Lightroom + 42mp files - MBP 13' 2018 enough?

[nochnia]

So will it make any difference for photo editing to get 32GB of RAM? I can't believe Lightroom is using this RAM. Currently exporting 640 pictures of my Canon 5D MK3 and the RAM usage is below 14GB. Does the RAM usage increase with bigger files?
In Max Yurev's test they exported 100 42mp files and exceeded 18GB RAM ?!?

 

[defn]

Link to your blog?

For everyone with imacs at home, if I were you, I would totally get the 13.

I've been using the 15 for a few days now and it is nice. I had the 13 a couple of weeks ago as well. Before, I was using a mba from 2013 to edit photos . A couple of things :
-the 13 is very portable and plenty fast
- screen real estate didnt bother me much since I came from a 13 MBA
-the 15 is VERY nice and the extra space has made me really consider it
-the 15 is somewhat a bit faster
-the 15 to me, feels a bit more cumbersome

I still can't make up my mind

Link is in my signature.

If you value portability, I would suggest getting the 13" + a 5K monitor (either LG's or the Apple one coming out next year). That's been the perfect setup for me so far.

 

[btt8]

So I think I've made up my mind:

Price break down:

13'' i5/16gb/512 + LG 4k external +mouse/keyboard = ~ $3000

15'' 2.2/16gb/512 + new backpack to fit 15'' with camera gear = ~ $25-2600ish

Yeah sure, you're paying a bit more for portability and thats awesome and all. But after spending a week with the 15'', I have to say, the screen real estate and the extra power is really nice. The 15'' isn't that bad portable-wise. The backpack I'm eying is 1lb less than the current one I have so basically the weight I'll be saving from the 13'' to the 15'' cancels out. Hope this helps out that next guy trying to decide.

 

[fate0311]

Food for thought. When I edit in LR, lets say I grab the brush tool, open it to the size of a nickel... and preset the brush to raise exposure a bit and de-haze.

Im editing a 25MB RAW file....when I initially click and hold to start a swath with the brush I get a beachball for a few seconds and it will take a few seconds for everything to "come to" and catch up. Once it catches up it stays realtime with no lag as I continue to swath the brush and edit the photo. However that initial click and hold to begin I do get a delay and a beachball.

This is with a 2.9.....so just because your not editing 4k video don't think LR is not a CPU intense application. It is.

 

[casperghst42]

I'm looking to upgrade to the 2018 mbp version but i'm unsure which would be more wise. Would the 2018 13' 2.7ghz 16gb attached to a BenQ sw27000 external monitor be adequate to run lightroom with 42mp files?

I really prefer the smaller footprint of the 13' as well as the extra portability it brings. But if the 15' brings significant speed in processing these files, I would have to consider the 15'. What are everyone's thoughts (especially those who work extensively with lightroom/photoshop)?

I shoot with an Nikon D810 (filesize: 44MB), and I use a Retina (early 2013) w/16GB as my primary notebook - it works just fine using Lightroom. I have my photos on an external USB3 SSD, and the library on the internal SSD - not the fastest, but it works. Normally when I import I find a mug of tea, as the generation of preview could be faster ... but everything else is ok. Exporting also does move forward.

When I travel I normally bring my old MBA 11" i5 w/4GB from 2011 - that on the other hand is not fast, but it'll get the work done. But I have more or less given doing panos after I moved to the D810 ... or lest it work on it while I go out to get something to eat (and maybe see a film).

When the nTB get an update, I'll probably upgrade my MBA, the Retina still have a couple of useful years (I also use it for work).

As for screen-size; I'd say that 15" is nice, but it weighs more, it's larger to pack, etc. that is the limiting factor, incl. price. 11" actually strangely enough does work, but the resolution does limit things.

 

[maflynn]

When I travel I normally bring my old MBA 11" i5 w/4GB from 2011 - that on the other hand is not fast, but it'll get the work done

While my images are much smaller then yours (using an Oly OMD EM5), my 2012 MBP was able to handle the images in LR, decently, and so I have zero concerns about the 2018 MBP performing that task