Dunn
Well-known
I'm shopping for a new laptop. I pretty much will just use it for general use and photo work. Will an air provide enough power to work smoothly with light room and Photoshop? Anyone doing this?
One dilemma I also have is that a friend of mine is selling his barely used 15"pro that he upgraded to have 8gb ram, 750gb hard drive, and he removed the optical drive and added a 256gb solid state drive. And he's only asking 1500. It's a good deal. but my main concern is the size if I have to travel with it. which is why I was looking at airs.
ugh. What should I do?
One dilemma I also have is that a friend of mine is selling his barely used 15"pro that he upgraded to have 8gb ram, 750gb hard drive, and he removed the optical drive and added a 256gb solid state drive. And he's only asking 1500. It's a good deal. but my main concern is the size if I have to travel with it. which is why I was looking at airs.
ugh. What should I do?
antistatic
Well-known
I have a maxed out 13" Air (2G i7 and 8G RAM).
It runs Lightroom without breaking a sweat. I don't use PS.
I also went for the Air over the MBP because of the weight. The 13" MBP with Retina was not available when I bought the Air.
It runs Lightroom without breaking a sweat. I don't use PS.
I also went for the Air over the MBP because of the weight. The 13" MBP with Retina was not available when I bought the Air.
Dunn
Well-known
Okay, that's good to know. It just sucks thinking I could have a technically better computer for $200 less. And I'm not sure how I feel about the retina displays.
Rob-F
Likes Leicas
I have a 13" Macbook for travel, and it works out well for that. But if my Macbook were going to be my only computer for photo use, I think I would prefer the 15" if not the 17" so I think I would personally go for the 15 you were offered.
russelljtdyer
Writer
A Small Combination
A Small Combination
I have the 13" MacBook Air and I have a MacPro--not the laptop, but the one that sits on the floor. I bought the MacBook Air primarily as a computer for traveling and meeting people at coffeeshops to discuss things for which I need a computer. It fits into a small bag and isn't very heavy.
I also use the Air model as a monitor for tethering to my digital camera, when I had a Canon 5DII. I would put the computer on a small platform attached to the tripod with the camera. I could take a photo and seconds later see it on a screen larger than the camera to check the results and to show the model sometimes. It's great for that. Just don't leave it facing her all of the time or her eyes will go there for every shot and in anticipation of shots, ruining her poses.
As for processing ability while using programs like Lightroom, the MacBook Air works about as well as my MacPro. My MacPro is zippier mostly because it has more memory (i.e., RAM). When I'm traveling, I use the MacBook Air with Lightroom. When at the hotel at night, I'll copy the images from my digital camera to my laptop computer so that I'll have back-ups of the photos. This also allows me to see how the day went and to try to do better the next day.
The MacBook Air is not a major technological break-through. It's just a nicer design with some practical decisions made to suit people who travel, as opposed to making a laptop computer for all uses. They took the standard notion of a laptop computer and decided that when traveling one doesn't usually need a DVD/CD drive. Leaving it out saved space and energy. Since the technology for flash drives was there, they removed the hard-drive and put in a flash drive. That saved more space and energy. Without these drives, there's not as much heat being generated, so they removed the fan. With a few other such changes and the shifting around of things, they ended up with a trim device that uses very little battery power.
One negative aspect about the MacAir 13" model is the size of the screen. The smaller size is convenient for travel and all, but if I had to work all of the time on it, it would be frustrating. There's sufficient width, but not enough height--the 15" model might not have this problem. With the 13" screen, I have to scroll down too much with web pages and the like. Lightroom resizes itself to fit nicely in the space, though. Still, I'm hunched over with my neck bent down while using it.
The work-around for regular at home or office use is to get an external monitor, a USB or bluetooth keyboard, and a bluetooth mouse. I also have a stand (made by Southside) for the computer that holds it closed and upright behind the external monitor--it doesn't overheat closed since there are no moving parts, per se, inside and the internal monitor is off when closed. By using these external components, I have a larger screen and a nicer keyboard and mouse as I would with a desktop computer, and still the portability of a small laptop computer when I want and need it. Since I have a bigger desktop computer, I put this smaller combination on a small desk for guests to use.
A Small Combination
I have the 13" MacBook Air and I have a MacPro--not the laptop, but the one that sits on the floor. I bought the MacBook Air primarily as a computer for traveling and meeting people at coffeeshops to discuss things for which I need a computer. It fits into a small bag and isn't very heavy.
I also use the Air model as a monitor for tethering to my digital camera, when I had a Canon 5DII. I would put the computer on a small platform attached to the tripod with the camera. I could take a photo and seconds later see it on a screen larger than the camera to check the results and to show the model sometimes. It's great for that. Just don't leave it facing her all of the time or her eyes will go there for every shot and in anticipation of shots, ruining her poses.
As for processing ability while using programs like Lightroom, the MacBook Air works about as well as my MacPro. My MacPro is zippier mostly because it has more memory (i.e., RAM). When I'm traveling, I use the MacBook Air with Lightroom. When at the hotel at night, I'll copy the images from my digital camera to my laptop computer so that I'll have back-ups of the photos. This also allows me to see how the day went and to try to do better the next day.
The MacBook Air is not a major technological break-through. It's just a nicer design with some practical decisions made to suit people who travel, as opposed to making a laptop computer for all uses. They took the standard notion of a laptop computer and decided that when traveling one doesn't usually need a DVD/CD drive. Leaving it out saved space and energy. Since the technology for flash drives was there, they removed the hard-drive and put in a flash drive. That saved more space and energy. Without these drives, there's not as much heat being generated, so they removed the fan. With a few other such changes and the shifting around of things, they ended up with a trim device that uses very little battery power.
One negative aspect about the MacAir 13" model is the size of the screen. The smaller size is convenient for travel and all, but if I had to work all of the time on it, it would be frustrating. There's sufficient width, but not enough height--the 15" model might not have this problem. With the 13" screen, I have to scroll down too much with web pages and the like. Lightroom resizes itself to fit nicely in the space, though. Still, I'm hunched over with my neck bent down while using it.
The work-around for regular at home or office use is to get an external monitor, a USB or bluetooth keyboard, and a bluetooth mouse. I also have a stand (made by Southside) for the computer that holds it closed and upright behind the external monitor--it doesn't overheat closed since there are no moving parts, per se, inside and the internal monitor is off when closed. By using these external components, I have a larger screen and a nicer keyboard and mouse as I would with a desktop computer, and still the portability of a small laptop computer when I want and need it. Since I have a bigger desktop computer, I put this smaller combination on a small desk for guests to use.
stitchohana
Well-known
Lightroom will run well on MBA, not sure on PS as I don't use that (im using a 11" core 2 duo with 4gb of Ram on MBA).
MBA is good for travelling as it's lightweight compare to other model of MacBook. Downside is the screen size is kinda small. If you really want a MBA for daily use, I would suggest a 13" model but if weight isn't an issue, then consider 13" MacBook.
MBA is good for travelling as it's lightweight compare to other model of MacBook. Downside is the screen size is kinda small. If you really want a MBA for daily use, I would suggest a 13" model but if weight isn't an issue, then consider 13" MacBook.
Sejanus.Aelianus
Veteran
I re-equipped early last year with a 15" MacBook Pro i7 (16Gb/750Gb) and a 2Gb/64Gb Air. I moved my old Core Duo MacBook into my office to replace my G5 iMac.
My view is that an Air is great for travel but I would have strong reservations about using one as my primary machine. The critical point is that you must get enough memory/disk when you buy, Apple see this as a sealed unit and any user upgrades (even if possible) will invalidate the warranty and/or Applecare.
I think that even the top model of Air, at the moment, will struggle with serious use of the latest versions of Lightroom or Photoshop.
My view is that an Air is great for travel but I would have strong reservations about using one as my primary machine. The critical point is that you must get enough memory/disk when you buy, Apple see this as a sealed unit and any user upgrades (even if possible) will invalidate the warranty and/or Applecare.
I think that even the top model of Air, at the moment, will struggle with serious use of the latest versions of Lightroom or Photoshop.
majid
Fazal Majid
I run an early 2009 Mac Pro and my wife has the previous generation Air, frankly I wouldn't be able to tolerate its LR performance for long.
It would help if we understood what machine you use today and calibrate your expectations. The Air's CPU is somewhat limited due to the thermal constraints of the design, but it's still faster than what was available on laptops a couple of years ago, and the SSD helps as well. Screen size is more likely to be the limiting factor.
If you use it mostly stationary, a Thunderbolt Display with some additional storage will go a long way towards usability. If you are using it mostly on the go and as your primary computer, I would consider the 15" Retina MBP, which is of course quite expensive, but much lighter than the conventional MBP.
It would help if we understood what machine you use today and calibrate your expectations. The Air's CPU is somewhat limited due to the thermal constraints of the design, but it's still faster than what was available on laptops a couple of years ago, and the SSD helps as well. Screen size is more likely to be the limiting factor.
If you use it mostly stationary, a Thunderbolt Display with some additional storage will go a long way towards usability. If you are using it mostly on the go and as your primary computer, I would consider the 15" Retina MBP, which is of course quite expensive, but much lighter than the conventional MBP.
I have an i7 MBA 11" for my every day computer. Works great with Aperture, Photoshop, whatever...the key for any such system is to use an SSD. I can't go back to the dog slow regular hard drives...
ajramirez
Established
I have a 13¨ MBA. I would not use it for photo work because of the quality of the screen.
Godfrey
somewhat colored
I've had my personal MBP13" (2.4Ghz, 8G, 500G disk -late 2010 Core Duo 2) system alongside a 2011 MBA13" (1.8Ghz, 4G, 128G SSD -i5) for the past couple of years. The MBA runs LR with noticeably better responsiveness.
I would have bought a new MBA13" with the faster processor and maxed out RAM and SSD but I realized that since I have the work machine all the time anyway, I'd be better off with a Mac mini for my home use on the desk. I'll keep the MBP around for a while as backup.
When not mobile, I attach the laptop to a Thunderbolt 27" display, full size keyboard, trackpad. That's a fine image processing system.
G
I would have bought a new MBA13" with the faster processor and maxed out RAM and SSD but I realized that since I have the work machine all the time anyway, I'd be better off with a Mac mini for my home use on the desk. I'll keep the MBP around for a while as backup.
When not mobile, I attach the laptop to a Thunderbolt 27" display, full size keyboard, trackpad. That's a fine image processing system.
G
majid
Fazal Majid
Mac Pro, not MacBook Pro. 8-core 2.93GHz Nehalem Xeon. The Sandy Bridge MacBook Pros may be in the same speed class as that 5 year old desktop computer, but the Air certainly isn't.
I can attest to that, I had one, and even the SSD version was anemic, but my wife has the late 2011 model (MacBookAir4,2) with the then top-end BTO configuration with 1.8GHz dual-core i7, which isn't that much behind the current model (MacBookAir5,2) that just bumped the clock speed up to 2GHz.
Really large files is the case for most people who have a current DSLR, mirrorless or working with film scans. She uses a Sony RX100, and those 20MP images do require some oomph in her computer.
That's what I do for myself, but I wouldn't buy a Mac Pro today, it is due for a major refresh in 2013. I've found with pro desktop Macs you should be on a 5 year upgrade cycle (G5 in 2004, First Nehalem Mac Pro in 2009, and hopefully the new Mac Pro this year).
From Digilloyd's and Bare Feats' testing, the current MacBook Pros and high-end Mac Mini are competitive with the current Mac Pro for anything that doesn't require heavy lifting from a discrete GPU card. The MacBook Air isn't, because the tiny case can't dissipate heat quickly enough. It's still likely much faster than what the OP is likely to own since he mentioned he is shopping for a new laptop.
thegman
Veteran
Will it run fast enough? The simple answer is "maybe", 24MP RAW files can tax many computers, as will large medium format scans. I find 8GB a tiny bit low for the RAM, my 12GB machine seems to have a lot more poke than my similar 8GB machine. Macbook Air RAM is not upgrade-able, so bear that in mind.
If you plan to carry a laptop about a lot, a Macbook Air is very hard to beat, but if it spends most of it's time at home, I think I'd go for the 15" Macbook Pro.
For performance, a laptop is always a compromise, but they'll likely both be OK.
If you plan to carry a laptop about a lot, a Macbook Air is very hard to beat, but if it spends most of it's time at home, I think I'd go for the 15" Macbook Pro.
For performance, a laptop is always a compromise, but they'll likely both be OK.
f16sunshine
Moderator
The answer to your question depends on your requirements.
I run a Latest maxed MBA 11" when I travel (2.0i7/8gigs).
For converting RAW files (in Aperture3) from the x100 or M8 I never have any trouble. Very few slowdowns unless the click count on a particular image starts to stack up…. It's Flawless.
Then there are the 5Dii RAW files. Here the machine groans when I do too much other than minor global adjustments . Start getting brushes out to dodge/burn/retouch etc… it's no longer very speedy as the clicks add up.
Stitching panos from 5 or more 50%Tiffs in APP … forget it.
All that said I'm very happy with it as a travel companion at the price they go for.
I carry a pair of Seagate "GoFlex" drives as primary memory if I'm away for long.
The MBA is perfect to preview, delete, transfer to BU, and make a few jpegs to email out.
When back at home I let a Memory stacked iMac do the heavy lifting.
So I guess the answer is, figure out what you need to lift and then decide what you are going to lift it with.
The MBA might work just fine as your primary.
I run a Latest maxed MBA 11" when I travel (2.0i7/8gigs).
For converting RAW files (in Aperture3) from the x100 or M8 I never have any trouble. Very few slowdowns unless the click count on a particular image starts to stack up…. It's Flawless.
Then there are the 5Dii RAW files. Here the machine groans when I do too much other than minor global adjustments . Start getting brushes out to dodge/burn/retouch etc… it's no longer very speedy as the clicks add up.
Stitching panos from 5 or more 50%Tiffs in APP … forget it.
All that said I'm very happy with it as a travel companion at the price they go for.
I carry a pair of Seagate "GoFlex" drives as primary memory if I'm away for long.
The MBA is perfect to preview, delete, transfer to BU, and make a few jpegs to email out.
When back at home I let a Memory stacked iMac do the heavy lifting.
So I guess the answer is, figure out what you need to lift and then decide what you are going to lift it with.
The MBA might work just fine as your primary.
majid
Fazal Majid
This is a good set of benchmarks to see just how badly the MacBook Air trails behind the MacBook Pros for photo editing:
http://barefeats.com/mba12a.html
The regular MBP is too heavy for my taste at 5.6lbs, but the 13" Retina MBP at 3.6lbs is not that much heavier than the 13" MBA (3lbs) and the 15" model does give you significantly more screen real estate for an extra pound.
http://barefeats.com/mba12a.html
The regular MBP is too heavy for my taste at 5.6lbs, but the 13" Retina MBP at 3.6lbs is not that much heavier than the 13" MBA (3lbs) and the 15" model does give you significantly more screen real estate for an extra pound.
notraces
Bob Smith
CS6 runs great on my 13" MBA --- no problems at all -- and plenty fast. The screen calibrates pretty well, too.
Timmyjoe
Veteran
Like most, I use my MBA strictly for travel. Runs Lightroom 4, Photoshop Elements, and Aperture without any issues. Mostly files for work from my D4, occasionally M8.2. I can quickly sort and edit and get images to my editor on the fly. But when I get back home, everything goes onto my MacPro desktop which has some serious processing power and storage.
Biggest issue for me with the MBA is storage. When I return home from every job, I dump all the images, so when I head out for the next job it is completely empty. That little solid state hard drive fills up pretty quick.
Best,
-Tim
Biggest issue for me with the MBA is storage. When I return home from every job, I dump all the images, so when I head out for the next job it is completely empty. That little solid state hard drive fills up pretty quick.
Best,
-Tim
ali_baba
Well-known
i used a maxed out i7 air for work for a year.
i've moved onto the mbp 15" retina, but the air was great.
not enough space or ports for me, also i prefer working on a 15".
the portability was awesome though, could fit it in a hadley pro with a kit.
cheers
jesse
i've moved onto the mbp 15" retina, but the air was great.
not enough space or ports for me, also i prefer working on a 15".
the portability was awesome though, could fit it in a hadley pro with a kit.
cheers
jesse
JMQ
Well-known
I am an unabashed admirer of Apple products. I have 11" MBA that I use for travel, and recently upgraded my MBP 13" to the MBP 15" with retina display for my photos and home use. As many have pointed out, the MBA's primary strength is its portability, and that's the trade off for the the speed, storage, and display-size. IMHO, the 15" rMBP is "underpriced" (if there is such a thing for apple products). If you upgraded the standard MBP to the faster processor and the SSD, you;ll see that it approaches the price of the retina model. The 13" MBP with retina, on the other hand, is relatively overpriced, and my guess is that they'll tweak the pricing when the the MBP line is refreshed later this year. That said, there have been documented issues with IR or ghosting with the 15" retina with displays made by LG, but less so with Samsung-made displays. Apple has not acknowledged this problem.
GaryLH
Veteran
A friend of mine is using the MBA w/ the ssd and he has the mbp 17 before the i7 was available, he tells me for normal work the MBA runs rings around the mbp.. For heavy work the mbp is better...
I have a second gen MBA which is pretty slow compared to the current MBA with HD let alone the ssd. But I also have an iMac 3.6ghz i5 w/ 8 mb of ram for my main computer.
I find that aperture is quite usable on the MBA, I have never used LR or ps on it though. The biggest complaint is with ps on any computer in the past is that if u need to work with a lot of layers, it is a memory hog. Not sure if that is true today since I moved away from ps.
But to me the biggest issue with using a MBA is the limitation of HD or ssd space...if u plan to use it as a main machine. I would recommend as others have mentioned, use an external HD for holding your main library and the local HD/ssd for any temp work while u are in the field.
My iMac even though it has a 2tb HD, is not where my photo library reside, it is on a set of external HD. One is the primary and the other is the backup...
If I end up using the MBA on a trip, the files are transferred later when I get home...
Good luck w/ your decision.
Gary
I have a second gen MBA which is pretty slow compared to the current MBA with HD let alone the ssd. But I also have an iMac 3.6ghz i5 w/ 8 mb of ram for my main computer.
I find that aperture is quite usable on the MBA, I have never used LR or ps on it though. The biggest complaint is with ps on any computer in the past is that if u need to work with a lot of layers, it is a memory hog. Not sure if that is true today since I moved away from ps.
But to me the biggest issue with using a MBA is the limitation of HD or ssd space...if u plan to use it as a main machine. I would recommend as others have mentioned, use an external HD for holding your main library and the local HD/ssd for any temp work while u are in the field.
My iMac even though it has a 2tb HD, is not where my photo library reside, it is on a set of external HD. One is the primary and the other is the backup...
If I end up using the MBA on a trip, the files are transferred later when I get home...
Good luck w/ your decision.
Gary
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