Which MBP?

[JK1440]

Hi all, first post

After years using PCs, I'm seriously considering the jump to Mac.

I'm looking at an MBP as I need something that's portable. I'll be using it for work (I'm self-employed) and also for photo processing (Lightroom, Photoshop) as I'm going to branching out into professional photography.

I was considering picking up a 15in MBP Retina with 16GB RAM and 512GB HD from the Apple refurb store. However, a Mac enthusiast colleague has recommended I consider a cheaper option for now, as lower spec models should be more than capable of doing what I need.

However, I don't want to be caught in the same position I have been with PCs, which have required replacing every three to four years.

Anyway, I'd be interested to have the benefit of the experience of any Mac-using photographers.

Thank you!

 

[Meister]

If this is a business investment get the top end 15" rmbp.

If you are private individual any rmbp will do. I use the rmbp every day with Ps and Lr.
No problem there.

 

[JK1440]

Thanks for the advice

While it will be a business machine (accounts, presentations, editing work...) those functions don't require a large amount of memory. If my photography business takes off, then I thought the extra capacity might be handy, especially as the MBP Retinas can't be upgraded.

Then again, if it takes off that well, I can always trade in or get an iMac for serious editing.

 

[thekev]

While it will be a business machine (accounts, presentations, editing work...) those functions don't require a large amount of memory.

Lightroom and photoshop can be memory hogs. You can get away with very little, but they tend to be more consistently responsive with lots of ram. You will be less likely to experience stutter.

 

[Badrottie]

Portable? Macbook Air 13" (Haswell based) will fit your need. Or try Dell XPS ultraportable laptop. Both are capable of running Adobe programs.

I have a mid 2012 MBPr for FCPX and Aparture and I am keeping Windows 7 desktop for making closed caption.

 

[rolsskk]

Thanks for the advice

While it will be a business machine (accounts, presentations, editing work...) those functions don't require a large amount of memory. If my photography business takes off, then I thought the extra capacity might be handy, especially as the MBP Retinas can't be upgraded.

Then again, if it takes off that well, I can always trade in or get an iMac for serious editing.

The RAM in the retinas cannot be upgraded, but the SSDs can be swapped out.

 

[MCAsan]

The wife and I have the mid 2012 Retina MBP 10,1 which were maxed out when we purchased them (2.7Ghz CPU, 16GB of memory, and 768GB SSD). These rMBPs are our only computers; we use them at home and on the road. We very glad we purchased the fastest CPU and 16GB as we don't get spinning beach balls when importing or processing raw files into Lightroom or when using plugins (Nik Collection, Perfecto Photo Suite, etc.) I would highly advise on getting the fastest CPU and max memory.

As for internal storage, I have almost 600GB out of 768GB free. That is with Lightroom and its catalog, Aperture with its library, all the plugins, all of the iLife and iWorks apps....etc. Note that I only do a referenced library in Aperture. The referenced library of raw masters is the same as is referenced by Lightroom. Those 2GB of referenced raw masters sit on an external Thunderbolt drive. I have no need to carry them around.

When I import new raw files, the go onto the internal SSD. There I cull and edit. When the files are completed, they are moved to the external library drive (which is of course backed up). This keeps the internal SSD space free for the next trip/shoot. Yesterday I completed our portable backup devices. They are Samsung 840 EVO 1TB SSDs sitting in an Inateck USB3 enclosure ($18 on Amazon) that does the USB SCSI protocol (UASP) which greatly improves USB3 transport speeds. I can read/wite to the external SSD at the same speed range (400MBs+) that I can to the internal SSD. To me using a fast SSD for backup in the field is important as it eliminates a spinning HD that can crash and it is way faster than any HD. Fast backups can be important when their is limited time to have power for the laptop.

Once the photos are edited and sitting in the main library folders, I can easily define albums in Aperture of photos I want to share. In iTunes you select the Aperture albums and the photos get copied to your iPhone or iPad. I use iPad for sharing photos and my iPhone carries around 400 CDs of music for those long road trips.

I hope some of that helped.


PS:
When time to buy I always check the AppleInsider price list for the best deals. http://prices.appleinsider.com I don't know if there is similar listing for the UK.

In the States B&H usually has the best price on AppleCare; dob't know about best price in UK. For the really good bargains, look at the Apple refurb store. http://store.apple.com/uk/browse/home/specialdeals/mac