13" or 15"?

redmonkee

redmonkee

Suspended / Banned
Messages
2,653
Name
PHILIP
Edit My Images
No
I'm thinking of purchasing a laptop in the coming weeks and i'm currently undecided in which size to buy, either the 13" or the 15"

I'm looking at getting a Macbook Pro. Now the 13" comes in at £999 and the cheapest 15" comes in at just over £1500 which I think is a little pricey for a couple more inches screen space and slightly better spec.

Do you guys think the 13" model would be good enough for what I need (ie running LR3 to edit and caption photos pitch side)

Here's the linky
http://store.apple.com/uk/browse/home/shop_mac/family/macbook_pro?mco=MTM3NjU5MzU
 
I use Lightroom on my 13" Macbook Pro and find it perfectly fine, no issues at all with the screen size, and the whole thing is nice and portable. If you haven't already maybe go into an apple store and try one out anyway.

I've actually seen plenty of photographers using even smaller laptops.
 
I've got the 13" Macbook Pro, well, not the new one which was released this week- the one before it and it's definitely good enough to run Photoshop/Lightroom and the like smoothly.
With the i5/i7 intel processor in these new ones, I imagine it's even better.
 
i would go for 13" my system is pc based not mac pros and cons for both but it what i am used to.
 
If you ever travel on trains, dont go for the 15" as the non-table seats dont allow you to open one fully.
 
jamesb84 said:
Do you need the macbook pro? I've got a 2007 model Macbook (1.8GHz Dual Core, 2Gb RAM) and it will run Photoshop CS4, Photo Mechanic, Cyberduck, AIM and Safari concurrently with no stuttering or stalling.

There are plenty of other guys out there running the same spec as me and we've never had problems.

Looking at the current bottom spec 13" Macbook, that would be more than sufficient for live wiring.

Remember, the most important thing about being successful in business is to only spend what you need to spend.
Click to expand...

I totally see your point James, however the small price difference of just £132 between the basic Macbook and the entry level Macbook Pro makes it more attractive to go the Pro option. If the price difference was a lot greater i'd consider the Macbook option.
 
agree with james84 re cost to recover an outlay of say £1000 that means i have to do an extra 7 jobs or sell an extra 6 to 10 pix over and above what you do at the moment
same goes for bodies and lens so only spend the minimum as the market place is getting smaller and smaller.
 
I have a slightly newer version MacBook that James. Does the job easily and is really robust with it's plastic body.

I don't know how well the metal bodies cope... anyone?
 
Are you set on Mac or would an M$ system be a possibilty?

And before any of you Apple fans swear at me, I'm just checking that the desire for a Mac isn't driven by it's styling and hipness!! :lol:
 
worth bearing in mind that at farsley there is bags of space and nobody else there normally but in the future you could find your self sat next to 4-5 other snappers where space is tight most guys i know have a max of 14" but at the end of the day its your choice.
 
DemiLion said:
Are you set on Mac or would an M$ system be a possibilty?

And before any of you Apple fans swear at me, I'm just checking that the desire for a Mac isn't driven by it's styling and hipness!! :lol:
Click to expand...

Fair point :lol:

But i've worked on Mac for years and have an Imac at home so want to keep to the same system when out in the field :thumbs:
 
blue marlin said:
worth bearing in mind that at farsley there is bags of space and nobody else there normally but in the future you could find your self sat next to 4-5 other snappers where space is tight most guys i know have a max of 14" but at the end of the day its your choice.
Click to expand...

Thats something I never considered, and hopefully one day I'll be at a level where space is a premium :thumbs:
 
redmonkee said:
Fair point :lol:

But i've worked on Mac for years and have an Imac at home so want to keep to the same system when out in the field :thumbs:
Click to expand...

That I completely understand, I was just asking as some people switch to Mac thinking that it looks more 'professional' etc.

There's a cracking deal on at the moment for an end of line i3 Acer 14" which I'm using for on site post match and field work, and as much as I usually distrust Acer's this one is proving to be fantastic, especially with a real world 3-4 hr battery life for image processing.

I've got to say that I did drool over the Mac Pro's for a while; they're very very shiny! :lol:
 
know a guy who's just got a acer seems very happy with it but i am looking at getting a new one like the look of the samsung q300 as i know of 3 guys who think they are brill but each to his own
 
blue marlin said:
know a guy who's just got a acer seems very happy with it but i am looking at getting a new one like the look of the samsung q300 as i know of 3 guys who think they are brill but each to his own
Click to expand...

It's an Acer Aspire TimelineX 4820T costing £429.97 if you want to have a closer look. Great bit of kit.
 
I have 15 inch at the minute and find it too big and bulky for pitchside to be honest, so i'll be grabbing a 13 from the US in April :)
 
Don't forget you can get a discount from Apple if you have kids (or nieces/nephews!!) at school (Educational Discount). For a basic spec Macbook Pro that works out at £60 (a tank of petrol to James), 'every little helps' as they say.
 
jamesb84 said:
:bang:

Your choice Phil...but in the interests of everyone else who is setting themselves up in business I will post this:
Click to expand...

I know what you're saying Jamess, and every bit of my gear is second hand other than the laptop.

But I figured if I come to sell up in a couple of years (if I find I cant hack the wiring on top of the shooting) then I can sell and pretty much recoup all my money back due to the saving I made.

Maybe I should have more confidence that I can make it as a Sports Photographer but I'm realistic and know how competitive this market is.
 
i would question myself : will it be your primary or secondary machine.
13 could fit as a secondary would be good to do little processing and show pictures/work to potential client or friends/family.
if primary and a lot of travel i would take a 13 combined with a big screen
without much travel the 15 ..also combined with a big screen simply because im in the same situation and i dont travel much with my laptop and it is always good to have a bigger screen
 
Last edited:
redmonkee said:
I know what you're saying Jamess, and every bit of my gear is second hand other than the laptop.

But I figured if I come to sell up in a couple of years (if I find I cant hack the wiring on top of the shooting) then I can sell and pretty much recoup all my money back due to the saving I made.

Maybe I should have more confidence that I can make it as a Sports Photographer but I'm realistic and know how competitive this market is.
Click to expand...

Well at least if you give it a go Phil and you dont get on with it and decided to pack it in at you would have had a go, but if you dont you will probably keep saying to yourself, I wonder if I would have ever made it.

I thinks its better to have a go and give up rather than go through life wondering all the time.
 
AFC said:
Well at least if you give it a go Phil and you dont get on with it and decided to pack it in at you would have had a go, but if you dont you will probably keep saying to yourself, I wonder if I would have ever made it.

I thinks its better to have a go and give up rather than go through life wondering all the time.
Click to expand...

Exactly my thoughts mate :thumbs:

and like I say if I do give it up and decide to sell the Macbook Pro on I'll recoup much of my investment anyway. Oh and by the way I got the Pro last week and it is indeed a lovely machine, Im just setting up a load of presets in lightroom and sorting all my Metadata out before I go on a shoot with it :)
 
My granddaughter bought a Macbook White and it looks a nice machine, up and running in around 20-30secs.
 
Has anyone else had a problem with the macbook hinge and the display? I have had mine for about 4 years and it has had quite light use, although now when I put the screen up it sometimes wont come on and I have to adjust the angle of the screen for it to work. Bit 'teed off as we have a number of laptops at work that have been ravaged by 4-11 year olds and yet still come on fine. Not sure whether to take it back to the Apple store and ask them to fix it.
 
I've wanted a Macbook for ages but simply cant justify the cost over my acer with 8GB of ram. Though the hinge is creaking a bit, the main reason i think i'll eventually switch is when i break my acer, they dont seem to be that well made..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top