Do I need a Laptop?

[dsze]

....considering a laptop. I'd love to have one for processing files when I'm out of town on shoots, and also for dumping my photos into as a backup during shoots. I would also use it for other teacher-work stuff. I get real close to buying one and then I talk myself out of it.


Just how much would owners of notebooks say they benefit from it...as far as photography goes? Do you end up doing most of your processing on your desktop anyway? Is the laptop screen quality good enough to process wedding photos on? Is it a real hassle keeping both the desktop and notebook monitors calibrated and dealing with any color differences between them?


Thanks!
-daniel

[IanD]

Daniel,
I use a fully calibrated Sony CRT at home and a SXGA 15" laptop on the road. There is a difference in appearance of an image processed on the CRT and shown on the laptop and vise versa. However, I find my laptop invaluable both as a work tool and for fun on the road. If I process an image on the laptop and it doesn't look right when I get home on the CRT it is a simple matter of re-doing it in PS. (providing you have saved the imag and if you shoot in RAW) Really important is to make sure your laptop has a SXGA screen instead of the more common XGA. The difference i in resolution., and the higher the better in laptop that will be used for image processing.

[ssim]

Do I need a laptop..... Kind of like the rest of the photo equipment, if you have to ask, of course you need it :roll: :roll: :roll:

I'll ditto pretty much everything Ian said. I find mine invaluable when on the road.

[PacAce]

....considering a laptop. I'd love to have one for processing files when I'm out of town on shoots, and also for dumping my photos into as a backup during shoots. I would also use it for other teacher-work stuff. I get real close to buying one and then I talk myself out of it.


Just how much would owners of notebooks say they benefit from it...as far as photography goes? Do you end up doing most of your processing on your desktop anyway? Is the laptop screen quality good enough to process wedding photos on? Is it a real hassle keeping both the desktop and notebook monitors calibrated and dealing with any color differences between them?


Thanks!
-daniel

I have a laptop that I always take with me whenever I'm on the road with my camera. But, to be honest with you, I hardly ever do my processing on the laptop, except maybe to just check out the images that I've just downloaded from my camera (via a cardreader or a PCMCIA card, of course).

But the laptop, IMHO, is indispensable when on the road and I'm taking lots of pictures. Unfortunately, I still haven't come to trust those little storage devices into which I can dump my image files unless I can the actual see the transfers taking place and can randomly checkout a few images just to make sure they are OK.

[Belmondo]

I couldn't live without my laptop. I have a Toshiba 17" monster, but it's invaluable on the road, especially on the longer trips. We're leaving in a few days for a 2-3 week trip, and I will be taking pictures, processing them, and generally living life much as it exists at home.

I also have a 13" notebook that I use from time to time, but not for the heavy lifting.

[Jethro790]

I've had maybe six laptops over the years. Be aware that they are not as durable or repairable as desktops, and at 4-6 times the cost, that's a real downfall. Obviously the bonus is portability, but being portable means you will always take it with you. This makes it more suspect to damage.

It's like a love hate thing. I hate myself for loving the convienience of a laptop. If I didn't need one for work, I'd never buy another. Until I realized I really missed it.

[gramps]

without a doubt............YES. #1 it's great storage for your pics while traveling; #2 I also use mine connected to my cell phone to get on the net while traveling (it's REAL nice not having to use someone elses computer for this): and #3 you are a teacher, I's sure you will find many uses in the classroom and being a teacher you can probally write off the cost.

[elbirth]

Just thought I'd chime in here as well.....

I'd highly recommend you get a laptop as well, if you can afford a good one. Just like you don't want to skimp on lenses, you don't want to skimp here either. As mentioned, you want an SXGA screen so that you can have a higher resolution on the screen (plus the quality of the screen is better overall).
I have an IBM T42 laptop with a 15" screen, and this thing goes with me almost everywhere. I'm looking now to get a backpack for my camera, and any backpacks that DON'T have a compartment for my laptop are automatically looked over.
I like being able to use it to show the pictures if I don't have a TV around to hook up to, and I also process them quite a bit on there as well... plus I'm in college and we're required to have a laptop anyway, so having that push to get one didn't hurt me at all.

And as mentioned, it's great for storage if your CF cards all get full (and if you want to store the pictures in case the CF cards corrupt or something). My laptop has an 80gig harddrive, and I have a 120gig external harddrive I have as well for such purposes that I can hook up to my laptop via USB.

In short- I LOVE having a laptop for a variety of purpose... if for nothing else, than finding open wireless access points and checking my email, though some people might not necessarily consider that all too ethical :o

[Motorsports Photo]

Mine gets its use on the road doing event photos, so now you know you CAN "process" images with one.. Its survived three seasons of heat cold dust dirt as well as normal use.

The only problem is not having a dim room to view the screen well.

-Pete

[CyberDyneSystems]

NO!

:)

I have a great laptop that has lasted me.... scratches head... a looong time (it is a Fujitsu Pentium 266 (NOT PII) for an indication of how old it is.

It weighs less than 4 lbs and is hardly over an inch thick.

I never take it with me though because:

1. I will allways be doing Post Porcessing at home on a real PC
2. Of course my laptop is too slow for photography :(
3. I would not want to deal with the extra weight.
4. When I go on a shooting "expedition" I do not intend to spend ANY time on the computer.
5. An X-Drive is so much easier to mess with in the feild (fits in a pocket)
6. At least $1,500.00 for a good editing platform (more if you wnat a good LIGHTWEIGHT editing platform) Vs. $150.00 for an X-drive. Thats another $1,350.00 for lenses :)


Now... if I did some type of photography work where post processing on site was of any importance.. I might change my tune.

Just my 2 cents.

[CyberDyneSystems]

Elbirth,

I have the Tamrac Cyberpack 8. It holds virtually all my camera gear including two bodies, a 500mm prime, a bunch of other lenses and stuff etc.. and a 15" laptop.

Of course,. as I mention,. I don't bring a laptop.. so for now I use the compartment to put in other sensible items.. like a change of clothes :)

But the room is there if I ever need it.

[elbirth]

Elbirth,

I have the Tamrac Cyberpack 8. It holds virtually all my camera gear including two bodies, a 500mm prime, a bunch of other lenses and stuff etc.. and a 15" laptop.

Of course,. as I mention,. I don't bring a laptop.. so for now I use the compartment to put in other sensible items.. like a change of clothes :)

But the room is there if I ever need it.

Thanks for the suggestion.

I've actually been looking into the Lowepro CompuTrekker AW, because I'm looking for something that I can have that'll hold my camera and a few lenses/etc, as well as keep a low profile, as I want to use it for my last year and a half here in college as well.
Have you used that or seen it in person to compare to yours?

[dsze]

..... thanks for all the comments and advise. I must say that I am really enjoying my Sony VAIO. I think I've gotten the screen pretty close to my Sony CRT at home, at least close enough in color that I feel pretty comfortable post-processing on the VAIO when I'm away from home. I'm planning to take it to a wedding this Sunday.

-daniel

[Hellashot]

A 2 or 4GB flash card is a lot cheaper than a laptop, and will be good for a far longer time than a laptop.

[dsze]

I didn't realize you could do post processing, FTP to Proof Website, Process photo orders and FTP files to printing services on a 2GB CF Card :wink: Thanks for the advice though :)

Seriously, I didn't just get a laptop so that I'd have a place to dump my CF cards. With nearly 4Gigs of CF memory I rarely find myself wanting more. However, I often find myself wanting to work on the above mentioned, when out of town and/or work on school-stuff or research stuff. My main concern was whether the screen would be close enough to my CRT to even make post processing worth-while. I feel now that it certainly will be though.



-daniel