Feedback on MacBook Pro 13" requested

[MGK]

New to this forum thing so bear with me.

Looking at upgrading my travel laptop with my 'amateur' photographic needs at the top of the list. Have recently been using a HP Envy 17" which weighs a ton and has a battery life akin to my dogs attention span! so am wanting to significantly downsize in weight without sacrificing performance. I am keen on a MacBook of some type as I am impressed with other Apple products to date (they just seem to work and have great battery life!).

I conducted a side by side comparison of 13" MacBook Air, 13" MacBook Pro Retina and 15" MacBook Pro Retina. I found the display comparison between Air and Pro to be like chalk and cheese with the Retina display way in front with resolution, colours, brightness and superior off angle viewing. When comparing the 13" Pro with 15" Pro, I found the larger to be lacking some brilliance with bright colours, especially whites. So am seriously thinking of purchasing the 13" Pro with Retina display, upgrading RAM to 16GB, processor to 3.1GHtz.

Planning to run Light Room or similar and I shoot everything in both RAW and JPEG. Upgrading soon to Canon 7D MK II so understand that I will have to buy a CF card reader too. What is the best way to download files - Card reader or USB cable?

Looking for as many pros and cons from users of MacBook Pro Retina before I make my final decision. May sound like I'm an Apple convert - not so. Still open to great advice, and appreciate any given. Keeping the HP for home use with its 17" display, performance and thirst for mains power.


Cheers,

[DavidEccleston]

I use a reader. The 7D2 has some odd cable bracket system they want you to use to ensure you don't damage the camera when using the hdmi/usb ports. You can ignore that if you use a reader. As a bonus, you don't tie up your camera while you're transferring files.

Keep in mind the 13" MBPs are all dual-core, while the 15" are quad-core. If this is going to be a workhorse laptop, it's something to be well aware of. While I do have a i7 15" MBP, I've never processed a picture on it, so I can't give any feedback on performance in that regard. It's also my first laptop, so I can't compare to anything else.

If you don't have an unlimited budget, keep in mind you can get a deal on a refurb. Apple sells them directly on their website, though they keep moving where they are hidden. Currently there's a link at the bottom of the regular "buy" pages to go to refurb products. Both my iMac and my MBP are refurbs, and I've had no issues. When I was looking, the refurb prices are competitive with comparable PCs.

[Lumens]

Price is what has kept me from moving from Windows to Mac. I can buy three Windows systems for the price of one mac Book! The thing is my next lap top will likely be a Mac!

You want to know how well the Mac 13" will perform, I can't say for sure but what I can say is my little 11" MacBook Air runs Lightroom CC better that my 15" Win 8.1 (now Win 10) system that has 16 gig of Ram and 2.8 GHz processor. I'm not sure why - if it's the operating system or what but that little MacBook Air does wonderful with Lightroom, while the Windows system leaves me waiting for it to catch up.

I picked up the 11" MacBook Air to replace my iPad - I find it is my most used system. You will likely be happy with either MacBook 13 or 15 inch. If it is portability you need and screen size you want then think about using a second screen when in your office. On my desk I can connect a second monitor to my MacBook Air and it works fine.

[Sean Setters]

You want to know how well the Mac 13" will perform, I can't say for sure but what I can say is my little 11" MacBook Air runs Lightroom CC better that my 15" Win 8.1 (now Win 10) system that has 16 gig of Ram and 2.8 GHz processor. I'm not sure why - if it's the operating system or what but that little MacBook Air does wonderful with Lightroom, while the Windows system leaves me waiting for it to catch up.

The Macbook likely has a better video card. The newest version of Lightroom is optimized for a specific grade of video card. If you don't have something that qualifies in your Windows laptop, it'll likely be slower than it was with the previous LR installed (I experienced that issue).

[Joel Eade]

Price is what has kept me from moving from Windows to Mac. I can buy three Windows systems for the price of one mac Book! The thing is my next lap top will likely be a Mac!

You want to know how well the Mac 13" will perform, I can't say for sure but what I can say is my little 11" MacBook Air runs Lightroom CC better that my 15" Win 8.1 (now Win 10) system that has 16 gig of Ram and 2.8 GHz processor. I'm not sure why - if it's the operating system or what but that little MacBook Air does wonderful with Lightroom, while the Windows system leaves me waiting for it to catch up.

I picked up the 11" MacBook Air to replace my iPad - I find it is my most used system. You will likely be happy with either MacBook 13 or 15 inch. If it is portability you need and screen size you want then think about using a second screen when in your office. On my desk I can connect a second monitor to my MacBook Air and it works fine.

Have you checked with www.Macs4u.com ?

[MGK]

Thanks everyone for your input. Bit more info for me to follow up on.

It is encouraging to know that the Air performs well with LR.