 BetterPhoto Member |
Mac or PC Recommendations please! Due to a recent failure of my hard drive, I've been forced to research the endless options of computer choices and have found myself searching for a corner in a round room! I wanted to ask for the opinions and recommendations of some fellow photographers. All my experience has been with PC in Windows and Office but have heard wonderful things about Mac. Which one is best for photo editing? Which is more user friendly? Which has the best color calibration? Thank you for any and all recommendations, they will be greatly appreciated! Shelli
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Richard Lynch |
Shelli, I work on PC by day and Mac by night. Part of that is by profession and part by preference. The part that can't be ignored is financial and practical. Over some 20 years of Mac use, I have software and preferences I don't want to entirely replace. In a PC world, there are advantages to PC, but it is interesting to see a strong swing toward people inquiring about Macs. It used to be that you'd have to give up your PC software investment to run a Mac, but not any more...Mac can boot to both platforms or run both platforms at the same time. Not something everyone will need, but it helps if you are a convert. As far as difference between the systems, the Mac vs. PC wars are virtually over. There are only a few practical differences: * mac overhauled their OS for OS10, and the results are leaner, faster, more stable. * The core mac difference for photo editing and graphics is a 1.8 gamma...which to my eye renders better what you see in print. * PC has a larger user base, more free programs, etc. * PC has a larger user base, more viruses, conflicts, etc. * Mac can run a PC OS, giving you the best of both worlds * PCs can be significantly less expensive than Mac. My choice for photo editing is Mac because it seems to me to have more reliable contrast and color rendering because of the gamma. Mac is somewhat more friendly, but there will be things you can't do or take getting used to on Mac if you are used to using PCs, and vice versa. Color calibration and color management works about the same. I've left some things off, and there will be other opinions, but I do use both daily and have for 15+ years. I am not entirely biased but find Mac better for me in the long run...it may not be for everyone. Richard Lynch
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R K Stephenson |
You forgot about Linux! j/k Excellent points from Richard. The one thing I would add is to research Macs thoroughly before purchasing, if you decide to go that route. I recently picked up an iMac because I wanted to move my photographic work to the Mac platform. But the iMac isn't really up to the task. Should have gone with the Power Mac G5. Right now, about all I use the iMac for is printing. ;^/ Another thing to consider is the cost of applications. If you use PhotoShop you will need a separate license for each platform, which can be somewhat expensive. Cheers, RK
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- Carlton Ward Contact Carlton Ward Carlton Ward's Gallery |
Hello Shelli, I had to make the same choice recently as I was using a XP PC laptop with 19" monitor attached and even with 2GB RAM, it was still slow. I decided to get a new desktop and went to the store with full intentions of getting a new HP desktop but after hearing about the horror stories about Vista and the thought of having to constantly worry about viruses & constant updates from microsoft, I decided to get a 24" IMAC. I could have transferred my Photoshop CS2 license from PC to MAC for a small fee but decided to download the trial version of CS3 on the MAC and see what the differences were. I decided to keep my CS2 windows version for my PC and bought CS3 for my MAC and have since added Corel Painter X and a Wacom Intous3 tablet. The MAC will run all these programs at the same time and it is much faster than my laptop configuration. I had to go through the learning curve of getting the hang of the MAC but I will tell you now, I will never buy another Windows computer. This was a bit expensive to get started but I do not regret my decision and really love using the MAC. The 24" screen is a joy to work with as well. I am now looking to buy a Macbook Pro to replace my HP windows laptop for travelling. With spring & summer, I spend much more time travelling and the laptop is a nice tool. My .02 - Carlton
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