Why do photographers use macs

This led to lots of photographers facing incompatibility issues. Not only do they offer an equivalent quality, but they require about half the storage space. Unfortunately, the compatibility issues put a lot of photographers off buying a Mac computer. However, the good news is that this issue can be overcome. Setapp not only has a range of blog posts to help you get the most out of your Mac computer, but they also have a range of tools that are perfect for photographers.

One of the best features of an Apple Mac computer is its display. Not only that, but the color rendition is also amazing. Apple Mac computers are perfect for photo editing or re-touching. They allow you to edit your photographs safe in the knowledge that the image you are viewing is as true an interpretation of its real definition as possible. Mobility is extremely important for photographers. Aside from size and weight consideration, battery performance is a strong selling point of these devices.

While most PCs can last for around hours on a single charge, Mac computers can last for anywhere between hours. One of the most relevant and attractive upsides of owning an Apple Mac computer is its operating system, the Mac OS.

This means that you can start editing your photos on your iPad or iPhone and then pick up from where you left off on your Mac computer. If you are still worried about buying a Mac computer, then you may be pleased to hear that Mac computers can also run the Windows operating system. However, you cannot run the Apple Mac software on anything other than a Mac computer built by Apple. This is great news for photographers who are interested in buying a Mac computer but have never used one before.

They can switch between the two systems until they know which one they prefer. The MacBook Air in M1 is impressive in three main areas: first, its design, finish and ergonomics; second, its sheer performance for a lightweight laptop; third, its value for money given those other two things. Its Retina screen is, as ever, just beautiful. This is a beautifully made notebook computer that's great for mobile image editing if you need supreme portability over a larger screen size.

See also: Best Mac webcams. The new inch MacBook Pro benefits from Apple's stonking M1 system-on-a-chip 'processor' it's not strictly just a processor - it combines pretty much all the core aspects of a computer onto a single chip, much like a phone or tablet. This makes the MacBook Pro M1 supremely fast and yet also very power-efficient - the holy grail for laptop computing.

Well, almost. At Another limiting factor is memory, which is a paltry 8GB as standard, and can only be specced up to 16GB at the time of purchase, which is unusually mean for a MacBook Pro.

Consequently, we still rate the older Intel-powered inch MacBook Pro as a slightly more versatile MacBook for photo editing. If you need something smaller, go for the MacBook Air M1 above - it's just as fast as the Pro M1, has the same stunning screen, but is usefully slimmer and cheaper.

These MacBooks are no longer the latest models, but they still pack a punch, cost less, and are still available new. In fact, we reckon it's still the best MacBook for photo editing Apple has ever created. This is because Apple has packed it with some of the most powerful components you can find in a laptop, which means running photo editing apps like Photoshop is fast and smooth. You can configure the MacBook Pro inch, so that it comes with specifications that suit your needs — and your budget — as well.

Then there's that big inch screen, which is simply stunning. The Retina display comes with a resolution of 3, x 1, and a pixel density of pixels per inch, which means your photos will look incredibly sharp, with plenty of detail, and means you won't need to invest in an external monitor. If you don't need the size of the inch MacBook Pro, then the MacBook Pro inch, is a fantastic choice that can save you money. Even though it was only released in the middle of , Apple has replaced it with the inch model.

Don't worry, though, that doesn't mean it's outdated. What it does mean is that the inch model is no longer sold by Apple, but sold elsewhere, and there have been some decent price cuts as well.

So, you're getting a powerful MacBook with some of the latest tech, like hexa-core 9th-generation Intel processors and up to 32GB of RAM, plus Radeon Pro Vega 20 graphics, and some tasty discounts as well! But what really sets it apart is its keyboard design Desktops are quite simply better for editing photos. Yes, that is a blanket across the board statement. MacBooks are very capable of running editing software if you make sure they have some essential upgrades see the Mac Recommendations section below.

In fact, I think MacBooks are better suited than nearly anything from the PC world in the way of laptops. But going back to the cutthroat market of PCs I will bring up again how the vendors cut every corner they possibly can. I have owned numerous PC laptops over the years and haven't been truly happy with any of them — especially for photo editing.

As good as a MacBook can be, I still recommend a desktop. Laptop screens are mostly terrible. The MacBook retina screens are beautiful, but tiny. Desktops also tend to last longer because heat is an enemy to computers and laptops are in such small packages their heat battle is going to be lost faster. Think through this one very carefully. If you REALLY need mobility then you have no choice and should use a laptop, but I suspect that for many who claim this to be a requirement their laptop actually rarely leaves their desk and they would have been better off with a desktop.

When I was faced this dilemma I knew both the Mac and the PC pretty well, so my own choice actually came down to cost. I knew how to build and maintain a PC very well, and could get a lot more hardware for the dollars by doing that. I decided that for me it was better to minimize my investment on computer hardware, end up with a PC better suited for photo editing, and save the rest of the budget for other photography gear.

So I did quite a lot of research and was able to do some testing to see specifically what makes a difference. Some PC makers do better at customer support than others, although even that seems to change depending on who you ask. I will say that I doubt any of the PCs you find in a box at the store are going to meet your needs. Go online and customize your order based on the recommendations below.

Remember, this is very photography focused and is not a recommendation for a gaming or video editing PC that would start off with maxing out the CPU and have some other differences.

The recommendations are in order of priority to help you decide how to get it configured as you are ordering from a PC maker or if you are brave enough to try a custom build Be sure to check out the Windows Photo Editing SUPER Guide article for updated recommendations :.

You can have things work pretty will with 16GB of RAM, and can get by with 8GB, but this is the first place I would max out a system configuration for a computer and get as much memory as possible. If you are interested in building your own PC there are plenty of DIY build recommendations and instructions out there to make this very possible.

It sounds really intimidating at first because hardware has such confusing names and not everything can fit together. I thought I would break out my recommendations for Mac differently that I did for PC based on the model choices from least expensive not cheap to outrageous. The Mac mini is the entry level machine from Apple really designed for people switching from a PC.

It is a tiny little desktop computer that packs quite a lot of punch into a small space, and will run Photoshop and Lightroom very well. If after reading this article you think you might like trying a switch from a PC, this would be a really good way to try it out and see how you like the world of Mac. It gives you probably the ultimate in portability, but you will honestly get more power out of the Mac mini for less money.

PC manufacturers are catching up some of them shown at CES looked pretty nice but the MacBook Pro is arguably the best laptop money can buy and is awesome for photo editing. I would also recommend that with either of the MacBook models you should also get a monitor to use with them when you are in your office. Editing photos on those tiny screens, nice as they are and they are incredible , is not great.

Apple just revamped the iMac in late , making it one of the most desirable desktop computers for photo editing due to the 5k display.

You will still get a very good display with it, just not 5k. And the iMac has been a good machine very capable of doing photo editing for quite some time.

In fact, at this point I think it is a fair statement across all these Mac models to say that a previous generation model will work pretty well — just look for the RAM. Now we enter the world of insanity for many. It is something more for a power video editor. Of course you could edit photos on it without the machine breaking a sweat, but it is overkill in my opinion and you are much better served to spend the cash on lenses. At some point it may make sense to go to Mac from PC, especially if you are a professional photographer, but it is really a matter of personal preference and neither has a big advantage over the other.

This is the perfect blog post for me right now. I have a 4 year old toshiba that I am trying to use to edit photos in Lightroom and PS. Can we say frustrated! I am selling my photos online and at art shows now so I really need an upgrade. I live and travel full time in an RV, so a desk top is not an option. Where can I find a laptop with the specs you mentioned? What about the monitor on a laptop? Thanks for contributing to the discussion! Totally understand the small budget for a computer.

Since you are traveling, I can see the need for a laptop, and recommend something from Asus or Lenovo. Make sure you do not get one with AMD graphics. If you can find one that says it is IPS that will really help. Just as I stated in the article, I am not really pleased with the durability of PC laptops, they seem to fall apart much sooner than they should.

So getting a MacBook Air may be worth looking into for you, although using such a small screen is tough. Jeff — thank you so much for this article! I want to spend my free time taking pictures, not buried in the guts of a PC, and I like the portability of a laptop. Please and Thank You! A modern PC, like a Mac, just…. I use Windows, Linux, and a Mac. I edit photos and video using both the PC and the Mac. Less tech support? What about the Genius Bar? You can go just have them help you….

Unless repairs are needed. Maybe they are not as prevalent around the country. My husband is the only one in the family with a PC and he always want to borrow my Mac, poor thing. Then you can build more powerful computers cheaply, whilst also having a light OS with plenty of support. Look into Ultrabooks. I got one made by dell at work and it is lightest laptop I have ever seen. This list of ultrabooks might help. Agree that Ultrabooks are getting much better in the PC world, becoming far more compelling as compared with the MacBooks.

I personally have still been disappointed with their durability. Integration with my iPhone is excellent and fast OSX help menus, and Apple's online help provides real help. I feel like OSX empowers me to do complicated system configuration when I need to.

Controls and information are stuctured in a way that they easy to understand. I feel that Windows controls needed for system operation are structured in such away that you must be an expert to use tthem easily. I'm much happier fooling around with OSX than Windows. The main shell for a Mac is Unix. Unix is quite powerful, it is mature and stable, and has a very good documentation.

Things which are hidden in OSX become easily visible in Unix. By default I get the complete version of OSX. It is about as powerful as the top version of Windows. I only need one piece of hardware, and I can run any operating system I want on it, and several different ones at the same time.

This actually works really well. Apple's Applecare is really good. Apples online customer service is pretty good. Which they did. Eric Nepean's gear list: Eric Nepean's gear list. The flame wars between PC users and Mac users can be ignited way too easily, it happens all the time hopefully not in this thread Favorites are fine, but I'm interested in the facts about what's better and why, not unsupported opinions or ad hominem, and am with you in hoping none of that breaks out.

I would want to be able to synch between laptop and PC and edit in LR in either of them. Plus Classic doesn't interface with Android apparently, which is a further issue. I want 32GB Ram for some future proofing. Good luck! TomHeaven wrote: Cogset wrote:I think there are plenty of Windows photographers out there, but I do believe Macs are probably used by a majority of pro photogs though it may be close.

Not sure yet, but it's appealing Something like this: Macbook pro in a dock powering two screens. Not the most cost effective solution perhaps, but you wouldn't be fence straddling so much -- hide signature Eric Nepean wrote: I further observe that a significant proportion of the SW professionals in my company use Macs.

Maybe to add a few comments being a MAC and PC user for 25 years I have a small photo business and I work as a Key Account Manager in the Semiconductor business - almost all in my main profession use the company PCs - which seem to never work as intended to me - I really can't recall ever being trustful to them and they let down colleagues and myself many times - it's a harsh environment sometimes.

In my photo business it is a no brainier to use a MAC since the don't seem to cost anything. Just run e. Parallels and have different Windows Systems on it in a virtual machine and Linux systems and you virtually have all thinkable configurations with you - you can't get any more compatible to other systems than with a MAC - you simply can't install macOS on a Windows PC - I know there are Hackintosh installations but that contradicts the idea of ease of use.

Speed - MACs feel in general faster for everyday work. But good enough and it iss consistent for decades now with no silly UI experiments - I am simply too lazy to learn new things that don't make much sense to me Integration - things like built in PDF creator, snapshot tool, colorsync menu and many other subtle small things are so much better IMHO - simply not on the same level - MACs are fully flavored when delivered - hardly anything is missing.

APP store - proven reliable software virus free and affordable and you can install it on up to 5 MACs - when you rent e. Adobe software 2 machines are allowed with the same license Environment - Apple takes it really seriously to protect the environment and publishes the CO2 footprint for each and every machine and since MACs are used quite long the total energy consumption to build and run it is at a minimum - not a bad thing taking the planet we live on into accout I could find many more things but I guess it all comes down to personal experiences.

TomHeaven wrote: Why do all pro photographers that I've seen, and I've seen quite a few , and advanced amateur photographers, use Mac laptops, as opposed to Windows machines?

History, which led to marketing, but with some justification on technical grounds. Those are some of the many reasons why so many photographers use Macs. Cogset wrote: TomHeaven wrote: Cogset wrote:I think there are plenty of Windows photographers out there, but I do believe Macs are probably used by a majority of pro photogs though it may be close.

Not the most cost effective solution perhaps, but you wouldn't be fence straddling so much OS is a non-factor when dealing with standard image file formats. Selene wrote: You can work back and forth with a macbook and a Windows desktop, but understand that you need to make sure that any external hard drives you are using are formatted with FAT32 to make sure everything is compatible and moveable. I use both Windows and macOS and don't favour one over the other.

Hans de Zomers's gear list: Hans de Zomers's gear list. Greg Edwards's gear list: Greg Edwards's gear list. Some other reasons why some people use Macs: 1- Greater reliability due to fewer hardware configurations, the OS maker being the hardware maker, and the aforementioned lack of essentially forced third party crapware, a much lesser need for running anti-malware and the far lesser chance of being compromised by malware.

I'd say much easier. Great tech support, when needed. The ability to run ALL operating systems. There are more but that's some off the top of my head. What are you using Android for? F Forum M My threads. Latest sample galleries. Tamron mm F2. Panasonic S 35mm F1. DJI Mavic 3 Cine sample gallery. Nikon Z9 pre-production sample gallery. See more galleries ».