What Is The Best Size For A Laptop?

[DANNY454]

Hello all, what do you think would be the best size for a laptop used for on the go photography? I'm 16 and shoot for a little newspaper and I keep finding myself needing a laptop for sending photos in to the office when I can not get home. I would really love to have a 17" laptop (I'm going with Dell) but I don't think I could find a bag to fit my 30d, 70-200 2.8, ,Tokina 11-16 2.8 and 430 Ex and other stuff. I think the only choice for me is a laptop in the 15" range. Do any of you have some advice on this? Are there any bags that can hold a 17" laptop?

[Vascilli]

Well how much do you want to carry? I'd go 13" or less myself.

[bps]

I agree -- if you are going to haul it around a lot, then I would consider a 13". If you don't have to carry it much, or if you are just using it show off pictures, then a 15 " or 17" would do.

Bryan

[DANNY454]

The more I think about it 15".

[xMClass]

15" and under. I have a Lenovo/IBM Thinkpad T41, it's only 12"

[SYS]

I originally purchased a 17" Dell XPS laptop. I DON'T recommend it for on the go photography. For one thing, it's heavy as hell in itself, let alone with other camera gear that you listed. Secondly, you'll be limited in finding bag options as lot of them can't carry a laptop that big.

Because of this I later purchased a 12" Dell XPS, and it made a world of difference! It's small and light enough that you can place it in just about any camera bag, take with you to just about any places. Since I do tethered shooting, it's a very convenient size for that, as well.

[Colorblinded]

15" and under. I have a Lenovo/IBM Thinkpad T41, it's only 12"
As far as I know the T4x series never saw a 12" model. I had a T43p in 15" UXGA flavor and now have a T400 which is the 14" (number now indicates screen size on the new model lines).

Anyway, best screen size is the biggest you want to carry around. Bigger obviously makes working with photos a lot nicer I think, but you have to be realistic about how big and heavy of a laptop you want to carry around. I don't personally want anything bigger than 15". Other than screen size you should look at resolution as well. There are a number of reasonably affordable 17" laptops out there with WXGA screens which are rubbish. I don't think the WSXGA or WXGA+ screens are much better. I'd want at least WSXGA+ on a 17" screen personally.

And yes, there are plenty of cases for 17" laptops.

[dshankar]

13.3" or smaller. I hate large laptops. Highly inconvenient.

[katodog]

Other than the slight screen size difference, which you probably won't miss, the only thing you get out of a 17" laptop is a number pad. Which is convenient, but doesn't do you much good for photo work. If you're looking for a laptop that is going to be basically for proofing and then emailing, any size screen will suffice, but you want one big enough to see the detail of the shots.

15" is probably the best size for something like that. Plus, you can easily get a backpack that will hold your camera gear and laptop. There are a few choices that I know of that will hold a 17" laptop, Lowepro has a few, and so does Amvona (which is on eBay). I just bought one from Amvona that would easily hold all my equipment, and my 17" Gateway. It's designed and built tough, and has all the features of the typical camera backpack for less money.

Here's a link to the one I bought...

Amvona Backpack (http://cgi.ebay.com/PHOTO-VIDEO-CAMERA-BACKPACK-BACK-PACK-DIGITAL-AB-1617A_W0QQitemZ180225735187QQcmdZViewItemQQptZBags _Cases_Straps?hash=item180225735187&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1234|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A13 18)


It has plenty of space for a lot of stuff, and the black part on the front detaches to become its own backpack. A 17" laptop will fit inside that part, or it will fit into the front of the main backpack. It's a killer of a pack, but with all the stuff I had to go in it, it was pretty heavy, and I found out after strapping it on that I don't like backpacks.

But, there's always a solution for everyone's needs. It just takes a little time to find the one that best suits your needs.

[davidinvirginia]

If you want something to put in a backpack, look at the Acer Aspire One - a mini-laptop.

[Vascilli]

If you want something to put in a backpack, look at the Acer Aspire One - a mini-laptop.
Keyboard is extremely small, same with the trackpad. I have an Asus EEE 1000H and it's much better in that regard, but I'd love a Lenovo X200.

[cdifoto]

Go cheap. Chances are it'll get abused.

[MeNiS]

lowepro computrekker plus AW should be able to carry alot of camera gear, as well as a 17" laptop.

here some pics of my computrekker plus:
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=594962

[hollis_f]

If you want something to put in a backpack, look at the Acer Aspire One - a mini-laptop.
I've just bought one of these for when I'm travelling. Its got a 9" screen, 1GB RAM and 120GB hard drive. It's great for backing up photos and doing a quick cull of any obvious duds. Although processing images is possible I wouldn't even begin to contemplate thinking about doing it regularly.

The keyboard isn't that much smaller than a 15" laptop. I've got fingers like half a pound of sausages and I manage quite well with it.

With the, optional, 6-cell battery you get around 6 hours of use from a single charge.

But if all you want is something to transfer pics from a camera, sort out keepers and send them to the office (presumably via WiFi) then none of its disadvantages really come into play. But the advantages are overwhelming.

[SuzyView]

Well, I thought the best LCD and largest screen would work for me best. It does AT HOME! :( When I travel, it stinks. My Dell is almost 10 pounds and it's more weight than my gear sometimes. So, I keep it at home with my 22 inch side LCD for editing. For the new year, I'm getting a much smaller laptop to work out in the field. So, it really depends what you want the most and when.

[xi123]

Another vote for the Aspire One. I wrap mine up with a Domke wrap and it fits nicely into the top section of my Lowepro Primus. Ideal for travel.

Light, portable and the screen's surprisingly useable for its size. Fine for checking images and doing minor editing (levels, curves, contranst etc), but for any heavy editing, I'd leave that to a more powerful machine.

It all depends on what you'd use it for.

http://xiyuonline.com/blog2/wp-content/gallery/netbook/IMG_1027.JPG

[fishfoto]

While my primary machine is a 15"PowerBook, I have preferred smaller laptops. I currently try and travel with my 13" MacBook, and while working as a magazine director of photography, when I was offered a 17" Powerbook repeatedly, I opted for the 12" PowerBook.

Unless your laptop is your primary machine you want it small. Smaller laptops give you (usually) better battery life, easier packabilty, smaller foot-print allowing for it to absorb a slighty higher impact without damage (negligable, but proven a few times).

A small laptop takes up less space when editing at a crowded press room.

I started shooting 40hrs a week for news outlets (a paper and a wire) at 16 when I was starting out. I had to haul 1 gallon jugs of D-76, stop bath, fixer with me.....or a full set of C-41 chemistry.........so laptops are easy no matter what size:0)

Go smaller, get a monitor at home, you'll be happier.

17" laptops are totally useless, especially for use in the field.

[Jon]

If you want something to put in a backpack, look at the Acer Aspire One - a mini-laptop.

Keyboard is extremely small, same with the trackpad. I have an Asus EEE 1000H and it's much better in that regard, but I'd love a Lenovo X200.I agree fully on this. I've been using ultra-mobile PCs since I got the Toshiba Libretto U100 back in Jan. 2006 or thereabouts. In fact I'm typing on it now. It won't give you lightning-fast fullblown photo editing, but do you really need that while travelling? I've added an Asus Eee 700 and Acer One as the costs have gone down. Any of them will travel easily and are sufficient for basic edits. If you're going to be at a semi-permanent base you can add a roll-up keyboard to your gear. $12-$13 and suitcase/spilled drink safe. If you need photo editing beyond basic RAW conversion, drop back a generation or two in editing programs or get the "Lite" version. I use Paint Shop Pro XI; PSE 5 would also do most of what you'd need and not suffer from lack of horsepower.

The bonus is they fit in almost anywhere in my bags.

[davidinvirginia]

Does the Canon software run well on the Acer?

[Zander Albertson]

I love my 14" Dell laptop - big enough for some decent editing but very portable - under 5 lbs.

[FlyingPhotog]

lowepro computrekker plus AW should be able to carry alot of camera gear, as well as a 17" laptop.

here some pics of my computrekker plus:
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=594962

Not disagreeing with you (yes, the laptop will fit...) but...

I've found that when you load them with significant camera gear, both the Computrekker and Computrekker Plus put a LOT of bending strain on a laptop.

I'm fairly certain I sent a nice Dell 14" laptop to an early grave because of exceessive flexing of the motherboard. I won't use the laptop slot in mine any more. Instead, I just let it be a nice empty cushion space at my back and put the laptop in a small briefcase instead.

YMMV...

[HuskyKMA]

I had a 17" laptop and I absolutely hated it. Way to big and heavy to pack around, so it just set on my desk all the time. Eventually I sold it and build a desketop.

To me, the entire purpose of a laptop is to be portable. Thus, I will never again get one over 14" and the smaller the better. Anything bigger than that just defeats the purpose of owning a laptop.

[fungry]

If you are out in the field often and need access to a laptop, I highly discourage at 17". A 15"... is probably pushing it. I've never owned an ultraportable laptop or a netbook but I have tried them. Definitely a convenience.

[hollis_f]

Does the Canon software run well on the Acer?Unfortunately, DPP won't run - it demands a screen size of at least 1024x768 and the AAO is 1024x600. But there are plenty of other packages that run well. I've decided that I'll be using Faststone for image viewing/culling.

[Stinger]

Personally, I think 15" is the abolute worst choice for a photography laptop.

12/13" Means you can do most stuff and it is hugely portable
7/8" (like the little acer aspire or e pc) You can do some stuff and it's even more portable

17" still somewhat portable, but you can get one that will do damn near everything and the screen is large enough to work on without an external LCD.

My Personal choice would be either a 12" if you want to take it every where, or a 17" if you want to take it around when needed.

[Jon]

Does the Canon software run well on the Acer?

Unfortunately, DPP won't run - it demands a screen size of at least 1024x768 and the AAO is 1024x600. But there are plenty of other packages that run well. I've decided that I'll be using Faststone for image viewing/culling.For the most part I use Downloader Pro, BreezeBrowser Pro and IrfanView on the small screen. At home, at work or at our vacation place I keep an external monitor, and DPP runs fine there.

[dsldub]

At the most, 15" is the best size.
I have a 17" (wide screen), and I will not consider taking it out on a photo trip, too heavy and bulky. As my main computer now, I attach a 21" monitor to it for image editing.

[gravity]

Agreed with the comments above. If you have to carry it with you all the time, and it's main purpose is for sending photo via the net, then I'd also advice you to go with those NetBook instead. AcerOne or similar size should do the job ok. I'm also ordering the Lenovo S10 (comes with a 10" screen) which already arrived at the store. Will be picking it up in a few days when I have time :D

[Mark]

I really like the 15" size, I had a 12 inch laptop, and the screen was just tooo small to work on, the 15" is the perfect compromise IMO