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Post by Romy Ocon on Jun 21, 2009 23:29:27 GMT
Due to the difficulty of finding a nice IPS or PVA/MVA monitor locally, and with the recent reduction of MacBookPro pricing (PHP 109K for the 17 incher now), I was seriously tempted to switch systems, just for the display. What's holding me back at the moment are: 1. The impending release of Windows 7, whose release candidate is widely acclaimed. 2. The fact that even MBP 17, while great for stills PP, is a bit underpowered when crunching 1080p video. 3. I've been a PC guy all my life, and I've tons of baggage like 3 TB of files to be migrated and many hardware/software to be discarded/replaced. This is in addition to having to learn a new system all over again. To MacLovers and PC folks at PBPF, what's the best system for nature photography/videography given local supply conditions? Please make your case, I'd love to be enlightened further.  |
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Post by Edu Lorenzo Jr on Jun 22, 2009 1:05:37 GMT
My 2cents
Windows - I am using Windows 7 RC right now and I love it from both a techie and a layman's POV. I bought a extra laptop just to test W7. Laptop was bought "bare metal" as they say. It had nothing but hardware and the bios. I popped in the W7 DVD, installed and partitioned in less than an hour and EVERYTHING worked instantly! WiFi, Speakers, Mic, DVDR you name it, it works! I find it also quite easy to use and pretty light compared to Vista (this laptop is the entry level Compaq CQ with an AMD processor)
Mac - I also have been blessed to be able to use an MBP, which I bootcamped to load either OSX or Vista Ultimate. I must say I am happy with both and have never seen Vista Ultimate run as smooth as id did on any other machine. Although the tricky 'right-click' on the touchpad was a bit of a learning, I got into it real quick.
now for Video, the reason why I used an MBP was because I saw Final Cut Pro from Adobe ran better (by my observation) on OSX compared to Vista (same machine).
So, if your bottomline is Video and Picture editing, I have used both Vista and OSX on the same machine (an MBP) and my choice is OSX.. hands-down.
but if you factor in the other stuff that you want to do and the availability of software suites out there, Vista is the way to go.
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Post by Romy Ocon on Jun 22, 2009 1:35:31 GMT
Thanks for the insights and the first-hand feedback on W7RC, Edu. I've read tons of info from Mac and PC boards of photo forums, and proponents of either system are making a good case. If good LCD displays are available locally, I wouldn't even consider switching because of the inconvenience. There's some hope in the PC horizon though - Windows 7 and it looks like LG will take a lead in addressing the needs of color-critical display users. According to the grapevine, LG will release some economical 22" - 24" IPS/VA panels soon. BTW, my PC files are only 1.5TB but due to external HDD back up (in addition to DVD), I'm now using 3 TB of HDD space. If I buy a MBP17, I probably need to purchase 6 pieces of 1TB ext. HDD right away. The cost of this HDD system, plus the headache of transfering the files from NTFS, is bringing me back to earth each time I look up the Mac sky.  |
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Post by Tonji Ramos on Jun 22, 2009 2:40:13 GMT
I have been using a Mac for around two years after being a PC user for 21+ years (1985 ibm xt)
The main plus points for the PC are:
The PC is cheaper.
The PC has more software.
but
The PC is attacked by viruses often. I have had my Mac virus free for two years. My PC was always in trouble with viruses, sometimes causing the HD to crash.
The Mac is well made and everything works well from the moment you plug it in, no need for the endless compatibility checks and drivers.
From a security standpoint for your files, I think the Mac is better because there will be less attacks on your system.
Regarding warranty in the Philippine situation Apple is the best hands down. When they say its an Apple warranty its good in any country. Just keep your receipt. Unlike PC products you need to go where you bought it. I bought an IPOD in the US. It broke after almost 3 years, but I had an extended warranty. I went to an Apple store in Makati and they gave me a new one after a few days. Cool!
Regarding the hardware Apple gives the best customer service. The service is fast and its worldwide. So if you are traveling, its an additional benefit.
You can buy your Apple products in HK, much cheaper than here and still get the warranty.
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Post by Romy Ocon on Jun 22, 2009 3:26:08 GMT
Thanks for the thoughts, Tonji..... looks like you're a happy Mac customer. Question - how easy is it to calibrate Mac screens using a hardware calibrator? Is there an analog control for RGB values, gamma, and for brightness and contrast? |
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Post by Romy Ocon on Jun 22, 2009 9:20:46 GMT
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Post by Elvin Sansona on Jul 26, 2009 4:39:18 GMT
My wife is bragging for a Mac she's obsessed with Mac Pro but I love to stick with PC because of familiarity. But still I'm open for Mac so as to solve our conflict...(under pala!)
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Post by ppaaoolloo on Sept 26, 2009 16:50:11 GMT
Half of photogs use a Mac while have use Windows (fraction uses Linux but that's a whole kit and caboodle of a different issues). I think it all boils down to how happy you are with your system. I've been using the Mac since 2001 for making internal AVPs (at the time iMovie was the most inexpensive & easy way to legally do post on a computer). Eventually branched out to photography (not color crtitical) until I bought a SpyderPro2. Calibration is mostly done in software via hardware calibration hardware. No analogue controls are used anymore on Macs. It makes sense as you have only one point of modification to deal with. As a lot of publication houses are color-critical their workflow tend to be on equal footing with Mac and Windows. As mentioned earlier the price and configurability issues are there but recently prices of Intel Macs closely matches branded PC ones. The cobbled together PC are still cheaper as is the software (pirated, anyone?) There are more software developers on Windows but I don't mind not having less malware writers doing work on the Mac. No viruses on Macs since 2000. No malware except that 1 worm but the current OS (Snow Leopard) has a failsafe for that now. It is nice to have more software choices but what if all you need is just Apple or Adobe software? Kinda pointless to have 100 version of sodaku on Windows if all but 5 of them suck while all 5 of the sodaku software have Mac versions. If you find yourself wanting Windows you are but a BootCamp away. There is a shop in Greenhills that sells Macs are US prices (plus 12% VAT) As I've experienced with XP, Vista and 7 it is still sipag at tiyaga while a Mac is a holiday to use. My crystal ball tells me that within 30 days we should expect a new iMac With mobile Intel Core i7 With Blu Ray Burner With LED display similar to the 24-inch LED Cinema Display (S-IPS?) Room for 8GB or more RAM. I hope they come out with a 30-inch version this time around. Looking forward OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard has more bells and whistles than 7. Everything just works on a Mac 99.9% of the time. Mac Pro (the tower not the notebook) is nice but only really useful if you need the expansion slots or Xeon chips. |
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Post by Ding Carpio on Dec 31, 2009 7:33:07 GMT
If you find yourself wanting Windows you are but a BootCamp away. There is a shop in Greenhills that sells Macs are US prices (plus 12% VAT) Hi, Pao. Which shop is this? Have been using my MacBook Pro (15) for a week now and it really is soooo easy. Now, I'm thinking if I should switch. Have assembled my PC myself and continue to do tweaks here and there. But, at some point, one wants to stop popping the hood and just keep driving. |
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Post by ppaaoolloo on Dec 31, 2009 8:54:46 GMT
If you find yourself wanting Windows you are but a BootCamp away. There is a shop in Greenhills that sells Macs are US prices (plus 12% VAT) Hi, Pao. Which shop is this? Have been using my MacBook Pro (15) for a week now and it really is soooo easy. Now, I'm thinking if I should switch. Have assembled my PC myself and continue to do tweaks here and there. But, at some point, one wants to stop popping the hood and just keep driving. Get a 27-inch iMac from DigitalWalker. It sports an IPS LCD display that Romy uses with his editing work. |
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