Laptop for Photography

e220

Can anyone recommend a LAPTOP for photographic use ?

dev100

e220 wrote: »

Can anyone recommend a LAPTOP for photographic use ?

Whats your budget??? Most Professionals will use Apple laptops. But all depends on your budget and software you want to use.

PCPhoto

laptop would depend on what type of photography and what programmes you will be using (some of them are very process heavy)

the main reason why so many professionals use a mac laptop is less chance of virus' and only for the looks (most photographers want stuff that looks good and does the job - hence the reason for using an apple laptop.

I have a 17inch Macbook Pro and a 13inch macbook ...and 15inch Windows Laptop.

No matter if you choose PC or Mac ... the important parts ... processor, graphics card and storage space.

A PC will be cheaper but will not look as pretty as a macbook !! (if you have already used mac's you'll know and understand the operating system straight away - if not it might take 15-20mins to get used to)

Ballyman

Any PC or Mac with 3GB+ of RAM will work perfectly.

e220

Budget can't extend to an Apple Mac Pro at the moment. Are secondhand ones reliable?

e220

Any particular PC that stands out ? From my research the Sony Vaio would appear to have a high quality screen resolution.

magicbastarder

e220 wrote: »

Can anyone recommend a LAPTOP for photographic use ?

no; laptops have very limited lens compatibility. i know for a fact that nikon lenses will not function with autofocus on toshiba and dell laptops.

magicbastarder

magicbastarder wrote: »

no; laptops have very limited lens compatibility. i know for a fact that nikon lenses will not function with autofocus on toshiba and dell laptops.

Just buy a webcam lens mount off eBay and you can use any lens on your laptop's webcam. Auto focus won't function, though.

CabanSail

e220 wrote: »

Can anyone recommend a LAPTOP for photographic use ?

What will you be doing to your images on the Laptop?

If you are shooting jpegs and then storing them with minor edits then any laptop will be fine. A built in card reader may be handy as well as a few extra USB ports.

If you are going to be processing RAW files in a multiple layer editor then you will be wanting something with a fairly decent processor and a lot of RAM. I am often working on 400Mb+ files with my MacBook.

The Snipe

IF you are near a Currys - they have a HP on sale atm down to €549 down from €799 (AFAIK)

gloobag

I wouldn't recommend any laptop for photo work. The display will never be properly calibrated to whatever room you happen to be in if you're using it on the go.

I used a laptop as my main editing machine for a year before switching back to a desktop. Most laptops displays are awful for image editing, and as I said, it'll never be properly calibrated, unless you plan on bringing a calibration tool everywhere with you and recalibrating for whatever room you're in. Which isn't practical.

Home built desktop PC is probably the best and cheapest option, if you have the know how to build it.

bren2002

Having similar struggles myself -

I've shortlisted the following requirements
1080P
USB 3.0
Multi Core processor (i5/i7)
6GBs
7200 RPM HD

The Dell XPS range meets the above requirements, but I've always been against Dells, but I'm not married to that policy.

A desktop just isn't an option for me, space prohibits it. But I'd like something that could be connected to an external monitor (21"-24") maybe in a year or so when I've a bit more space.

Has anyone got an XPS or other recommendation?

melekalikimaka

bren2002 wrote: »

1080P

thats not a hardware spec, thats a resolution for video

bren2002

melekalikimaka wrote: »

bren2002 wrote: »

1080P

thats not a hardware spec, thats a resolution for video

1920x1080 pixel resolution is a spec for screen res and graphics card.

melekalikimaka

pretty much any gfx card will suport that res, even onboard, and the size of the screen will be the determining factor for max resolution, you'd be looking for a 17incher i thinks for that, maybe a 15 but no smaller, rules out a mbp 13inch anyway

5uspect

Isn't the new Dell XPS 15z just a MBP clone anyway?

kfish2oo2

5uspect wrote: »

Isn't the new Dell XPS 15z just a MBP clone anyway?

Thats a bit of silly statement - its definitely taken design cues from Apple, thats not at question here. The difference between a Mac and a PC is more fundamental than just looks alone. Its all down to the kernel structure at the end of the day and how each system uses the resources available. A Mac is a better machine for media work, and a PC is the best solution for general applications. The fact that Macs are reliable is always a plus, and the higher level of build quality and engineering makes it attractive for anyone in the media industry.

That isn't necessarily to say that a Mac is always the best choice available, especially if the laptop in question is to be used as both a primary laptop (for general day to day use) as well as media work. Also, the higher costs of Apple products would not be justifiable if its not for professional use - I know Macs have pervaded the public space in a big way, but that just says that a lot of people have more money than sense. In reality, most mid range laptops would be suitable (in raw computing power) for Photoshop and similar applications. The screen might be a bit of an issue, but that can easily be remedied with an external IPS monitor - its a costly solution, but thats the price of mobility.

bren2002

5uspect wrote: »

Isn't the new Dell XPS 15z just a MBP clone anyway?

Have you been reading el reg?

5uspect

bren2002 wrote: »

5uspect wrote: »

Isn't the new Dell XPS 15z just a MBP clone anyway?

Have you been reading el reg?

Of course, and its working! :pac: (Mac and PC user BTW)

bren2002

Right, after a lot of research I've short listed 2 laptops.
Both 1080p screens, both processors are adequate, both have 7.2k drives and lots of RAM in both too. The Asus has B&O speakers, which is nice, it's also a little cheaper than the dell.

Dell XPS 15
Asus N55sf

Does anyone have either of these chassis?

Snowie

e220 wrote: »

Budget can't extend to an Apple Mac Pro at the moment. Are secondhand ones reliable?

Im using a second hand mac book pro duel core 2.5 with 4 gigs of ram 13 inch

i use photshop ilustrator maxon cinema 4 d final cut, and few other programs its a little slow but its fricken awesome macs are gernlly looked after

bren2002

Where did you buy it? Also is the 13" screen not a bit to small?

Snowie

bren2002 wrote: »

Where did you buy it? Also is the 13" screen not a bit to small?

bought it on adverts the screen is a little small i do have a 22 inch screen I work on but I doesn't really bother me using a 13 inch to do my work on...

toe_knee

I normally buy laptops from laptopsdirect.ie.
I have an old Acer Aspire 5920G with 2gb ram and it works fine. It takes a bit of time to open the bigger programs like photoshop CS5 but once it is opened happy days. I would recommend at leat 4gb of ram though.
I would make sure it has a HDMI output so you can hook itup to most modern TV's and edit on them

Paulw

I bought a Macbook Pro 15". It's brilliant for photo editing/processing. Very fast for the Adobe apps. Much better than my Dell XPS laptop.

melekalikimaka

toe_knee wrote: »

I normally buy laptops from laptopsdirect.ie.
I have an old Acer Aspire 5920G with 2gb ram and it works fine. It takes a bit of time to open the bigger programs like photoshop CS5 but once it is opened happy days. I would recommend at leat 4gb of ram though.
I would make sure it has a HDMI output so you can hook itup to most modern TV's and edit on them

i'd be wary using them on tv's as they aren't really suited for photo editing and poor resolution given screen size