Laptop, notebook recommendations [Archive] - BirdPhotographers.net

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Steve Uffman

03-23-2011, 11:41 AM

Headed to a Amoruso, Otoole workshop in two weeks and interested in thoughts on laptop, notebook

Background: in the field, I have been backing up to a Sanho Hyperdrive...works well but the post processing work when I get home is a chunk. (Presently working on 3 weeks of Peru/Galapagos images)

Travel a good bit so weight is an issue. Use LR3 and CS5 to do post processing. Ideally would like to acquire solution, install software and have it ready for the workshop. thoughts?

Jay Gould

03-23-2011, 04:16 PM

If you are staying with PC, I am seriously looking at the MacPro 13, but if you are staying with PC look seriously at Dell. I have been totally happy with the Dell and the new Dell XPS 14" would be a great travel machine.

The Dell has been sufficiently rugged, and most importantly you have an international warranty and next day home service or hotel service depending upon where you are.

Steve Uffman

03-23-2011, 04:35 PM

thanks Jay, I run the a big Dell xps studio with 9gb memory and I7 chip set as my desktop and really like it.handles photo processing extremely well....and have a dell laptop that my wife uses..but its is heavier that I would like and hogs battery life

I really need a laptop that I can do photo work on when in the field that is around 3 lbs and had great battery life (ie flight home from Alaska) ..

did see the new Lenova x220 that someone recommended that is 3 lbs and has impressive battery life (9 hours)...will be available in April. HP also has DN1Z that has recd some good reviews.

Roger Clark

03-23-2011, 10:48 PM

Jay Gould

03-23-2011, 11:39 PM

Steve,
Check out the Asus Lambourghini Eepc

http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=30dqaE10a0LUo9XJ

Very light, long battery life, led backlit display. I would be interested to hear about similar products as this one. By the way, my wife took one to Africa on safari, bouncing down all those dirt roads. Worked great. I want one, unles I can find something better.

Roger

Roger, that looks like quite a machine for travel. Would you be happy with a 12.1" screen for travel if you were away for several months.

Since it has a built in 3.0 USB, it would work superfast with, e.g., the Toshiba 1T 3.0 USB for all data storage and leave the 320 hard disk for programs only.

You would need an external DVD reader/writer.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm, going to look at it tomorrow.

:S3:

Chris Ober

03-24-2011, 10:13 AM

If you want a bigger display, why not carry a couple video cables and hookup the output to the hotel TV if it the TV set supports it? A cheap universal remote will work to get past the ones they have there and allow you to change the video inputs.

Steve Uffman

03-24-2011, 10:27 AM

anyone looked at the specs of the upcoming Lenovo x220? appears powerful, light, tough, best battery life and more. bit pricey but anyone see some downside for traveling, editing photos and such?

http://www.notebookreview.com/price/product.asp?productFamilyID=1710

Sandra Nykerk

03-24-2011, 07:09 PM

I bought a Fujitsu several years ago based on its non-glare screen and color fidelity. I went to a big computer store in Chicago with access to the internet, lined up those in the runnning, which included several Sony's, a Lenovo, and the Fujitsu (which I had never heard of before), called up my webpage (because I knew what the images should look like) and the Fujitsu won hands down. I have been editing with it for three years now and can do so on the road with only a modicum of paranoia because for the most part, the edited images are pretty true to what I would get on my desktop. I will soon be buying the replacement model, whatever that happens to be, as I have yet to see any PC with a screen as good as this Fujitsu. They are hard to find and the only other one I would consider is one of the nonglare Dells but as noted, they are heavier than I want to schlepp around. But in the end, the most important criteria for me is a screen that is WYSIWYG. Not who designed it, or even how fast the processor is, but how do my images look and can I trust the color, contrast, and dynamic range.

Sandra

Jay Gould

03-24-2011, 08:18 PM

Sandra, you have raised an interesting question regarding non-glare screens.

When you put non-glare glass on a photo it dulls the photo compared to normal glass.

From your comments apparently you are finding that non-glare glass is not in any way reducing IQ and color rendition?!

Ed Cordes

03-24-2011, 08:54 PM

Roger Clark

03-24-2011, 09:45 PM

Roger, that looks like quite a machine for travel. Would you be happy with a 12.1" screen for travel if you were away for several months.

Since it has a built in 3.0 USB, it would work superfast with, e.g., the Toshiba 1T 3.0 USB for all data storage and leave the 320 hard disk for programs only.

You would need an external DVD reader/writer.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm, going to look at it tomorrow.

:S3:

Jay,
Yes, it does not include a dvd reader/writer. I rarely need one, so it doesn't bother me. At his point in time I would not consider and computer unles it had usb3.

The 12-inch screen is fine for photo reviewing, but I don't try and do serious photo editing while on the road. I have bene quite happy with it. I also have a netbook with a 10-inch disply and consider it too small. I normally work on a 14-inch laptop. If you want 14-inch, light, rugged, check out the panasonic toughbooks, e.g. CF-F8 or a newer model that should have usb3.

The other thing to confirm before buying any laptop if one is concerned about weight is the power supply. The above asus has a very small and low weight power supply. I've had and have other laptops that have power supplies approaching a kilogram.

Not sure about 3 months travel with a small laptop--never done it continuously (would like to though). But if I had to travel light, the 12-inch asus is my current choice. It has worked well for a few weeks on the road.

Roger

Steve Uffman

03-25-2011, 09:05 AM

As I near a decision, still trying to make sense out of all the options and opinions in this ever-changing landscape. My technical days on such equipment are long behind me so it is more difficult for me to sort through hype vs reality. Below is a response to Sandra that did not post for some reason.

 [I]"Thanks Sandra for your view point....I am with you on the screen...My desktop is a Dell xps studio with one of their high quality monitors that got good press from those doing photo editing that had the same concern as you....interesting, it was the screen on the new Lenovo x220 that was getting some nice chat on Canon's forum...that was how I learned of the unit and began exploring

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/digital-discussion-q/173919-ips-display-vs-laptop-warning-lots-pics.html is a link that I review...conclusion from the forum is "There are some fantastic photos published by people using laptops, however know the difference in screens. A properly calibrated IPS screen will change your life. Oh and your photos look better to boot when showing them to someone else". The Lenovo x220 is being hailed for its IPS screen and battery life in an ultraportable.

And also my editing goals for the laptop may not be as vigorous as some....My workflow would be to do what I call weed/purge, global adjustments and some local editing that would be within the confines of LR3s capabilities. My CS5 skills are still limited and I prefer doing such work on my desktop with the big, high quality monitor before I publish to web...."

Would love to hear your thoughts and more on this topic

Steve Uffman

03-25-2011, 09:39 AM

I just picked up an HP Pavilion dm4 with 14" LED back lit display, i5 processor, 4 GB RAM, and a 650 GB HD, Win 7 Home Premium. It weighs just over 4 pounds. The battery lasts roughly 4 hours. I like it a lot. The mouse is a bit tricky at first but you get used to it. Ports are USB 2, but also has eSATA. A DVD RW drive is on board.

I did spend some time eliminating some junk software, but all in all I am very pleased with the performance and weight.

Thanks Ed, this is also one on my short list. Unfortuantately HP insists on putting all the junk on them and its a bit of an unnecessary hassle to go thru and eliminate. My last HP desktop and wife's laptop had so much junk on it, they were not even considered on my last upgrade. My dell desktop came in clean and robust..

However, that laptop you suggested does look enticing.

Sandra Nykerk

03-25-2011, 11:50 AM

Steve, interesting comment re "dulling" the photo with a non-glare screen because I find just the opposite. The glare on a glossy screen can be so bad you really can't judge the color and contrast. I also have Dell Ultrasharp nonglare screens for my desktops so I can't really address a difference issue. But I do know that when I have students in class with glossy screens, it just drives me nuts because it is so difficult to judge color and contrast issues on them. The only exceptions are the Mac pros.

And, yes, our needs may not be the same. I am traveling and editing with CS5 on my laptop on a regular basis and need my images to be pretty true-to-form out of the "box," because they often must go from laptop to the web and/or clients.

If the Lenovo has an IPS screen, that would make it very attractive to me and well worth looking into. Perhaps it even does have a nonglare screen? The whole monitor issue, whether desktop or laptop, is such a can of worms and it seems that there is never one clearcut solution. The Fujitsu has worked well for me but it will soon be a dinosaur and need to be replaced. Sigh. Seems like it's a never-ending battle. Let us know what you choose.

Steve Uffman

05-05-2011, 09:01 AM

I ended up ordering the Lenovo x220 with the IPS screen. I7 processor with 4gb memory and 320gb HD at 7200. will add more if needed but Lenovo folks said they did not think it needed for apps I will run. scheduled for delivery 5/6. Reviews were really strong. supposedly a light weight but tough unit with long battery life.

Will load LR3 and CS5 to see how things go.

added an external USB 3.0 card reader although I saw on this site where Roger Clark indicated he was not satisfied with the transfer speed under window 7

Steve Uffman

05-06-2011, 05:31 PM

recd new machine today. lite but sturdy...and fast! Loaded LR3 and CS5 very quickly. images sharp on the new IPS screen. been working on it for quite awhile on battery and still have 5hrs and 34 minutes available per the battery monitor

don't have the USB 3.0 external card reader so I can not say how fast the transfer rate is