Anybody using an iMac 5K for editing and printing?

I want to upgrade my old MacPro and the best computer option for me is a specked out 27 inch iMac 5K. The problem is I really don’t need or want a new monitor since I have a great monitor now. I don’t have room at my workspace for both monitors, so I would have to use the 5K for editing and printing. I have read mixed reviews of it for use in photography; some love it, some don’t. I would love opinions of current users. I’m especially interested in how well it calibrates (with the proper equipment of course) and how it would behave with the brightness turned way down. I have the brightness of my current monitor turned down to 80 cd/m2 because that is what produces prints with the best match to my monitor. I know this monitor is very bright and worry about how it would perform turned way down.

Tony, will the 5K iMac show brightness measurements as you change the brightness? How do you know when it’s at 80 cd/m2?

That’s the system I’m using, and honestly, I have zero need for calibration. I work with the brightness turned down just under halfway, and print on my Epson P7000 with Hahnemuhle paper using canned profiles. The prints turn out exactly as I expect with no surprises. I’ve been incredibly happy with the setup.

I have been using my 27" iMac 5K for several years. I calibrate with a Colormunki Display using i1Studio. Zero issues with consistency between monitor and print. My luminance is calibrated at 100 cd/m2.

Igor, I don’t have the iMac yet. My understanding is it has a slider to change the brightness. But if you use the proper calibrating hardware and software you just enter the value (cd/m2) and it takes over the monitor settings.