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belafonte · May 15, 2005, 04:25 PM

I am starting my own photography business and with the funds that i have to spend i could either get the 12' powerbook with 756 mb of ram or the i mac with a gig of ram. I like the idea of portability so i was def going to go with the powerbook, but now the Imac is such a great deal, and practicly 2x better in everyway, i really dont know at this point and i need someone to make up my mind...
the main program i would be using would be adobe photoshop, and I would be travelling to different clients to take pictures of them, so being able to transfer files to laptop would be good.
Is the upgrade to the imac what i would be needing or should the 12' powerbook suffice?

Eug Wanker · May 15, 2005, 04:48 PM

How about getting an iBook 12" when the next iteration is released, and then saving your pennies for an iMac 20"?

Or else a PowerBook 12" with an external 17" DVI monitor?

Photoshop isn't so great on a 12" screen. It's not all that great on a 17" screen either.

Or else maybe an iMac 20" with an image tank, like the iPod photo with camera adapter, or one of the other ones?

belafonte · May 15, 2005, 04:57 PM

When are the new generation of powerbooks coming out??? someone said possibly in June, but that is just a rumor i heard. I already have a 19' monitor i would hook the laptop up to. I do have the ipod photo and i could just load the images to there, and take them home to the imac...

belafonte · May 17, 2005, 01:13 PM

no one else has any input?
I think I am going to go with the Imac, but I have a question... can you hook an SVGA monitor up to the Imac, so you can do that dual monitor business?

Agent69 · May 17, 2005, 08:17 PM

Out of the box, all you can do is mirror. However, you can hack the firmware and enable display spanning. I don't know what the performance would be like but with 128MB of VRAM, you can surely push two monitors.

klamyfeat · May 18, 2005, 01:16 PM

I am/was debating the same situation as you. I was prepared to get a 12" PB and an ACD 20" but that all changed with the introduction of the new 20" iMac G5.

At first, the iMac seemed to be a no brainer; G5 power, 250GB HD, 20" screen, cheaper price, ect. I even placed a tenative order for one. But as I thought about my computing needs more carefully, I realized the reason why I originally wanted the 12" PB and ACD combo was becasue I needed the portability everyday. I've got a wintel laptop right now.....it's light and still pretty quick but I need the Mac OS (academic laboratory). I thought I could get away with using the iMac G5 at home but where I really need it is at work.

The thing that weakens my conviction for the 12" PB is that I feel the 12" PB should come slightly better equipped (better video card, brighter screen, backlit keyboard). The iBook is almost a PB but not quite but I know Apple will update the iBook soon given that Tiger can't operate at its' full potential. I figure the iBook will receive the 12" PBs specs (maybe a slightly slower processor) very soon....maybe at the WWDC so I'm holding out until then. If the 12" ibook gets an update, the 12" PB is got to receive and update or at least a price drop; either is good with me. No update, it's the 12" PB and 20" ACD for me.

For you belafonte, I'm not sure you would need the 12" PB for photography. I always carry 2GB of flashcards with me and I never run out of space shooting RAW with my Canon 300D. I'm by no means a professional but would you really have time to upload all your images from your camera to your PB all the time? I thought most photographers shoot continuously and do all the post-processing work at 'home'. If that's the case, the iMac G5 would be much better choice.

superd · May 19, 2005, 11:39 AM

As a photographer, I faced similar questions to you. I have been using my 12" for a few reasons.

1. Portability, When I go to a show and people want to see the photo's I've taken, I need a way to show them. I pop the card into my reader, make a slideshow and sell away.

2. Convienience, like portablility, but it is way more convienient to carry around an extra battery than having to find a power plug all the time (for an iMac). It's also a lot easier to turn around a powerbook to show people things, than it is to turn around an iMac.

I'd say decide what you need. I sell my photos at the show's I'm at. If I didn't have a powerbook I'd have to have an electrical outlet. A bigger screen would be helpful too.

I am planning on selling my powerbook to "upgrade" to an iMac or a tower, but not until show season is over. Ideally, I'd love to have both a laptop and a desktop. I'd say, get a used/lowend ibook, and a cheaper iMac.

Hope that this is of some help,
Dave

Paco500 · May 26, 2005, 10:35 PM

I think I would figure out a way to get an iMac and an inexpensive laptop. Perhaps pick up a pismo or an old white G3 iBook. I doubt you need much power on the road, but it would be nice to have, but time spent waiting for Photoshop is money lost. If this is your livelihood, get the best tools for the job. "Saving" money can cost you a lot of money.

belafonte · May 29, 2005, 07:42 PM

I bought the imac G5, and it is better than expected... I think I may eventually get an older ibook for the portability, but the imac is amazing

klamyfeat · May 30, 2005, 05:08 PM

Originally Posted by belafonte

I bought the imac G5, and it is better than expected... I think I may eventually get an older ibook for the portability, but the imac is amazing

Great choice! I'm still holding out hope for a 12" PB upgrade or possibily a 13.3" widescreen model that I could use with a 20" ACD. The iMac G5 (especially 20") is beautiful.