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11/27/2006 09:05:33 PM · #1 |
OK, I am contemplating getting a Mac for my photography purposes and have some questions. First of all, I am not a professional photographer and have no idea if I ever will be or even want to be. However, I would like to and have been asked many, many times to perhaps do photography on the side for extra cash. That being said, my PC is rather old and beginning to be stretched to it's limits with regards to the photography I do now which is just for me. I am really not all that computer knowledgeable to being with. I know a few things, but over all I don't know a ton. That being said I'd like to get thoughts and opinions on the different Macs and what suits my needs.
Mini Mac - Are these a joke as far as imaging is concerned, or are mini Macs just as good, only on a smaller scale? The one I was looking at had these specs:
1.83Ghz Intel Core Duo
2GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM
160GB Serial ATA drive
Intel GMA 950 graphics processor with 64MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with main memory
For a low scale photographer, would that be a good purchase? I shoot mostly RAW and while 160GB is much more than I have now, I know eventually I'll want/need more. Are Mini Macs upgradeable or not?
iMac - How about these? Are they good for photography purposes? I am leery of the computer internals being contained in the same place as the monitor, but maybe there is no merit in that. Are these upgradeable? Here are the specs on the one I was looking at:
2.33 Ghz Intel Core Duo
2GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM
250/500GB Serial ATA Drive
ATI Radeon X1600/256MB VRAM
Mac Pro - This is obviously the best option and one I am considering too, but is more out there. I'm really more interested in everyone's thoughts on the other two as I know this one will fit my needs. I just don't know if I want that much debt. ;-)
(I will be keeping my PC and using it for online and other non photography related stuff.)
Message edited by author 2006-11-27 21:06:21. |
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11/27/2006 09:13:29 PM · #2 |
If it's between the two...go with the iMac. The mini has too few upgrade capabilities. I purchased my G5 from MacMall and added the peripherals like a nice 21 inch ViewSonic monitor from CompUSA. Go to www.macmall.com
They have great deals. You won't go wrong once you start playing with iPhoto and Aperture. In fact, you might be speechless. |
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11/27/2006 09:16:20 PM · #3 |
Originally posted by Bosborne:
If it's between the two...go with the iMac. The mini has too few upgrade capabilities. I purchased my G5 from MacMall and added the peripherals like a nice 21 inch ViewSonic monitor from CompUSA. Go to www.macmall.com
They have great deals. You won't go wrong once you start playing with iPhoto and Aperture. In fact, you might be speechless. |
Ok, thanks. BTW, what is Aperture? Is it kinda like a Mac version of Photoshop? |
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11/27/2006 09:17:10 PM · #4 |
I'm not a professional photographer either, but I got the iMac in August, pretty much the setup you describe above, and I absolutely love it for editing pictures! The clarity is fantastic, and it's so easy to use.
My one puzzle with it though is that some images edited on the Mac look a bit washed out when I look at them on my daughter's (Windows, older CRT, yes, I'm a bad mom, she gets the lesser computer) computer. |
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11/27/2006 09:17:23 PM · #5 |
If anything, the Mac Mini is more upgradeable than the iMac (because you can change the monitor or stack a matching external drive under it), but the iMac is far better for photo editing for several reasons:
Video card- (puts GMA video to shame in Aperture)
Monitor- (probably a better one than you'd add if you're being frugal with a Mini)
Processor- Core 2 Duo is about 30-40% faster than Core Duo
Message edited by author 2006-11-27 21:19:35. |
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11/27/2006 09:19:28 PM · #6 |
i used one of the iMacs that had the monitor on a stick (the 17" one with the little dome for the computer) for 3 years while working at a marketing agency. i have said before and will say again that it was hands-down the best computer i ever EVER used. i did all kinds of photoshop and video production with that puppy.
i don't know much about the mac mini's, but i'm thinking that the shared memory might be an issue and could slow down your graphics performance.
two other tips:
if you are a student, or know a friendly student, you get 10% off almost everything at Apple.
if you get the iMac, i personally recommend the applecare plan. it seems pricey, but if your monitor goes out your whole computer goes out so it's worth it in the end.
FINALLY, last spring a friend of mine bought a new 20" iMac at Costco. it was a competitive price with the Apple store and it came with the applecare for FREE ($300 value) and was an unbelievable bargain. if i didn't have $1500 worth of pc-based adobe software sitting around, i would have done it myself. |
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11/27/2006 09:21:32 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by breadfan35:
what is Aperture? Is it kinda like a Mac version of Photoshop? |
Not quite. It's mostly an organizer, but does have some good editing functionality. Its main purpose is to sort and manipulate RAW images as easily as you would JPEGs. |
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11/27/2006 09:24:28 PM · #8 |
Originally posted by ursula:
some images edited on the Mac look a bit washed out when I look at them on my daughter's... computer. |
LCD monitors tend to have more contrast than CRTs, so what looks completely black on your iMac can show up as gray on a CRT. I sometimes make the image a bit darker for this reason. |
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11/27/2006 09:27:16 PM · #9 |
| Interesting. So I take it the iMacs are not upgradeable as far as hard drives and such? (I assume externals HD's are doable)How many USB ports does it have? And I keep hearing all this stuff about fire wire. Do iMacs support fire wire? |
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11/27/2006 09:34:10 PM · #10 |
The 20" and 24" iMacs come with 250gb hard drives and can be upgraded to 500gb or 750gb (respectively) if you custom order from the Apple Store, but an external Firewire drive will be cheaper and easier to move/secure.
ALL modern Macs have Firewire ports, but the 24" model adds the faster Firewire 800. Complete specs are here. I'm hoping to get a 24" model myself in the next month or two. |
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