoc]

I would have been happy enough if Apple just managed to match the $60 Logitech C920S. I wouldn't have bothered dealing with the 5D if that had been the case.

I would have been overjoyed if Apple managed to do something better than that, even if it did not get close to the 5D.

I find the built-in FaceTime camera to be 'good enough' though I'm in a well-lit room and really only use it for Zoom/WebEx/FaceTime.

 

[Martyimac]

The reviews for my ASD camera during Zoom meetings has been overwhelmingly positive. Considering that is the only use I have for the camera, I am happy with it. Also pleased with the sound. Amazing what  has been able to do with those small speakers.

 

[southerndoc]

The reviews for my ASD camera during Zoom meetings has been overwhelmingly positive. Considering that is the only use I have for the camera, I am happy with it. Also pleased with the sound. Amazing what  has been able to do with those small speakers.

I wish there were options to zoom in (much like the options Logitech makes available for their Brio webcams with their Logitune software).

 

[MacRail]

@southerndoc - I agree. That's why I'll probably hang onto my Brio camera for a bit, until I'm convinced the ASD camera is a suitable substitute. And yes, it will really bug me if I spend that kind of money, and still need to use an external camera.

 

[mehdijobs]

Got my first Studio display last weekend - it's fantastic and I love it. My LG ultra fine is retired. Waiting for a second display to be available here in London. Checking stores stocks every day.
One small issue with the display I got - it wasn't completely new... I did notice that the box looked like it was already open, but also, there is a small scratch on the side the display... I guess it's too early for apple to list this as refurbished so they just sell it as if it's brand new?? Any of you experienced this before?

Will share my setup as soon as I get my second display !

 

[MacRail]

Got my first Studio display last weekend ... I did notice that the box looked like it was already open, but also, there is a small scratch on the side the display...

Did you purchase it at the Apple Store, or via mail? If from the store, I'd take it back if it bothers you. Even if in mail, you can take it back. Just depends on if you can live with it or not.

 

[mehdijobs]

Did you purchase it at the Apple Store, or via mail? If from the store, I'd take it back if it bothers you. Even if in mail, you can take it back. Just depends on if you can live with it or not.

I purchased it at the Apple Store. It bothers me given the cost of the display - but the box is so huge that I really can't picture myself going all the way back with it to return it..

 

[xraydoc]

I purchased it at the Apple Store. It bothers me given the cost of the display - but the box is so huge that I really can't picture myself going all the way back with it to return it..

Was all the paper/cardboard still wrapped around the stand/power cable and the display itself? While the box potentially was opened (though you probably would have noticed it opening as you carried it), it doesn’t look like there’s a good way to re-wrap/attach the cardboard on the back of the display.

The scratch could have been a manufacturing blemish.

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

We are definitely not asking too much.

The iPhone camera, housed in a much smaller and cheaper device, is so much better.

You can get a $100 USB webcam, that isn’t any thicker than the display, that is also much better.

The main problem is that Apple chose to use a fisheye lens to support the dumb center stage feature that nobody uses on a Studio Display.

I would argue that the relatively thick display and wide bezel is a missed opportunity for Apple to use industry-leading sensors and lenses, on top of using a suitable lens for a single person sitting still in front of the display.

Right on point. For the price I would have expected Apple to include both a wide and standard lens, so that you’re getting the better quality regardless of the focal length. That would have been a great feature to tout as well.

 

[generationfourth]

I took some time today to do some cable management and I got rid of my cal digit TS3+ by running my ethernet cable to the ASD. And rerouting a some USB-A. I had a USB-C dongle that I was going to double sided tape to the back of the display but found I could stick it to the VESA arm instead. I'm using less power now, way less wires, and the office isn't as hot (that TS3 generated some heat!)

Overall super happy with the display and definitely not sending it back. Speakers sound great and display is stunning!

 

[xraydoc]

I took some time today to do some cable management and I got rid of my cal digit TS3+ by running my ethernet cable to the ASD. And rerouting a some USB-A. I had a USB-C dongle that I was going to double sided tape to the back of the display but found I could stick it to the VESA arm instead. I'm using less power now, way less wires, and the office isn't as hot (that TS3 generated some heat!)

Overall super happy with the display and definitely not sending it back. Speakers sound great and display is stunning!

I can't decide if I want to do something similar and eliminate my Thunderbolt dock as well. I've got an OWC TB4 dock -- doesn't generate much heat but there's no point in excess hardware if it's not necessary. However, I'm running two ASDs and I'm enjoying the single cable solution when connecting to my MBP. If I eliminate the dock, I'd need to plug two cables into the MBP (one for each ASD). However, the video signals wouldn't require DSC compression to fit two 5K streams over one TB4 channel. While I've not (yet) noticed any artifacts, other people's advice is to avoid two 5K displays over a single connection if I can for best performance of all devices connected.

 

[Eric_WVGG]

You can have zooming and cropping without the silly-wide lens.

Besides, with a reasonable lens you would likely look just fine without zoom, that’s sort of my point.

If by "zooming and cropping" you mean that feature where the camera follows you around while wander around (literally cropping out of a wider picture and then zooming the resulting image), no, that explicitly requires a ulra-wide-angle lens.

Regardless, I agree that it's a foolish feature. Just imagine Apple running some kind of survey asking "would you like magic gimmicks, or the best camera we can put in this screen" and 95% of respondents not saying "best camera". Yeesh.

 

[zach-coleman]

The center stage camera feels like it makes the most sense here out of any device. The hardware clearly isn't up to it but I don't think the idea is flawed to the core. These screens are quite large and can be in many fixed configurations (heights, tilts, rotations) so it makes sense for it to crop in, instead of having a fixed perspective that you might be near the edge of. I don't really get it on iPad because you hold the iPad at a pretty fixed length and perspective from your face.

 

[BSoares]

The center stage camera feels like it makes the most sense here out of any device. The hardware clearly isn't up to it but I don't think the idea is flawed to the core. These screens are quite large and can be in many fixed configurations (heights, tilts, rotations) so it makes sense for it to crop in, instead of having a fixed perspective that you might be near the edge of. I don't really get it on iPad because you hold the iPad at a pretty fixed length and perspective from your face.

Exactly. On my iMac I had to tilt the screen up every time otherwise my head was at the very top of the screen and the camera showed a lot of useless stuff instead of my face. This one does at a great job at keeping me centered and filling the screen, without having to re-adjust the monitor at all.

 

[CubeApril]

I kind of appreciate the thick bezel we have to accommodate the webcam, as it allows me to use a Marshall 1/4" camera mount without blocking any of the screen. While I definitely didn't expect Apple to match the (insanely good) ZV-1 that I use as my primary webcam, it's shocking how much worse it looks than the video produced by my iPhone. No excuse for it to be so bad on a $1600+ monitor. I wonder if they were planning on most people using their iPhone as their webcam, with the new macOS update?

Anyways, I wish Apple talked about how nice the instant on and off is. When I move the mouse, it turns on INSTANTLY, whereas my LG and Dell displays take multiple seconds to turn on. And when I put the display the sleep, it turns off instantly instead of grousing about not having a display connection. It's a super minor but surprisingly nice quality of life improvement.

 

[MisterSavage]

If you're one of the people like me that keeps getting stuck in restore mode when you attempt to upgrade it looks like a hardware replacement might be needed. Here's a discussion from another thread:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apple-releases-studio-display-firmware-update-to-fix-speaker-issue.2353662/post-31362486

 

[Arctic Moose]

If by "zooming and cropping" you mean that feature where the camera follows you around while wander around

No, I was not referring Center Stage.

I was responding to the user who liked the ASD framing better then the framing of some other webcam.

I meant exactly what I wrote, you do not need the fish-eye lens (or Center Stage) for software zoom and crop to be able to make it look like you are closer to the camera.