Buying 13" MacBook Pro...(Photography)

[MistrSynistr]

Anyone here have a entry level 13" 2019 MacBook Pro?

I am going to upgrade it to 16 gigs of RAM. But with the 128 SSD.

Just curious if you use photoshop with RAW files on it and how it performs.

Thanks!

 

[iBug2]

I use a 2017 iMac 5k for photograpy with Radeon Pro 580. It is a more powerful GPU than the ones in 16 inch MBP. And when I edit my Nikon Z7 45mp files, it is quite slow. So a 13 MBP with intel graphics is gonna be really slow for that. I suggest get a more powerful machine if you are going to work with high res images. Or buy an eGPU afterwards.

 

[maflynn]

Personally speaking, I generally found the 13" form factor to be a bit constrained when using lightroom.

As for your configuration, I think 128GB is woefully inadequate unless you're planning on using external storage.

Depending on the level or processing and image size, the processor should be ok - performance-wise.

 

[Howard2k]

It’s going to largely depend how large your files are. 2MP? You’ll have no issues at all. 200MP and you might have a problem. I have a 24MP camera and my 2015 dual core with 8GB handles it fine. 128GB could be an issue though.

 

[macintoshmac]

128GB would be a serious issue for you, you will soon realise, if you think about it. Multitude of editing software itself can take a lot of storage, and then you would need storage for OS and other essential apps. 256GB is really the minimum you need.

Processor would most probably be okay but graphics will not be. You should consider a desktop Mac with better graphics or the 15" notebooks with better graphics. If you make money from photography, you should consider better hardware that saves you time.

 

[MistrSynistr]

Thanks for all the quick replies guys.

I will be using an external to open and save the files in. I don't use Lightroom, only Photoshop.

I have a 5k iMac at home, this would just be for portable use around the house and out.

I will only be downloading Photoshop CC and the RAW camera app to the computer.

I may go to 256, thank you for that!

 

[Fishrrman]

For RAW files and photoshop, I think 128gb is going to "run short" all too quickly.

256gb SSD would be a better choice.

 

[Bandaman]

128 will be hot garbage for photography, unless you plan on storing everything on an external drive. It gets used up pretty quick when you have a ton of RAW projects.

 

[Macshroomer]

It is a more powerful GPU than the ones in 16 inch MBP. And when I edit my Nikon Z7 45mp files, it is quite slow.

My higher res cams are the Z7, D850 and a 50mp Hasselblad d-back and my 16" flies through them editing with Photo Mechanic 6 and post processing with Lightroom. The only thing faster is my iMac Pro.

I loved the 13" for on location jobs in terms of constraints on airlines but the performance was always several tiers under the 15"'s so the 16" is truly a great travel option.

As for the OP, I can't even begin to fathom an OS / Apps drive that is 128GB in size, those are what my cards are, LOL!

 

[iBug2]

My higher res cams are the Z7, D850 and a 50mp Hasselblad d-back and my 16" flies through them editing with Photo Mechanic 6 and post processing with Lightroom. The only thing faster is my iMac Pro.

I loved the 13" for on location jobs in terms of constraints on airlines but the performance was always several tiers under the 15"'s so the 16" is truly a great travel option.

As for the OP, I can't even begin to fathom an OS / Apps drive that is 128GB in size, those are what my cards are, LOL!

I use Apple Photos and it's terribly slow with 45MP edits. I used Luminar as well, which was even slower. Did not try LR on this machine yet.

 

[maflynn]

I use Apple Photos and it's terribly slow with 45MP edits. I used Luminar as well, which was even slower. Did not try LR on this machine yet.

Given those are a bit on the larger side, I would assume that LR won't be any better though it should be a little faster then Luminar. I found Luminar to be kind of slow when I last tried it.

 

[iBug2]

Given those are a bit on the larger side, I would assume that LR won't be any better though it should be a little faster then Luminar. I found Luminar to be kind of slow when I last tried it.

Apple Photos was kind of acceptable with Mojave. With Catalina, it's a lot slower. When I export, I have to wait for it to do the task and just go do something and come back. App is not usable while it's doing the export if I don't get lucky. And in Catalina, it uses the GPU heavily I assume since everything else in the computer is really laggy when I'm doing edits. Can't watch 1080p videos at 24 fps even. As long as imageconversionservice is up, everything is laggy, including resizing windows.
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[MistrSynistr]

I'm going with the 256, thanks for all the help. I work myself into trying to save a buck but you guys are right, 128 is poor. I have (2) iMac's and one is a 2009 with 128.

I see one of you has a Hasselblad, nice! I shoot with Sony Mirrorless, A7III and I have an A6000.

 

[Bandaman]

I'm going with the 256, thanks for all the help. I work myself into trying to save a buck but you guys are right, 128 is poor. I have (2) iMac's and one is a 2009 with 128.

I see one of you has a Hasselblad, nice! I shoot with Sony Mirrorless, A7III and I have an A6000.

I would still get an external drive for extra storage. Also, nice camera. My buddy has that ... it’s pretty amazing. I’ll be getting the a7R IV soon.

 

[sat24]

OP, I have a 2014 15in MBP that I used to use as my photography rig. It has 16GB as well but 512GB ssd. I use it with my Sony A7R3 and RX100m4. I can at most only keep a years worth of Raw files (about 4-5 shoots) on it which is too limiting. Note that I also keep GoPro 4K footage from my travels. This is the main reason I went with a 2TB ssd when I bought my 16” MBP recently. I am not a fan of external drives except for backups. Just too clunky and not as performant as the internal SSD.

 

[Bandaman]

I am not a fan of external drives except for backups. Just too clunky and not as performant as the internal SSD.

I agree. Should be for backups only ... but the higher storage options on MacBooks can get quite pricey. But ... if photography is your career ... you should just go for the highest storage you can afford. Plus the SSDs in modern MacBooks are ridiculously fast.

 

[MistrSynistr]

OP, I have a 2014 15in MBP that I used to use as my photography rig. It has 16GB as well but 512GB ssd. I use it with my Sony A7R3 and RX100m4. I can at most only keep a years worth of Raw files (about 4-5 shoots) on it which is too limiting. Note that I also keep GoPro 4K footage from my travels. This is the main reason I went with a 2TB ssd when I bought my 16” MBP recently. I am not a fan of external drives except for backups. Just too clunky and not as performant as the internal SSD.

Thanks for this. I shoots tons of boudoir sets all year and will absolutely have to store it off the MacBook.
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I agree. Should be for backups only ... but the higher storage options on MacBooks can get quite pricey. But ... if photography is your career ... you should just go for the highest storage you can afford. Plus the SSDs in modern MacBooks are ridiculously fast.

I get this, but I have a maxed out 5K iMac at home, I just wanted something portable that I could work on photos here and there when I'm out/traveling.