New lens or new computer?

[EiTheL]

I can build an i7 computer for about 900 bucks with a pretty good GPU.

My current computer is currently core 2 duo 2.2 GHz, NVidia GPU with 256mb vram, and 3 gb of ram. I use it basically as a desktop replacement (I have two laptops, the other one I use for school and whatnot)

System info can be found here (http://docs.google.com/View?id=dgwd59gx_106d3cqzk4f)

The lens i'm shooting for are the 16-35mm, (and in the future i'm going for the 50 f/1.2, 24-70 and the 70-200 f/2 IS)

Over the summer I'll make enough money to get either the 16-35 or a new computer, so what do you guys think?

PS: I am aware i7 920 is about to be discontinued (as well as the other one..) so I'll buy it soon :P

[tim]

Depends if your current lens does a good enough job or not. The 17-40 F4L is a good lens too, just a stop slower.

[EiTheL]

oh right, I have a 28-135mm atm and I'm content with it

I did a bit of googling of the two, and after considering everything, I think I will stick with the 16-35mm, it lets twice the amount of light in (its 2.8).

[Tom Reichner]

I don't know about a whole new computer, but I think an extremely important piece of photographic equipment is the monitor you use for reviewing and editing your images.

It's funny how much my photography improved once I upgraded from a 15" HP laptop to an iMac with a huge, crystal clear 24" monitor. Once you start working on your images with a high resolution, large monitor, you'll wonder how you ever did it without one.

-Tom

[EiTheL]

Oh, I have external moniters that are connected to the dock, and I always edit on those, and when possible, I edit on a CRT (Which I have in my dorm room). But when I get a new computer, I'm going to buy the e-IPS flatscreen that is mentioned here (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=634520) in the other thread.

[tim]

It's really a tradeoff of better image quality vs faster processing. Your call.

[Tom Reichner]

It's really a tradeoff of better image quality vs faster processing. Your call.

In that case, go for the better image quality - you can always re-process after when you do eventually get a new computer, but you'll never be able to go back and take those same images again.

[Marloon]

you have to ask yourself this..

a) what is your computer lacking that you need to go buy another computer?
b) what is your camera lacking that you need to go buy another lens?

i answered that same question and came up with these answers.

a)my macbook is 3 years old, and lightroom with a 30 000 picture catalouge is starting to lag, and i cant run aperture nor cs4 to edit photos smoothly anymore

b) i dont need anything new for my camera as i am covered from 11-200 @ f2.8. I'd like to get a 5D mk II soon.

so the competition is between a 5D II and a new i7 rig.

if i went with the 5D, that would equate to larger raw files of 21-22mb in size. then that means that my computer will start getting bloated, and when it comes to video editing... forget about doing it on my macbook. So with this in mind, i went with the computer instead - and thus... the i7 rig. I am extremely happy with the i7. ITS A BEaST!!!!! and with the 2209wa - which will come here on the 18th - it'll be AMAZINGGG!!!

[EiTheL]

well, it can't run photoshop CS 4 without lagging a bit and it takes a full 6 minutes to start premiere pro and it lags like hell... But I barely use premiere pro though...
Disk space isn't a problem, as I have a drobo, and my photo library is run by Picasa 3 (I'll change it to Lightroom soon :P) and its not lagging.. yet

And my laptop has been lagging more and more lately, I've tried to reinstall the OS, Scan for viruses, using a boot CD to defrag the computer. It could be because I have a 5400 RPM HD? or it could be something else... Or maybe its just me XD

and my camera lacks wide angle capabilities XD (and telephoto, but thats for later :P)

[Marloon]

then i got more questions for you...

1) how often do you use your computer, and if you were going to buy a new rig, what would it be used for.

2) how often will you be shooting with this wide angle lens? how often do you pick up your camera.

for me...

i use my computer 8 hours a day, my back is starting to hurt due the fact that i hunch over my laptop a lot. this has pushed me to buy a new desktop. Also, i use my camera quite often, and my reasoning behind the desktop was to further push my photography a little bit farther... editing is not fun anymore, especially if you have a crappy computer - i wanted to make it better for myself by using a powerful rig, and well calibrated monitor - which reminds me, i gotta buy a monitor calibrator.

[EiTheL]

Shortly after my post, I installed lightroom and am, now importing all of my pictures... its going quite slowly as its going thru 100 gbs of jpgs @ 5 mbs each...

Anyway, I use it whenever I'm not taking pictures essentially. I play games on it, browse the web, IM, etc. Also without a cooling pad, the temp goes 90+ when a Intel CPU is rated at 85. (Celsius, that is). And I would figure that a desktop would be much cooler. Because I have two laptops, and a dock, I basically use this one as a desktop replacement. (That I take with me from my dorm back home on vacations though...) I can imagine living without my main, and work with my secondary laptop (Runs Linux and XP, but I mainly use linux, and XP only for gaming)

I honestly don't know if I'm going to be shooting a lot of wide angle shots. I do know that when I'm using my 28-135, I always think, gee, if I had a wide angle I could make this shot better, but its mostly with city shots and urban life stuff.

PS: The amount of photos I take varies extremely. Some weeks, I could be out all the time, and only back for a few hours each day (plus sleep, of course) and others, I won't touch my camera at all (well maybe once or twice... but still, no serious shots)

[Marloon]

how often do you pick up your camera? i pick up my camera daily - even if i snap 5-10 pictures a day, i am happy.

[EiTheL]

Well during school, it depends. I may have a photo related class, or there's some event, or I just feel like taking it out (I go to a boarding school so I live on campus). Now that its summer, I've basically been taking it out with me every day I go out (which isn't everyday as I sleep in every now and then).

I'm actually thinking about getting a G10 (or whatevers out at the time) some point in the future so I can actually have a camera with me everywhere... but that's a totally different subject

[EiTheL]

You know, another option is to upgrade the ram and CPU on my existing laptop. I know how to take it apart and replace the CPU (I up'd my secondary laptop, same model, from 1.6 to 2.0)

I can buy a 2.8 GHz and put it in, but then, it could be the GPU, which I can't change (Unless I had a more expensive dock, which lets me put a PCI-E GPU in...) and another problem is heat...

[Marloon]

seems to me that there is a balance...

hows this for another question...

which one are you more frustrated about and really require an upgrade? The laggy computer or the not-wide-enough camera. I am now complaining more about the computer than the camera.

my macbook still runs great, and its going to continue running great for another 3 years i am sure. it's just that i cant view 720P videos, HD or High quality videos on youtube either. The GMA 950 isnt cutting it in this computer. i think i am stuck at 128mb of shared graphics memory. Either that or its still 64mb. I think its 64. And you think you had it bad. HAHA

[EiTheL]

Oh god, honestly, I'd shoot myself if I ever end up with a 64 mb GPU as my main computer >_> (which my secondary laptop has, XD)

Well if I get a new computer, I could play games with higher quality graphics.. so theres that. and i'm the type of person who wants things to just.. work, and to work fast XD (In that case why don't I get a mac :P)

I don't find myself not liking my lens and wishing I had wide angle that much actually...

But I live fine with my laptop now, every program (except adobe stuff, that is) runs perfectly fine. Picasa 3, which is my current photo organizer, runs perfectly fine. I don't mind running Battlefield Heroes in super low quality, as long as it doesn't have fps lag. It would just be nice to have a better system.

[tim]

Sounds like you don't need either. Go on holiday instead.

[Woodja]

Unless you need a new computer go with a lens... much better retail value over time..

[Marloon]

Unless you need a new computer go with a lens... much better retail value over time..

well there's that too... retail value and resale value...

oh and if you were going to buy a lens, buy used.

wait... cant you just say that about computer parts too.. but that part is iffy.

GO ON VACATION! that'd be the best! why didnt i think of that! its summer time!

[Marloon]

Oh god, honestly, I'd shoot myself if I ever end up with a 64 mb GPU as my main computer >_> (which my secondary laptop has, XD)

and yet you havent. LOL. NO DONT DO IT. i was just kidding.

[SpudGT]

I was recently faced with a similar decision ... and ended up buying a nice lens.

I spent a little upgrading my old computer so I could get by for a while longer, but I really wanted the improved picture IQ right away (kids grow up fast).

Plus the new lens will still be worth something in a couple of years.

[samsen]

You may want to upgrade your pc's video card to a higher ram and then bring your lens' expensive taste to lower expectation levels that meets your need and not your dreams!

[EiTheL]

Well I feel that lens is something you buy only once, so to not waste money, I buy the L series first so I don't need to do any replacing (Even if a new version came out), but if I buy a cheaper model, I'm going to buy the L series at some point anyway.

Also I currently have a laptop with a integrated nVidia GPU so I can't upgrade my video RAM

If I had a Desktop I prob would just upgrade the GPU or CPU (after I benchmark both and see which one is making my computer lag more)

@SpudGT: Which lens did you get in the end?

[_aravena]

The price of GOOD computer is no where close to the lens, so get the lens and stick with what ya got. You don't need much more. I'm a gamer along with photography so my new comp will be up there but even now for photographer my laptop does fine. Can't wait to build my own desktop.

[EiTheL]

The price of GOOD computer is no where close to the lens

Just to clarify, do you mean that it costs much more? Because the cost of L series lens are all around 1kish and the i7 computer I can build will cost around 900 bucks (without monitor, which I have, but I will get a IPS monitor for it later, and that will be 300 bucks)

[_aravena]

I thought you were getting a 17-40? Or maybe I just read what someone said you should get.