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05/24/2005 10:55:26 AM · #1 |
I am going to be making the dive into being paid for photography! What I am looking for is a good laptop/notebook that I can take with me to shoots and show clients proofs right then and there.
I have a PC at home (desktop) and would prefer to stay with a PC format. I know that I will need a lot of RAM and such. Just wondering what you all use and looking for any suggestions.
Thanks,
Carisa |
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05/24/2005 11:26:11 AM · #2 |
Originally posted by carisakD70:
...I have a PC at home (desktop) and would prefer to stay with a PC format... |
Why? If you bought a PowerBook G4 like this one, which is probably the best value for your purpose, the file formats would be completely compatible.
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05/24/2005 11:55:51 AM · #3 |
The file formats might be the same, but you'd have to get used to a whole new operating environment not to mention software costs - for example, I know that Adobe will let you have Photoshop installed on 2 machines for one person (in this instance, a desktop and laptop PC) but I believe that only applies for one version (Windows or Mac).
Leaving aside the predictable "Windows is the devil" "No Macs are the devil" side of the thread... ;-)
Personally I got the Acer Travelmate 3201XMi; it's got a good clear screen, enough hard disk space to keep us going for a very long trip, and a DVD burner for added-paranoia copies of images as we go. It's more than capable of on-the-road stuff, and wasn't too expensive.
It's tempting to look at the uber-powerful 'desktop replacement' type laptops but for us, size and weight was an issue; the Acer was a good comprimise.
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05/24/2005 11:57:01 AM · #4 |
yep I agree I have a powerbook and love it, I have the 12" with a superdrive (DVD-R) . They are great nice and small, not to big or heavy to carry along with my camera equipment.
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05/24/2005 11:58:53 AM · #5 |
I always recommend Dell's laptops, get the warranty and you will have next day service, even if you drop it. I had my system fixed a couple of times because of my doing, all for free.
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05/24/2005 12:12:27 PM · #6 |
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05/24/2005 12:26:53 PM · #7 |
i love my toshiba
I had a dell before that and it was awesome :)
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05/24/2005 12:36:31 PM · #8 |
Originally posted by ganders:
The file formats might be the same, but you'd have to get used to a whole new operating environment not to mention software costs... |
Well... I'm not convinced. I took a Photoshop course in a Windows environment recently. To me it was outright painful. I spent more time navigating, minimizing and maximizing than actually working on shots. Eventually I brought a PowerBook to class and finished my assignments before anyone else.
As to additional software purchases, yes, this may be true to some extent. On the other hand, plenty of useful software comes installed on a Mac free of charge, in contrast with what you'd get with a new PC.
Message edited by author 2005-05-24 12:40:16.
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05/24/2005 12:43:28 PM · #9 |
my husband just got me a toshiba as i am in bed an awful lot with back probs....it was about 500 us after rebate...all w did was add ram to it so ps doesnt crash....it comes with a cd burner and 3 usb ports and a 40gig hd
i luvs my lap top.....
its a satellite m35x-s114 |
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05/24/2005 12:43:45 PM · #10 |
I have a wide variety of PCs at home running windows and linux, but all of my photography is done on my 15" mac powerbook. I paid for a crossover license of photoshop, but the iLife tools that came with the powerbook are very nice for organizing your photographs and extending into slide shows or short videos. The powerbook is a beautful piece of industrial engineering and I find working with it to be both enjoyable and motivational.
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05/24/2005 12:44:22 PM · #11 |
You could go for something like the Acer laptop / Tablet with a pen that works on the screen. (Like this: Acer )
It'd really impress clients! And the pen would be handy for any editing.
Message edited by author 2005-05-24 12:46:51. |
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05/24/2005 12:57:11 PM · #12 |
Originally posted by PollyBean:
You could go for something like the Acer laptop / Tablet with a pen that works on the screen. (Like this: Acer )
It'd really impress clients! And the pen would be handy for any editing. |
Yes, I have the Gateway M275XL (or is that 375XL?) which is a convertible tablet. I think it's great. Good screen, handy to use in tablet mode, handy to be able to use it in regular laptop mode.
I think the Mac versus PC issue is whatever you are "used to". It would slow you down, and require relearning, to switch either way. Both platforms have their strengths.
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05/24/2005 01:14:39 PM · #13 |
$1,899.00 cheapest Mac Powerbook???
For $1,500 you can get a 17" PC laptop if you looked around. And I mean name brand (Toshiba, etc). Of course for a Mac that same unit will run you $3,999 ???? YIKES!!!!
I myself have a Toshiba P25 Satellite (17" widescreen). This has been a great machine. Only issues to date:
a) power adapter plug is loose and doesn't make a strong connection. getting it fixed under warranty.
b) recently ran out of hard drive space. however newer models have double the space I have.
I'd caution against Dell right now. Their ordering service is a NIGHTMARE.
"To me it was outright painful. I spent more time navigating, minimizing and maximizing than actually working on shots."
[[[Guess you didn't know you could easily ALT-TAB between two windows? Sorry...just don't buy this statement. Please explain "what" Mac offered that allowed you to avoid toggling between windows?
Sorry, it's just that I've been dealing with Mac fan-boys since 1990's and most of what they say is a lack of knowledge. I remember back in 1993 when the Mac lab IT presenter explained how unlike PCs "Mac's can multi-task". I explained to them... Windows allowed multi-tasking. Their response was "what...solatair and Wordpad maybe". And I explained to them that I was multi-tasking Wordperfect, QuatroPro and CorelDraw 2.0 on my 386 DX/33 with 8megs of RAM. And I'd like to see a Macintosh do the same. And yes at the time that was a decent amount of RAM (equivalent to 512mg+ today). But I also pointed out it was extremely cheap to add that RAM to a PC compared to a Mac.
And it has been pretty consistant that if you took just 20% of the cost savings of buying a PC instead of a Mac and dump that directly into a RAM upgrade then you get a very fast and stable working environment.
Example: I spent $1,500 for my 17". With comparable features to Apple's 17" for $3,999. 20% of the savings would be $500...for that much I could get 2gigs of RAM for a Windows laptop. And still have $250 of that 20% difference.
]]]
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05/24/2005 01:20:30 PM · #14 |
| I have and recommend a Dell, but I suggest you opt for at least a sxga screen, and get the P4 with Hyperthreading not the celeron. |
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05/24/2005 01:24:10 PM · #15 |
Toshibas ROCK, going on 2 years now and not a single problem, shoot live sporting events and often capture 5000+ pics a day to the laptop. keeps on going strong.
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05/24/2005 01:27:24 PM · #16 |
Originally posted by theSaj:
$1,899.00 cheapest Mac Powerbook???...
"To me it was outright painful. I spent more time navigating, minimizing and maximizing than actually working on shots."
[[[Guess you didn't know you could easily ALT-TAB between two windows? Sorry...just don't buy this statement. Please explain "what" Mac offered that allowed you to avoid toggling between windows? ... |
Not quite. The above link points to the Canadian Apple site. The price you quote is in CDN $. US prices are here.
-OS X has Exposé.
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05/24/2005 01:29:49 PM · #17 |
My experience with Toshiba must be an anomoly...
It started shutting off randomly while under warranty.
Toshiba insisted it was user abuse.
I asked for evidence that it was user abuse (scratches/dents). How did you come to that conclusion?
They said that they define that particular problem as user abuse (because it supposedly does not normally happen) and will not fix it under warranty, they had no evidence of user abuse.
I contacted the BBB, called every Toshiba number I could find, and started a web site with direct quotes we got from Toshiba people we talked to, before they finally agreed to fix it (only after we emailed the web site to a Toshiba exec asking him to fact check it before we sent it to the search engines).
Less then a year later, now the same problem has come back.
If anyone needs it for parts I'll be putting it on Ebay soon.
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05/24/2005 03:53:10 PM · #18 |
My bad...
Only $1,499.00 for 12" and only $2,699.00 for the 17". Which equates to only an $1,200 difference.
So 20% of the savings is $240. Which is enough to upgrade the laptop to 2gigs via 3rd party memory sellers.
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05/24/2005 04:03:39 PM · #19 |
Originally posted by zeuszen:
Well... I'm not convinced. I took a Photoshop course in a Windows environment recently. To me it was outright painful. I spent more time navigating, minimizing and maximizing than actually working on shots. Eventually I brought a PowerBook to class and finished my assignments before anyone else.
As to additional software purchases, yes, this may be true to some extent. On the other hand, plenty of useful software comes installed on a Mac free of charge, in contrast with what you'd get with a new PC. |
It depends entirely on what software you already own - I already own Photoshop CS2 on Windows; if I were to get a Mac laptop as I read Adobe's licensing I would have to go buy a Mac version of Photoshop.
I'm puzzled by your comments; I had understood that Photoshop was basically identical on Windows and Mac environments - perhaps I had heard wrong. Regardless, if you're only used to one environment then taking on the other involves a significant learning curve for questionable benefit.
All this is fairly meaningless anyway; the original poster said quite explicitly that they wanted to stick to Windows so I'm not quite sure what the traditional Mac/Linux/ evangalism really achieves... |
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05/24/2005 04:12:40 PM · #20 |
Originally posted by Ram21:
I always recommend Dell's laptops, get the warranty and you will have next day service, even if you drop it. I had my system fixed a couple of times because of my doing, all for free. |
I have owned Dell's Inspirion 600m and IBM Thinkpad T41 and I can say the feel and built of ibm is much better than the Dell. Dell is cheaper and you get more for your money, but I prefer the IBM built. It looks more professional :)
Also Dell doesn't have anything 1" thick. the minimum they go is 1.2" I think. |
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05/24/2005 04:16:33 PM · #21 |
| i have a pc and recently got a 12" g4 powerbook. its fine using both types although I hate using my pc now, because of the ease of the apple. As far as file compatibility I've had pretty much no problems. There are also employer or student discounts you cant forget, which can bring down the price of the powerbooks. Also, the less expensive apple i books are good for the money too. |
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05/24/2005 04:23:17 PM · #22 |
I got myself a second hand Toshiba Portege. Very small and only 1.5 kg - it rocks!
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05/24/2005 04:28:43 PM · #23 |
Originally posted by gaurawa:
I have owned Dell's Inspirion 600m and IBM Thinkpad T41 and I can say the feel and built of ibm is much better than the Dell. Dell is cheaper and you get more for your money, but I prefer the IBM built. It looks more professional :)
Also Dell doesn't have anything 1" thick. the minimum they go is 1.2" I think. |
That's funny. I have a Thinkpad and I think it's ugly as heck. However, I much prefer the trackpoint mouse to the...whatever the other one is called. IBM has both but you can no longer get the trackpoint on a Dell. |
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05/24/2005 04:57:39 PM · #24 |
Originally posted by ganders:
It depends entirely on what software you already own - I already own Photoshop CS2 on Windows; if I were to get a Mac laptop as I read Adobe's licensing I would have to go buy a Mac version of Photoshop.
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If you call Adobe you can a cross-over license which is much less than buying a new version. If you time it right, you can probably get for about the same price as your normal upgrade to CS2.
Originally posted by ganders:
I'm puzzled by your comments; I had understood that Photoshop was basically identical on Windows and Mac environments - perhaps I had heard wrong. Regardless, if you're only used to one environment then taking on the other involves a significant learning curve for questionable benefit.
All this is fairly meaningless anyway; the original poster said quite explicitly that they wanted to stick to Windows so I'm not quite sure what the traditional Mac/Linux/ evangalism really achieves... |
The original poster said that they "prefered" to stick with Windows platform. I still recommended the powerbook because I have found it to be a far better tool than my ThinkPad or my Desktop PC for photography. I would make the same polite recommendation to my very best friend... no offense intended here.
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05/24/2005 05:06:50 PM · #25 |
I can only speak from my work experience. I do technology support for one of the largest school systems in the US. We only use Dell Laptops for our mobile technology and these machines are used everyday by kids from 5-18 and they just keep on working considering the abuse they get. We only purchase the Dell Latitude the newest version is the 610.
We have tried using all the other brands including the Powerbooks but they all paled in comparison to the Dell.
To give you an idea we have about 10,000 laptops in our inventory.
Good Luck!!
Karen
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