best travel laptop for digital editing?

I carry a Samsung i7 laptop and run Lightroom 5 while traveling. If you use 24mp files or smaller, then 4gB of memory is enough. But if you are shooting with 36mp or higher, I believe it would be better to have 6gB of internal memory. In any case make sure you are using the six core i7 with an additional 6 virtual cores and a decent GPU for fast performance. My laptop weighs under 4.5 pounds and has 3-4 hours of battery life running Lightroom. This is perfect for processing raw images while on the plane. This system sells on eBay for $600-700. If you prefer to pay 2-3 times more for the same thing then you may be able to find an Apple Airbook that is almost as fast.
==Doug
 
I have a Mac Air 13" 4gb memory with 256 SSD and it is a great traveling companion and can process photographs quite nicely when needed.

I use PS6 and NIK software on the Mac Air.

Good luck with your decision.
 
I'm not anti-Apple. Before I start my own business, I used a MacBook Pro for about 3 years. So I am familiar with their stuff.

But I also value my freedom to choose beyond what a single company thinks is the best for me.

So today I use a 4-years-old Thinkpad (top model with a good screen resolution) which I bought used and paid $400 for, installed Ubuntu Linux (because they are not afraid to introduce innovative features that makes my job easier), use Gimp and Darktable to process my photos.

This setup works whether I'm traveling or not.

Recently I got a Samsung Note 8 that has a Wacom pressure sensitive surface as the screen. This thing allows me to leave my laptop at home more and more. An in addition, I can start to do some drawing again using the stylus.
 
I am using a Mac Book Pro and a Thinkpad Edge for my portable work. Personally I would never use a windowsmachine for editing ore just viewing pictures when I had the opportunity of a mac.

But if your priority is not to use a mac, the Thinkpads would be a proper hardwarebase.
 
Mid-2012, I7 8GB ram Macbook Air for me. 256GB ssd. External 1TB Lacie rugged hard drive, fast little SD card reader. Why the 11" instead of the 13"? It fits in the back pocket of my Domke F803 bag for carry-on. I can do any assignment with that and a backpack for clothes- all carry-on. I like to download my photos at the end of the day onto the external drive- paranoia rules the pro. SSD drive is less susceptible to knocks and much faster. My only complaint is battery life, but I understand Apple has worked that out in the newest edition of the Airs- 9 hrs 11", 12 hrs 13". Advice? Buy Apple, SSD and as much ram as you can. Don't use any laptop for final corrections- the screens universally suck.
 
11" is what I'm about to order. The back pocket of the Domke 803 is a minor plus factor. Does it fit snug, loose, or in between? Is that with an extra sleeve? Is the i7 really better than the i5 for stills only? Wonder if that choice affects battery charge? 8 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD for sure.
 
+1 for Lenovo

Look for something with a discreet graphics card (meaning it has a better card than an integrated motherboard graphics chip, thus more power to edit) and plenty of RAM. You can upgrade to a hybrid SSD or SSD on your own and save money. Considering that a hybrid SSD is less than 100 bucks, everyone should consider getting one, since they make any laptop better.

If you can compromise on weight, carrying a bit more, consider something like the Y series, 14 inch screen.

If you want to compromise on wee bit on power, but go ultralight, check out the X series. Costs more.

The T series is current iteration of the old IBM Thinkpad series, a great all-rounder. Probably the longest pedigree of any laptop not labeled Apple.

I'm typing this on a 2 year old Y-series Lenovo that I also use for photo editing. For me 13-14 inches is the right balance of size, battery life, and usable screen.
 
i used apple professionally for 20 years and now couldn't be happier using a windows ASUS G75
. It has i7, 500gb ssd hd, 1tb HD, blu-ray and 24gb ram, dedicated graphics card and great cooling system.
Despite what you might read in the press i have only good things to say about windows 8. Its been very stable and fast.
I made the change from Mac and after a few months I really liked it.
 
ianstamatic said:
i used apple professionally for 20 years and now couldn't be happier using a windows ASUS G75
. It has i7, 500gb ssd hd, 1tb HD, blu-ray and 24gb ram, dedicated graphics card and great cooling system.
Despite what you might read in the press i have only good things to say about windows 8. Its been very stable and fast.
I made the change from Mac and after a few months I really liked it.
Click to expand...

I have an older version of the Asus you talk about. It's damn fast and I use it for general computing, photo editing and playing games - but it is BIG. Not something I would ever consider bringing on a holiday as a lightweight portable machine.

My first priority is to sacrifice power and screen size in exchange for weight - as long as it's still useable.
 
Lenovo Thinkpad X230 with IPS Screen Option (Premium HD option)
Good battery
Good Screen
Good Specs (can go from i3 to i7 processors), 16Gb Ram,HDD or HDD+SSD or Just SSD.
Good constructrion

I have one and love it (previous I had a macbook late 2009)
 
However now I'm looking at the Surface 2 - see below:
Click to expand...

I would be very cautious of the Surface series. I was sitting opposite a colleague for a few months, who works for a Microsoft system reseller. He was issued with a Surface and I really can't quote his comments on a forum that may be accessed by young people.

I generally pay the premium for Apple equipment because thirty years experience has persuaded me that they have an edge on any other consumer grade computer. I use an 11 inch Air when I'm travelling, because some of my other hobbies require a capable laptop and the Air is fast enough to host Linux and Windows as virtualised guests.

Also, I just like the designs.

🙂
 
I've been using netbooks with Photoshop since they became available. In terms of speed, almost anything you can buy works fast enough. The downside is screen size. I wouldn't be too concerned about the computer, and would spend all my money on the monitor, both because of raw size and accuracy of display. At home, I'm happy with my 11" Acer netbook, on which I spent a lot of time calibrating the screen. At work I have a new Mac, in the gigantic size, and though there's not much difference in speed, I sure like having all that real estate to work with, and it was pretty close to right, straight out of the box, too!

But I've spent equal time with both systems over the years, and the Windows version of Photoshop is easier, in my opinion.
 
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