OK heres the deal I'm getting ready to go to school for photojournalism and I'm not sure if I should get the mbp 13 inch or a pc laptop. I have to go with the 13 inch because my money is a little tight. However I am planning on waiting till the 2011 update. My question is should I get a mbp for photography or go with a pc? and also with the 2011 updates to the mbps will the apple time capsule work with the new mbps?
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MBP or PC ?
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That is up to you.
And as we don't know, what the 2011 MBPs include (including software), we don't know if they will work with TC.
Btw, if you are into photography, a 13" screen might be a bit too small, unless you have an external display and use that for photo work.
I have a 13" MB and I don't like working with it for photo work, sometimes I think even my 17" MBP is too small for photo editing, though I don't make a living with photography.
And as we don't know, what the 2011 MBPs include (including software), we don't know if they will work with TC.
Btw, if you are into photography, a 13" screen might be a bit too small, unless you have an external display and use that for photo work.
I have a 13" MB and I don't like working with it for photo work, sometimes I think even my 17" MBP is too small for photo editing, though I don't make a living with photography.
13, 15, or 17, for serious photo work you'd want to work with dual monitors (laptop + external). 13 has the benefit of greater portability for editing while away from home or office -- meaning sorting/culling/determining keepers, not retouching or prepping for print.
PC or Mac will both do this sort of work just fine. Choice is up to you based on which operating system you prefer and whether you value to the build and design of the MBPs vs PC systems. Note that Photoshop is more disk/memory bound than CPU bound outside of converting RAW files or applying batch edits to a large number of files, so pay attention to those performance characteristics when choosing a system than pure CPU specs.
I'd be very surprised if the Time Capsule didn't work with new MBP's since that's an OS dependency not a hardware dependency.
PC or Mac will both do this sort of work just fine. Choice is up to you based on which operating system you prefer and whether you value to the build and design of the MBPs vs PC systems. Note that Photoshop is more disk/memory bound than CPU bound outside of converting RAW files or applying batch edits to a large number of files, so pay attention to those performance characteristics when choosing a system than pure CPU specs.
I'd be very surprised if the Time Capsule didn't work with new MBP's since that's an OS dependency not a hardware dependency.
MBP for sure. For one they have rather good displays for laptop displays. You will probably want some proper external display meant for photo editing though but the displays on the MBP are good enough.
The trackpad is far superior to anything available on any PC laptop and this makes using the laptop much better.
OSX also has better built-in color calibration tools than Windows 7. As for software, if you cannot afford Photoshop (or can't get a student version from school) then the Pixelmator app is inexpensive and can do many of the things Photoshop does. It's actually better written software than Adobe's abortions but doesn't come even close in the features department.
For the record I'm a graphic designer/web developer and do most of my work on a 13" MBP connected to an external display. Works very well.
The trackpad is far superior to anything available on any PC laptop and this makes using the laptop much better.
OSX also has better built-in color calibration tools than Windows 7. As for software, if you cannot afford Photoshop (or can't get a student version from school) then the Pixelmator app is inexpensive and can do many of the things Photoshop does. It's actually better written software than Adobe's abortions but doesn't come even close in the features department.
For the record I'm a graphic designer/web developer and do most of my work on a 13" MBP connected to an external display. Works very well.
I used PC for the last 30 years +
I bought my 1st MBP 6 month ago and love it,BUT..... here and there I find things that not works with the Apple OS, so I add the VMware Fusion and I run WIN 7 too, so when something Comes up I am covered.
If your money is extremely tight and you have no qualms about using Windows, go for a PC, since you can use the savings toward a decent monitor and camera gear (neither of which are cheap).
Of course, it'd be good to check with the school to see what they recommend/require.
Fwiw, I'd prefer a MBP, since they are more stylish and portable than any comparable PC and can run displays at 2560x1600 (which, to my knowledge, most PC laptops are not equipped to do), and imho there's nothing like using a Mac touchpad, especially for editing; I don't even like using mice anymore. However, given that you're a student and are entering a less than lucrative career (sorry to be blunt), it'd be wise to save money where you can.
Of course, it'd be good to check with the school to see what they recommend/require.
Fwiw, I'd prefer a MBP, since they are more stylish and portable than any comparable PC and can run displays at 2560x1600 (which, to my knowledge, most PC laptops are not equipped to do), and imho there's nothing like using a Mac touchpad, especially for editing; I don't even like using mice anymore. However, given that you're a student and are entering a less than lucrative career (sorry to be blunt), it'd be wise to save money where you can.
Not sure that is "playing it safe" with photojournalism coursework - probably something with a little more juice is called for.
I'd go with a PC, simply because there's nothing you'll benefit from if you go mac. I don't see iPhoto helping you and more than Live Photo Gallery will, and I don't see the screen being that big of a deal, as the Macbook Pro's screen isn't anything special. Yes it's nice looking, but it's no IPS screen like you should have for photo editing.
Having said that, OS X is nice and the programs you'll use the most are available for mac and PC. But you'd be better off getting a Dell IPS monitor (roughly $300? )and a PC if money is tight.
Having said that, OS X is nice and the programs you'll use the most are available for mac and PC. But you'd be better off getting a Dell IPS monitor (roughly $300? )and a PC if money is tight.
I would worry more about your camera gear than the decision between a PC or a MBP.
The decision is simple.
Macbook Pro hands down is a better unit, and not just for the fact that OS X is a much better running system, but Mac also runs Windows 7 better than most PC's.
I use Ubuntu, and saw it on a Macbook Pro my friend has. Absolutely destroyed the PC laptop he had it running on.
The decision is simple.
Macbook Pro hands down is a better unit, and not just for the fact that OS X is a much better running system, but Mac also runs Windows 7 better than most PC's.
I use Ubuntu, and saw it on a Macbook Pro my friend has. Absolutely destroyed the PC laptop he had it running on.
mbp 13" buy aperture 3 off the mac app store for $80 and a cheap hp or dell display. you can do that all for around $1300 if you get the lowest mbp model.
That's what I would do too. Actually I don't have a mac but if I had to do mainly research and editing I'd prefer a mbp.
Get the 13" and buy yourself a nice screen (dell U2410 e.g.) for serious work.
I'd specifically recommend AGAINST doing that until the OP is positive what software will be used/required in the photojournalism classes.
It's possible that the classes would use Lightroom 3 since it's on both platforms and Aperture is Mac only. Academic pricing for LR3 is close to the App Store price for Aperture.
Plus the OP might just prefer LR3.
I'd specifically recommend AGAINST doing that until the OP is positive what software will be used/required in the photojournalism classes.
It's possible that the classes would use Lightroom 3 since it's on both platforms and Aperture is Mac only. Academic pricing for LR3 is close to the App Store price for Aperture.
Plus the OP might just prefer LR3.
true true, i forgot about what the class might use. nice catch.
i havent tried LR3. im going to go check it out.