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which macbook for photographer?

interpunct

interpunct

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 2, 2008
22
0
portland, or
I'm looking to upgrade from my G4 12" iBook - it's almost four years old, so it's about time! However, I'm having a hard time reasoning which notebook would be the best choice. I work with RAW files in Photoshop, mainly, haven't really gotten into Aperture or Lightroom, but RAW does take a good deal of power to deal with in editing.

Initially I thought I'd just upgrade to the new aluminum Macbook, but I'm a little disappointed with the display quality on it after seeing it in the Apple Store. I looked at the "old" 17" Macbook Pros that they still had out, and that screen was really beautiful, which got me thinking about a refurb 15" Macbook Pro. In that case, my only issue is portability, but I think I could handle it. The NVIDIA issue is worrisome, but as long as it's covered by Apple, I figure it's okay(?).

What would you all recommend? New/old Macbook, new/old Macbook Pro? Thanks!
 
You need FireWire 800 for UDMA Compact Flash readers (at UDMA speed, that is).
 
I'm using an Early 2008 MBP since it was announced.... and I love it.

Perfect machine.

I sold it before the latest announcement, was disappointed mostly by the glossy screen, and re-bought the same machine (well, same model).

You'll love it.
 
digitalfrog said:
I'm using an Early 2008 MBP since it was announced.... and I love it.

Perfect machine.

I sold it before the latest announcement, was disappointed mostly by the glossy screen, and re-bought the same machine (well, same model).

You'll love it.
Click to expand...

That sounds perfect. I'm loving the new price tag on those machines, too! To me, they are much nicer to look at than the new ones. :p
 
interpunct said:
Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I just use my camera's USB cord to get things off of my flash cards. Good thing to consider, though, for some.
Click to expand...

Think of the battery life saved by transferring files via card reader vs camera cable. Particularly if yours is an older USB 1.1 camera, with slow-w-w transfer rates.

As to the laptop, my MBP was built in August, and while it doesn't have that new design shine, I'm happy to have my FW400 and 800 ports and matte screen. The refurb'd 15" MBP would be a great machine for the next few years.
 
Even if the camera is USB 2.0 high speed normally they don't transfer as fast as a card reader.

I have FireWire 400 as the only port in my Kodak 14n, but it doesn't transfer pics through that.

Anyway, I don't like having a camera on the desk tethered to the computer. I always have in the back of my mind that it could fall to the floor.

But I also don't like inserting a Compact Flash card repeatedly, because there's a chance of bending the pins in the camera.
 
just to entertain my budget, what would be the big difference between an old mbp 2.4 ghz and an old mb 2.4 ghz?

obviously the different graphic cards, and i'm sure the display panels are different, but otherwise the specs look rather similar. :confused:
 
interpunct said:
just to entertain my budget, what would be the big difference between an old mbp 2.4 ghz and an old mb 2.4 ghz?

obviously the different graphic cards, and i'm sure the display panels are different, but otherwise the specs look rather similar. :confused:
Click to expand...

The MBP has FW800 and ExpressCard slot. With the ExpressCard you could do different thinks, for example adding eSATA, or maybe EDGE or 3G connectivity.
 
interpunct said:
Initially I thought I'd just upgrade to the new aluminum Macbook, but I'm a little disappointed with the display quality on it after seeing it in the Apple Store. I looked at the "old" 17" Macbook Pros that they still had out, and that screen was really beautiful, which got me thinking about a refurb 15" Macbook Pro. In that case, my only issue is portability, but I think I could handle it. The NVIDIA issue is worrisome, but as long as it's covered by Apple, I figure it's okay(?).

What would you all recommend? New/old Macbook, new/old Macbook Pro? Thanks!
Click to expand...

Different screen resolutions.
 
interpunct said:
just to entertain my budget, what would be the big difference between an old mbp 2.4 ghz and an old mb 2.4 ghz?

obviously the different graphic cards, and i'm sure the display panels are different, but otherwise the specs look rather similar. :confused:
Click to expand...

If you are dissapointed with new MB's screens you really should never look at old ones, otherwise you'll have a heart attack! O_O Those were terrible
 
eXan said:
If you are dissapointed with new MB's screens you really should never look at old ones, otherwise you'll have a heart attack! O_O Those were terrible
Click to expand...

really? my girlfriend has had one for a while and the screen looks fine to me; the viewing angles aren't the best, but the same goes for my old ibook too. maybe i should take her macbook into the apple store to compare with the new macbook, it may be that they're both the same, but that they just look worse in the store.
 
Maybe yours was (if you had one anyways).
The screens on the 2 MBP I had (both Early 2008) are excellent.



eXan said:
If you are dissapointed with new MB's screens you really should never look at old ones, otherwise you'll have a heart attack! O_O Those were terrible
Click to expand...
 
Call me crazy, but if you iBook is standing up to what you need it for, I can't imagine a new MacBook would be anything but a huge step forward...
 
munckee said:
Call me crazy, but if you iBook is standing up to what you need it for, I can't imagine a new MacBook would be anything but a huge step forward...
Click to expand...

that's very true, i don't know why i didn't think of it that way. i'm still debating, but at least if i do end up getting the macbook, i can save that extra $300 or so to put toward a nice new external display.
 
interpunct said:
that's very true, i don't know why i didn't think of it that way. i'm still debating, but at least if i do end up getting the macbook, i can save that extra $300 or so to put toward a nice new external display.
Click to expand...

If it helps, I do professional print design and amateur photo work as well...my last computer was a 2.0 Macbook and I'm planning to purchase a 2.0 Alu MacBook soon...
 
munckee said:
If it helps, I do professional print design and amateur photo work as well...my last computer was a 2.0 Macbook and I'm planning to purchase a 2.0 Alu MacBook soon...
Click to expand...

that does help, thanks for chiming in! i'm assuming you use an external display, though? i'm hoping to invest in a new(ish) one soon.
 
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