Best Macbookpro for Designer/photographer

[dawson_ant]

Could I get a few suggestions for what you lot would recommend as the best MacbookPro 2016 for a designer/photographer.

I'm a designer and stills photographer by trade. I do very little video work but it is something that is increasingly becoming more of a requirement.

Software wise I'd be primarily running Adobe CC, and have decided on a laptop over a desktop so I can work remotely and tether on location to my camera when needed.
Because of this I'd prefer the larger 15" screen which leaves me with only two options and there possible upgrades. However the options and available upgrades for each model have me a little bamboozled.

I'm not happy about paying the new prices for the latest model or for the numerous dongles that I'll need such as SD card slot, but would be willing to pay out if they would future proof me and be a significant benefit to my workflow and sanity.

You guys know your stuff, that's why I'm asking. I know bigger is always better, but if I don't really need it I'd rather not be paying for it.

All suggestions welcome.

 

[tonidavid5]

Hi there!

There is no one-solution-fits-all answer, as your experience may vary from others depending on your needs and workflows.

It may be worth checking this other thread where a similar question was posted. Plenty of insight and thoughtful point of views.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/photgraphers-perspective-nmbp-or-2015.2016257/

I must tell you that, as a starting pro photog, the new prices are not 'nice' but, in my case, I've ordered the 2016 15" MBP and not a 2015 one, not because of its performance gains, but mainly because of the much improved wide-gamut screen and the fact that TB3 is, from my point of view, a better option for connectivity, even if I have to bear with some adaptors at the beginning.

 

[dawson_ant]

Hi there!

There is no one-solution-fits-all answer, as your experience may vary from others depending on your needs and workflows.

It may be worth checking this other thread where a similar question was posted. Plenty of insight and thoughtful point of views.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/photgraphers-perspective-nmbp-or-2015.2016257/

I must tell you that, as a starting pro photog, the new prices are not 'nice' but, in my case, I've ordered the 2016 15" MBP and not a 2015 one, not because of its performance gains, but mainly because of the much improved wide-gamut screen and the fact that TB3 is, from my point of view, a better option for connectivity, even if I have to bear with some adaptors at the beginning.

[doublepost=1479650415][/doublepost]Thanks for the feed back.

Which model MacbookPro did you get?
Did you spec it up?

 

[tonidavid5]

[doublepost=1479650415][/doublepost]Thanks for the feed back.

Which model MacbookPro did you get?
Did you spec it up?

Trying to keep the cost from exceeding my budget, I went for the 15" 2.6 GHz model and upgraded the SSD to 512GB and the dGPU to a 460.

I put a higher priority on the internal storage and the GPU over maxing out the CPU.

512GB SSD is my sweet spot as it should be enough to cope with apps and LR/PS, catalogs, previews and RAW cachés, and even a couple of days worth of photos when shooting on location. Nevertheless, I intend to have DAS -Direct Access Storage- attached to one TB3/USB-C port for editing on location or to share files between my iMac Desktop (at the studio) and the new MBP (on location / at home).

As for the GPU, I thought the extra money would make more of a difference on the GPU than on the CPU, given the theoretical bumps in performance. LR/PS should make good use of those 4GB of VRAM although when looking into it on other threads, you may find a lot contradictory information on whether we would be better off with better CPU instead of better GPU. In the end, my decision was made easier by the fact that I also intend to start doing some video editing, for which I believe the updated GPU will serve me better than a bump of 0.3 GHz in the CPU. Only time will tell.

Some info/testing/feedback shared by people over these forums which may help make up your mind:

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...s-12rmbp-and-15-5kimac.2016343/#post-23952572

http://barefeats.com/hilap2016.html

Hope it helps!