In the fall I will have more time on my hands, and I am planning to take more trips abroad for my photography. My question is what advise could anyone give me regarding a laptop for downloading and backing up (to external HD) my raw photo's and some basic Lightroom and Photoshop work. I am a Mac user, so I am looking at the 13" or 15" models.
13" laptop or 15" laptop for on the road photography
(34 posts) (18 voices)-
I would go for the 13" MBA with upgraded ram and processor - if You will wait 2-3 months there should be new MBA with thunderbolt.
As for the work comfort, I had MBA 11" 4GB ram for a week and it was sufficient enough to edit raw files in aperture although the screen resolution wasn't sufficient for me (was missing app 100px on width and 50-60px on height). Although, the size was perfect for traveling, which I can't say about my MBP 15" - perfect power, unfortunately not so perfect dimensions and weight.Posted 2 years ago # -
On the 15" MBP one can get an upgraded anti-glare LCD, which isn't an option on the 13" models. I know for many photographers, the anti-glare screen is THE determining factor. Otherwise, cost-size-weight all favor the 13" model obviously.
Having said that, I now use a 13" MacBook Air for my travels, which has its own set of pros and cons.
Posted 2 years ago # -
"Ade Barkah", could you elaborate on the pros and cons of the 13" MBAir. I am concerned about the screen size, as was suggested by "adamz" (the screen resolution wasn't sufficient for me (was missing app 100px on width and 50-60px on height).
Is this an issue or no. I am trying to look at this rationally, what I believe I need is some way of getting my files off of the memory cards to a backup drive, and do some editing.Posted 2 years ago # -
@ gnarly: I got a 13" MacBook Pro for the work like you are doing. With the new Thunderbolt on board, etc. the system works. As far as screens go, the 13 is not much different than the 15 and besides you can use a second monitor to have super screen high def and all that. Even with a high def Mac with 17 you would want a second monitor so I would go with a 13" packed with greater speed and power. The 13" is case friendly and on the second monitor it is no different than the 15".
Posted 2 years ago # -
It probably depends a bit on how much editing you plan to do on the laptop vs simply storing photos to edit later. I have a laptop I travel with, but I rarely do any editing on it because the screen is not good and the resolution is too low. If your going to be doing a lot of viewing/editing, or if this laptop will be your primary computer (at least for photo work) I'd go with the biggest and best you can reasonably afford. If you're just saving photos to edit later on a better computer with a better monitor, you might as well get something small, light and cheap.
The 15" Pro is much more powerful (and of course bigger) than the 13" Air, but they actually have the same screen resolution (1440 by 900). I'd want to try editing a full res RAW file in Photoshop or Lightroom on the Air to see how it handles it.
Really, either way I'd lean more to the Pro line. With the Air, you pay a lot for the light weight and compactness rather than power, which is fine if that's what you really want.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I looking at the laptop as a "field computer" basically for backup and when I have some time, to do some editing and sorting, etc.
What I have at home is a Mac Pro Tower with a 23" Cinema Display, (Late 2007 model) which does my heavy lifting for now. I am seriously looking at the new iMac 27" but for now am still very happy with my Mac Pro.
I am leaning toward the MBP 13" as I feel that it would be a little more rugged than the "Air", I know that there is a weight penalty, but at this stage I am not sure how significant that is.Posted 2 years ago # -
With my work (non-photography occupation), I fly either domestically or internationally at least once a week. I currently use a Macbook Pro 13inch (Summer 2009 model) with 500gb HD and 4gb RAM with Aperture 3.0 as my main photo manager/editor. Before this, I used a first generation Macbook Air.
The 13inch Macbook Pro is a great portable workstation for managing and editing photos on the road. It's small, light, and easy to carry around. It also fits in many camera bags claiming to fit a laptop. I often find myself editing photos when I am on the plane, and since I always fly coach, the 13 inch fits in the tray table even if the guy in front of me reclines his seat.
I find that 4gb is sometimes not enough for Aperture. I don't know about Lightroom and PS, but you may want to go all the way to 8GB if you can. Also, you may want to invest in a good external monitor when you come back from your trip. 13inches is a bit small for me, especially doing comparisons or checking using the loupe for sharpness. The extra screen estate and resolution of an external screen makes photo editing a lot easier.
My old first generation MacBook Air was an absolute disaster. It had kernel shutdowns all the time due to overheating for just watching YouTube videos. I'm sure the new ones are a lot better, but looking at the specs, the only good thing going for it is that it has SSD storage, which will allow for a bit faster transfer of data. I personally am willing to justify a few more grams of weight and a few millimeters of thickness for guaranteed overall performance.
Posted 2 years ago # -
My requirements might be a different from yours as I often go on extended trips (months on the road at a time), so size & weight are premium considerations for me, as is overall durability.
I transitioned to the new 13" MacBook Air from the 1st gen 13" unibody MacBook. I'm a heavy Photoshop CS5 user, along with Aperture 3. I also edit video using Final Cut Studio.
Pros of the 13" MBA:
- Same screen resolution as the 15" MBP (1440x900)
- Flash drive (very fast with no moving parts)
- Very good color contrast, brightness, accuracy
- Screen calibrates & profiles very nicely
- Compact and lightweight
- Long battery lifeCons (these ones bother me):
- Limited color gamut (as compared to MBPs)
- No Firewire ports
- Memory limited to 4GB
- No antiglare screen optionOther minuses (these don't bother me as much):
- Flash storage limited to 256GB (but I carry many external drives anyway)
- Older Core 2 Duo CPU vs. the new i5, i7 processors
- Weaker graphics card w/ shared memory
- No glass LCD cover (saves weight but requires more care)
- USB adapter needed for wired ethernet (must have spares on the road)
- No integrated DVD drive (can share DVD drive with other Macs/PCs via network)Posted 2 years ago # -
For myself, I picked the 15" with the high resolution display- it's not so much the screen size or the processing power that makes a difference to me, but rather the resolution of the display, which I find great (it's the equivalent of most 20" monitors).
Since you have a desktop already, that will probably be a better option for all your heavy lifting, so you can get away with whatever you need to. Thus, you'll have to balance out cost, and size with speed and the display. On the one hand, if you're just using it to backup photos, than anything will do (I use an old net-book re-purposed to that end), but the more you intend to do, the more powerful the laptop should be.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I use a MBA 11" as my daily carry/travel laptop + Ext. HDD. It's all about weight & size for me. I know it's a compromise, but for my needs, it's sufficient. Before this, it was a MBP 13" 2010 model. In terms of performance it is much better. Problem was after a while, my shoulders started to complain. I left the 13" MBP at home & got the 11" MBA.
Posted 2 years ago # -
guys, as for screen resolution from apple You have the following options:
- MBA 11 - 1366x768
- MBA 13 - 1440x900
- MBP 13 - 1280x800
- MBP 15 - 1440x900
- MBP 15 - 1680x1050 (optional)
- MB 13 - 1280x768
for me everything smaller than 1440x900 is useless for smooth editing photos in either aperture or PS - although it's more than fine for making selection of Your images on the road.Posted 2 years ago # -
I went and had a look at the MBP 13' and the MBA 13" I must say the MBP for what I believe I need will be just fine, a little heavier yes. !!
If I upgrade the ram to 8GB, with a 2.7GHZ Core i7, 500gb HD. I think that will do all I need on the road. Once at home I can do my fine tuning on the big Mac.
Any other thoughts on the MBA would be appreciated, I know that in a few months there is supposed to be a new MBA with thunderbolt, maybe I should wait till then to make my final decision.Posted 2 years ago # -
I have a 10.1 light weight Samsung for the road and my 15" stays at home. I have found the 15" models to be way too heavy and too large for any considerable trips. You use Apple so I'd suggest you strongly consider the smallest but big enough not to kill your eyes for processing. The 13" sounds like it would be good for you.
So your okay with Apple's high prices? :)
Posted 2 years ago # -
gnarly - w8 for MBA with thunderbolt, it's going to be an amazing computer, small on one hand and with big expansion possibilities (once we gonna see some more thunderbolt devices :))
Posted 2 years ago # -
Mk32 said:
True the 13inch screen could be bigger but it is something I just got used to.You always can connect an external huge monitor to the tinny laptop :)
Now if you plan to do color manipulation on your photos, better get also a calibration device... or/and check that the built-in monitor on the laptop allows calibration...but that is another topic and I do not want to be punished for taking this discussion to a different direction.Have a nice day!
Posted 2 years ago # -
Hey rbid, I know you were probably joking, but thats actually what my brother did because he was so impressed with his Apple wide screen at his newpaper's office. Apple color rendition is top notch so he decided to go this route and seems happy now. He tried numerous different calibration methods and was never satisfied with his Samsung. Of course this does not help people like gnarly on the road much though :)
Posted 2 years ago # -
@gnarly: My new Thunderbolt MacBookPro 13" has the 8GB as I find the 4GB too limiting too quickly. With a high speed processor it runs my 40" and 55" High Res external monitors beautifully. They are HD Samsung highest level LED and they are way sharper than my two Apple Cinema 30's and even my color correctable Lacie Monitor and a advanced Sony that was touted as super sharp and great for adjusting color. The other side of the story is that the Samsungs have a somewhat jaded color for some images and it can always be adjusted. That leaves me with a 13" MBP for road trips and although sometimes clients only see it on that little screen, with Aperature 3 slide/sounds shows they are amazed. I got a pretty decent price out of Mac Business division and feel like the deal was one of the best i have ever made. Using a Canon 3000 Lumen projector the sharpness and color are very good, although I would always pick the LED 40" or the LED 55"for the best looking image.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Thanks for the update "DaveyJ" great info. What are your thoughts on the weight of the MBP 13" vs the MBA 13" I do like the ability to upgrade memory and processor on the MBP. This was my original selection until others suggested that I have a serious look at the MBA. I should indicate that at this stage I am not anywhere near being in the Pro league, just a serious amateur, with some more time on my hands, that wants to get out more , hence the desire for a laptop to do some basic processing and of course file backup, while away from my MacPro.
I am not sure if a new thread should be started, so I will ask you specifically what model of monitors are the HD Samsung, as I am thinking about an additional one to go with my 23" Cinema display.
Again ThanksPosted 2 years ago # -
Let's not turn this thread into an all Apple love fest. The Mac haters have already PM'd me to close this thread, haha. Let's get back to 15" versus 13"... screens.
Posted 2 years ago # -
kanuck said:
Hey rbid, I know you were probably joking, but thats actually what my brother did because he was so impressed with his Apple wide screen at his newpaper's office. Apple color rendition is top notch so he decided to go this route and seems happy now. He tried numerous different calibration methods and was never satisfied with his Samsung. Of course this does not help people like gnarly on the road much though :)No, I was not jocking :)
At my previous work place, we had strong-huge desktop computers for computation work, with huge screens to show all the System-On-Chip simulations and also got a small low-end laptops for office work (that allowed mobility as well). When our business unit was moved to a different company, the new company "forced" us to have only one computer so most of us moved to a strong laptop that could do the computation work as before, but also could be easy to work from home as a office laptop.. Then I continued to use the huge monitor with the tinny laptop :)Posted 2 years ago # -
Great thread; I love this forum. I have been thinking about the asme options, but this comment "I know for many photographers, the anti-glare screen is THE determining factor. Otherwise, cost-size-weight all favor the 13" model obviously." is a key point for me. I really don't like the glossy screens...and got a Lenovo laptop 3 yrs ago because I couldn't get a MacBook with matte screen. But then I am not a road warrior any more, so the difference in size isn't a big deal. I so wiht they made a 13" MBP with matte screen.
On that note: Does anyone know if the Mac matte screens are more susceptible to being damaged? The glossy displays have glass face (duh) and would seem to be more durable. AND, can the glossy displays be accurately calibrated?
Posted 2 years ago # -
:) I have a LOVE/HATE relationship with Apple. I'll say no more!
Posted 2 years ago #
Reply »
You must log in to post.
