Laptops for use in Digital Photography

[rjhaines]

I am about to purchase the 10D as well as a laptop to take into the field with me. Right now I mainly shoot landscapes. Later I intend to shoot environment portraits as well has actors' headshots.

I'm trying to decide whether to go for the larger notebooks with 17" displays like the MAC or the Toshiba S607 or the lighter 14 or 15 inch laptops.

I would appreciate any feedback or recommendations you could make.

Thanx

RJ

[ssim]

I would recommend that this not be your primary system for post processing.

I have a very small and light Dell laptop that I use when I travel. I know that I could use a digital wallet but given that I need the laptop for emails and real work I use this. It gives you a good idea of how your work is coming out. I attach this to my home network and transfer the files to my main PC. I have my monitor there calibrated for color matching and that is where I do my main post processing.

I have had no experience with the Mac laptops but as far as Windows based I prefer either Dell or Toshiba. Gateway makes a very light laptop with a small footprint but I just don't like the company. IBM has some very small ones too but they are pricey.

If you are going to go this route load it up with all the RAM you can afford. Get a large monitor to use at home where you will see the colors better.

[Man of 1000 Ages]

I have a 15" Apple PowerBook that I am very happy with. As far as displays on laptops go, nothing beats Apple. It was part of the reason I got one in the first place. I've had many comments on how crisp the display is, too. Overall, it's just a very well-made machine. Since switching to Mac almost a year ago, I haven't looked back (having been a Linux user for 4 years and Windows before that).

As far as size goes, the 17" can be a bit large and awkward. Granted, I don't own one, but it is a very big machine for a laptop. If you move around a lot and plan to take it with you, it might be a bit big. I find the 15" to be the perfect size, particularly since it is a widescreen.

So I'd recommend a 15" Powerbook. The prices dropped recently and they just released the new version. It has a lot of computing power and a beautiful display.

[hawg]

I have to agree with Man of 1000 Ages. Go with the 15 inch powerbook if you can afford it. I, too, am a mac convert. I used to use a Compaq M300 w/c is a small laptop. It was convenient but I could not use it for post processing since the LCD screen was not calibrated.
The mac however, gives me a better representation of the image.

Out of the box, macs have better color calibration. There are substancially more expensive but in my opinion, they are more suited to digital editing.

[rjhaines]

Thanx folks....still haven't made up my mind but you've given me some food for thought as the saying goes.

My only problem with the Macs aside from the price is the mouse pad...it drives me crazy. I can't imagine using it with Photoshop. I was using my son-in-law's recently and I couldn't get the hang of it at all. The same is true in the stores. Whereas the PC pads seem a lot easier to control. I assume you Mac users attach an external mouse.

I almost bought the Toshiba 607 today but its such a monster I had second thoughts. Since my 5 year old Gateway Pentium 2 is starting to fade away I was thinking the Toshiba could serve as a desktop replacement for both pre and post processing. I also saw it as a means of accessing Email and providing some entertainment on those lonely fall and winter nights in the boonies after the sun has set. Perhaps I'm asking too much from one computer

My final solutions may very well be 2 new computers; one small laptop in the field and a desktop for post. Where I'm going to get the money is a difference thing altogether.

If anyone else has any suggestions I'd appreciate the input. Going to make my decision sometime this week before I head up the California Coast. Just going to point the car and then point the camera. I have no time constraints so I don't know where I'll end up.

Once again, thanx for the help so far

[hawg]

you can use a intellimouse for a mac for a left/right click. I use it with my powerbook and it works pretty well. Photoshop also supports the left and right click on the mouse. Admittedly, there is a learning curve in using the Mac. However in Photoshop, most functions are the same.

[rjhaines]

Many thanx to those who replied to my query re laptops. FYI I bought the 15 inch Mac with 256 RAM (soon to have an added 512). CompUSA had a great financing deal but didn't have the one with Super Drive. I figure I'll buy a DVD burner when it becomes necessary. I like the idea of keeping all my shots on as few disks as possible. I also have AirPort Extreme. Now all I have to do is get up to speed with the Mac platform, having used PCs exclusively for the past 10 years.

The Toshiba I was considering would have been a monster to carry around in the field. Even the Mac gets a little heavy after a while. Along with the other equipment the Toshiba would have been a bit much to lug around.

I just got the 10D as well and really love it so far. Felt bad about placing my Elan 7E in temporary mothballs along with my RebelG. I'm sure I'll use it again; its been such a workhorse for me. The Rebel was great camera to learn with and the Elan7E really help me get into high gear.

Once again, thanx for your help.

[Man of 1000 Ages]

Glad to hear you made the investment! You won't be disappointed. If you want a good site for help on Mac OS X, might I recommend http://www.macosxhints.com. Everytime I had a question, I searched there and found an answer. They have some great hints and a nice forum.

[alan-G3]

Hi
yes I know this post purchase but although you said "to take into the field" with you, you didn't describe your intended use. Will it be just to store, or process and upload to somewhere else. Is it going to be your only computer. Will it be used for capture/composition. In short, what are your priorities from this purchase. Otherwise you will just get meaningless responses!

[MiG82]

My 17" Sony E200 (base series, not professional) is a lot better at showing photos than my friends' Apple laptops. Windows has colour management too these days, so I don't see the Apple advantage. My friends got them because they're good laptops and Mac OS X runs unix stuff or something like that (hey, they're the computer science graduates, I'm just a mechanical engineering student).
The only LCD I'd consider is the Apple cinema display or something equivalent to it (even then, the response times annoy me). Of course, they're quite pricey.