What's a Photographer's Favorite Laptop?

<p><em>IF</em> you do get a mac, buy it with the smallest hard drive and least amount of ram that the Apple store will allow. Then, head over to <a href="http://www.macsales.com/">MacSales.com</a> and buy your extra ram and bigger hard drive to save money. Apple often charges too much for their ram and hard drives. You get a bigger hard drive (plus keep the one that came in the computer as a spare) and you can send them in the ram that came with the computer for a rebate, and still come out way ahead. There are instructional videos that show how to change out the ram and hard drive on a Macbook/Macbook Pro, and a 12 year old could literally do it in five minutes. Happy shopping.</p>

<p>I recommend the computer I use.</p>

<p>Whatever you choose, I would recommend researching the graphics card of the laptops you consider, since he is going to be using it to work with photos. I would also recommend focusing on the amount of RAM and the amount of hard drive space. That said, personally I have had an HP dv5t, for the past year, use it often for Adobe Bridge and Photoshop, with large digital photo files, and it's been fast, smooth, and great. I'm definitely no expert, and also not an HP salesperson, it's just what I know, but to give you an example: Comparing the prices of an HP laptop (the current dv6t as an example) and an Apple MacBook Pro, it looks possible to get 4GB of RAM, a <a href="http://xtreview.com/addcomment-id-12027-view-Nvidia-320M-and-330M.html">roughly equivalent graphics card,</a> an <a href="http://www.intel.com/consumer/products/Processors/corei7.htm">Intel Core i7 processor</a> vs. Apple MacBook Pro's <a href="http://www.intel.com/consumer/products/processors/corei5.htm">i5 processor</a>, 640 GB hard drive vs. <a href="http://store.apple.com/us/configure/MC372LL/A?mco=MTc0Njg1ODg">Apple's 500GB</a>, for $1350 vs Apple's $1999. However, the new HPs are using Windows 7. I don't know anything about Windows 7 and whether your software, printers and other stuff will be compatible. I would research that. Also, Apple does seem to be favored by some and I'm sure they are great machines. It's just for me personally, that $600+ difference in price for an (arguably) better product, with a better processor and more memory space, is not outweighed by fear of viruses or other such considerations.<br>

Good luck.</p>

<p>17 inch MBP :). </p>

<p>Thank you everyone - there's some really good information here! I've got lots to think about. I'm beginning to like your idea Vail, about putting a couple photos in an envelope and having him go look and choose. Thanks too Senor C. for your input on tax deductibility -- giving him the money to purchase it directly would be wise! He currently uses a PC (as do I), so there would be somewhat of a learning curve, but he has mentioned several times that if money weren't an object, he'd go to a Mac. Right now, money <em>is </em>an object since we're paying for our wedding/honeymoon expenses -- btw, eloping in July to Napa Valley and having a private ceremony overlooking the vineyards of Calistoga! Anyone out there wanna offer their services pro bono? nah, didn't think so .... I truly appreciate everyone's involvement in this forum, you've been a world of help.</p>

Alot of odd responses here, considering your specific request on Apr 21, 2010; 10:09 a.m. for Windows platform suggestions. If you need validation on your camp in this flame war, I can perhaps help you out. I'm a Windows user, not because of pride, but mainly because of convenience. It's alot cheaper to use Windows than Mac. I have no brand envy, no brand loyalty. Never have...never will. The problem with Windows is that they periodically release trash. Later they fix it. Windows XP was trash, and then they fixed it. XP SP2 is rock solid. Then they released Vista, which was trash. Then they fixed it. Vista SP1 is also rock solid. Now it's Windows 7, trash again, but nearly as good as Vista SP1. I can't wait until they release the Service Pack for Win7.

 

If you're using Windows already on two machines, yours and your fiance's, then it doesn't make sense to get him a Mac out of the blue. First of all, they cost between 2 and 3 times the money for the same performance. Second of all, at their best, they do exactly what a Windows PC does. So if you stack a $1,200 Windows Super-PC next to a $3,000 Mac Pro Super-Mac, you get the same performance, same reliability, same everything. They're just the same. Shame on everyone here for heralding the MacBook as the PC of the Gods. It's just a stupid computer. That's all it is. Especially considering that the OP readily admits she can't afford one. It's like recommending a Maserati to someone who just wants a Corvette.

 

Dell makes fine laptops. So does Sony. So does Toshiba. So does Panasonic. So does Asus. So does Lenovo. HP sucks. Acer sucks. Gateway sucks.

 

See this article at SquareTrade for reliability study data: http://www.squaretrade.com/pages/laptop-reliability-1109/

 

Best idea: let him pick it out himself.

<p>FYI, most software companies who offer a MAC version, will transfer your liscence from PC to MAC. I have done it a few times with Adobe and such.</p>

<p>As for the cost of a MAC... </p>

<p>http://store.apple.com/us/product/FB991LL/A?mco=MTA4MzQ4MzM</p>

<p>Its not so much that I am brand loyal, just recommending something that works well. I have used PC's since 82 and loved many of them, despite crashes etc. I began my MAC journey in the late 90's and finally started to use it for work in 03. Since then, I had PC's for working some things till last year. So, its not brand loyalty, just what works well.</p>

<p>As an aside; If you choose PC based laptop, my three Toshiba laptops are all over three years old and working perfectly. The batteries are about dead, but that is to be expected IMO.</p>

<p> </p>

Just to show both sides of the story, here's another example for reference to the cost of a PC:

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220634

 

That PC has much the same specs as the MBP listed above, except it also has a larger HDD, more commodious screen, and better graphics card, but costs $340 less, and it's even brand new, not refurbished. I'm honestly not trying to say it's better, but it's at least equal, and it is certainly cheaper.

<p>I use both a MAC and a PC desktop and I understand the pros and cons of both OS. However, for the biggest bang for the buck in terms of construction quality in a PC, tactile feel of the keyboard, performance and I/Os, I'd suggest a near top of the line Lenovo ThinkPad laptop with Intel i5 or i7 processors and a 7200 rpm hard drive. With Windows 7 64 bit, it will fly and for a lot less money than a Mac Pro laptop with a far more extensivearray of inputs/outputs. With a good (free) antivirus program and (free) maintenance program to automatically run in the background for viruses and to do scheduled registry cleanups (much the same as Mac Mechanic), the entire perpetuated issue of slow downs and crashes with a PC, especially with Windows 7, is nonsense.</p>

<p>I have just bought a Dell Studio 15.4" with Windows 7 and am so far very happy with it. When you go to the Dell website you can select the basic model you want and then customise it (processor, disc size, RAM etc). The picture is bright and clear and a good resolution. I am using it for pre-viewing pictures, viewing/sorting on the road, maybe doing tethered shooting and basic manipulation - I am leaving critical processing to the desktop. I run 3GB RAM with an i3 processor and I load all my pictures to external hard drive so hold very little on the laptop disc itself (save a bit of money on the hard disc size to pay for the external drive). I am a casual shooter and its performance suits me just fine. My only gripe is the screen ratio: my old laptop was a very ancient 15.4" at 4:3 ratio. Nearly all laptops now are widescreen (for the movie brigade) so the vertical dimension is smaller and this limits the size of the picture I can see in Zoom Browser/PSE. But there's no way round it (other than buy a 17") so I live with it.</p>

<p>I have only ever used PCs so I have no particular view on PC vs Mac. But I don't agree with John Deerfields comment 'No need for antivirus' on Macs - they are starting to appear and are catching out some people in a big way.</p>

 

<p>I have a 15" Dell with Vista, well configured. I bought it because it was more affordible than a Macbook Pro and that money was better spent on a photo trip. My son haas a MacBook Pro so we get to compare.</p>

<p>Neither has been perfect and it took me nearly a year to get the touchpad on the Dell to work correctly which was ultimately a software fix. Typing with a jumping cursor is a real pain in the a__. I never had any previous problems with Dell computers but I was literally ready to take a sledge hammer to it!</p>

<p>The Dell display is great but you better look at a perfect angle. The Mac is much better on this point.</p>

<p>In the end I don't think there is a huge difference between the Mac and Dell. Both are highly useable. As much as I like the Mac, they are so similar, I think the choice is not a big deal. No reason to go ballistic over the choice. Personally, I fell the Mac is better and even with a software fix, the Dell trackpad is inferior to the Mac trackpad. Apple really got that right. Even so, I am not sure which I would buy again.</p>

<p>I would suggest taking him to a Mac Superstore where he can try a variety of computers, loaded with software. The guys in the Genius Bar and salesmen and women know their product very well. I am not so sure I would trust the geeks in the Geek Squad at Best Buy, nor the salesmen. Just my opinion.</p>

 

I would certainly look for a laptop with last year's 16:10 aspect ratio, rather than this year's 16:9 aspect ratio. It makes a world of difference. The new look might be great for lightweight, portable laptops for kids who watch movies more than anything else, but they suck for work. Mac, to their credit, has refused to adopt the new TV-craze inspired format in spite of overwhelming wide-spread conversion in the PC sector. The change was only brought about in the first place by TV makers' desire to use the same screens for both TV's and PC's for cost-savings. No other reason than that. They aren't ergonomic, they aren't comfortable. They are simply cheaper to build.

<p>Another vote for the Mac. If only for the vastly reduced (still) possibilities of getting malware, spyware, viruses, anti-viruses and all kinds of garbage eating up all of your resources. This leaves you more processor cycles and memory allocations available to the apps you produce with.</p>

<p>I use a Mac but every now and then I have to go back to Windows. Seven, its latest version seems stable and nice but it requires hefty hardware. As for XP it's ubiquitous now so there's nothing I can tell that you don't already know.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>'No need for antivirus' on Macs - they are starting to appear and are catching out some people in a big way</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>This simply isn't the case. There are no known viruses for OS X other than proof of concept attacks and even then I am fairly certain that the attackers had the Admin password. Now phishing is a different story and one that is platform independent. If you give out your personal information for whatever reason, then that isn't the fault of the computer and there isn't any software to protect you. I am sure it is possible to attack the Mac OS, but for the past 10-years anyway, Mac OS X has trumped Windows in security related issues. Some will say that is because Apple has such a smaller market share. To that I say... So? I enjoy a more secure system because Apple sells few computers. GREAT!</p>

Mac VS PC is still not the topic of the day. Maybe another day. I believe the OP wanted to know which PCs worked well for people, or other experiences with certain PCs. It's hard to get a derailed train back on its tracks...

<p>Used Dell laptops in years past with ok results. I started using a 15" MBP (refurbished) early last year and just love it. Who knows, I might feel the same way about something running Windows 7 now, but there's no need at present. Just my $.02. Good luck with whatever you choose.</p>

<p>Wow. lots of good responses.<br>

I'd ask him if he's got a way to backup his pictures. If not, maybe look at an external backup solution for him. You don't want him crying on your shoulder when his computer breaks and he looses all his images.<br>

Otherwise... if he's got a PC, there's nothing wrong with PC's. If he want's to learn something new... there's nothing wrong with Mac's either... just get a Core i5 or i7 model with at least 2 Gigs of ram and decent specs.... maybe a SSD would be nice. ( Solid State Disk)</p>

<p>I'm thinking if he's been doing this for 10 years and does not have a laptop - he probably doesn't want a laptop. silly me.</p>

<p>Victoria--when is the wedding?</p>

<p>definitely going with macintosh next time, after 20+ years with PCs.<br />the anti-virus routine just wastes too much time. life's too short.</p>

<p>Michael Chadwick, you are totally off your rocker when you say that MacBook stinks. Use one and then talk. Till now I was using HP Pavilion dv9000, and have now shifted to Mac. I couldn't be happier. Everyone knows about heating issues with HP laptops.</p>

<p><strong>Moderator Note:</strong> Folks, remember we are talking about laptop recommendations for a wedding photographer. Let's not veer off into a PC/Mac debate, complete with 'language'. On the question at hand, at a certain level, either the PC or the Mac will be adequate--more than adequate. Beyond that, what makes a laptop (either one) good for a <em>wedding photographer</em>?</p>

<p>I have a Macbook Pro and I love it! BUT, I have a PC desktop and some of my software is not "mac" friendly. Couple of thoughts....what kind of computer is he using currently? I would suggest staying with a windows PC if that is what he already has. That way he can use the same software on the laptop. If he has made any suggestion of wanting to go mac then maybe that would be a better idea. If he has not given ya an idea as to his preferrence....bring it up. Like, "So honey, I was thinking maybe we could get a laptop sometime after the wedding, maybe with any gift money or gift cards we get to go toward it. What do you think about getting a mac or pc?" LOL....use that sneaky route to get the info you need. He doesn't have to know that YOU are actually getting it for him. <br>

There's good and bad about both. Go check them out and see what you like best. Personally, I like my mac for viewing photos and movies. My hubby says that macs are better for pictures and graphics. He's a computer geek so I trust him. Although I still have to buy photoshop for the mac as the windows one doesn't work on mac. :-(</p>

<p>Well that usually depends on how much the laptop is lugged around... If it is for doing actual photo work, then you MUST either attach it to a color-correct external display to perform any kind of color changes OR you should get a Lenovo W700. It is a large17" laptop but has the most accurate display of any laptop (although it does not come close to what you can get in an LCD for about $480). The W700 also has an Xrite color-calibrator built-in and a pressure sensitive Wacom tablet which are used for performing corrections and photo-manipulations which I understand wedding photographers do regularly.<br>

For someone who does not manipulate his images, then the display issue is only important if he wants to showcase his images on the laptop. If the laptop won't be used for manipulation or display of images, then you can go for something more portable which is basically a laptop used by a photographer rather than a laptop for a photographer. In the former case, any with a big hard-drive and a burner should do.<br>

- Itai</p>