Laptop recommendation for trip?

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BarkingBeansCoffee said:
Consider the Apple keyboard. Makes it like a computer. The hub would mean you can go direct from a card reader to SSD.

www.apple.com

iPad Keyboards

iPad keyboards provide a great typing experience, full-size keyboard, and durable protection for your iPad.
www.apple.com
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It does add a lot of versatility to the tablet, but it kills me that it brings the total price of the package up to the cost of a reasonably equipped laptop. Then again, it is good to have choices, and for some, this is a great combo that adds a lot of configuration options.

--Ken
 
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Suggest you buy what you will want to use at home and not just for a few weeks when traveling. Computers are dirt cheap when a modern Apple MacAir is priced at $1200. That is less than I have spent on CFexpress cards for my Z cameras. Total cost of ownership is always going to me less for a computer with the Mac OS.

My first portable computer cost $3000 ($8,100 in 2021 dollars) and was the size of a large suitcase, weighed about 28 lbs, and had a 9-inch (diasonal) monochrome screen, and used 5-1/4 floppy disks. I bought a Toshiba laptop with a 486 processor and 640K RAM for $7,000 in the 1990's.
 
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You must be pretty strong to lug all that around! Your advice is good - I use my iPad more than my Mac desktop, for everything from watching TV, to photo-editing at my kitchen table, and everything in between. I find the ergonomics of laptops hard on my old body unless I have a keyboard tray.
 
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Marsha Jane said:
You must be pretty strong to lug all that around! Your advice is good - I use my iPad more than my Mac desktop, for everything from watching TV, to photo-editing at my kitchen table, and everything in between. I find the ergonomics of laptops hard on my old body unless I have a keyboard tray.
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Dragging a keyboard around defeats the purpose of the iPad.
 
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Ralph said:
Dragging a keyboard around defeats the purpose of the iPad.
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Yes, Ralph, but it does increase the iPad's ease of use at home. My brother uses an iPad Pro without the extras when on the road, but when he gets home he uses the keyboard and other peripherals he has to the fullest extent. He's all in on his iPad Pro, like a mad man!
 
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Ralph said:
Dragging a keyboard around defeats the purpose of the iPad.
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@Ralph not really I just drag my wife around with it in her backpack. Seriously though, most of the compartments for laptops/tablets these days easily fit an iPad with keyboard, so its really a weight issue. I love the Pro as well. Maybe I need to add a dock to use it more for Photography.
 
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Whiskeyman said:
Yes, Ralph, but it does increase the iPad's ease of use at home. My brother uses an iPad Pro without the extras when on the road, but when he gets home he uses the keyboard and other peripherals he has to the fullest extent. He's all in on his iPad Pro, like a mad man!
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I guess when you hunt and peck like I am it really doesn’t make much difference but with someone who can actually type it is definitely an advantage
 
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PSA< To everyone following this thread, here is a suggestion to act quickly for the pricing below if these read write speeds interest you for an external SDD.

I purchased a set of Samsung 970 EVO PLUS - 2 TB for $166. I paired them with the OWC Thunderbolt 3 Enclosure for $79 for a total of $245 to see if they would outperform the Samsung T7s I have and are $189 today for the 2TB. You can see from the Blackmagic test the set up is twice as fast. Of course the MBP hard drive was way faster. Basically to install the 970's you remove three screws. Insert the 970 (can only go one way) and replace the screws. You then initialize the drive and format it. I have read the OWC has a max of about 1500 throughput so you could maybe find a cheaper driver to put in it. I didn't know that when I purchased mine but I know the 970 Pro's work.

I expect this to help speed up my workflow significantly.

Samsung T7

Samsung T7.png



OWC with Samsung 970 pro in it.

OWC with Samsung 970 pro.png
 
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Marsha Jane said:
I'm going to Bosque del Apache on Sat., Dec. 3. I need to buy a laptop to download my daily photos. I have Apple equipment. What lightweight Apple laptop would you suggest, and specifics on needed memory, etc. I am no techie. Thanks!
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I got a mac book pro in july, a 1TB, M2 chip, with 16 GB ram. It is faster and much more friendly than my I9 PC in my office.
 
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Marsha Jane said:
I'm going to Bosque del Apache on Sat., Dec. 3. I need to buy a laptop to download my daily photos. I have Apple equipment. What lightweight Apple laptop would you suggest, and specifics on needed memory, etc. I am no techie. Thanks!
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For all my traveling be it car, plain, van, cruise ship holiday, I take a 13 inch Mac book PRO M 1 chip set, it is more than i ever need, it has a 512 gig hard drive, you can get it with a 1 TB i recall, but i would also take a small external SD hard drive and a connection plug.

I hot spot it to my phone.

Why the 13 inch pro, its light, very small, very powerful but the key attraction is it lasts a hell of a long time on a battery used wisely.

For me I don't do any editing on it as its screen is small.
But for downloading, reviewing and all other computer needs its really excellent.

I have a 17 inch i7 Apple Mac Pro you cant buy anymore STUNNING, not as fast as the M1 M2 chip set 13 inch PRO, battery life isn't as long, but as a all day hi volume work station and editing laptop, its brilliant.

I took the CD DVD drive out out of the 17 inch Mac and put in a second 1 TB SD hard drive in its place, i carry a small external DVD reader with USB connection for when i need it. Its big heavy and powerful enough to do editing as well as everything else, it also runs my Mac 30 inch Cinema Scope screen at the same time.

But for traveling the 13 inch Pro is brilliant as is the Air version. Despite the 100 gms lighter Air version i still chose the grunt and performance of the Pro.

Only an opinion
 
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PS, been there and done it all with tablets i pads key Boards, done the laps round and round and they all do things brilliantly well........but after all the traveling and applications, i found for me the king is simply the 13 inch Pro Lap Top, it just does everything brilliantly and most importantly i can use a mini wireless mouse Yeee
 
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I was facing a similar decision for traveling with my Z9.
So, I decided on looking for something to use at home, or in the field.
Found a Dell reman 5510 Inspiron that had two M.2 slots, thunderbolt and a 5ghz I7.
I installed a WD black 2TB drive in the second slot and 32 gb of ram.
Installed PS and all my Topazsoftware.
Runs awesome and less than a grand.
Just the way I went.
Good luck in your decision
 
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Ralph said:
Dragging a keyboard around defeats the purpose of the iPad.
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That's the very reason i just bit the bullet and got the all in one COMPREHENSIVELY VERSATILE do everything Mac pro 13 inch, its I pads, Tablets, keyboards, mouse, all in one, Simple, and if your sensitive to weight go the Air.
I am dependent on the mouse and keyboard especially back lit, i type super fast with both hands at once, I copy and paste a lot, add in links files etc use XL, Word, emails heavily.
I email lots of client quotes with attachments and links, back up photos taken if needed, all on the run with total ease.........and i get many days of use before even needing to charge.

I gave up overthinking it all and use the lap top very happily with no regrets.

The 13 inch Pro backs up in the office as well, light fast versatile cost effective.

Photography - Reviewing images, i select the potentially good shots copy paste to a folder, delete the original downloads.

The other thing is i try and shoot less and avoid overdosing with endless spraying, it was something i never did before, often i am shooting at around 10 or 12 fps depending on the subject, rarely at 20 fps.

Hey this is me LOL and everyone is different, for me i believe less is more in so many things.

Only an opinion
 
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Patrick M said:
I use iPad Pro
1 USB-c camera to ipad
2 cull if needed
3 copy via usb to Sandisc ssd
4 Affinity Photo on iPad for quick edits on.y
5 ssd to Mac when home
😎
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Hi Patrick, I was just wondering why you went for the iPad Pro as opposed to a normal Macbook?
I’ve recently sold my house & am currently looking for a place in Wales but have my iMac in storage which is inaccessible so was going to buy a MacBook Air M2 so that I can download my images & edit them in Lightroom.
I’m having second thoughts now! 🤔
 
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markymark said:
Hi Patrick, I was just wondering why you went for the iPad Pro as opposed to a normal Macbook?
I’ve recently sold my house & am currently looking for a place in Wales but have my iMac in storage which is inaccessible so was going to buy a MacBook Air M2 so that I can download my images & edit them in Lightroom.
I’m having second thoughts now! .🤔
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Many pro shoots tether and all work with the 15 inch or 16 inch M2 Mac Pro lap top.
I think the I pads are brilliant and so convenient and have a lot of benefits and purpose,
Its all got to do with what you want need and do.
Below is an interesting video clip, I Pad versus Mac Book Air, NOT THE PRO
I love the i pad for watching movies and playing around etc, but i need a solid powerful performing lap top that's shared with other users and has a solid strong OS system,
I choose the Mac book Pro simply because of the stronger OS, battery Life, short charging time, and for me its much better to type and use the key board with.

The video below has a interesting conclusion.

Even i have learnt a lot from this thread. I am far less ignorant now.

.

Only an opinion
 
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markymark said:
Hi Patrick, I was just wondering why you went for the iPad Pro as opposed to a normal Macbook?
I’ve recently sold my house & am currently looking for a place in Wales but have my iMac in storage which is inaccessible so was going to buy a MacBook Air M2 so that I can download my images & edit them in Lightroom.
I’m having second thoughts now! 🤔
Click to expand...

I love to browse the web, and an iPad in my lounge is ideal. I’ve no use for a laptop as I’m either home (retired) or travelling- where my iPad is doubly useful, as part or my photography work flow or browsing.
When I shoot, I upload to my iPad then an SSD card. Affinity Photo on my iPad makes a quick adjustment if needed, but I have that on my Mac too.
 
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O said:
So what did you end up with ??
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I ended up with an iPad Pro, M2 chip, 1 TB storage. I prefer the hands-on screen to a laptop, it’s lighter to carry on a trip, and has overall more general utility for me. Now that I bought it, I was surprised that it had a USB-C plug, so I had to get some new accessories. I wish it had more than one port. But overall, I think it was the best decision for how I like to work with photos.
 
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