hey I was wondering if any body could help me out. I want to switch to macs because there isn't that much good software out there for photo organizing/editing in the PC world. My price limit is $1,800.00 and I don't care if it is powerpc or intel. I would like something with a relatively large amount of pixels too. Thanks
Hi, I run a busy professional design studio, and do EXTENSIVE work with imaging running Photoshop, Aperture & iPhoto...here is my two cents...
For $1400 you can currently get a refurb previous generation white 24" iMac.
(link:
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APP...e.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=44BD9AA1&nclm=CertifiedMac)
IMO, you will need at least 3gb of RAM (the white's max out at 3gb, and the newer alum ones can take up to 4gb). The Mini only allows a max of 2gb of ram, and I do not think that would be sufficient for what you want to do. Buy add'l ram from a third party to increase it's RAM from the stock 1gb to the 3gb max, this should run about $150-175 (I have used Crucial, Ramjet or Memorytogo). Adding memory is very easy to do. Also I would recommend the AppleCare for $169, especially for a refurb. This would extend the coverage for 3 years.
The white iMac has the advantage of the matte screen, and I have found it to calibrate VERY easily, and is very accurate for my prepress and imaging work. I used the Spyder2Pro, which is usually around $100-125.
I think the machine has iLife 08 (iPhoto) already loaded. iPhoto is an excellent image organization app, and has some limited editing functions as well (you can easily edit images in Pshop in conjunction with iPhoto). I also use Aperture which is sort of like iPhoto on steroids. Apertures imaging adjustments are much more powerful, and I find myself editing more and more using it over pshop. The downside is that the interface is a bit less intuitive than iPhoto.
I would stay away from the 20" iMacs, as I think the displays are of a different caliber than the 24's. ALSO, updates are coming soon (tomorrow?!) so refurb prices may drop a bit more (while they last). I have 35-40k high res images archived, and work every day on my white 24. It is among the best machines I have ever had over the years. I replaced my G4 tower with the iMac and it proved to be a sound buy...
cheers,
michael
PS: I would argue that size is a BIG feature, especially when editing images. The tools & interface of pshop & aperture can eat up a lot more space than you think. I also think the 24's have a larger field of view than the 20's do. Lastly, the previous gen white 24s have a better video card than the alum ones, IMO