Photographers with Airs (esp the M2): How do you like it?

[GooseInTheCaboose]

If you do lots of photography (whether for hobby or work) and use a MacBook Air (especially an M2) how do you like it?

Is it powerful enough to serve as your only computer? Or do you find you need a more powerful desktop for editing videos etc, or for storing a big library locally?

Speaking of storing a big photo/video library, what are your strategies for doing this with a MBA? Do you store it internally or externally? iCloud?

Overall do you think the MBA is a good choice if you do lots of photography and want a lightweight computer? Or do you think the 14" is necessary--*despite the added weight/bulk*?

 

[Ray2]

M1 8/16 w/2TB drive. Custom build, maxed out i7 iMac gone. Works fine, I’d call it a draw performance wise, no noise, no heat, portability means 1 less machine to maintain.

 

[CE3]

I store my photos externally and the M1 Air w/ 16 GB of RAM has performed well for my workflow.

I process very large 42-61MP RAW files with Camera RAW, Photoshop & Luminar (with Photoshop & Luminar both running off Rosetta because of the Luminar plug-in I use) without issue. It does not replace my 2020 iMac, which has the superior display, but it handles everything I throw at it just about as well. And that’s impressive because my iMac is rocking 64GB of RAM and a 16GB GPU.

The display is its biggest downside. At night it will bother my eyes after an hour or so. And the default color profile (for the M1 at least) is too desaturated. I recently found switching to the sRGB profile gets it much closer to what I see on my iMac.. so that’s one tip I’d offer, especially if it’s going to be your only machine, unless you want lots of surprises for print.

Overall though it’s been great for my needs. Excellent battery life, great performance, ultra portable, and ultra quiet.