Can anyone recommend a mid price range laptop suitable for primarily photo editing and storage? I can't afford anything Apple unfortunately, looking to spend up to £500. I've looked online and am now totally confused by the whole thing!
I'd go for an I pad, you can download your photos and there are many editing programmes like snap seed available. Think there is the new iPad air out now.
@lucypics - thanks Lucy. I'm torn between an iPad and a laptop that might offer more storage (or is that not the case?)Roy has an iPad and thinks we don't need another one, so he may be more agreeable and understanding if I plumped for a laptop. It's all just so confusing!!! At the moment I store and edit all photos on our computer, but that lives upstairs and I feel cut off from the world up there!
@jackie8 i'd definitely check into the storage issue... i have a macbook pro and made the mistake of not getting one with lots of storage, so am constantly having to move photos onto an external drive for storage (which i would do anyway for safekeeping - but possibly not as frequently)... possibly the cloud will offer you some options for this that would make the iPad workable - just something to think about - specially if you shoot RAW...
also, depending on the software you like to use, it may not all be available on the iPad...
@jackie8 Hi Jackie8. It depends on what you want to run on it. Are you planning to use Photoshop or lightroom? Do you shoot in RAW or would you like to start shooting in RAW? If the answer is yes, then you will need to get a laptop rather than a tablet. I don't live in the UK so I can't give you an exact pricing option, but I can suggest you look at PC based laptop with the following specifications:
- at least an i5 processor
- the more RAM the better (4GB Minimum, 16GB optimum)
- if you can swing it, a solid state hard drive.
- a second portable hard drive with lots of space for backing up.
- consider how portable you want it. The larger the screen, the better it is for editing, yet the heavier it will become.
- Consider the warranty and if you think you will need after-sales telephone support.
I know I might be confusing you still more but if you go into a store with these requirements, they should be able to show you something which meets your budget.
Alternatively, dell.co.uk have a notebook which meets the above specs (minus the SSD hard drive) for £498. Not sure what they are like over there but I generally recommend them to staff at my work when they ask me for PC advice... mainly because of the phone support (so they don't ask me for help) :-)
@dtigani - thanks David for the helpful advice! I have copied and pasted you list of minimum requirements so that I can have somewhere to start when looking. Our home computer is Dell, and we have been very pleased with it I have to say, so I will look into that option too! I appreciate your taking the time of reply so comprehensively, thanks once again!
Can not offer any advice re the laptop v iPad. I prefer laptop but do use his iPad occasionally - mainly to comment not upload. I also use an external hard drive to make sure my shots are backed up - would hate to lose any shots of Annabelle; but I digress, should you decide what to buy I suggest John Lewis to purchase as they give extended warranties.
@jackie8 I just had a quick look on Fleabay and you could easily get a 2009 MacBookPro 15" to start you off. It's what I'm using as a laptop, I have no issues running Photoshop CC and Lightroom 5 on it with 4GB of RAM. You probably would need to get an external drive for storage though, depending on what your laptop comes with, especially if you are shooting in RAW.
Editing on an iPad is not as flexible an exercise as on a computer, the apps are limited in what they can achieve.
David's advice above is quite sound if you want to be working in the Windows world. What system is the upstairs computer, for compatibility of files you may need to stick with that operating system type. Not for pictures, but for other files that you may share between them. Our entire fleet of computers here are Apple and we have great interconnectivity between them, but Apple and Microsoft do not play friendly (still).
I prefer notebooks over ipads for editing for a variety of reasons. Those specs listed above are enough to get you going but I'd recommend 8GB memory minimum. Memory is a cheap investment. Also take a good look at the screen - Glossy Vs. Matte. I have a macbook from 2009 with a glossy screen and a Windows 8 notebook with Matte. I much prefer the glossy to matte screens for editing. Something to consider. BTW you will get some glare with the glossy screen but it's worth it. Also, if you can acquire a used macbook pro =>2009 at a decent price go for it.
For photo editing, I think a tablet, iPad or similar, is the wrong thing to get. No mouse, no keyboard and often will not run the software you want.
Here are some names of sound manufacturers of PCs that run Windows 8 - HP, Toshiba, Sony, Acer, Lenovo, Dell are all to be recommended. Almost any respectable manufacturer would have a specification like this -
Intel i5 or i7 processor
8 GB of RAM. 4 is not really satisfactory and 6 would just get by.
750 GB Disk Drive. Flash drives are all very fine, but they can fail more easily than a regular hard drive, and are typically small. A average one on a PC is typically 128 GB, and that can fill up rapidly if you are active. This is the major reason I cannot convince myself to fork over $2,000 or more for a Mac Book.
15 inch display. 17 is even better. But can add to the weight if that is a factor for you. Check the clarity if you can before you buy.
If you get serious, a 24 or even 27 inch external monitor (IPS type and non reflecting) is to be recommended.
An external mouse is essential, don't rely on a touch pad for accuracy and speed.
An external keyboard I find is good too. You can typically put this lower than the screen and it is much less stressful on your hands.
For the mouse an keyboard, look to Logitech, one little USB device ("unifying" is the Logitech designation for these devices) will be able to drive both the keyboard and the mouse.
Think about something to back up your photo folders. A Western Digital USB drive, or better an external backup in the sky. There are many good services, US$10 a month or less, and you don't have to worry about your drives crashing,or getting corrupted, interfering in other ways with your PC or hard to configure confusing software to manage.
@frankhymus@fishers@beatnikphoto@claireuk@quixoticneophyte - thanks everyone for taking time to try and help me cut through all the myriad of options out there! I think I'm going to investigate the link that @fishers gave me. We have Dell as our main computer, so I'm at home with Windows set up and have been pleased with Dell full stop. And yes, their telephone support has been good too..... they even talked me (a bit of a technophobe) through an issue last year and I resolved it!!!
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also, depending on the software you like to use, it may not all be available on the iPad...
- at least an i5 processor
- the more RAM the better (4GB Minimum, 16GB optimum)
- if you can swing it, a solid state hard drive.
- a second portable hard drive with lots of space for backing up.
- consider how portable you want it. The larger the screen, the better it is for editing, yet the heavier it will become.
- Consider the warranty and if you think you will need after-sales telephone support.
I know I might be confusing you still more but if you go into a store with these requirements, they should be able to show you something which meets your budget.
Alternatively, dell.co.uk have a notebook which meets the above specs (minus the SSD hard drive) for £498. Not sure what they are like over there but I generally recommend them to staff at my work when they ask me for PC advice... mainly because of the phone support (so they don't ask me for help) :-)
Editing on an iPad is not as flexible an exercise as on a computer, the apps are limited in what they can achieve.
David's advice above is quite sound if you want to be working in the Windows world. What system is the upstairs computer, for compatibility of files you may need to stick with that operating system type. Not for pictures, but for other files that you may share between them. Our entire fleet of computers here are Apple and we have great interconnectivity between them, but Apple and Microsoft do not play friendly (still).
Here are some names of sound manufacturers of PCs that run Windows 8 - HP, Toshiba, Sony, Acer, Lenovo, Dell are all to be recommended. Almost any respectable manufacturer would have a specification like this -
Intel i5 or i7 processor
8 GB of RAM. 4 is not really satisfactory and 6 would just get by.
750 GB Disk Drive. Flash drives are all very fine, but they can fail more easily than a regular hard drive, and are typically small. A average one on a PC is typically 128 GB, and that can fill up rapidly if you are active. This is the major reason I cannot convince myself to fork over $2,000 or more for a Mac Book.
15 inch display. 17 is even better. But can add to the weight if that is a factor for you. Check the clarity if you can before you buy.
If you get serious, a 24 or even 27 inch external monitor (IPS type and non reflecting) is to be recommended.
An external mouse is essential, don't rely on a touch pad for accuracy and speed.
An external keyboard I find is good too. You can typically put this lower than the screen and it is much less stressful on your hands.
For the mouse an keyboard, look to Logitech, one little USB device ("unifying" is the Logitech designation for these devices) will be able to drive both the keyboard and the mouse.
Here's a typical specification that would satisfy. This one even has a 17 inch display. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/satellite-17-3-laptop-8gb-memory-750gb-hard-drive/8968379.p?id=1218957871989&skuId=8968379&st=categoryid$abcat0502000&cp=1&lp=5
US$800 which if it converts to pounds, would fall at the top end of your budget. I suspect however that UK prices of electronics are inflated. Cameras certainly are.
Think about something to back up your photo folders. A Western Digital USB drive, or better an external backup in the sky. There are many good services, US$10 a month or less, and you don't have to worry about your drives crashing,or getting corrupted, interfering in other ways with your PC or hard to configure confusing software to manage.
Ian
Sounds like great advice! As someone who is overwhelmed by computer choices it gives me something solid to look for!!