I am a filmmaker and and am buying a new Macbook Pro. It'll primarily serve as my day to day computer, but I'm also planning to edit some films of my own and also take on other editing projects, and possibly turning it into a business.
I bought a 17 inch Macbook Pro to replace my older 15 inch model, thinking of the possibility of creating films on it. I decided to exchange it for the new 15 inch version because even though I don't usually carry my laptop around with me, it just seemed too big. It was hard to get used to all the extra screen space, especially when web browsing it seemed like a bit of overkill, too much information was displayed on the screen at once. I missed the more personal size of the 15 inch model, for writing and web-browsing, and the overall look and feel of it.
I'm having second thoughts though because where the 17 inch model shines is in displaying HD video. While they both have great displays, the bigger screen is beautiful for watching movies/video. It's basically a portable HD theater. I'm guessing the extra space would also be helpful for working in Final Cut Pro.
Which setup would you prefer? Having a 17 inch Macbook Pro for editing in Final Cut, and everything in one package, or having a 15 inch Macbook Pro with an even larger external HD monitor? I haven't tried this setup before so I'm not sure how it would feel for editing. Not sure if this would be too cluttered.
I feel more comfortable on the 15 inch as a primary computer, but the 17 seems crafted to be a movie making machine. I have both Macbooks in front of me now. I have to return one of them in the next day or two! The 15 inch is an i7, and the 17 inch is an i5, so they're pretty much equal in price. Others have commented on the necessity of the expresscard for an eSata hard drive. Is this really a must for HD editing? The built in drive is big enough that I could keep the raw footage locally while I'm editing.
Having a hard time with this decision for some reason, so I thought I'd open it up for feedback. Thanks!
I bought a 17 inch Macbook Pro to replace my older 15 inch model, thinking of the possibility of creating films on it. I decided to exchange it for the new 15 inch version because even though I don't usually carry my laptop around with me, it just seemed too big. It was hard to get used to all the extra screen space, especially when web browsing it seemed like a bit of overkill, too much information was displayed on the screen at once. I missed the more personal size of the 15 inch model, for writing and web-browsing, and the overall look and feel of it.
I'm having second thoughts though because where the 17 inch model shines is in displaying HD video. While they both have great displays, the bigger screen is beautiful for watching movies/video. It's basically a portable HD theater. I'm guessing the extra space would also be helpful for working in Final Cut Pro.
Which setup would you prefer? Having a 17 inch Macbook Pro for editing in Final Cut, and everything in one package, or having a 15 inch Macbook Pro with an even larger external HD monitor? I haven't tried this setup before so I'm not sure how it would feel for editing. Not sure if this would be too cluttered.
I feel more comfortable on the 15 inch as a primary computer, but the 17 seems crafted to be a movie making machine. I have both Macbooks in front of me now. I have to return one of them in the next day or two! The 15 inch is an i7, and the 17 inch is an i5, so they're pretty much equal in price. Others have commented on the necessity of the expresscard for an eSata hard drive. Is this really a must for HD editing? The built in drive is big enough that I could keep the raw footage locally while I'm editing.
Having a hard time with this decision for some reason, so I thought I'd open it up for feedback. Thanks!