bk_waas Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 I'm evaluating ultraportable computers and want to know which work best for examining DSLR images in the field. By "field" I mean mostly hiking around mountains, etc. It has to be an ultraportable, because minimizing weight is a top priority. The system must be Windows-based. (Yes, I realize that Macs are great. But for business reasons, they are not an option for me.) I am particularly interested in people who have first-hand experience using an ultraportable or even a slightly heavier laptop for photo previewing in the field. I am looking closely at the Lenovo x61s, but its display doesn't seem to be all that great. It also seems to throw out a lot of heat, which is not a prospect that particularly jazzes me. In any case, if you have an X61/X61s, I'd really like your opinion of its usefulness for previewing digital photos. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott_mills Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 I really like the Sony Vio, just bought one and the screen is fantastic IMO and the laptop is light and slim. I have the one w/ 15.4 inch screen, but they also have one with a 14.1 inch screen which is even smaller. I got mine on Amazon for 750 it has 2GB RAM and 200MB HD w/ Pentium dual core Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waltflanagan Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 Macs have Intel chips now, you can install Windows and dual boot or use one of the many virtualization programs and have both run side by side. You get almost native speed, it's not the old style binary emulation. If you really want ULTRA portable look at the Asus EEE series. These are tiny laptops the size of a small book that weigh around 2 pounds and you can get your choice of either Linux or Windows. The storage is kind of small though ranging from 2 to 20GB but the prices are in the $300-600 range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronald_moravec1 Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 The best way for you to answer your question is to walk thru Best Buy or Micro Center or Computer City and find one with decent display. Bring a jump drive with a few images, plug it in a take a look. You are right to view some images as you go along. I found something strange on some test files I made soon after a trip, I blew it off, and it was not on any of the trip pics. It was kind of a smeared area in the sky that could not be detected in camera. When I uncovered the sensor, I could see nothing, but the defect was large. A dust off blower removed the offender what ever it was, definately not dust. Without a computer check, it would have gone unnoticed, but would have been difficult to repair because of its large size. Fortunately they were only some lens tests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarah_fox Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 A computer is good if you want to look at digital output, e.g. via a USB connection or a CF card reader. However, a simpler, lower tech solution (which is smaller and lighter) is a high-quality, portable DVD player. You can plug the video output of your camera directly into one and use it like a television monitor. Some of them have reasonably decent sized screens. Mine is a 10". The only one I've found that has pretty good grey levels from bottom to top and reasonably good adjustability is a Philips -- at about $225. (Sorry, I forget the model number.) You can use the DVD player to show images to clients live from the camera. You can also prepare a proofs CD/DVD to show clients photos you have prepared. It's much better to show them on YOUR properly adjusted, higher-quality monitor than on a monitor of unknown properties. When shopping for a DVD player, prepare a CD/DVD with some familiar images and some test patterns (for evaluating the gray scale). Make multiple copies, so that you can compare players side by side. You can also do this with computers, of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitmstr Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 Ultra-portable is not a laptop. CK one of <a href=http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=EEEPC4G-701-WHT-R&cat=NBB&cpc=NBBbsc>these </a>out and see if you like it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffOwen Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 I bought the Toshiba Portege which comes with virtually everything including XP pro and weighs in at less than 1Kg. Perfect for my needs when travelling. This should be a link to a review http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsid=3861 It's not the cheapest but for what it does I think it is ideal for travelling photo shooters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r_johnston Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 Check the Toshiba site, they are running a back to school sale and have good prices on several units. Have used many different brands over the 27 years, including Dell, and none of them comes close to the Toshiba Satellite models. They have various sizes, are built strong to take knocks, and many have the space you need for Photo Programs and files. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mightypir Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 I have an ASUS Eee PC1000H with the 80GB HDD and XP. Increased my RAM to 2 GB, de bloated the XP installation, added Office, CS2 and Firefox. I use it as my traveling companion, and is great. Very small size (10" screen) means that its not ideal for major photo shopping, but good enough for the basics (resizing, emailing, and backing up). And not only is it cheap, the battery lasts forever! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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