Should I buy this laptop to speed up my workflow or buy a new lens?

crossover37 · 09-20-2010, 12:28 PM

Hey everyone,

I have a HP laptop that is about 3 years old and it works but sometimes hangs when I apply actions in Photoshop so I was wanting to upgrade my computer to this Dell FRYS.com*|*DELL , I also want to buy the DA* 50-135mm f2.8 lens for my K-X but can't buy both. What do you think the best investment would be...saving editing time or having a superior lens for shooting portraits. My current lens is a Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 which is great but I keep hearing amazing things about the DA* 50-135mm F2.8. Thanks.

JeffJS · 09-20-2010, 12:56 PM

How long can you wait for Processing? The Lens will far oulast the laptop and in my opinion would be a better investment. For Computers, I would wait until black monday (the monday after thanksgiving). Bargains abound online that day (and week).

luke0622 · 09-20-2010, 01:24 PM

for the similar price, you can get an i-7 processor Toshiba laptop at Best Buy, it's 16" screen.
Toshiba - Satellite Laptop / Intel® Core™ i7 Processor / 16" Display / 4GB Memory / 640GB Hard Drive - Slate - A665-S6070

or this refurbished Asus Gaming laptop
Asus - Factory-Refurbished Laptop with Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor - Black - G72GXRF-RBBX05

Dell and HP are NOT as good as people think, they are more problematic, not as reliable. I know somebody's brother who works for HP, he told him that DO NOT buy a HP... True Story

Mr. B · 09-20-2010, 01:38 PM

Why are even asking such a silly question??

The answer is: buy more lenses!

crossover37 · 09-20-2010, 01:54 PM

Thanks guys

Mr. B - to me it isn't silly because I spent over 20 hours editing 37 portraits these past two weeks. I wanted to see if I could cut down the editing time, maybe it's just my workflow process...Thanks for your reply though.

JeffJS · 09-20-2010, 02:33 PM

Originally posted by luke0622

for the similar price, you can get an i-7 processor Toshiba laptop at Best Buy, it's 16" screen.
Toshiba - Satellite Laptop / Intel® Core™ i7 Processor / 16" Display / 4GB Memory / 640GB Hard Drive - Slate - A665-S6070

or this refurbished Asus Gaming laptop
Asus - Factory-Refurbished Laptop with Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor - Black - G72GXRF-RBBX05

Dell and HP are NOT as good as people think, they are more problematic, not as reliable. I know somebody's brother who works for HP, he told him that DO NOT buy a HP... True Story

This is the biggest load of bull I've ever read on this forum. If you don't want to buy an HP because you don't like the brand, fine. I've had my desktop for 7 years and my laptop for 1 year. I turn both of them on, they start, do what I want, with no problems. Knowing somebody's brother who 'works for hp' means absolutely nothing.

THE one single brand name I've had THE most trouble with, is Toshiba. 2 units BOTH dead within one year.

Marc Sabatella · 09-20-2010, 08:00 PM

The 50-135 is a great lens, I'm sure, but it's so different in focal length from your 28-75, you can't really think of it as an upgrade - it's just different. You'd still end up using the 28-75 for the majority of your shots, unless you happen to be someone who mostly shoots telephoto. So most of your pictures wouldn't come out better at all - only the pictures you can't take at all right now.

crossover37 · 09-20-2010, 11:03 PM

Marc - So you don't think the image quality, sharpness, contrast, etc. would be better on the 50-135mm than on my 28-75? I still would keep the 28-75mm, I would like to use the 50-135mm for portraits mostly since that's what I shoot. You wouldn't recommend I get the 50-135, instead do you think a camera upgrade would be better?

thirdofthree · 09-21-2010, 01:35 AM

Originally posted by crossover37

sometimes hangs when I apply actions in Photoshop

If your laptop truly "hangs" while editing (i.e. freezes and does not complete its task, requiring you to start over), or it's painfully slow but didn't use to be...something is wrong with the laptop (probably OS/program bloat). In those cases: fix the laptop and use the money on a new lens.

I use a different flavor of the following comments all the time on a field audio recording forum I moderate (and I've seen Marc pose a similar comment elsewhere on PF):

Before deciding on new gear (lens, body, whatever), I think it's helpful to ask oneself: what characteristics do I like, dislike, or not currently have (but want) with my current gear? The answer then becomes: how do I and what compromises am I willing to make to acquire or get rid of those characteristics? The answers to those two questions will provide a reasonable guide forward.

wlachan · 09-21-2010, 02:40 AM

What's the spec of your computer anyway? PC can be slow for many reasons.

farfisa · 09-21-2010, 06:22 AM

Have you maxed out the RAM in your laptop yet? That'a s relatively cheap upgrade.

deadwolfbones · 09-21-2010, 08:56 AM

I've got an HP EliteBook 8730w for sale around that price, if you're interested. PM me for details.

C2D 2.53ghz, 4gb ram, 17.3" 1920x1200 (WUXGA) matte screen.

buttons · 09-21-2010, 11:08 AM

I would vote for lenses. I work in IT and i think a 3 year old laptop should still be able to get the job done. Maybe it needs to be reimaged / cleaned up/ or possibly a minor upgrade (hard drive / RAM) but those are cheap.

farfisa · 09-21-2010, 11:17 AM

Originally posted by buttons

I would vote for lenses. I work in IT and i think a 3 year old laptop should still be able to get the job done. Maybe it needs to be reimaged / cleaned up/ or possibly a minor upgrade (hard drive / RAM) but those are cheap.

Hard drive is another important one--your computer makes use of your hard drive not only for permanent storage, but also for temporary items and 'virtual memory.' If your hard drive starts to get full, many tasks are going to take longer and you'll see a lot more hanging.

Make sure you have enough room on your hard drive for your photoshop 'scratch disk.' Upgrading to a larger hard drive helps speed things up because PS can cache things on your hard drive more easily.

If you have an external drive (also pretty cheap), you can also use that as a scratch disk.

**Kerrowdown** · 09-21-2010, 11:26 AM

You could always get a Mac, he says ducking.

09-20-2010, 12:28 PM	#1
crossover37 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Photos: Gallery Posts: 214	Should I buy this laptop to speed up my workflow or buy a new lens? Hey everyone, I have a HP laptop that is about 3 years old and it works but sometimes hangs when I apply actions in Photoshop so I was wanting to upgrade my computer to this Dell FRYS.com\|DELL , I also want to buy the DA* 50-135mm f2.8 lens for my K-X but can't buy both. What do you think the best investment would be...saving editing time or having a superior lens for shooting portraits. My current lens is a Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 which is great but I keep hearing amazing things about the DA* 50-135mm F2.8. Thanks.

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09-20-2010, 12:56 PM	#2
JeffJS Inactive Account Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Michigan, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 7,484	How long can you wait for Processing? The Lens will far oulast the laptop and in my opinion would be a better investment. For Computers, I would wait until black monday (the monday after thanksgiving). Bargains abound online that day (and week).

09-20-2010, 01:24 PM	#3
luke0622 Veteran Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Ankeny, Iowa Photos: Gallery Posts: 388	for the similar price, you can get an i-7 processor Toshiba laptop at Best Buy, it's 16" screen. Toshiba - Satellite Laptop / Intel® Core™ i7 Processor / 16" Display / 4GB Memory / 640GB Hard Drive - Slate - A665-S6070 or this refurbished Asus Gaming laptop Asus - Factory-Refurbished Laptop with Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor - Black - G72GXRF-RBBX05 Dell and HP are NOT as good as people think, they are more problematic, not as reliable. I know somebody's brother who works for HP, he told him that DO NOT buy a HP... True Story

09-20-2010, 01:38 PM	#4
Mr. B Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Varaždin, Croatia, Europe Photos: Gallery Posts: 295	Why are even asking such a silly question?? The answer is: buy more lenses!

09-20-2010, 01:54 PM	#5
crossover37 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Photos: Gallery Posts: 214 Original Poster	Thanks guys Mr. B - to me it isn't silly because I spent over 20 hours editing 37 portraits these past two weeks. I wanted to see if I could cut down the editing time, maybe it's just my workflow process...Thanks for your reply though.

09-20-2010, 02:33 PM	#6
JeffJS Inactive Account Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Michigan, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 7,484	Originally posted by luke0622 for the similar price, you can get an i-7 processor Toshiba laptop at Best Buy, it's 16" screen. Toshiba - Satellite Laptop / Intel® Core™ i7 Processor / 16" Display / 4GB Memory / 640GB Hard Drive - Slate - A665-S6070 or this refurbished Asus Gaming laptop Asus - Factory-Refurbished Laptop with Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor - Black - G72GXRF-RBBX05 Dell and HP are NOT as good as people think, they are more problematic, not as reliable. I know somebody's brother who works for HP, he told him that DO NOT buy a HP... True Story This is the biggest load of bull I've ever read on this forum. If you don't want to buy an HP because you don't like the brand, fine. I've had my desktop for 7 years and my laptop for 1 year. I turn both of them on, they start, do what I want, with no problems. Knowing somebody's brother who 'works for hp' means absolutely nothing. THE one single brand name I've had THE most trouble with, is Toshiba. 2 units BOTH dead within one year.

09-20-2010, 08:00 PM	#7
Marc Sabatella Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Denver, CO Photos: Gallery Posts: 10,685	The 50-135 is a great lens, I'm sure, but it's so different in focal length from your 28-75, you can't really think of it as an upgrade - it's just different. You'd still end up using the 28-75 for the majority of your shots, unless you happen to be someone who mostly shoots telephoto. So most of your pictures wouldn't come out better at all - only the pictures you can't take at all right now.

09-20-2010, 11:03 PM	#8
crossover37 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Photos: Gallery Posts: 214 Original Poster	Marc - So you don't think the image quality, sharpness, contrast, etc. would be better on the 50-135mm than on my 28-75? I still would keep the 28-75mm, I would like to use the 50-135mm for portraits mostly since that's what I shoot. You wouldn't recommend I get the 50-135, instead do you think a camera upgrade would be better?

09-21-2010, 01:35 AM	#9
thirdofthree Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Highland Park, IL Posts: 217	Originally posted by crossover37 sometimes hangs when I apply actions in Photoshop If your laptop truly "hangs" while editing (i.e. freezes and does not complete its task, requiring you to start over), or it's painfully slow but didn't use to be...something is wrong with the laptop (probably OS/program bloat). In those cases: fix the laptop and use the money on a new lens. I use a different flavor of the following comments all the time on a field audio recording forum I moderate (and I've seen Marc pose a similar comment elsewhere on PF): Before deciding on new gear (lens, body, whatever), I think it's helpful to ask oneself: what characteristics do I like, dislike, or not currently have (but want) with my current gear? The answer then becomes: how do I and what compromises am I willing to make to acquire or get rid of those characteristics? The answers to those two questions will provide a reasonable guide forward.

09-21-2010, 02:40 AM	#10
wlachan Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Canada Photos: Albums Posts: 2,625	What's the spec of your computer anyway? PC can be slow for many reasons.

09-21-2010, 06:22 AM	#11
farfisa Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Toronto, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,274	Have you maxed out the RAM in your laptop yet? That'a s relatively cheap upgrade.

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09-21-2010, 08:56 AM	#12
deadwolfbones Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: La Crescenta, CA Posts: 7,450	I've got an HP EliteBook 8730w for sale around that price, if you're interested. PM me for details. C2D 2.53ghz, 4gb ram, 17.3" 1920x1200 (WUXGA) matte screen.

09-21-2010, 11:08 AM	#13
buttons Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Grand Rapids Photos: Albums Posts: 193	I would vote for lenses. I work in IT and i think a 3 year old laptop should still be able to get the job done. Maybe it needs to be reimaged / cleaned up/ or possibly a minor upgrade (hard drive / RAM) but those are cheap.

09-21-2010, 11:17 AM	#14
farfisa Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Toronto, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,274	Originally posted by buttons I would vote for lenses. I work in IT and i think a 3 year old laptop should still be able to get the job done. Maybe it needs to be reimaged / cleaned up/ or possibly a minor upgrade (hard drive / RAM) but those are cheap. Hard drive is another important one--your computer makes use of your hard drive not only for permanent storage, but also for temporary items and 'virtual memory.' If your hard drive starts to get full, many tasks are going to take longer and you'll see a lot more hanging. Make sure you have enough room on your hard drive for your photoshop 'scratch disk.' Upgrading to a larger hard drive helps speed things up because PS can cache things on your hard drive more easily. If you have an external drive (also pretty cheap), you can also use that as a scratch disk.

09-21-2010, 11:26 AM	#15
Kerrowdown PEG Moderator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Highlands of Scotland... "Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand" - William Blake Photos: Gallery Posts: 57,805	You could always get a Mac, he says ducking.