# Thinking of getting a Mac Air or a MacBook Pro...can't decide, thoughts?



## Northstar (Aug 13, 2013)

I was looking to pick up a Mac Air because I want something light and convenient for viewing and editing photos in the field...but then I noticed the Retina display on the MacBook Pro, the resolution is so much greater than the Air...and more power.

It would be mainly for viewing and editing photos in Aperture and Nik....and surfing the web.

Any thoughts from owners of either would be appreciated.


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## neuroanatomist (Aug 13, 2013)

I have a 13" MB Air and a 17" MB Pro (wish they'd bring that back - especially as a Retina display!). If you travel, or want to use it on the go, the Air is awesome. I'm not sure I'd want to do much serious editing on even a 15" display, retina or not. Budget permitting, get the Air and a 27" Thunderbolt Display to use with it at home. Max out the RAM, and for extra storage at home consider a Thunderbolt HDD.


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## acoll123 (Aug 13, 2013)

I have a 17" MBP that is almost 4 years old. It has been great but is now slow in comparison to contemporary models and is missing a few things like USB 3, thunderbolt and solid state drives (although I could add them). I have heard that a new version of the MBP is coming out this fall and I plan to replace mine then. I looked at the MBA but it doesn't have as many connection port as the MBP and not as much internal storage. I have an external CF Card reader, an external HDD, an external monitor, a second external HDD for off-site backup and need a network connection. When I looked at the MBA, I couldn't plug in everything at once unless I also bought an apple monitor that I could use to daisy chain some other peripherals.

I think the speed on either would be fine for Aperture (what I used for editing and storage). Definitely get a large display for editing.


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## RLPhoto (Aug 13, 2013)

The MBP would be more robust and will take longer to outgrow. Its a better long-term decision.


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## cayenne (Aug 13, 2013)

Northstar said:


> I was looking to pick up a Mac Air because I want something light and convenient for viewing and editing photos in the field...but then I noticed the Retina display on the MacBook Pro, the resolution is so much greater than the Air...and more power.
> 
> It would be mainly for viewing and editing photos in Aperture and Nik....and surfing the web.
> 
> Any thoughts from owners of either would be appreciated.



A quick question. Is this going to be a secondary computer, just for taking out and about in the field.....and that you have a more robust computer at home for heavy duty processing, etc?

That makes a difference.

If it is your sole primary computer, I'd say get the MBP...but if you already have one or something more powerful at home, then sure, a macbook air is a nice secondary computer, but for me, certainly not powerful enough for the real "work" I like to do with photoshop, and with editing videos.

Remember a lot of the Adobe products in particular, are heavy users of the GPU and a good bit of RAM....so, check the specs on the Air...it may not have enough muscle if you planning on doing anything more than light editing and mostly image review, like you mentioned.

cayenne


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## neuroanatomist (Aug 13, 2013)

acoll123 said:


> I have a 17" MBP that is almost 4 years old. It has been great but is now slow in comparison to contemporary models and is missing a few things like USB 3, thunderbolt and solid state drives (although I could add them).



I just put a 960 GB SSD in my MPB, major perfomance boost and definitely worth while.



acoll123 said:


> I looked at the MBA but it doesn't have as many connection port as the MBP and not as much internal storage. I have an external CF Card reader, an external HDD, an external monitor, a second external HDD for off-site backup and need a network connection. When I looked at the MBA, I couldn't plug in everything at once unless I also bought an apple monitor that I could use to daisy chain some other peripherals.



With the MBA, it's best to have an external display for use at home, anyway. I have ethernet, a FW800 HDD with a FW CF reader daisy-chained, USB cable for iPhone, etc., all plugged into the Thunderbolt Display, and since the keyboard/trackpad are bluetooth, I just set the MBA on the display's stand base and connect power and Thunderbolt, and everything is good to go. 

You could also consider Belkin's Thunderbolt Express Dock.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Aug 13, 2013)

Woot had the 17 in Mac Book Pro refurbished for $1500 yesterday. Sold out pretty quickly though.


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## sjp010 (Aug 13, 2013)

I have a 2011 Macbook Air (13") and a 2012 Retina Macbook Pro (15"). I also have the Thunderbolt display for use at work. Both have their plusses and minuses:

MBA: Significantly smaller while still quite powerful. When it was my primary computer, I rarely felt constricted power-wise, although I admit I was not doing heavy post-processing of images back then. The display is good - I was quite satisfied with the display until I got....

MBP: Retina display is really stunning - images look amazing on it. It is worth getting this machine for the display alone. On paper, it has a lot more power, but I'm not sure it feels THAT much more powerful than the MBA. It is substantially heavier and bulkier than MBA - more so than a comparison of the weight stats might lead you to believe. I recommend going to an Apple store and hefting both of them before you buy.

My advice: if you're going to move it around a lot, go MBA - max it out in CPU and RAM, and get the biggest SSD you can afford. Also get a Thunderbolt display, if you can afford that as well. If the quality of the display on the computer itself is most important to you - or you don't want to mess with docking - MBP is the way to go.


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## Northstar (Aug 13, 2013)

I think you've helped everyone...I do have the 2011 iMac retina 27inch, so for field work the Air might be all I need

I'm thinking as long as the power of a Mac Air is good enough for editing /handling RAW files, then I should be good to go....advice on maxing out the air is prob good.

North


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## KKCFamilyman (Aug 13, 2013)

Depends if your going to edit with it on the road. Personally the 13" pro retina is pretty close to the price of the 13" Air. 

Best Buy has a sale now and if you know someone in college they can get a coupon for another $100 off any MacBook air/pro. 

The Air is nice in size but I found the 13" pro worth it and especially calibrated shows 98-99% rgb so you will be able to make better judgments on your photo's in the field. The weight difference is .57 lbs. I decided to go for the 15" pro with 256gb ssd for travel since I do not travel that much and the dedicated graphics helps a ton when you want to edit and there is not an external monitor available.

After having them all. I love the 15" and it screams when you need to process images in lightroom compared to the others.


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## bycostello (Aug 16, 2013)

despite the weight i love my 17' mac book pro.... has the processing power for editing and storage...


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## Northstar (Aug 16, 2013)

update...

at best buy i was able to spend time comparing restart, start up, shut down, application opening, and web surfing speeds on an Air and a Pro side by side...the air is actually faster in restart and start up/shutdown (must be newer and faster flash??) but the PRO was still slightly faster on the web and in launching applications....on the web it was less than a second difference on average, opening iphoto was a full one second diff. 

overall....very little diff in speed in these simple tests 

i'm not techie, but is it possible that the high res retina display has a significant negative impact on overall speed?


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## Janbo Makimbo (Aug 17, 2013)

Get the Mac Book Pro - its more manly!!!!


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## KKCFamilyman (Aug 17, 2013)

Northstar said:


> update...
> 
> at best buy i was able to spend time comparing restart, start up, shut down, application opening, and web surfing speeds on an Air and a Pro side by side...the air is actually faster in restart and start up/shutdown (must be newer and faster flash??) but the PRO was still slightly faster on the web and in launching applications....on the web it was less than a second difference on average, opening iphoto was a full one second diff.
> 
> ...



No. The air's ulv are less powerful as of the 2013 to give the battery life. But really depends on if your using LR or PS then you want a 100% rgb ips screen the retina 13/15 offer. I personally love my 15 and have had them all. The air is under powered and covers only 65-70% rgb plus its a Tn panel. When I look for any device for my photo's i want it to display all the colors not cut out colors.


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## pwp (Aug 17, 2013)

Janbo Makimbo said:


> Get the Mac Book Pro - its more manly!!!!



Errrm, more heavy...

13inch MBA Weight: 1.35 kg (2.96 pounds)
13inch MBP Retina Weight: 1.62 kg (3.57 pounds)
13inch MBP Weight: 2.06 kg (4.5 pounds) 

I have a 13 inch MBP, but if buying right now, I'd get the Air.

-PW


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## Botts (Aug 17, 2013)

Northstar said:


> I was looking to pick up a Mac Air because I want something light and convenient for viewing and editing photos in the field...but then I noticed the Retina display on the MacBook Pro, the resolution is so much greater than the Air...and more power.
> 
> It would be mainly for viewing and editing photos in Aperture and Nik....and surfing the web.
> 
> Any thoughts from owners of either would be appreciated.


I'd go with neuro's solution probably, a MBA and a 27" Cinema Display.

The MBA is pretty speedy, and the Cinema Display is epic. I'd also consider a 21.5" iMac and a base model MBA.

Disclosure: I'm an Apple Certified Support Pro, and an Apple certified Aperture Pro, but I'd seriously give the Lightroom 5 beta a try. I find I'm editing my photos in it then adding the JPEGs to Aperture. For more difficult images I'll use DXO. *embarassed*

I can't give up the nice syncing and faces/places features Aperture has, but I prefer the look of my RAWs developed in LR5 or DXO.


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## KKCFamilyman (Aug 17, 2013)

pwp said:


> Janbo Makimbo said:
> 
> 
> > Get the Mac Book Pro - its more manly!!!!
> ...



Really weight should be a factor? With the weight of all the gear price,performance and SCREEN should be the only concerns for processing photo's. really the air is not that light.


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## timeandspace (Sep 2, 2013)

Northstar said:


> I was looking to pick up a Mac Air because I want something light and convenient for viewing and editing photos in the field...but then I noticed the Retina display on the MacBook Pro, the resolution is so much greater than the Air...and more power.
> 
> It would be mainly for viewing and editing photos in Aperture and Nik....and surfing the web.
> 
> Any thoughts from owners of either would be appreciated.


Honestly, the display on the 13.3" MacBook Pro with Retina is gorgeous. The 1280x800 resolution of the screen on this laptop is perfect for me. The display is bright, very bright, sharp and has excellent viewing from side to side, brilliant for editing photos. I'm a little conflicted with the glossy screen but by it's nature an anti-glare will reduce sharpness of the screen image. By having the glossy screen you have an amazingly bright, clear and sharp image that is just beautiful to view. 
I've written a full review of the Macbook Pro. You'll see that it's not just the Retina display that offers value for money: http://www.squidoo.com/apple-macbook-pro


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## alexturton (Sep 8, 2013)

MBP all the way. THe air has integrated graphics whereas the MPB has dedicated switching graphics.


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## Botts (Sep 27, 2013)

alexturton said:


> MBP all the way. THe air has integrated graphics whereas the MPB has dedicated switching graphics.


Only in 15"!!!


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## Rienzphotoz (Sep 27, 2013)

FWIW, 10 days ago I bought a Mac Book Pro 13.3 inch (2.6 GHz Intel Core i5, Retina Display, 256GB SSD, 8GB DDR3 RAM & Integrated Intel Graphics) ... I was planning on using it for editing photos while I'm traveling, but I find myself using it more than my iMac ... currently I'm running lightroom 5.2 & PS CS6 (with a few plugins) ... it feels a lot lighter and thinner than my earlier MBP (core i7, mid 2012 model) and works very well and lot does a very good job of running lightroom 5.2 & CS6 simultaneously ... and the Retina display is awesome as always.


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## cocopop05 (Sep 27, 2013)

Buy a MacBook Air if you enjoy reduced editing performance.

Buy a MacBook Pro if you enjoy fast editing performance.

Buy a HP ZBook 15 or ZBook 17 with DreamColour display if you want a proper portable professional editing workstation. The HP wins in my opinion for these reasons:
- Quadro K2000 graphics - Adobe CS6 and CC offer much higher performance with CUDA acceleration and Open GL.
- DreamColour has a palate of over 1 billon colours as opposed to Mac's 16.7 million.
- ZBook is a certified Adobe platform, meaning HP and Adobe develop their solutions together to ensure fewer issues and higher performance.


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## Eldar (Sep 27, 2013)

neuroanatomist said:


> I have a 13" MB Air and a 17" MB Pro (wish they'd bring that back - especially as a Retina display!). If you travel, or want to use it on the go, the Air is awesome. I'm not sure I'd want to do much serious editing on even a 15" display, retina or not. Budget permitting, get the Air and a 27" Thunderbolt Display to use with it at home. Max out the RAM, and for extra storage at home consider a Thunderbolt HDD.


I have the 15" Retina display MB Pro. I am using it for editing in the field and generally I am very happy with it. At home I have the 27" iMac. There are very few instances where I end up reediting images that have been through Lightroom on the MB Pro. The Retina display is excellent. The Air is lighter, but not that much more. The difference is less than my RRS BH-55 ball head ...


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## pipsk (Sep 27, 2013)

I got 17" mbp and the thing about weight is bullshit if you can't see details or horrible noise on a tiny display. How can you even edit photos on that? Also it got hit by a full camera setup with tripod falling on it (not the tiny one) to get only a small dent in paint, it crashed from a chair, several times (don't place your notebook on a chair it's horrible idea), from an improvised table height of normal one and guess what broke? nothing! It broke the ground.. well my HDD failed once but we all backup don't we? I didn't back then, had to learn the hard way . I bought it because of 1920x1200 and I would go for retina 15" any time and not regret the extra weight and size over 13" it's not that much really because my 17" MBP is still smaller than most of the 15" notebooks of other brands and I've seen several of those plastic things fall for their death. If you want to edit photos even semi seriously, go for the biggest with best resolution you can. If you must, get the 13" get the pro, it's called pro for a reason.


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## monkeyhand (Sep 27, 2013)

The Air is way to lightweight in power and comparing my MBPro to a classmate's there is little physical difference. Skip your mortgage payment and get the MB Pro with retina and 16 GB of RAM. If you are a student or have a student in your household get the educational discount and save a couple hundred bucks either way. If you render video then the MBPro all the way.


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## AlanF (Sep 27, 2013)

Rienzphotoz said:


> FWIW, 10 days ago I bought a Mac Book Pro 13.3 inch (2.6 GHz Intel Core i5, Retina Display, 256GB SSD, 8GB DDR3 RAM & Integrated Intel Graphics) ... I was planning on using it for editing photos while I'm traveling, but I find myself using it more than my iMac ... currently I'm running lightroom 5.2 & PS CS6 (with a few plugins) ... it feels a lot lighter and thinner than my earlier MBP (core i7, mid 2012 model) and works very well and lot does a very good job of running lightroom 5.2 & CS6 simultaneously ... and the Retina display is awesome as always.



I have the 13.3" MBP retina and the new 11" MBA. Buy both if you can afford it. Despite what the Tarzans say about weight, every oz or g saved makes a difference for me when I travel, especially as I go everywhere in the world with only cabin baggage. Both are awesome.


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## dstppy (Sep 27, 2013)

AlanF said:


> I have the 13.3" MBP retina and the new 11" MBA. Buy both if you can afford it. Despite what the Tarzans say about weight, every oz or g saved makes a difference for me when I travel, especially as I go everywhere in the world with only cabin baggage. Both are awesome.



+1

The 11" mba means you can take it with you whenever you want and not even consider it. With the mbp, the weight *is* a concern and you'll find yourself not bringing it when you don't think you need it.

WHATEVER the OP goes with, I highly recommend a computer with a SSD OR a Fusion Drive. If you get a MBP, pay the extra for that; in the end, that will be your bottleneck.


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## Northstar (Sep 27, 2013)

OP here....I've been waiting for the new MB pro to be announced. (should be any day now) I wanted to see the specs before I bought either.

i'm hoping they reduce the weight further in the mbpro.

and as previous posters have mentioned...weight is a big deal to many, and for me.


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## TM (Sep 27, 2013)

15" MBP has a quad core processor. Air only has the duo. No matter how much you upgrade the Air, it will never match the Pro. I recently purchased the 15" MBP as a secondary portable solution., Its been amazing in terms of display, processing power and battery life, and great for tethering while on shoots. If you are planning on editing RAW photos, the macbook air isn't going to cut it. Easily worth the extra investment and no regrets.


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## Wilmark (Sep 27, 2013)

I really dont understand how photographers who say they are looking for a notebook to view and edit in the field will spend over $2000 (15" with retina) for something that contributes nothing to your photography - i am presuming that final editing will be done on a larger workstation type system at home/office. I have a Levovo that i paid 350$ for that is extremely thin and light and fits in my backpack and has tons of storage space with LR installed - Cant justify the extra 1700$. Especially that Im saving up for a long L.


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## dhachey77 (Sep 27, 2013)

Northstar said:


> OP here...
> 
> i'm hoping they reduce the weight further in the mbpro.
> 
> and as previous posters have mentioned...weight is a big deal to many, and for me.



OK, I'm an unapologetic technology junkie. I admit it and have no plans to change. I have the 11" MBA, 13" MBA and 15" MBP, but use them for different purposes. For complex travel photography (5 weeks in Namibia), I use the 11" MBA. For local travel photography and business use I carry either the 13" MBA or 15" MBP. I use the 11" MBA mainly for quick and dirty viewing and culling images in the field before storing a days work on two portable hard drives, in addition to keeping the original files on the CF cards. All my serious editing is done on a 27" iMac or a 30" Mac Pro. The extra 3 lbs of the 15" MBP over the 11" MBA really matters to me in the field.


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## Zv (Sep 27, 2013)

Couldn't you upload, view and delete images on say an iPad or another tablet device while out on location? I really wish there was some kinda Lightroom app for the iPad that let you do some kind of cloud computing. Or even just better (read free) tethering apps. Surely someone out there can develop a simple wired tethered shooting app that just shows you the picture you just took? 

But I guess a cheap and light laptop can do more. 

Am I the only one who only has one laptop? What's all this talk about having three and a desktop? 

Oops I forgot to recommend something! I would say MBPro with as much RAM as you can get. The pro is already pretty light compared to some laptops (like my sony brick). If I had the cash I'd switch to the MBpro.


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## Botts (Sep 27, 2013)

Eldar said:


> I have the 15" Retina display MB Pro. I am using it for editing in the field and generally I am very happy with it. At home I have the 27" iMac. There are very few instances where I end up reediting images that have been through Lightroom on the MB Pro. The Retina display is excellent. The Air is lighter, but not that much more. The difference is less than my RRS BH-55 ball head ...



Depending on the newness of your iMac, I'd seriously get a thunderbolt cable to use display sharing. That way you can use the iMac as a 27" Cinema Display for your rMBP.


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## Botts (Sep 27, 2013)

Northstar said:


> OP here....I've been waiting for the new MB pro to be announced. (should be any day now) I wanted to see the specs before I bought either.
> 
> i'm hoping they reduce the weight further in the mbpro.
> 
> and as previous posters have mentioned...weight is a big deal to many, and for me.



I've got friends in engineering in Cupertino, and keep up on the gossip, currently, I'd expect a Haswell based rMBP and MBP, but neither with a new form factor. Way better battery life, 802.11ac, and faster to be sure, but certainly not lighter or slimmer. There may be a chance at seeing a 13" rMBP with discrete graphics though.


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## Northstar (Sep 28, 2013)

Botts said:


> Northstar said:
> 
> 
> > OP here....I've been waiting for the new MB pro to be announced. (should be any day now) I wanted to see the specs before I bought either.
> ...




good to know botts! thanks.


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## Northstar (Sep 28, 2013)

Zv said:


> Couldn't you upload, view and delete images on say an iPad or another tablet device while out on location? I really wish there was some kinda Lightroom app for the iPad that let you do some kind of cloud computing. Or even just better (read free) tethering apps. Surely someone out there can develop a simple wired tethered shooting app that just shows you the picture you just took?
> 
> But I guess a cheap and light laptop can do more.
> 
> ...




i have been using an ipad to do this as you've described..the editing on iPad with the retina display is pretty good using snapseed...it's just the transfering of 300 to 500 images from the camera to the iPad which is so slow, and then if you want to delete the images off the iPad it's ridiculous...you have to jump through hoops to do something that should be so easy. 

leaning toward the AIR right now...


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## Zv (Sep 28, 2013)

Northstar said:


> Zv said:
> 
> 
> > Couldn't you upload, view and delete images on say an iPad or another tablet device while out on location? I really wish there was some kinda Lightroom app for the iPad that let you do some kind of cloud computing. Or even just better (read free) tethering apps. Surely someone out there can develop a simple wired tethered shooting app that just shows you the picture you just took?
> ...



Exactly right? I mean why has no one created a way to make this easy on an iPad yet? It could do so much more!! Infuriating!


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## t.light (Sep 28, 2013)

I bought the 13" rMBP with SSD last december and did not regret. Very fast and the display is so much better then MB-air and has the same pixel count as my 27" iMac I use at home. I work with LR5 and PS. Back home I just merge the libraries. Editing pictures on retina display needs getting used to, though.


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## Rienzphotoz (Sep 28, 2013)

Zv said:


> Northstar said:
> 
> 
> > Zv said:
> ...


I think eventually they will make it work ... its just a matter of time.


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## Botts (Sep 29, 2013)

Rienzphotoz said:


> Zv said:
> 
> 
> > Northstar said:
> ...



Apple making Aperture for the iPad is an absolute necessity, or Adobe making Lightroom for iPad would rock too.

The big reason why there isn't a pro iPad photo app yet might just be device size. There are some 128GB iPads floating around in customers hands now, but not many.

As someone who shoots a lot, that's not enough space for me for a weekend of shooting. For pro's shooting sports, or weddings or other high-volume events, again, it's not a lot of space.


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## wickidwombat (Oct 2, 2013)

Botts said:


> Rienzphotoz said:
> 
> 
> > Zv said:
> ...


and also apples refusal to add usb host functionality is a death knell for them, there are plenty of android devices i can hook up a 500GB SSD via an OTG USB cable and have all the space i want...
and the said android device has a high res ips display quad core processors takes micro Sd cards and has direct mini HDMI port and it cost $120...


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## Botts (Oct 2, 2013)

wickidwombat said:


> and also apples refusal to add usb host functionality is a death knell for them, there are plenty of android devices i can hook up a 500GB SSD via an OTG USB cable and have all the space i want...
> and the said android device has a high res ips display quad core processors takes micro Sd cards and has direct mini HDMI port and it cost $120...



It may be a death knell to your use case, but Apple has always done a good job since the iMac at picking a target market and absolutely controlling it. If they wanted to get into the "pro" side I'm sure they'd succeed, but as of right now they seem happy with their market.


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## KKCFamilyman (Oct 2, 2013)

Everyone responded to the laptop solution. If you want a tablet there are 2 good options being released this month.

Microsoft surface 2 has usb 3.0 support and a 1080p screen with 46% improved color accuracy over last years pro. They have ability to view and some basic ipad like editing. Most importantly with a hub and a reader you could review and save to an external hd.

The surface 2 pro has the above but will run lr ps if needed. Has the options of up to 8gb ram and 512gb internal storage.

So those are better for in the field then an ipad.


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## neuroanatomist (Oct 2, 2013)

KKCFamilyman said:


> Microsoft surface 2...
> 
> The surface 2 pro has the above but will run lr ps if needed. Has the options of up to 8gb ram and 512gb internal storage.
> 
> So those are better for in the field then an ipad.



I've had a look at the original Surface, I wasn't terribly impressed. I looked at in the Microsoft Store in a local mall, where I was one of four customers in the store (we were outnumbered by employees 2:1, and none of us bought anything). Four stores down is the Apple Store, where somewhere between 80-100 customers were filling the space, with at least 25% of people walking out the door with a new purchase). The dichotomy was not a unique occurrence - it's that way every time I happen to be at the mall.


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## dstppy (Oct 2, 2013)

neuroanatomist said:


> KKCFamilyman said:
> 
> 
> > Microsoft surface 2...
> ...



For someone that owns a ton of apple things, I really can't stand apple stores. Danbury CT is like a cross between a starbucks where people drop their kids/teenagers off to be entertained and a Dave and Busters . . .

They got a winning formula though; I still even go in there for necessary evils:
1) Same-day purchase requirements
2) Getting free tech support/repair estimates

The one thing that struck me as a modern marvel of the NY store: the air circulation system. I have moderate issues with crowds and the one thing that struck me is that I wasn't recoiling from stale air/odor that comes with lingering people indoors.

Microsoft Store in Danbury is exactly as you describe. Went in the day after Black Friday for a sale that was supposedly on for the Xbox (still advertised on the site) and the first two people I asked had no clue. The third said it wasn't on anymore, I tipped my hat and never returned. Wonder why it's not working


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## wsgroves (Oct 2, 2013)

I had a surface and had to return it due to RL circumstance that came up, but it was a awesome piece of hardware....but not for legacy apps.
I cant wait to get my hands on the new version.

As far as you say Neuro that the apple store is always packed...it is here too...I chuckle every time I walk past.


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## E-Bahn (Oct 2, 2013)

Do not buy your computer yet. 

Apple will be releasing new versions of their pro line (which could be why people are seeing deals right now), and it would be worth seeing what they have to offer. Even if you decide on the Air, wait a few weeks.

However, as you say,


Northstar said:


> It would be mainly for viewing and editing photos in Aperture and Nik....and surfing the web.



It sounds like what you want is a big (bigger than your camera) screen to review photos in the field, ( maybe a bit of touch-up, but nothing major)

A MBA would be enough to do this, though I wouldn't trust it to do much more. My wife just got one (the newest version), and I have been playing around with it. The battery in it would it a great companion in the field, and the speed of the solid state drive would make viewing photos.

If you can afford upgrading components, I would do it in this order:

RAM - (get 8, as I find 4 is enough for some word processing and web surfing, but not much more )
Processor
Hard drive (the 128 gig hard drive is small, but the 256 wouldn't be much better, in the grand scheme of things, so unless you can afford the 512, you'd be better off getting a decent usb 3.0 or thunderbolt drive if you need more space)

I use an older MBP (2011) for work, and when I put it in my bag along with my camera, it's the heaviest piece of gear on my back. Even though the newer ones are lighter, unless you want a "portable desktop" (ie something to do hard core Ps work on) I'd still stick with the air.

I personally don't like the apple ecosystem, and I've always had a thinkpad bias. Lenovo will be releasing a few new models soon (I think) that look to be interesting competitors. They will have better processing capability than the MBA at similar price points, and they claim to have great battery too. Going to their online shop is like opening pandora's box, though, so you might not want to.


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## curby (Oct 2, 2013)

For viewing and editing photos, I'd definitely go for a retina MBP if you can afford it (in terms of price, size, weight). Simply put, the screen matters for your use case. A LOT.

The most consistently worst part about Apple laptops for me has been the screen. Glass multitouch trackpads rocketed Apple to the best in the biz, the move to x86 nixed the PPCs that just couldn't keep up, but until the rMBP the screens have been horrible. Sure the review sites would tell you that for TN panels, the gamut, color accuracy, and contrast were decent, but as we know specs aren't the whole picture. TN panels have horrible color saturation shifts at different vertical viewing angles. The IPS panel of the rMBP fixes that. Now you have desktop-level resolution, and desktop level color consistency across viewing angles. Now you have a laptop that you can edit photos on without having everything wash out because you sat up in your seat a few inches. (And if you fly coach, you can now sit in a cramped seat and look down onto the screen with much better color saturation.)

But as others have said, wait 'til the end of the month, when Apple is expected to announce the next-gen, Haswell-bearing, rMBPs. That also gives you another month to save up for it! ;D

http://www.macrumors.com/roundup/macbook-pro/


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## vmk (Oct 2, 2013)

Tomorrow canon might release 40+MP camera, and you would need bigger resolution 
I would go with 15 MBP Retina for home and 11 MBA for travel


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## pardus (Oct 2, 2013)

I have the 13" MBAir for tethered shooting and in the field. It is fantastic. the SSD is smokin fast and acts as massive amounts ram. in fact, it is faster in many aspects than my 8-core mac-pro with 32gb ram. its way cheaper than a MBP and way lighter. if it was your only machine, well maybe I would go for a 15"mbp but if it isnt your main computer, absolutely MBAir is the clear choice.


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## KKCFamilyman (Oct 4, 2013)

neuroanatomist said:


> KKCFamilyman said:
> 
> 
> > Microsoft surface 2...
> ...



Yeah the microsoft store is not like the apple store but thats like comparing bestbuy and office depot on a saturday. Microsoft still has a much larger user base and the appeal is enterprise first consumer second so yeah apple will be busier and microsoft can be had at walmart so the consumer is spread out more.

Anyway the value of the surface 2 or pro if you want to run programs is this tablet has a 2k point pressure stylus, 1080p full rgb screen with more antireflection. Backlit type covers and a docking station for home if need be. I own iphone 5s, ipad 4, mbp retina 15 but still think the surface answers the need here. $449 is great for review, edit, backup. Ipad does not offer that. Macbook air costs more.


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## dickgrafixstop (Oct 11, 2013)

Whatever you're comfortable with - the choice is basically how you want to control your images. If you already have a desktop to pair with the air it's a viable solution since you'll probably do the real work on the desktop. If
you expect the machine to be "all purpose", get the Macbook Pro - max out the memory, get the largest hard drive
and a bluetooth mouse and you'll be ready. If necessary, add an external drive for space and/or a large monitor
so you can see what you're doing. Then have fun!


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## Eldar (Oct 11, 2013)

I tried the 13 MB Air for using Lightroom in the field. But I swapped it for the 15 MB Pro w. Retina. The weight premium is about 750 grams and I thought that would route me towards the MB Air, but the benefits of the much better screen outweights that. With the MB Pro I hardly ever re-edit any images when I get home to the bigger monitor, unless I know I didn't finish. The weight penalty is less than the weight of my RRS BH-55 ballhead.


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## Northstar (Oct 23, 2013)

OK...glad I waited...very glad. 

latest 13 inch mac book pro w/ retina for $1500(8gb ram and 256 flash) and only weighs 1/2lb more than 13 inch mac air, and more power, better graphics and display and similar dimensions....yes, a "no brainer"....again....wow.


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## scottkinfw (Oct 23, 2013)

I have been sitting this thread out, until now.

I took my ~ 2 year old MBA 13" on a road trip. I found that it was fine speed wise for LR5, great size and weight wise to carry, BUT- not enough screen real estate to work with. I also recommend that the retina screen is a must. Next time out, I'm taking my 15" MBP to try. My 2 C.

sek


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## Botts (Oct 23, 2013)

scottkinfw said:


> I have been sitting this thread out, until now.
> 
> I took my ~ 2 year old MBA 13" on a road trip. I found that it was fine speed wise for LR5, great size and weight wise to carry, BUT- not enough screen real estate to work with. I also recommend that the retina screen is a must. Next time out, I'm taking my 15" MBP to try. My 2 C.
> 
> sek



One of my friends from Cupertino let me play with his new Retina MacBook Pro 15".

Damn I wish I could afford to upgrade my current rMBP.


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## TexPhoto (Oct 23, 2013)

I bought the last macbook that had an optical drive. Being able to dump to a CD or DVD has helped me out a number of times, and the built in SD card reader is nice. Cuts down on all the wires and external nonsense I have to carry. 

I bought used, and swapped in a OWC SSD for wicked fast performance.


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## iron-t (Oct 23, 2013)

Northstar said:


> I was looking to pick up a Mac Air because I want something light and convenient for viewing and editing photos in the field...but then I noticed the Retina display on the MacBook Pro, the resolution is so much greater than the Air...and more power.
> 
> It would be mainly for viewing and editing photos in Aperture and Nik....and surfing the web.
> 
> Any thoughts from owners of either would be appreciated.



I run a 2012 MBP 15" retina as my main machine for editing and everything else. The display is absolutely incredible, although you may have to fiddle with it to suit you best. I don't run mine in "retina" mode but rather at a non-standard (per Apple Preferences) resolution of 1680 x 1050, which is perfect for me (it will go up to 2880 x 1800 which makes everything tiny but is "native" at 1440 x 900 with "doubled" pixels). I did have the "image retention" or "ghosting" problem with mine after 10 months, but Apple support replaced the LG display with a Samsung under warranty with minimal hassle and the problem has not returned. BUY APPLE CARE IF YOU GET A RETINA MBP. B&H resells Apple Care for much cheaper than Apple sells it for.

As far as user experience, I love the machine. It's a workhorse. At the same time, my wife has a MBA 13" and it is a wonderful machine in its own right. Really quick for all practical purposes, and the display is good. If I had a dedicated workstation at home and needed a portable machine for remote work, I'd definitely consider an MBA, but for a desktop replacement I'd stick with my retina MBP.


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