The 13" MacBook Pro . . . ?

[Ed Rooney]

My much valued iMac has been holding the beach for just over 10 years. Yesterday it crashed 7 times. This, plus the fact that I don't know where I'll be in May, puts me in the laptop world. 

 

I want very much to continue producing stock for Alamy. Will I be able to do that without major problems using that 13" MacBook Pro? 

 

Understand, I've done the research, and I'm not looking for perfection. Is there a problem I've not considered?  No Windows suggestions, thanks.

 

Thank you all,

Edo 

[Jools Elliott]

Ed

 

I have a 15" macbook pro for when I travel. I would plump for that as it's ever so slightly bigger and more useable than the 13".

[Ed Rooney]

Right, Jools, but more expensive too. 

 

I hope you are moving on from winter over there, Jools. Thanks.

[Alan Beastall]

Ed

 

My iMac 27in is still going strong after 4 yrs so ther is still plenty of life in it. For travel I take along 13in Macbook Pro, very fast and portable, and after a short while you soon get use to the size of the screen. All the processing is done in Lightroom just like working on the iMac and if there is a good wifi I up load them to Alamy, if not then I use my iphone as a mobile wifi.

 

Go for it Ed.

 

Alan

[Ed Rooney]

Four years? Your iMac is a youngster. 

 

That was what I was hoping to hear about the 13", Alan -- thanks.

 

It took me about half a page to get used to reading novels on a Kindle. I looked at both the 13" and 15" in the Apple Store, and the smaller screen will be no problem. The 13" is lighter and more portable -- very important. When I look at YouTube videos, I rarely blow them up to full screen. 

 

I posted here to see if there was something I had not considered. Oh, and my old iMac is back up and running this morning. Keeping my fingers crossed (which makes it hard to type). 

 

Edo

[Jill Morgan]

My son has a 13" and he uses it to do all his film editing with no issues.

 

Jill

[MDM]

I have a 13' MacBook Pro with Retina screen from 2015 and it is excellent except that it makes my vision go funny after a while because of the very high resolution which is why I tend to use it with an exteral monitor when possible. But I would definitely recommend it for image processing - fast and light. You could pick up a cheap 24 inch monitor to go with it when you have room for it - very simple to connect.

 

I would strongly suggest maxing out the RAM to 16GB when purchasing or you will probably regret it before too long as 8GB is just not enough for confortable modern image processing with Adobe CC. 

 

 

[Jools Elliott]

1 hour ago, Ed Rooney said:

Right, Jools, but more expensive too. 

 

I hope you are moving on from winter over there, Jools. Thanks.

 

True! Winter seems to still be here Ed. Cold and grey.

 

If you did go for the 13" what you could do is buy a separate larger monitor for when you're at home and then when you're on the go just take the laptop.

 

What about refurbished examples OR if you know someone in university then can get you a discount!!!

[Ed Rooney]

This situation is revolving around my homelessness, Jools: 

So as I've said, this is not  about perfection . . . or buying stuff. I do plan to ask about a refurbished MacBook. I've bought a number of refurbished lenses in the past.

 

Jill, that's good to hear.

 

And Michael, I'll get used to Retina, because I must. 

 

Thanks people!

 

 

[M.Chapman]

I use a MacBook Pro 13" Core i5 from Mid 2012, bought secondhand with 4GB RAM and 500GB disk. I upgraded it to 16GB of RAM (yes 16GB can be fitted to this model even though Apple state 8GB is the max) and fitted a Seagate Momentus 750GB hybrid (SSD + HDD) drive (both are easy to fit on the 2012 and earlier models) and installed Sierra. Now it flies along. Probably not as fast as the latest MacBook Pros, but it provides excellent "bang for buck". I run Lightroom and Photoshop Elements on it without problems although LR isn't very "snappy" (but is it ever?). Cooling fans rarely cut in, except when doing batch export in LR. For editing at home I use an external monitor, but when travelling I have used the laptop screen for editing, but I have to make sure I have my reading glasses with me!

 

If you get one of the later MacBook Pros with Retina screen there are a couple of points to be aware of

1) RAM and HDD upgrades may not be possible

2) You may find it quite a strain on the eyes due to the smaller pixels. Images may need to be checked for sharpness at 200%

 

Secondhand, refurbished and upgraded MacBook Pros 13", from 2012, are widely available with warranty on eBay, for example see here and here.

 

Mark

 

 

 

[Jools Elliott]

2 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

This situation is revolving around my homelessness, Jools: 

So as I've said, this is not  about perfection . . . or buying stuff. I do plan to ask about a refurbished MacBook. I've bought a number of refurbished lenses in the past.

 

Jill, that's good to hear.

 

And Michael, I'll get used to Retina, because I must. 

 

Thanks people!

 

 

 

No worries Ed!

 

But do ask around for someone you know who is in university. Apple will give various discounts depending on the university and it's not always what you see on their site. At times it's more!

 

It needs either a student or a teacher to be able to get it. Could work out just as good as a refurbished Mac

[Jon Lewis]

Hi Ed

 

I would go for the 15 inch also ask for a discount I registered as a business  and got s discount off this 15 inch so don't ask don't get 

 

good luck 

 

Jon

[Ed Rooney]

Are you folks on some kind of Apple 15" commission deal? 

 

The MacBook Pro 15" is not under consideration. 

[fotoDogue]

We've had about 5 Apple laptops over the years. The last two were 13 inch MacBook Pros. The major drawback is they're all about conserving power and seem to be more fragile than desktops. Our latest MacBook Pro is currently sitting on the coffee table waiting to go back to Apple due to some kind of Battery/Power issue.

 

If you do decide on a MacBook Pro I would highly recommend a mouse to avoid Repetitive Stress Injuries from the trackpad.

[M.Chapman]

4 hours ago, fotoDogue said:

We've had about 5 Apple laptops over the years. The last two were 13 inch MacBook Pros. The major drawback is they're all about conserving power and seem to be more fragile than desktops. Our latest MacBook Pro is currently sitting on the coffee table waiting to go back to Apple due to some kind of Battery/Power issue.

 

If you do decide on a MacBook Pro I would highly recommend a mouse to avoid Repetitive Stress Injuries from the trackpad.

 

I can't comment about the newer models, but I've been very impressed with the MacBook Pro 13" 2012 version. Very solidly built, well designed and put together. Also easy to open up if needed for upgrade or repair.

 

Mark

[Ed Rooney]

Stacy, I do plan to use a mouse. Fragile, perhaps, but I can't be lugging around my iMac. Since you seem to cover a lot of live news, I imagine the 13" is a very useful choice for you. 

 

Mark, it seems that the newer 13" is not as easy to open.

 

Thanks, Edo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MDM]

9 hours ago, fotoDogue said:

We've had about 5 Apple laptops over the years. The last two were 13 inch MacBook Pros. The major drawback is they're all about conserving power and seem to be more fragile than desktops. Our latest MacBook Pro is currently sitting on the coffee table waiting to go back to Apple due to some kind of Battery/Power issue.

 

If you do decide on a MacBook Pro I would highly recommend a mouse to avoid Repetitive Stress Injuries from the trackpad.

 

Fragile compared to desktops - maybe. Fragile in themselves - definitely not in my experience. Maybe New York City is a tough place to be a laptop.  The only problem I ever had with a Mac laptop was with the first PowerMac laptops around 1995 where the screen started to come away. Apple did a general recall and free repair. The 13' Mac I'm typing this on has been dropped on the floor a few times and lived to tell the tale - literally.

[fotoDogue]

1 hour ago, MDM said:

 

Fragile compared to desktops - maybe. Fragile in themselves - definitely not in my experience. Maybe New York City is a tough place to be a laptop.  The only problem I ever had with a Mac laptop was with the first PowerMac laptops around 1995 where the screen started to come away. Apple did a general recall and free repair. The 13' Mac I'm typing this on has been dropped on the floor a few times and lived to tell the tale - literally.

 

Not fragile in general but a bit more subject to various issues because we tend to move them around, plug and unplug various peripherals, etc. We've been through a number of Power Adapters which usually aren't a problem with desktops.

 

I'm only 5' 3" so carrying around a 13 inch model is enough for me. I've actually considered a MacBook Air which is even lighter and easier to stick in a bag. They don't tend to have as much storage or RAM but as a second computer they seem like a viable option.

[MDM]

3 hours ago, fotoDogue said:

 

Not fragile in general but a bit more subject to various issues because we tend to move them around, plug and unplug various peripherals, etc. We've been through a number of Power Adapters which usually aren't a problem with desktops.

 

I'm only 5' 3" so carrying around a 13 inch model is enough for me. I've actually considered a MacBook Air which is even lighter and easier to stick in a bag. They don't tend to have as much storage or RAM but as a second computer they seem like a viable option.

 

I would stick with the 13" rather than a MacBook Air as I think they are too lightweight in terms of processing power for serious image processing. I bought an early one in 2011 shortly after Apple released them and it was not really usable for image processing and that was when I had a 12MP camera. Of course they will have improved since then but they are not really designed with image processing in mind. 

[fotoDogue]

39 minutes ago, MDM said:

 

I would stick with the 13" rather than a MacBook Air as I think they are too lightweight in terms of processing power for serious image processing. I bought an early one in 2011 shortly after Apple released them and it was not really usable for image processing and that was when I had a 12MP camera. Of course they will have improved since then but they are not really designed with image processing in mind. 

 

 

Yes, the slower processor, limited RAM and storage are some of the reasons why I haven't bought one. It's probably better than a new iPad for processing images but neither one is really intended for this kind of work.

[sb photos]

I've been using a MacBook Pro Retina 13" 2012 model, it travels everywhere with me for editing live news images. It's an i5, 8GB and 256GB flash storage, far from the latest spec but does the job.  I like it, but due to some forthcoming cameras/lens upgrades, am looking at reducing weight. Yesterday and today I've been using a MacBook Air 2.2GHz i7 8GB 512GB flash storage, it behaves nicely, doing all I want. It will also drive a 4K external display if I wanted one.  As far as durability goes, don't mistreat it and it's fine. The MBA's power adapter is small and lighter too as it's only 45W. Don't write off the modern MacBook Air's. My wife uses a MacBook Pro 13" Mid 2012 i5 2.5GHz 16GB 500GB SSD. I wouldn't want to carry it about all day.  As a home Mac for more extensive editing, I use an old MacBook Pro 15" Late 2011 with 16GB and a 500GB SSD. It has the anti glare hi-res display, lovely to use. It lives on my desk.