Luminous Landscape Forum
Equipment & Techniques => Medium Format / Film / Digital Backs – and Large Sensor Photography => Topic started by: Lust4Life on October 28, 2011, 08:08:53 am
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Given:
I've just upgraded to the H4D50 with 28mm, 50-110, 80 and HTS = heavy backpack!
It's use will be in the field for landscape shots.
I have a RoadTrek Agile RV to travel in so trip durations will be 3-6 weeks each.
Camping in State Parks but power will generally be available.
Question:
I'd like to take a light weight computer on my trips with the following utility:
Use for preview and focus of a shot in the field - thus it goes in my backpack (or even better, in my wives!)
Use to off load images from CF card back at the campsite for shots that were not done when H4D is connected to Air.
Use for editing images with LightRoom in the evening/rainy days, and possibly Photomatrix Pro.
Use to download emails and surf net when at Starbucks/WiFi.
Figure 13" screen is adequate as I have a dual screen Mac G5 at home.
Decision:
MacBook Air or MacBook Pro?
Anyone doing what I'm considering?
Feedback, suggestions, lessons learned?
Thanks,
Jack
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MacBook Air does not have firewire AFAIK. No possibility to hook up your 50 to the AIR. You are limited in transferring the files via a CF card and reader. The AIR doesn't have the best VGA card to run Phocus.
When the laptop goes into your wifes backpack, I would opt for the MacBook Pro ;)
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OK, so the Air is out of consideration.
Here the are two choices I see for the 15" MacBook Pro:
15-inch: 2.2 GHz
2.2GHz quad-core
Intel Core i7
4GB 1333MHz
500GB 5400-rpm1
Intel HD Graphics 3000
AMD Radeon HD 6750M with 512MB GDDR5
Built-in battery (7 hours)2
In Stock
Free Shipping
$1,799.00
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15-inch: 2.4 GHz
2.4GHz quad-core
Intel Core i7
4GB 1333MHz
750GB 5400-rpm1
Intel HD Graphics 3000
AMD Radeon HD 6770M with 1GB GDDR5
Built-in battery (7 hours)2
In Stock
Free Shipping
$2,199.00
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Now I have to ask those who have purchased in the past:
1. Do you find any appreciable improvement in speed between the 2.2 verse the 2.4 proc?
2. Ditto on the Video Ram increase to 1 GB from 1/2Gig?
Jack
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Hi Jack
I would go for a 7200 rpm hard drive and 1GB of video memory.
The clock speed difference may not matter as much as a fast hard drive and lots of video memory.
IMO
David
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I have two 15" display MacBook Pros:
1. 2.2 GHz proc, 8GB RAM, 750GB @ 7500RPM with Hi-Res display and video car at .5GM = $2,249
2. Identical to #1 BUT has 2.4 GHz proc and 1GB video RAM = $2,549.
Thus, for $300 more I would get a un-measurable faster processor and a video card with 1GB RAM insteas of .5.
I will never see/sense the proc upgrade - decision is will the video RAM actually be worth $300.00 !!????
Jack
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Jack,
I've bought quite a few different Mac laptops over the last years.... the one option that really makes a difference is the SSD. Just improves the whole computer and IMHO well worth it.
Eric
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Sure would improve performance but the cost of that improvement is dramatic!!
Thus I'll chose the 7500 RPM drive instead.
Jack
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Actually the Air is not totally out of the question. Thew new generation have the thunderbolt port which will via use of an adapter let you use firewire. The only problem is the adapter solution has not been released yet. Sonnet is making an express card adapter that will be available soon (pre order now)
http://www.sonnettech.com/product/thunderbolt/index.html
So ya its kind of a work around...
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The SSD is not even that more expensive. I would never get the Apple version but would buy one from either OWC or Crucial (I did both with 2 different laptops actually). I took the 250GB drives. The SSD makes the biggest difference indeed.
Also get the MBP with the most potent video card.
Even when the thunderbolt workaround would work (which it currently does not), it still has the less than ideal video card. I have been using HB products tethered for over 6 years now almost daily and often with laptops. I would most definitely not opt for an AIR. I have bought 4 MBP 15's over the last 6 years which have always served me really well.
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I spent most of the summer shooting with an h3d 39 and processing images on my old mbp (three years?) which has a 2.53g processor and a 7200 rpm drive. Not as fast as my mac pro in the studio, but entirely usable.
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"I would never get the Apple version but would buy one from either OWC or Crucial (I did both with 2 different laptops actually). I took the 250GB drives. The SSD makes the biggest difference indeed."
Did you/Can you replace the internal drive or did you use the SSD as external drive?
Makes sense - decision to go with MacBook Pro instead of the Air has been made - looks like the 1GB video card is essential for dealing with our large file -
Thanks,
Jack
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I took out the Hard drive from the MBP and replaced it with a SSD from Crucial (M3), the other MBP I replaced the HD with an OWC SSD. Make sure you get a SSD that are known to be working with the MBP. In your case I would get the OWC.
It is a trivial job replacing the HD. The unibody is very easy to open up and the drive can be easily replaced.
The best way to go is to make a backup with Time Machine first, replace the drive, boot with the OSX install DVD and do a restore from Time machine which can be done via the install DVD.
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Thanks Dustbak!
Now, can the video RAM be upgraded as well?
That's the final issue as the cost to upgrade to the 1GB video card is high from Apple - must take the barely faster Proc with it which I don't need.
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Euh... no. Not something I would even think of doing myself if that is even possible (which I doubt). The 512MB video card in the MBP should be adequate (I now use that in a 2009 version, the 2011 version should be better still) however you will enjoy a faster video card with Phocus.
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"(or even better, in my wives!)!!!"
Was that a grammatical slip [v for f] or are you a Mormon/muslim!!
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Funny - I missed that - Never was good at spelling!
One is enough!
Jack