Macbook advise

[sk66]

Originally Posted by Jim Poor

Well, to my mind THAT critical is the definition of professional.

I work on two 30" Cinema displays that are calibrated weekly with an iOne Photo (not the cheap one). My printers are profiled with the same kit as are my scanners and cameras. The lighting in my office is controlled and measured each time I calibrate. The monitors are in a constant position and when I am evaluating an image, I sit in a fixed height chair in as close to the same exact position as I can get every time.

Some might call me anal

Well then. I'd say you've got it covered!
I hope you're not going thru all of that to create digital media..

[Jim Poor]

Not at all. I do quite a lot of print sales.

[Doc Holliday]

Originally Posted by cameragirl

Gosh, now you guys got me thinking....Honestly I haven't thought about a desktop. Which one would you say is a good investment? Also, maybe I am big in that 'going professional' it is true that i want to take it to the next level. I am still amateur photographer but everyone is pushing me to go professional. No the macbook air never crossed my mind. But i might have a look and think seriously about a apple desktop computer. The one with a 20" monitor (imac intel core 2 duo 2.66, is that a good one?)
I am new here but thanks for all your quick replies!

If I had to pay for a system... I would go with a top of the line new MacBook Pro; a large third party LCD, external keyboard and mouse. I find I use my MacBook Pro in the field a great deal.

When I am out shooting in the field, shooting, and I am not completely sure of what I am doing, it is really nice to be able to download my CF card and be able to look at what I've shot and make adjustments on the fly. I find a relatively dark place and review everything. I have a 12 volt DC-110 volt AC converter that plugs into the power sockets in my pickup to charge it, [and my camera batteries]. Plus, I can post images to the web from the field, let people know what I am doing and check my emails on the go.

It is true that desktops are cheaper for what you get, but, unless you shoot right next to it, you need something to take with you.

That said, I wish that there was a way to download CFs to my iPod Touch and review images that way. Apple and Belkin used to make a device to do that, but they don't work with anything but the iPod video. [Hint, hint - the app store would be a great place for such a thing.]

[JerBear]

Sounds like you are not in a position to make the final plunge.

Laptops are just not going to be the final solution for a serious photographer in the long run. You can get by, but it will be at a cost.

Once you get a power desktop, thing just seem to go smoother.

Good computing

JM

[joe.kelley]

Buy the new model macbook and if you can swing it the new macbook pro and this is why ...snow leopard. The new mac OS that will come out soon takes advantage of the graphics card for processing(the real reason why the new macbook pros have 2 graphics cards).
"OpenCL (Open Computing Language), makes it possible for developers to efficiently tap the vast gigaflops of computing power currently locked up in the graphics processing unit (GPU). With GPUs approaching processing speeds of a trillion operations per second, they’re capable of considerably more than just drawing pictures. OpenCL takes that power and redirects it for general-purpose computing." That will have a huge affect on programs like adobe etc.

[zapur1]

I'm still an amateur photographer but I use a 15.4" laptop and two 17 inch screens and that works fine. What I have noticed from design firms where they are dealing with wanting as much detail to be viewed as use are using 15" Macbook's pro and large 24-30" desktop monitors. I find my 15" laptop is perfect and even a bit on the large size and 17" laptops are just too big and not portable.

[dblaveino]

Some might call me anal

That's disgusting...

Not to mention that you really don't need to go through all of those precautions when you are trying to color calibrate, SURE there are some variables. But you certainly don't need to go to THIS guy's measures. Did you paint all the windows black so the sun wont shine through to mess up your viewing or color calibration?

I use a 15" Macbook Pro, and it works wonders for me... I can sit at a desk, use a mouse plug all my stuff in, or I can sit on a couch or wherever and do whatever I need.

Whenever I am at home I plug in an external monitor (nothing special) and use that bad boy so I can have a little bit bigger viewing area, but you can definitely live with the 15" no problem.

[cameragirl]

Originally Posted by JerBear

Sounds like you are not in a position to make the final plunge.

Laptops are just not going to be the final solution for a serious photographer in the long run. You can get by, but it will be at a cost.

Once you get a power desktop, thing just seem to go smoother.

Good computing

JM

Not yet in a position to make a decision but getting really close! This forum has been so helpful so far. It is interesting to read everyone's opinion and reaction. It is obvious that everyone has their desktop computer and/or laptop for their use, for what works best for their work method, situation. In a few days I am getting my new Mac. Am getting pretty close to my decision.

[deviantangelphotography]

hey cameragirl,
i own a macbook after my pc crashed last year, and i do have to say, for the price these things cost, they are WAY overrated. however, i haven't tried the aperture program out yet, but if you're just looking at adobe-type editing products, there is nothing you can do on a mac that you couldn't do on a pc. that's my opinion. i agree with everyone though that if you're going to spend that kind of money to make the "pro" switch, get at desktop for sure! that is one thing i wish i had access to in editing my photos. laptops are more transportable, but that's really only necessary if you have limited memory cards/offer an on the spot showing. my only REAL advice is get a wireless/bluetooth mouse if you're going to go the laptop route. absolutely indispensable when it comes to editing.
if i could go back a year i would have not gotten the mac at all. the best part about them is that they don't get viruses, but as a professional, you should have more than one storage area for your pictures anyways. mac users are pretty adamant about mac's being better, but i am not one of those people, and i think they are a general waste of that much money.
hope that helps you out

[cameragirl]

Thanks everyone for all your opinions, ideas, suggestions....I have made the decision: I am going to buy the imac 24" ! YAY, that is two more sleeps! I am mostly working at home and I think this is a great machine! If I need to be portable I will later on get a macbook. The only comparible macbook pro 17" would just be to big and heavy for me, so this is it!