Whos made the switch from PC to Mac?

[NWDiver 42]

Need to replace a computer and thinking about moving from a PC to Mac. Currently using CS3 for stills and Sony Vegas Platinum for video. Currently have most files on TB (?) of external storage. Budget say US$3K

 

Are Macs really that much easier to work on?

I have not been in love with Sony Vegas, probably mainly operator stupidity. I want to make HD & Blue Ray videos are Mac programs easier?

Will I have a problem with previous slide shows I have built with my PC loaded to the Web and my Website if I switch to a Mac?

 

I know this is like Nikon vs. Canon but any insight is welcome.

[TheRealDrew 0]

Are Macs really that much easier to work on?

 

Kind of hard to say, generally yes they are easier. I know people who have switched and are happy/suprised. I have used PCs and Macs alot, but pretty much just use my Macs now. Rarely touch PCs and it this point run Windows on my Mac the few times I need a PC program, which is limited. Some people may need PCs for their work depending on their IT department, etc., so keep that in mind

 

I have not been in love with Sony Vegas, probably mainly operator stupidity. I want to make HD & Blue Ray videos are Mac programs easier?

Will I have a problem with previous slide shows I have built with my PC loaded to the Web and my Website if I switch to a Mac?

 

blu-ray authoring/burning is not fully implemented on a Mac yet (if you think of full blown authoring) You will need a external burner. The new Final Cut Studio has some BR burning capabilites and enough to get blu-ray out. Ditto for Toast and Adobe Encore. Full blown authoring to tap into more of the blu-ray specs will require more. (And is pricey, but really for either platform. I think the lowest software for BR authoring runs about $3,000) I have not tried burning a BR project to standard DVD-R/+R (which could be done with DVD Studio Pro for HD DVD) but I think some people mentioned getting that to work on BR players, maybe with another system. I am not sure how much of an issue it really is since burners are dropping in price, but media is still a bit expensive. In other words, there is probably enough there to watch on blu-ray now but I would not replicate blu-ray discs without another system and testing, but enough to make blu-ray on a basic level.

 

Not sure how you made your slide shows or if somehow it is PC specific in terms of authoring or playback. From the playback side of things they will often work (and you can FTP the files up and down) but to edit the slideshows may not work if the software is not available for the Mac. (Though you maybe able to run the software on the Mac via Bootcamp or VM Ware)

 

That being said, even the iApps that come bundled with the Mac can do alot of things...

 

I know this is like Nikon vs. Canon but any insight is welcome.

 

 

Yeah it is goingto be like that. You will have fans from both sides and the arguments go on forever. Hey, when I read Wagsy's posts about Edius I am half tempted to buy a PC

 

That being said, I do not see myself switching back to PCs. Who knows, there may be something so compelling at some point where PCs leave the Macs so far behind that there is no choice (or an easy choice) based on what I use my computers for, but right now, nope.

[jeremypayne 0]

Need to replace a computer and thinking about moving from a PC to Mac. Currently using CS3 for stills and Sony Vegas Platinum for video. Currently have most files on TB (?) of external storage. Budget say US$3K

 

Are Macs really that much easier to work on?

I have not been in love with Sony Vegas, probably mainly operator stupidity. I want to make HD & Blue Ray videos are Mac programs easier?

Will I have a problem with previous slide shows I have built with my PC loaded to the Web and my Website if I switch to a Mac?

 

I know this is like Nikon vs. Canon but any insight is welcome.

If you have no IT support and you don't already know the differences, an Apple is probably the way to go, IMO.

 

I'm a PC guy these days ... but I have my wife on a Mac and that's just been much easier than me supporting her use of a PC - which I did for years. I think PCs are great if you know your way around them, but less so for the less tech savvy who don't have an IT department to lean on.

[segal3 0]

I've switched to OSX (Leopard and then Snow Leopard)...and then back to XP SP3/Windows 7 x64.

 

Windows 7 is a major improvement, and I'd hold on any decision until you have a chance to play with it.

 

Some thoughts: If you'd prefer to use specific software only available for OSX (Final Cut Pro, Aperture, etc), then by all means go with Apple. My own decision was driven by the fact that, for comparable hardware, most cross-platform software seemed to run faster on Windows (Adobe, Canon, MATLAB (benchmarked 2x faster)), not to mention engineering-specific applications that are only available on Windows. Boot Camp/Parallels is a poor option when attempting to maintain a RAID array for media storage, as neither side reads the other's format, restricting file access unless you're willing to copy to a temp. folder.

 

I agree with Jeremy - if people other than yourself are going to be using the computer, and you'd prefer not having to follow the Tech Support Cheat Sheet, then you may be better off with an Apple. But, you may have to follow it then, too .

 

YMMV.

[Bigeye Bubblefish 7]

Need to replace a computer and thinking about moving from a PC to Mac. Currently using CS3 for stills and Sony Vegas Platinum for video. Currently have most files on TB (?) of external storage. Budget say US$3K

 

Are Macs really that much easier to work on?

I have not been in love with Sony Vegas, probably mainly operator stupidity. I want to make HD & Blue Ray videos are Mac programs easier?

Will I have a problem with previous slide shows I have built with my PC loaded to the Web and my Website if I switch to a Mac?

 

I know this is like Nikon vs. Canon but any insight is welcome.

 

I have been a PC for years as I am working in the video game industry.

 

My girlfriend bought a macbook white 2 years ago for replacing her old Win XP laptop. I've been surprised how easy it was for her to set up the computer. This OS is really friendly user.

 

Few months later I purchased a first MacBook Pro 15"... I loved it.

I also bought a 24" iMac for most of my photo works. I still have a super PC at home that is sleeping for at least 12 to 16 months. I am a PC user at work, but I would never switch back again to Windows for a personal use.

I am running Windows 7 on my mac, and I have to confess that this OS is too complex for me since i am using a Mac.

OSX is simple and powerful, and the space bar in OSX is the best app ever... You can preview any document instantly by hitting the space bar. A killer

 

If you don't know what to choose, go to an apple store and ask for a demo...

 

Damien

[johnspierce 25]

I've been a computer programmer for 28 years. 10 years in Internet/Intranet development. I've always been a PC guy. This year, I switched over to OS X and Mac.

 

Buy a Mac.

 

I use quite a few different computers in the course of any given day, I program in Java on a Linux system, I use Windows XP at work too and I have a developer's cut of Windows 7 one of my machines at home in addition to a Mac Pro desktop. The good news is if you are a Lightroom / Photoshop user, they work almost identically on either system so you can seamlessly go back and forth.

 

Windows 7 is certainly a nicer OS than Vista, but it's still slower than XP. It has some nice features, but it still relies on Windows' biggest "problem" -- the Registry. This single, monolithic approach to storing program information and user data is the biggest achilles heel in the Windows OS and it's been there since Windows 3.0 in the 80's. This is what makes your computer get slower over time. This is what gets corrupted with install / uninstall of programs and causes problems for you every day. This is where hackers store triggers for a virus. It was an "okay" idea in 1990, but it's way past it's prime. Microsoft says they totally rewrote Windows 7. Well --- sort of. Under the covers Windows 7 is just a "fixed" Vista, which still has a bunch of Windows XP code which still has Windows 3.11 code. The code base is huge. Microsoft has never really done a "clean slate" development of their OS and it has issues because of that decision.

 

OS X Snow Leopard for the Mac is easier to use, slicker to use, faster and much more virus resistant because of it's design. It's really a variant of Unix under the covers and as such is very easy to work with for beginners and experts alike. Yes, PC's are cheaper. But Macs are better. Ask 10 professional photographers what they use for processing their digital photos/videos and 8 of them will say a Mac. The reason is, they can't afford to waste time and lose data.

 

PC lovers will argue with me, Mac lovers will agree. Whatever. It's just a computer, but if you want less hassles in your life.

 

Buy a Mac.

Edited October 18, 2009 by johnspierce

[cor 0]

Ive switched to the mac twice The first time was quite a few years ago when I bought a powerbook. I hated it. Way too many apps didnt work. Almost any gadget I bought wasnt supported (think dive computers, gps, etc etc). So for a couple years I switched back to windows on my travel laptop.

 

Then about 2 years ago i bought a macbook pro and i wouldnt go back for anything. OSX is such a nice OS (although I think Apple isnt a nice company at all), and as a Unix expert I can do whatever I want under the hood. I rarely have a problem any more with unsupported hardware.

 

At home though I do maintain 2 very powerful desktop computers that are still windows, mainly because macs suck at gaming.

[nated1971 0]

I switched to Mac and will have no plans on going back to PC. I'm a complete novice with photo editing, so using Elements 8. I've not found anything I could do on PC that I can't do on my Mac Book Air. Very well thought out, simple to use. Installing and removing programs is easier, better short cuts, many can be done with a few finger swipes on the touch pad.

Edited October 18, 2009 by nated1971

[davehicks 99]

If you want to spend 100% of that $3K budget, then you should buy a Mac. If you want to get the same level of hardware and spent the remainder on a dive trip or camera gear, then buy a PC. The availability of low cost netbooks ($300-400) is also a game changer. You could buy a 6-pack of really cool netbooks for the price of one MacBook pro....

 

Realistically, both platforms have their merits, but I don't see a big differnece in usability. As mentioned before, Windows 7 is awesome and the new PC harware being release this week is very impressive and levels the field vs Apple. There are some new Dell and Sony notebooks hitting the shelves this week that blow about anything Apple has to offer.

 

Dave

[johnspierce 25]

If you want to spend 100% of that $3K budget, then you should buy a Mac. If you want to get the same level of hardware and spent the remainder on a dive trip or camera gear, then buy a PC. The availability of low cost netbooks ($300-400) is also a game changer. You could buy a 6-pack of really cool netbooks for the price of one MacBook pro....

 

Realistically, both platforms have their merits, but I don't see a big differnece in usability. As mentioned before, Windows 7 is awesome and the new PC harware being release this week is very impressive and levels the field vs Apple. There are some new Dell and Sony notebooks hitting the shelves this week that blow about anything Apple has to offer.

 

Dave

 

 

Except for you can't run Win 7 on a netbook, it's not powerful enough. And you are somewhat misstating the price difference. Mac is more expensive, but you can't buy a 6-pack of netbooks ($1800) for one Macbook Pro. A 13" Macbook Pro 2.26 ghz with 2gb ram sells for $1299. That's 4 netbooks. But, in the end, you'd still have a bunch crappy netbooks instead of a decent computer But hey, <shrugs>, your choice. Try running Photoshop or Lightroom on that netbook, you'll be looking for something else soon - and before you say that's not necessary, this IS an Underwater Photo forum isn't it?

 

I agree the new Dell thin and light laptops are pretty cool looking. If I was buying a Windows box, that's what I'd get. Too bad it doesn't run OS X.

 

Take care Dave! Just pokin' at you a little ;0

Edited October 18, 2009 by johnspierce

[matt215 3]

get a mac. i switched 2 years ago, and it's like pc's don't even exist anymore.

[JackConnick 76]

Martin;

 

Give a call if you want to come by and play with my Mac Systems a bit. I also have XP/Vista on the computer, not under Parallels, but VM Fusion which is much faster.

 

Jack

[davehicks 99]

Except for you can't run Win 7 on a netbook, it's not powerful enough.

 

Of course you can! I'm posting this from an Asus EeePC 1000H with 1GB ram running Windows 7 Ultimate. It's great! I upgraded my dad's XP EeePC as well and he is delighted by how much faster and cooler it is now! Pretty darn cool for a 3lbs $300 system.

 

I used this PC last month on a weekend dive excursion for Photo downloads and sorting using Nikon View NX and it was great. I would not recomment it for extensive editing, but I did a couple of tweaks with Nikon Capture NX and it was slow but useable. (add another 1GB ram stick and NX would be decent) It has a great screen, small size, and light weight that makes it a great solution for traveling.

 

Dave

[NWDiver 42]

Thanks for the input, I think I may have to just sit down and work with one. Jack I may take you up on that. The Blue Ray burning is a issue but minor. The other issue is would also require a new laptop.

[John Bantin 101]

I know nothing about computers so I, my wife and daughters have two iMacs, one eMac (for my scanner), one Macbook Pro and a Macbook currently. My IT son says if I buy a PC he will change his telephone number and put a block on me calling him.

Edited October 20, 2009 by John Bantin

[Tjsnapper 0]

I changed to Mac for day to day work over a year ago and would not change back, especially for photography, the OS and Finder allow you to locate files very easily and the change has saved me hours of work. I still have a PC but when it comes to the end of its life i will not be replacing it, just buying an Imac or some such (I can't wait)

[CompuDude 0]

I agree the new Dell thin and light laptops are pretty cool looking. If I was buying a Windows box, that's what I'd get. Too bad it doesn't run OS X.

The problem is, if you compare those cool new Dell laptops to the MacBook Pro's, you'll notice the magical PC price difference somehow disappeared entirely.

 

The reason to stick with PC's (from a price perspective) is this:

 

1) You already own software and aren't willing (or able) to purchase new versions for your Mac.

 

2) You're on a strict budget and want the cheapest possible system.

 

Your better PC's, from major vendors that actually support their systems, often end up costing a lot closer to the price of a Mac than it appears simply from comparing the prices of the crappy off-the-shelf systems that are advertised on sale.

 

Netbooks are amazing for travel, btw, and nice for casually surfing the 'net on the sofa while you watch TV. But I would NEVER want one as my main system.

[johnspierce 25]

For those who think Mac is more expensive than PC, here's a nice apples-to-apples comparison:

 

http://blog.laptopmag.com/mac-tax-repealed...arly-priced-pcs

[tdpriest 115]

Ever since I made the decision (in 1980) to write up my doctorate on a typewriter, and not to word-process it (and thereby risk being side-tracked like many of my contemporaries into computing), I have regarded computers as a tool, not a way of life.

 

I had a PC (well, I've had three PC desktops and two laptops), and it wasn't a good tool: I found it limited by glitches. XP solved many, but my first MAC solved them all.

 

It's not a fair comparison, as I now have a 13" MACBook Pro with extra memory and a solid-state drive (not cheap, but truly fast) but I'm writing this on a public-sector Panasonic Toughbook, but I hate using PCs! I am singularly unimpressed by the Dell workstations we have in the hospital, though they are ancient (mind you, the MAC Pro I use at home to run CS4 is pretty ancient, too).

 

I guess that can be summarised as "MACs for the ignorant"!

 

Tim

 

[scorpio_fish 5]

Are Macs really that much easier to work on?

 

I know this is like Nikon vs. Canon but any insight is welcome.

 

1. Yes, they are easier to work on. Although, I don't find working in specific apps any different. I was running CS3 on both machines. The PC was easier because I was used to flying through menus without thinking by hitting the alt key + the first letter of the menu item, then again the first letter thing. Their is a psychological cleanliness and order to using the Mac. Installing Mac apps seem to always be simple compared to a PC. No longer have to run registry cleansers. At first I kept wondering what all the fuss was. I didn't really see much difference. I'm still doing Windows, but now that I am up to speed on the Mac I prefer, especially after you replace the mouse and keyboard.

 

I run VMFusion at work, since the company system is still Windows based, specifically Microsoft Dynamics. I keep asking them when they will have a Mac version. They still haven't given me an answer. I also have a couple of other Win programs I still run.

 

Cons:

 

Cost more - not enough for me to care

Missing apps - I still find stuff that will only run on Windows

Mac Mail - Some things are better, some are not.

 

All things considered, you will prefer using the Mac unless you have Windows only programs you need to run.

[ramaroodle 0]

I think PC's have come a long way. I bought a MACBook pro a few years ago and love it but the stuff I do on my MAC is almost all available on the PC. (PS, Lightroom etc). I don't use Aperture or I photo.

 

Plus (somewhat off-topic) I prefer Vegas over Final Cut. It just seems more intuitive. I have both and find myself using Vegas to make a video with transitions, fades and everything else then dumping it into FC if I need to do something "special", but 99% of the time Vegas gets it done. Especially now that Vegas has the ability to render to H264 and Quicktime etc. . I find that Vegas is drag and drop more than FC and being old (52) I am less willing to learn new software and FC seems to have a steeper learning curve. It's almost like starting from scratch every time I take a few months off.

 

Plus I got this neat little netbook for free from Verizon which is about the size of a paperback book. I loaded an old PC version of Lightroom on it and plan on taking an external drive and leaving the laptop at home on the next Bonaire trip. (which will make my wife happy) Plus, having them both on the same wireless network at home is almost like having one big machine. I don't really need a lot of computing power on a trip unless I need to do a lot of processing before I get home like if I'm on a shootout or contest trip. Just being able to copy, archive and look at the shots is enough. But, CS4 and Lightroom 2.5 are on my MAC so I'm not going to invest in CS4 or LR2 for the PC so I'm "stuck" with using 2 machines.

 

Not sure what the PC equivalents are but MAC does have cool stuff like Toast and Popcorn and MAC the Ripper.

 

I think that now-a-days it's almost a toss up IMHO.

[gassa 0]

Mac are 2-3 years ahead in designing. This 7 something is painful copy from mac lates geniuos designs. Therefore I am going to stick with the Apple. Writing this on Windows Vista at home and XP in work. My next computer will be 24" Imac...sweeet!!!

[echeng 0]

I've heard only great things about Windows 7, but the painful migration process from XP/Vista isn't going to make users happy. The new Apple commercials are great; if you have to reinstall anyway, why not just switch?

 

I used to think about Macs vs Windows a lot. I used PCs until I entered college, was forced to switch to Mac because of the computing environment there, switched back to Windows after working at Apple in 1997 (it was Mac OS 8 and stock price at 12 -- not a good time for Apple), and finally switched back to Macs 4 years ago. I haven't looked back since, and I never think about the Windows vs Mac debate anymore. I don't think about it because Mac OS is now the only OS I can use without getting angry (which is what happens when I sit down at a Windows machine -- every try to configure wireless in Vista? having computer science degrees doesn't seem to help!

 

In recent history (since Mac OS X), no one I know has switched back to Windows after going Mac. That statistic in itself is significant.

 

In any case, computers simply do their jobs, and both platforms are just fine for photographers. What do you need for photography, anyway? Most people will only need a good media downloader, LR/Aperture, Photoshop / Photoshop Elements (less and less necessary every year), and just a few more utilities. Very few useful apps are PC-only or Mac-only -- there is almost always a counterpart on the other platform.

 

So if you're budget constrained and can only get a $400 netbook with Windows 7, don't worry. Use whatever else you have saved up for good glass and travel.

 

However, one area where money HAS to be spent is in storage. You should have lots of space for redundant storage. I know a couple people who have lost all of their images, and the loss of something like that is just tragic.

 

There are always fantastic deals at techbargains.com or other sites for drives, and if you don't want to go with a NAS box or other complicated storage system, you can always get a bunch of external drives when they're on sale and manage them individually.

[Rocha 0]

This is always an interesting topic. I had computers forever (my first one was a TK90, circa 1991), had PCs for most of the time, starting with an XT, 286, 386, the works. So I think I can give an informed opinion.

 

The Apple operating system (OSX) is easier to handle, but *only* if you are not used to windows. Coming from a Windows to a Mac will give some people headaches just because, since you are so used to Windows, you will try to make things the "Windows way". But starting from scratch, there is no question, OSX is a lot easier. Now, having said that, if you switch open minded and don't mind the learning curve, you will go Apple happy and never look back. As what happened with Eric, everyone that I know that has switched from PC to Mac never came back.

 

Windows Vista is the worst operating system microsoft made in a long time, but from what I hear Windows 7 is better, so maybe there is light in the end of the tunnel. The biggest problem with windows machines I think is still the viruses and hardware conflict issues. So many manufacturers, and Macs can only be bought from Apple, a lot easier to control. So, because of that Apple machines are a lot stabler.

[corgee 0]

I made the switch less than a year ago and I love it! Mac is definitely the way to go. I recommend it to everyone. I just feel like it is a lot cleaner and user friendly. Haven't had any problems yet and it's 99.9% compatible with PC's in regards to sharing documents and such.