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What Keyboards are you using??

K

Krackle

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 1, 2015
29
4
I mostly work in Photoshop and Lightroom and various other image editing programs

When Im editing in general and particularly editing for print my room lights are dimmed at the computer and I use one light for a proofing station, about 8 feet away

Im in need of a backlit keyboard..
I think I like mechanical keys but not a huge fan of the louder ones
Want good contrast in the labeling on the keys for regular lighting..
I'd also like a couple of USB hubs on the board..
Wired is fine.

..never realized what a Huge market there is out there for keyboards..so many of them it gets bit overwhelming
 
Perhaps consider the Topre Realforce in light grey. Easy to see the legends in dim lighting, pleasant sound, excellent sensation. Works well with Mac.

Backlighting is overrated... if it's dark enough you can't see the legends (assuming they're normal legends), you're probably not doing your eyes any favors staring into the screen.

Take it from someone with around 15 keyboards. :cool:
 
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I immediately thought of this video when reading your question:


The only thing it lacks are the USB ports, but I'm wondering if the actual perfect keyboard even exists, this one might be real close.

- Apple function keys
- Backlit
- Aluminium Apple-like design
- Mechanical
 
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I have three of them. But no backlit.
99570.jpg
 
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I'm using the Apple Wireless Keyboard working with Logic Pro X. I use a Kawai MP 7 digital piano as my main MIDI controller. The Keyboard is light enough that I can set it on the keybed while editing. The piano action is stiff enough so sounds are not triggered while using the Apple keyboard. My Apple Magic Mouse sits on a pad attached to a monitor swivel stand that is positioned vertically next to the front right of the Kawai piano.
 
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joebclash said:
Those are beautiful keyboards but for me dirt gets into the transparent plastic body and it looks really bad. The only thing to do is take them apart and clean it.
Click to expand...

Exactly.

And they are still compatible with every Mac.
 
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sunapple said:
I immediately thought of this video when reading your question:


The only thing it lacks are the USB ports, but I'm wondering if the actual perfect keyboard even exists, this one might be real close.

- Apple function keys
- Backlit
- Aluminium Apple-like design
- Mechanical
Click to expand...

Ha, I actually had hands on this keyboard yesterday..pretty close and Im considering it more today...I found an old USB 2 hub in a drawer and I think I'm going to just use that as my desktop usb2 quick plug port..might go get this..thanks for the video.
[doublepost=1491425393][/doublepost]
Synchro3 said:
I have three of them. But no backlit.
View attachment 695025
Click to expand...


Synchro..what keyboards are these..curious
 
I'm running a Tesoro Gram Spectrum. It's got a metal frame, low profile keys, and the backlighting is adjustable as well from fully illuminated white to completely off.

It DOES NOT have USB ports, but other than that, I am extremely happy with it and would definitely buy another one.
 
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I have a lot of keyboards. More than 15 even! :)

None of them are backlit though. My current favorite one is the Matias Ergo Pro Low Force edition. It's a tentable split keyboard with three USB 2.0 ports and 35g quiet mechanical switches. I also do plenty of photo management and use some Photoshop, but mostly I code software.

Someone mentioned a Topre Realforce. That's always a crowd favorite among people who care to spend over $200 on an input device. I love that board, but I don't see it as a particularly good Photoshop/Lightroom keyboard due to its size. It takes up too much damn room so if you need other input devices it gets crowded.

I also can't use my Realforce for more than a day due to RSI. Most of my keyboard collection is just that now. It's a collection that rarely gets used. The only ones that I can keep using for more than a day at a time without consequence are my low force mechanical ones and (surprisingly) the Apple Bluetooth keyboards.
 
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I've been chasing this keyboard thing for a week or so..Went out today and bought the AZIO MK Mac that Sunapple linked in the video several posts up from here.

Not bad, In tpyring on ti righ tnopw an as yuo cane kee; ut's ectremely accuratd!

kidding

Comfortable key action, not too loud click-wise..resistance in the key travel is perfect for me...light feel, but feels mechanical and comfortable.

The backlight is fine..2 levels of brightness and 'off'

Has a complete Mac key layout..function keys, volume control on the upper right in the form of a wheel, mute button..not something that means much to me..the regular key tap was fine for me. It also has a screen brightness control if you're hooked up to a laptop.

One thing i do NOT like is the way AZIO decided to redesign the graphics on certain keys..all of the combo keys that require SHIFT for the secondary character..forward slash/question mark...colon/semicolon etc..Instead of the traditional format of having the characters/graphics laid out on top of each other..up and down (which coincides with the accepted visual concept of the Shift key combo) They put the characters side by side -next to each other. It is very disconcerting for me..A very good example of trying to fix something that isn't broken..trying to be different for zero functional reason. This kind of thing really grates on me. Im a decent typist but I have to look quite a bit and I find this to be extremely disorienting. We'll see how this settles in i guess?

Other than that it's a decent board..If I had noticed this redesign of those keys when i was checking it out, i probably wouldn't have purchased it.
 
Krackle said:
Im a decent typist but I have to look quite a bit and I find this to be extremely disorienting. We'll see how this settles in i guess?
Click to expand...

How has it settled in? It looks pretty sweet.

Krackle said:
A very good example of trying to fix something that isn't broken..trying to be different for zero functional reason.
Click to expand...

That's practically an Apple maxim. So it seems Azio is just trying to keep in sync. ;)
 
Logitech g910. The latest one. Got it for a great price. I personally found the default brightness too high so reduced it. You can also light individual keys.
 
i use the regular apple numeric keyboard.

the displays light it up.. even when the onscreen content is on the darker side. (and no other ambient light).
(and btw, i'm a heavy keystroke user.. and my main software is cmmdline driven)

i personally don't see the need for backlit keyboards on a desktop. ymmv
 
I have the older white and clear mac keyboards. They've been my favorite and I can use and type faster on them than any other I've tried. I actually bought a box of 10 of them off a university, should last me a while!
 
For backlit keyboards I would recommend the SteelSeries Apex M500. The Apex M500 is a backlit mechanical keyboard with Cherry red switches ($99 US). I have been using this keyboard with my 2014 MacBook Pro 15" for nearly a year now, and it has been great. SteelSeries provides software for Mac and Windows, called SteelSeries Engine, that allows a person to customize the keyboard and its functions. For example I used the SteelSeries Engine to make the control, option, and command keys match a typical Mac layout instead of a Windows keyboard layout.

Cherry red switches, which can be found on other mechanical keyboards as well, are very smooth, fast, and have no "click" sound to them. Additional, each key cap can be removed and a rubber O-rings can be added to make sure the key does not touch the bottom of the keyboard when pressed; which is called bottoming out. The noise of a mechanical mostly comes from the possible click of the key switch, and the key being pressed all the way down to where it hits the keyboard. I type very hard, so I often press the key all the way down, but mechanical keyboards' keys pick up the signal once the key is pressed about half-way down. I added the rubber O-rings simply because of the way I type, but it may not be an issue for others. For me, the keyboard is only slightly louder then my MacBook Pro keyboard.

The Apex M500 backlit keys can be adjusted for different levels of brightness, but the only color is blue. If you want more color options, then the Razor BlackWidow Chroma is a good option ($169.99 US). I have the BlackWidow Chroma with the orange switches and can confirm it works with Mac. The neat thing about the BlackWidow Chroma is that a person can individual pick a color for each key on the keyboard, and even have it switch color profiles depending on which app is being used. The software to run the keyboard is called Razer Synapse, and Razer keeps the Mac drivers updated pretty consistently.
 
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I just use the apple wired keyboard with num pad. Works for me. has USB 2.0 ports, but not backlit.
 
I use a Logitech G710+. It has the Cherry Brown keys. I like the feel. I have the brightness turned down quite a bit. It's great for use in a dark room.

Lou
 
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