Lap top computer

I am starting the transition from film to digital and am shopping for a lap top for trip processing.

All the heavy duty stuff will be done on desk top at home.

I'm thinking 1 gig memory and a 15" screen as a even trade for screen size vs. carrying weight/bulk.

Any comments - recommendations!

Who do you think has the best screen?

Thanks in advance,

Allan

The new mac book with duel processors. super machine. Thanks Luiz my memory is shot. I'm on a G-5 and forgot the details. Mark

There is no mac g5 laptop, but there is a new mac book with intel duo processor. It is supposed to be very fast and the screen is excellent. Sony has a great screen too and is relatively light, although I think the mac is the lightest 15'' around.

For a similar discussion about laptops look here:

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=10877

Luiz

Im going to buy the new Thinkpad z60m. It's got a gorgeous screen. Soon out with dual core. I gave up on apple myself.

Cor

Hi Allen and Barbara,

I would just make some general recommendations:

Don't get a monster laptop. That screen may be nice at home, but dragging around a 10 pound monster is no fun. It will be heavy and won't fit in most computer/camera backpacks.

Get a fast big hard drive. Transferring images to a slow drive sucks. Obviously you're going to want lots of storage for your photos.

Photoshop uses lots of RAM. Get lots.

Make sure it's got a decent video card. One that has RGB adjustements or works well with camera calibration software is nice.

Cheers

James

If you decide to go Windoze, get a Thinkpad. The T-series is light, and is excellent (my machine of choice). It has a screen that isn't that gorgeous glossy one that everyuone else seems to be using, but it's a workhorse machine. They fixed the problem with the Z series (nice screen, I hear!), but I have no experience with that particular series, and can't comment on it...

Try to get a 7200rpm drive in your notebook. Not many vendors offer it, but some do. Also, I recommend 1.5GB RAM. Windows notebooks do not hibernate with 2GB of RAM (a bug that hasn't ever been fixed), but do fine with 1.5.

Try also to get a 1400x1050 screen (or equivalent), if you're going for a 14.1 or 15" screen. I find 1600 to be a bit too small for normal use, and 1024 to be way too few pixels. 1400 is perfect!

If you go with Mac, and can wait a few months, I think smaller Macbook pro's or faster iBooks are good bets for travel. I have a 15" G4 Powerbook now, with 1GB, and it is adequate. But I'd like more speed and less weight. One of the infinite number of Apple rumors is that they may have a duo 13.3" widescreen iBook soon...maybe...I wish.

If I were buying today, I'd also consider this one:

http://laptopsinc.com/Merchant2/merchant.m...egory_Code=P1MX

Pretty much everything I'd want comes with the standard configuration.

Mike

If it were me, I'd go light and small. I wouldn't even be thinking laptop. Think notebook computer. With USB 2.0 you'll be using that to transfer all your images. Battery life on notebooks is phenomenol, they now have the built in wireless and you won't feel like you're hauling around another 20lbs. This will also allow you some weight to pack an important extra backup drive. Spend the extra money on maxing out the memory and grabbing the largest HD available.

Later,

Gary

If it were me, I'd go light and small. I wouldn't even be thinking laptop. Think notebook computer. With USB 2.0 you'll be using that to transfer all your images. Battery life on notebooks is phenomenol, they now have the built in wireless and you won't feel like you're hauling around another 20lbs. This will also allow you some weight to pack an important extra backup drive. Spend the extra money on maxing out the memory and grabbing the largest HD available.

 

Later,

 

Gary

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think most people use "laptop" and "notebook" interchangeably when talking about portable computers these days . . .

For those interested in the MacBook Pro, here is a site with benchmarks and a nice review:

http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/macbookpro.ars

It is a lot faster than the previous G4 PowerBooks. However, it is just as slow with PPC applications, so you won't see any speed increases in Photoshop at least until their next version:

http://robgalbraith.com/bins/content_page....cid=7-7891-8185

Luiz

"I think most people use "laptop" and "notebook" interchangeably when talking about portable computers these days . . ."

While this is true, I've owned both and can tell you the travel differences in "portability" are big. I'm now lugging a Dell Laptop around and my Sherpa has just filed for workers compensation for back injuries sustained while transporting the beast. Seriously, I don't get a choice with the company I work for but have had notebooks in the past where I can decide which accessories are important to take. A difference in 3-4lbs might not seem like a lot until you transport it a mile or two.

"I think most people use "laptop" and "notebook" interchangeably when talking about portable computers these days . . ."

 

While this is true, I've owned both and can tell you the travel differences in "portability" are big. I'm now lugging a Dell Laptop around and my Sherpa has just filed for workers compensation for back injuries sustained while transporting the beast. Seriously, I don't get a choice with the company I work for but have had notebooks in the past where I can decide which accessories are important to take. A difference in 3-4lbs might not seem like a lot until you transport it a mile or two.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

My only point was that the distinction is probably not worth making anymore. Some companies call their portable computers laptops, some call them notebooks, some even advertise both and their "notebooks" weigh more than their "laptops". At the moment, Dell.com doesn't list a single computer defined as a laptop, though they do sell a full line of notebooks and when you type "laptop" into their search box, guess what comes up -- "notebooks" -- some of which weigh 12 pounds or more! While your point about weight being an important factor is a good one, the distinction you make between laptop and notebook may be a bit anachronistic . . .

Sorry -- guess I'm just bored tonight . . .

Mike

Okay..so my only point was (other than being behind in jargon) is to go light and small.

One thing to consider is calibrating your screen. I read a review in some PS magazine that says the new Mac ProBook is the first laptop in which the screen can accurately be calibrated. My 12" PB can be calibrated but serious PS work designed for printing is better off on a desktop.

That new Mac Pro is a sweet machine but I agree with the go small and light. My 12" PB is 41/2 lbs. I would not fly with a laptop that weighted any more than that. Even one more pound makes a big difference. If I was going to the dark side and bought a PC I would get one of those ultralight 10" screen computers. Figure in the extra cost by not having to buy an Epson 4000.

I look at the Epson as a backup in case the laptop totally fails. Murphy is everywhere.

Yes, I will always bring mine as well. But if I felt I needed a laptop I might spend the money on a 10" laptop instead if I had neither. It would maybe justify the premium you pay for a 10" laptop.

If you get a small external hard drive (smaller and cheaper then an Epson and cheaper and not much bigger then a 60 G Ipod) you can back up to that. Even if you laptop fails you probably can use the resorts/diveboats to load to your external HD or borrow another divers to do so. I'm thinking of going on a trip and just taking my Epson and an external HD. Maybe also an Ipod and that camera connector. Suppose to be slow but it is small and another backup.

I would always want to have a laptop with me; but the cost and weight of a laptop is a lot more than than the above options. The risk of loss/damage makes me think that An epson at times may be a better choice. On day trips I often bring only the epson.

Having just travelled for a month and carried around an awful lot of gear my feelings may be pertinent while they are fresh. I carried a 12" Powerbook with its adapter and several of Apple's varied plugs for it - very straightforward and worked everywhere. As a back up I used it to write DVDs and shoved everything onto a portable bus-powered firewire La Cie drive too. When I'd filled this I was in trouble so had to buy something as an additional back up or risk having files only on the Powerbook's hard drive prior to writing DVDs (which proved slightly troublesome as boat engine/generator vibration seemed to cause write failures on occassion!). All IO could get was a 60Gb iPod but this proved perfect and was carried home in a top shirt pocket with most files backed up on it. The 12"Powerbook has now been around the world once, has travelled to various remote islands and even survived a near shipwreck. It has never let me down and, apart from the battery starting to fade, still works perfectly 3 years on. Given Apple's new line-up I'd say that the existing 12" G4 Powerbooks will soon drop in price and provided you can live with their speed and screen, may soon be a very good buy.

Any thoughts on the Toshiba tecra A7 or A6. They good on paper

They can be customized with 7200 hard drives.

They have hard drive protection for bumps.

Decent screens.

Duo processors

The big problem is the A7 (15.4â€) has an integrated video card. How much will this effect processing photos? I do tend to want the 15†over the 14â€

there are only a handfull of laptop manufacturers out there. I like asus units, I would recomment middleweight, about 5-6 pounds, lots of ram (2gb), fast 7200 rpm hard drive 80-100gb size. as highpowered as possible videocard.

My current rig 3 years old, is a Voodoo m360 made by compal known as the cl56. it has a centrino 2.1 ghz processor, 2 gb ram and ati 128 mb videocard. 15.4"screen, it runs photoshop well battery lasts 3 hours. waiting for duel cores and significant speed upgrade before I change lappys.

voodoopc.com has some greeat lapps listed, but you pay for them

another great company is falcon-NW

alienware also makes some pretty good ones too

all of those mentions should last at least 3-4 years or longer