Apple IMac or windows computer? Your thoughts pls!!

Pookeyhead said:
Why are people comparing a RAW worflow tool with a high end retouching tool?

Photoshop can not be compared to Lightroom or Aperture. Different software for different uses.

Lightroom/Aperture are for RAW adjustment and very basic retouching.

Photoshop is for complex retouching/manipulation and layered composite work.
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Maybe Adobe calling it Photoshop Lightroom (the name on the top of the packaging next to me) doesn't help?
 
ST4 said:
I've never worked with PS. With App 3 you get brushes for dodge/burn/selective sharpen/structure and you can use silver efx or colour efx for further edits if not happy. When you do this you keep the original RAW, a JPEG of the edit and a TIFF once you edit in colour/silver fx.
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Pookeyhead said:
People are referring specifically to CS6.
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D'you think so?
 
I mentioned CS6 and Aperture in the same post. I'm well aware of the uses and limitations of each package. I use them both :)
 
Blank_Canvas said:
I mentioned CS6 and Aperture in the same post. I'm well aware of the uses and limitations of each package. I use them both :)
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You did, but it wasn't your post that was quoted, and the one that was appeared to mean Lightroom where they said PS *because* they were using aperture for processing raw files.
 
pwhysall said:
Let's get something straight: when the hardware's in good order, both Windows and OS X are incredibly reliable operating systems.
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Indeed.

It's not the reliability of Mac OS that frustrates me.
 
Lenovo ideacentre owner here.
It's unmodified from it's original spec.

It shipped with a respectable graphics card, dual 2 TB hard disks which I've put into a RAID0 array, 16 GB RAM and a quad-core i7 CPU. Even with the purchase of a decent ~£400 display for editing, it's still much cheaper than a lesser specced Mac and the only fault I've experienced so far was the system tray disappearing.

I'm not on either side here, if I had been richer I'd have bought an iMac just to see how the other side live.
I will still buy a Mac mini at some point just to see what the fuss is about.
 
View attachment 5765
Choices choices! which one to use!!
Ok folks all your feedback has been fantastic, some over my head!! Lol!! So thank you very much..
So I've made my mind up, I'm going to go for a Mac!
So which one???? 21 or 27 inch screen, I'm going to spend around £1700
I've viewed both screen sizes together and found the smaller screen slightly easier on my eyes?
So do I go for the 21inch and spec it up or straight to the 27 inch? Without spec increases?
I'm not in to gaming, so forget that. Just need future proof spec for a few years to concentrAte on photo editing and timelapse photography!
Also if Registax does not work on Macs, can someone specify a similar programme that will do the same?
Cheers all....
 
And there's less upgrading can be done with Apple stuff these days after purchase. My Macbook seemed fast enough with 2Gb ram and a conventional hard drive when I bought it 5 years ago, but now with 4Gb and an SSD it struggles to do image editing. Ask yourself what you want to be doing with it in 5 years time, and whether the upgrades you might spec now will be enough to keep up that far in the future (I'd suggest they won't be, but YMMV).

Adobe style image editing software seems to require a big screen - I find a 20" 1650:1080 monitor at home slightly cramped, 24" 1920:1200 at work is better - so ask yourself what you're happiest working with.

*Personally* since you seem sold on a Mac, I'd suggest a slightly upgraded Mac mini plus a high quality after market monitor. That way you'll probably save money AND have a decent monitor that is likely to have a longer working like than the iMac, plus if you find the MM becoming limiting it can be flogged & replaced for half the cost of the iMac. I do understand the appeal of having everything in a single unit, no extra boxes, cables etc, but it seems an limiting way to buy a laptop & screen.
 
ancient_mariner said:
And there's less upgrading can be done with Apple stuff these days after purchase. My Macbook seemed fast enough with 2Gb ram and a conventional hard drive when I bought it 5 years ago, but now with 4Gb and an SSD it struggles to do image editing. Ask yourself what you want to be doing with it in 5 years time, and whether the upgrades you might spec now will be enough to keep up that far in the future (I'd suggest they won't be, but YMMV).

Adobe style image editing software seems to require a big screen - I find a 20" 1650:1080 monitor at home slightly cramped, 24" 1920:1200 at work is better - so ask yourself what you're happiest working with.

*Personally* since you seem sold on a Mac, I'd suggest a slightly upgraded Mac mini plus a high quality after market monitor. That way you'll probably save money AND have a decent monitor that is likely to have a longer working like than the iMac, plus if you find the MM becoming limiting it can be flogged & replaced for half the cost of the iMac. I do understand the appeal of having everything in a single unit, no extra boxes, cables etc, but it seems an limiting way to buy a laptop & screen.
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what he said.
 
I think I'm right in saying that the current iMac 21 memory is not user upgrade able whereas the iMac 27 is.

Last summer I bought the 'basic' iMac 27 with 8Gb RAM, 1TB HD, and 2.9GHz quad core i5, added a SuperDrive, 4-port USB hub and a Magic Trackpad. Very pleased with it, though I will add another 8Gb of RAM just because..
 
I have an iMac. it's a 27". It's now over 4 years old and is still working well. I thought long and hard over which model to get as it's not a cheap purchase. Personally I'd go for the 27". The extra real estate makes life a lot easier as I can have a couple of applications running at the same time both occupying part of the screen, and I don't have to squint to see the text or images. If you can afford it opt for the Fusion drive. My rMBP with it's SSD starts so quick , my iMac seems to take ages (50 secs to be precise).

I wouldn't get to hung up on drive size. External drives can be added ( I have 3 on my iMac and still have 3/4 of the internal drive free. ) USB3 is fast enough nowadays and good USB drives are not expensive.

Apple memory is not as expensive as it used to be but Crucial is a lot cheaper. Opt for 8GB now and update later. Apple supply the iMac with 2 x 4 Gb memory modules so you can add more later without wasting the memory already in the machine. (The 21" has no facility to easily update the memory )

Nothing is future proof. But my 4 year old iMac, with memory upgrade still works fine. Yes I would like USB3 and Thunderbolt, but this machine will last me a while yet. ( Must stop looking at the Mac Pro )
 
The way you future-proof an iMac purchase is by buying the biggest screen, biggest hard disk, fastest CPU, and best GPU you can afford, as these things cannot be changed later; you must accept that this is your computer for 3 years or however long you plan to own it.

(BTW, Don't buy extra RAM from Apple, get it from Crucial instead.)
 
ancient_mariner said:
I do understand the appeal of having everything in a single unit, no extra boxes, cables etc, but it seems an limiting way to buy a laptop & screen.
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Except when you want to add a second disc/get access to the SD card slot/want a time machine backup drive, DVD writer etc.... it starts off neat but can soon grow. I'd agree with everything else you have said tough.

To the OP: 27" no question...... Screen real estate is king when editing images.
 
arad85 said:
Except when you want to add a second disc/get access to the SD card slot/want a time machine backup drive, DVD writer etc.... it starts off neat but can soon grow.
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You raise a very good point too - that even if you start off with something neat like that (and why else would anyone actually want an iMac) then it's still likely to grow anyway.
 
pwhysall said:
(BTW, Don't buy extra RAM from Apple, get it from Crucial instead.)
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Except that you can't anymore I believe, all the RAM is now soldered on so you are forced to pay premium prices for the memory modules too now....
 
Pretty sure I'm able to upgrade the RAM in my iMac 27 without reaching for the soldering iron...
 
My bad, its the 21" iMac where a memory upgrade voids warranty, 27" is exempt for now but wouldnt surprise me if it goes the way of the macbook!
 
Jason

I'd go for the 27" without a doubt. Go for either the 1TB or 3TB Fusion Drive too.

You then need to decide which processor and graphics card. From research, 3.4 i5 and 4GB card is IMO a better combination than the 3.5 and 2GB drive but it's personal choice.
 
Alternatively you could try Ubuntu or Mint or Kubuntu etc. Lots of great free photo software. You get to try different desktops to see which one suits you best. Its fast. And if you dont like it, you can bin it and slap Windows on. Shame you cant easily slap OSX on though.
 
OP - it's worth keeping an eye on the refurbished section on the Apple site. No 27" iMacs at the moment but their stock changes regularly.
Definitely get the 27" for editing - I got the 21.5", but now I'm using Photoshop more it's a bit cramped.
 
If anybody in your family is in uni, you can get a very healthy 15% discount, plus approx an 80% discount on applecare.


But Apple are currently on my hate list after double charging my card on Wednesday for nearly £2.5k. Still haven't processed a refund. Livid is the word!
 
Rapscallion said:
If anybody in your family is in uni, you can get a very healthy 15% discount, plus approx an 80% discount on applecare.


But Apple are currently on my hate list after double charging my card on Wednesday for nearly £2.5k. Still haven't processed a refund. Livid is the word!
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I thought Grease was the word...... ;)

That is very poor from Apple though, can fully understand your frustration.
 
GeeJay57 said:
I thought Grease was the word...... ;)

That is very poor from Apple though, can fully understand your frustration.
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The frustrating part is the fact i have no way to escalate beyond the store manager who is just stonewalling me saying i have to wait for the investigation to complete before will be issuing a refund, despite acknowledging that they know they have double charged me.

Also supposed to be starting a new job on Monday 100+miles from home for which i need to book a hotel and have money to live on...
 
Rapscallion said:
The frustrating part is the fact i have no way to escalate beyond the store manager who is just stonewalling me saying i have to wait for the investigation to complete before will be issuing a refund, despite acknowledging that they know they have double charged me.
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Why don't you dispute it with your bank/credit card. You may have to push them a little but it will get sorted and quickly
 
boyfalldown said:
Why don't you dispute it with your bank/credit card. You may have to push them a little but it will get sorted and quickly
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I have spoken with Barclays, but i need to wait 14 days for Apple to resolve. Which for a £2.5k overcharge is a little too long for my liking!
 
Rapscallion said:
I have spoken with Barclays, but i need to wait 14 days for Apple to resolve. Which for a £2.5k overcharge is a little too long for my liking!
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You do need to push them....If you do so they'll resolve pretty quickly. Or at least they did with me on a (far lesser value) duplicate transaction. But push them. The banks really dislike it when this sort of thing happens as it lowers confidence in them
 
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