9 replies to this topic

[folivier1]

Thinking of getting a new 13" laptop for travel mainly and might jump to Mac.
Macbook Air looks nice, SSD drives, small, light. But will it be powerful and fast enough to process 5DII RAW files?
1.8GHz and max 4GB ram, is that enough? Is ram upgradable?
Thanks.

[DiveLife]

I have just jumped myself and done a lot of research into it. Mt wife got a Macbook Pro last September (well actually I did but she requisitioned it :-))

I have a 7D but also use it for shooting video. At 1080p it does take some time so I opted for the quad core i7 and upgraded to 8gb ram.

I guess it all depends on whether you are going to shoot video using the 5DII because if you are then 4gb is the minimum you would need.

With RAW files 4gd is absolutely fine but

I also decided that the larger 17" screen was definitely worth the extra weight as they are far more usable, the other option is to get the smaller screen and get a cable to output to a larger second screen (any screen with an HDMI input will do) for when you are away, say in your room in the hotel etc.

Hope this helps.


Brett

Thinking of getting a new 13" laptop for travel mainly and might jump to Mac.
Macbook Air looks nice, SSD drives, small, light. But will it be powerful and fast enough to process 5DII RAW files?
1.8GHz and max 4GB ram, is that enough? Is ram upgradable?
Thanks.

[sdingeldein]

Thinking of getting a new 13" laptop for travel mainly and might jump to Mac.
Macbook Air looks nice, SSD drives, small, light. But will it be powerful and fast enough to process 5DII RAW files?
1.8GHz and max 4GB ram, is that enough? Is ram upgradable?
Thanks.

13" MacAir is fast enough and powerful enough to process Nikon D700 and D7000 RAW files. But an update to the MacAir to use the Sandy Bridge processors (same faster processors as in new MacBook Pro) is rumored to be happening this week, or, it not, very soon. That sould be plenty fast. You might want to buy a version with 4 of RAM (can't add it later).

SD

[Mclovin]

I think if you are just using it mainly for travel the Air will be fine. Although, do be aware that upgrading is impossible or very difficult! (I Hear) So choose wisely..

I have had my Macbook Pro 15 inch for 2 and half years now, loved the change and I use it for video editing and downloading RAW files from my 7D. It has 2.56Ghz and 4Gb of RAM and has done the job nicely. And its still my main comp... planning on getting a home system soon with all the fruit! =)

If you are using it mainly for your photos and vid I would prob still go for a larger screen, especially if you wanna mess around with your shots as you go! Mine has gone everywhere with me and even tho it is not an air, it fits perfectly in my hand luggage..

Enjoy your new toy.. =)

[John Bantin]

I got a 15" Macbook Pro to carry with me and connect up to a 30" HD screen when processing pictures. (I am more than satisfied with it - you can see the hairs up the fish's nostrils on it! ) Later, I decided the 15" laptop was a little big for my rucksack so bought a 13" Macbook Pro and was surprised to find it has a bigger hard drive. more RAM and a faster processor than my two year-old Macbook Pro!

[johnspierce]

A maxed-out Macbook Air 13" with 4gb ram and 128gb ssd will make an excellent travel laptop which can process almost anything you need. Just carry a USB backup with you.

I *almost* bought that config, but instead opted for both an iPad 2 and a Macbook Pro 15" i7 / 8gb / 128gb SSD / 500gb HD. Hate to say it, but I usually bring both of them with me

When they start putting the Sandybridge CPU's in the Macbook Air that will become a serious desktop replacement.

JP

[hughmoore]

A maxed-out Macbook Air 13" with 4gb ram and 128gb ssd will make an excellent travel laptop which can process almost anything you need.  Just carry a USB backup with you.  

I *almost* bought that config, but instead opted for both an iPad 2 and a Macbook Pro 15" i7 / 8gb / 128gb SSD / 500gb HD.   Hate to say it, but I usually bring both of them with me

When they start putting the Sandybridge CPU's in the Macbook Air that will become a serious desktop replacement.

JP

Whats the idea behind the SSD's,





Hugh

[TheRealDrew]

Whats the idea behind the SSD's,
Hugh

Solid State Drives, no moving parts and better performance. If you get a MacBook Air, Max out the RAM and hard drive. Right now you can get a 256 Gig SSD drive in the 13" and since they are not really replaceable, having the extra room is a good idea if you can swing it. Drives can fill up quickly. As others mentioned the new Airs are coming real soon and apparently Apple is holding off until Lion is officially released.

We have a current 11" Air maxed out and it is a great machine for the size. With travel issues (weight and size) these small Airs are real nice. There is always a trade off with size and performance. I have a few laptops (15" and 17") and it is nice to have the screens for some things, but the less hassle of the smaller machines are very nice, even more so if you are not doing alot of work on trips. In other words to review footage and images, do some basic editing and organization, check emails and all the rest the Airs are nice. I find myself more and more doing the heavy computing when I come home and just trying to enjoy trips. If am I going somewhere for an extended period of time I may take the 17" because it is worthwhile to have, but for most things the trade off is worth the smaller size and weight. Dropping 4 to 5 pounds from my backpack, plus adding space, is worth it.

[johnspierce]

Whats the idea behind the SSD's,

Hugh

SSD is the biggest bang-for-the-buck performance increase you can do to any type of computer.

After you've used a laptop/desktop with an SSD in it any computer with a conventional hard drive seems unbelievably slow and clunky. Case in point: My wife was getting extremely annoyed with her desktop which is an old core duo machine with 4gb RAM. Bootup was taking about a minute and a half, programs launched in 4 to 8 seconds, which is actually kind of normal for that spec. I put an SSD in that machine and upgraded her from Windows XP to Windows 7 and that thing smokes now! Boots up in 15 seconds, almost any app she uses launches in about 1 second. Excellent upgrade, kept me from buying a new computer for another year or two. In hers, I put a 64gb SSD in for the boot drive and kept her 500gb conventional drive for data storage. After installing all her apps, she has almost 40gb left on the SSD.

John

[scorpio_fish]

I carry a Mac Air for travel. It's maxed out with RAM and the SDD. It works fine for travel as I don't do any serious editing on the road. I may put an iPhoto slideshow together, but that's about it. I find it sufficient for internet usage and file receptacle. I do have to clear it out after every trip as 128gb can fill up fast with a few video files. I carry a couple of externals for backup and more backup.

If you are going to edit or shoot and edit a lot of video, then you need a Mac Book Pro.