Laptop advice

[Saidear]

My laptop died recently, so I'm in the market for a replacement anyways.

Given my recent interest into photography, I've kind of been focused with that in mind. My android tablet handles a lot of my lighter stuff, and my tower handles the heavy stuff. My laptop was, primarily, used for stuff done on the road or in any classes or such; where a bigger screen, more power and a keyboard were necessary.

I've got a budget of $1400 CAD tops, but I'd prefer to come under in case I need any thing like software or some peripherals. I've come up with a shortlist and wondered your take?

Lenovo X220 (12", BTO)
Core i7-2620M (2.7GHz)
4GB DDR3
320GB 7200 RPM drive
Premium HD (aka IPS) 1366x768 screen
On sale for $1115 USD

Apple Macbook Pro (13", stock)
Core i5 (2.3Ghz)
4GB DDR3
320GB 5400 RPM drive
Retail: $1249 CAD

Apple Macbook Air (13", stock)
Core i5 (1.7Ghz)
4GB DDR3
128GB SSD
Retail: $1299 CAD

Sony Vaio E-series (14", BTO)
Core i5-2410M (2.30GHz)
8GB DDR3
320GB 5400RPM drive
GeForce 410M (512MB VRAM)
Retail: $1030 CAD

This laptop will be strictly for photography and class work, no gaming, no 'light browsing', no movies or music. Just digital darkroom and office stuff.

Personally I'm drawn to the E-series. It's bigger than I like but I've heard that Sony's displays are pretty bang-on for colour accuracy (second only to Apple or the W-series from Lenovo), and for the price it's specs are great.

The X220 has an IPS screen which will offer greater reliability in making sure the photos I take a easily editable without the colours washing out based on viewing angle. It's also on sale for a great price with that powerful i7 processor.

The Apple's have style, but when I compare them to the other two.. the price just isn't justifiable on the surface. I get better hardware from either of the two other offerings. However I know that with Apple, I have access to iMovie which can make my camera's movies more accessible to others. And any other software I need will work just fine, hassle free, on their machinery. It then boils down to ultraportable (air) vs better screen and performance (pro).

[Rentham]

I'm partial to Macs, but the Pros are reaching the end of their product cycle. If you buy one now, there might be newer versions with better specs available relatively soon. The Airs are just into their product cycle, so you'd be safe getting one of those now.

[Phoenix_Jackson]

I've been on the same situation before. I've also asked around but most who have given me advise are gamers. The thing is, after considering most of the specs vs price vs usage, when I finally settled on one, I was happy... but only for a week. If you're going to use it as a road warrior (you mentioned photography and I thought "portability"), you also have to consider screen size and weight. Since I always carry an extra 6kg when I walk around (total weight of gear), I thought an extra 2.5kg wouldn't make a difference. I was wrong. So I resold it.

Weight, battery life, then processor and graphics after. That'll be my criteria for my next purchase.

Just my thoughts.

[Saidear]

Originally Posted by Phoenix_Jackson

Weight, battery life, then processor and graphics after. That'll be my criteria for my next purchase.

Just my thoughts.

That's why I'm focusing more on in the 12-13" range for my device. In order of weight it goes:

Air: 2.96lbs
X220: 3lbs
Pro: 4.5lbs
E-series: 5.97lbs.

Battery life?:
X220: 15hrs
Air/Pro: 7hrs
E-series: 5hrs.

Screen.. they're all pretty comparable depending on tradeoffs you want to make. Gamut, viewing angles, and resolution.

Originally Posted by Rentham

I'm partial to Macs, but the Pros are reaching the end of their product cycle. If you buy one now, there might be newer versions with better specs available relatively soon. The Airs are just into their product cycle, so you'd be safe getting one of those now.

That would explain why other manufacturers are able to catch up in terms of price/performance/quality. Would an Air actually be a good investment for me? I've heard tell that their displays are not really reliable for colour and what I'm looking for is something that I don't plan on replacing for a long time. Given how little of stuff is going to go on there for software, it should purr like a kitten for years to come.