2 Questions for Mac Users

Wirehead · 01-26-2008, 02:11 PM

I am using an iMac 17" with a 1.8 ghz processor and 2 gig of non Apple ram and using Adobe Lightroom. Never had a problem with speed, never had a problem with backups and if you have school age children you can get Lightroom from Academic Software, Academic Discount : Academic Superstore Academic Superstore: Academic Software savings for students, teachers, & schools for 100 bucks versus 399 in stores. I shoot all my stuff in RAW by the way and Lightroom and my mac do it all.....

tybeck · 01-28-2008, 04:17 PM

I'll in my two cents for RAW Developer as a RAW file converter. I tried demos of most of the RAW converters available for Mac and had my choices down to Lightroom, Capture One, and RAW Developer based on program stability, work flow, and picture output. Capture One and RAW Developer are about the same price and have similar performace I just liked RD more. Lightroom didn't do it for me, but for some pictures it was easier to get a better result. I have an old G4 12in Powerbook (1.2 GHz, 1.2 GB RAM) and RAW Developer runs quite well and is very stable, it was the lowest resource hog of all of the programs I tried and had all of the features that I wanted. All of the good programs have free demos, so I'd encourage you to try them out and see what you like. The ones I tested (other than those mentioned): PS Elements, LightZone, DxO Lens Lab, Bible, and SilkyPix. Of those I found PS Elements and LightZone to suit my needs well, but they were slow on my system, but any of these should run find on your MacBook.

As for memory you might also check out RAMJet and Other World Computing. They usually have good prices and quality RAM. More memory is better when it comes to picture or video processing. Have at least 2 GB if you want to run Windows along side Your Mac, esp. if you're running Vista.

With regard to disk format, keep things HFS+, but if you need to read NTFS check out NTFS for Mac OS X from Paragon. If you want to run Windows on your MacBook BootCamp will do the partitioning for you.

tlooknbill · 01-28-2008, 08:06 PM

I second tybeck's suggestion on Raw Developer if on a Mac. I've been demo-ing several Raw converters on a 2004 1.8ghz 20" iMac running OS 10.3.9 and RD is the fastest and most stable.

With Raw Developer's high quality (I'ld say genius level) demosaicing algorithms, I'm convinced you could easily get the best enlargements from 6-10megapixel Raw's going by the kind of extremely sharp haloless edge detail it can squeeze out of them.

The attached image is a 200% view screenshot of a comparison test shot between Pentax Photo Lab and Raw Developer. The fabric is 100 thread count polyester fiber shot at about 2 feet from my K100D with kit lens-f8, 1/640sec, ISO 200. The white pixels aren't noise but sunshine reflecting off the fabric loops.

wildboar · 01-29-2008, 08:17 AM

One more vote for Raw Developer by Iridient Digital. I've been using it for the past year and it is the best I've found for Raw processing... however, you can't use it for editing JPGs (if that is an issue for you). The developer is quick to respond to any problems you may have. I run it with 2GB of RAM on a 2.1 DualCore iMac and have no need for any more memory. It ran fine with 1 GB of memory using OS 10.4, but the new OS seems to require extra RAM, so you may as well bump it up to 2GB.

RJL · 02-03-2008, 10:28 PM

Thanks again to everyone for your infomation and advice.

I just ordered a MacBook 2.2 GHz laptop which comes standard with 1 gb of memory and a 120 gb hardrive.

As per your advice, I will not spring for a hard drive upgrade, but will use an external drive I already own.

It seems 2 gbs of ram would be enough for most purposes, but I also ordered 4 gbs of Axiom memory for an upgrade. Have not heard of Axiom before, but it has the standard "lifetime" warranty, it appears compatible and it was available on the website where I purchased the Macbook.

Looking forward to seeing if the Mac is as good as people say.

Bob

davemdsn · 02-03-2008, 10:53 PM

I just switched to Mac last summer. I love it. I upgraded my ram last month from 2 GB to 4 GB. I got it from Crucial, who is one of the suppliers of memory to Apple. The 4 GB kit was only $107. Works like a charm.

falconeye · 02-07-2008, 05:19 PM

Originally posted by tlooknbill

comparison test shot between Pentax Photo Lab and Raw Developer.

I am blown away by the huge difference!

Does anybody know how to class CS3, Lightroom between the two?

And does anything near Raw Developer exist for PC?

tlooknbill · 02-09-2008, 06:31 AM

I think CaptureOne had updated its sharpening algorithms to match that of RD's after some comparison shootouts were posted on the web a while back. You might try them for the PC.

I have yet to try out ACR and Lightroom. Can't find a demo that will work in Mac OS 10.3.9. Does anyone know how to get a demo of ACR off Adobe's site? They never list demo versions of older software. I hope I won't have to download an entire 28MB copy of CS1 or CS2 just to try out ACR.

Just a side note about the comparison sample I posted, I reshot the test subject in jpeg and got pretty much the same sharpness as seen in the Raw Developer sample shot.

This goes to show camera manufacturers really do have secret sauce algorithms hardwired within their camera's. Raw converters in general can only do so much not having this information.

TomE · 02-11-2008, 12:38 PM

I thought a regular Macbook was limited to 2Gb of RAM, while the Macbook Pro could take 4Gb.

Tom

leadbelly · 02-11-2008, 01:08 PM

Originally posted by ennacac

I thought a regular Macbook was limited to 2Gb of RAM, while the Macbook Pro could take 4Gb.

Tom

I use 4gb of RAM in my Macbook... I think the "Santa Rosa" Macbooks are the upgradeable ones, while the ones prior to the Santa Rosas can only manage up to 2gb.

AlexL · 02-11-2008, 01:10 PM

Originally posted by ennacac

I thought a regular Macbook was limited to 2Gb of RAM, while the Macbook Pro could take 4Gb.

Tom

The updated regular MacBooks that were released late-last year can carry 4GB of memory, just like the MacBook Pro.

The first generation regular MacBook (what I own) is limited to 2GB RAM. The second model (introduced in late-2006) was officially limited to 2GB as well, but unofficially people reported being able to do 3GB without issues (1 GB in one slot, 2 GB in another).

01-26-2008, 02:11 PM	#16
Wirehead Inactive Account Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada Posts: 2	Take a look at Lightroom I am using an iMac 17" with a 1.8 ghz processor and 2 gig of non Apple ram and using Adobe Lightroom. Never had a problem with speed, never had a problem with backups and if you have school age children you can get Lightroom from Academic Software, Academic Discount : Academic Superstore Academic Superstore: Academic Software savings for students, teachers, & schools for 100 bucks versus 399 in stores. I shoot all my stuff in RAW by the way and Lightroom and my mac do it all.....

01-28-2008, 04:17 PM	#17
tybeck Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 452	RAW Developer I'll in my two cents for RAW Developer as a RAW file converter. I tried demos of most of the RAW converters available for Mac and had my choices down to Lightroom, Capture One, and RAW Developer based on program stability, work flow, and picture output. Capture One and RAW Developer are about the same price and have similar performace I just liked RD more. Lightroom didn't do it for me, but for some pictures it was easier to get a better result. I have an old G4 12in Powerbook (1.2 GHz, 1.2 GB RAM) and RAW Developer runs quite well and is very stable, it was the lowest resource hog of all of the programs I tried and had all of the features that I wanted. All of the good programs have free demos, so I'd encourage you to try them out and see what you like. The ones I tested (other than those mentioned): PS Elements, LightZone, DxO Lens Lab, Bible, and SilkyPix. Of those I found PS Elements and LightZone to suit my needs well, but they were slow on my system, but any of these should run find on your MacBook. As for memory you might also check out RAMJet and Other World Computing. They usually have good prices and quality RAM. More memory is better when it comes to picture or video processing. Have at least 2 GB if you want to run Windows along side Your Mac, esp. if you're running Vista. With regard to disk format, keep things HFS+, but if you need to read NTFS check out NTFS for Mac OS X from Paragon. If you want to run Windows on your MacBook BootCamp will do the partitioning for you.

01-28-2008, 08:06 PM	#18
tlooknbill New Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: New Braunfels, Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 7	I second tybeck's suggestion on Raw Developer if on a Mac. I've been demo-ing several Raw converters on a 2004 1.8ghz 20" iMac running OS 10.3.9 and RD is the fastest and most stable. With Raw Developer's high quality (I'ld say genius level) demosaicing algorithms, I'm convinced you could easily get the best enlargements from 6-10megapixel Raw's going by the kind of extremely sharp haloless edge detail it can squeeze out of them. The attached image is a 200% view screenshot of a comparison test shot between Pentax Photo Lab and Raw Developer. The fabric is 100 thread count polyester fiber shot at about 2 feet from my K100D with kit lens-f8, 1/640sec, ISO 200. The white pixels aren't noise but sunshine reflecting off the fabric loops. Attached Images

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01-29-2008, 08:17 AM	#19
wildboar Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Columbus Ohio Posts: 158	One more vote for Raw Developer by Iridient Digital. I've been using it for the past year and it is the best I've found for Raw processing... however, you can't use it for editing JPGs (if that is an issue for you). The developer is quick to respond to any problems you may have. I run it with 2GB of RAM on a 2.1 DualCore iMac and have no need for any more memory. It ran fine with 1 GB of memory using OS 10.4, but the new OS seems to require extra RAM, so you may as well bump it up to 2GB.

02-03-2008, 10:28 PM	#20
RJL New Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Japan Posts: 12 Original Poster	Thanks again to everyone for your infomation and advice. I just ordered a MacBook 2.2 GHz laptop which comes standard with 1 gb of memory and a 120 gb hardrive. As per your advice, I will not spring for a hard drive upgrade, but will use an external drive I already own. It seems 2 gbs of ram would be enough for most purposes, but I also ordered 4 gbs of Axiom memory for an upgrade. Have not heard of Axiom before, but it has the standard "lifetime" warranty, it appears compatible and it was available on the website where I purchased the Macbook. Looking forward to seeing if the Mac is as good as people say. Bob

02-03-2008, 10:53 PM	#21
davemdsn Inactive Account Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Boise, Idaho Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,413	I just switched to Mac last summer. I love it. I upgraded my ram last month from 2 GB to 4 GB. I got it from Crucial, who is one of the suppliers of memory to Apple. The 4 GB kit was only $107. Works like a charm.

02-07-2008, 05:19 PM	#22
falconeye Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Munich, Alps, Germany Photos: Gallery Posts: 6,871	Originally posted by tlooknbill comparison test shot between Pentax Photo Lab and Raw Developer. I am blown away by the huge difference! Does anybody know how to class CS3, Lightroom between the two? And does anything near Raw Developer exist for PC?

02-09-2008, 06:31 AM	#23
tlooknbill New Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: New Braunfels, Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 7	I think CaptureOne had updated its sharpening algorithms to match that of RD's after some comparison shootouts were posted on the web a while back. You might try them for the PC. I have yet to try out ACR and Lightroom. Can't find a demo that will work in Mac OS 10.3.9. Does anyone know how to get a demo of ACR off Adobe's site? They never list demo versions of older software. I hope I won't have to download an entire 28MB copy of CS1 or CS2 just to try out ACR. Just a side note about the comparison sample I posted, I reshot the test subject in jpeg and got pretty much the same sharpness as seen in the Raw Developer sample shot. This goes to show camera manufacturers really do have secret sauce algorithms hardwired within their camera's. Raw converters in general can only do so much not having this information.

02-11-2008, 12:38 PM	#24
TomE Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 299	I thought a regular Macbook was limited to 2Gb of RAM, while the Macbook Pro could take 4Gb. Tom

02-11-2008, 01:08 PM	#25
leadbelly Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 597	Originally posted by ennacac I thought a regular Macbook was limited to 2Gb of RAM, while the Macbook Pro could take 4Gb. Tom I use 4gb of RAM in my Macbook... I think the "Santa Rosa" Macbooks are the upgradeable ones, while the ones prior to the Santa Rosas can only manage up to 2gb.

02-11-2008, 01:10 PM	#26
AlexL Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Athens, GA Posts: 137	Originally posted by ennacac I thought a regular Macbook was limited to 2Gb of RAM, while the Macbook Pro could take 4Gb. Tom The updated regular MacBooks that were released late-last year can carry 4GB of memory, just like the MacBook Pro. The first generation regular MacBook (what I own) is limited to 2GB RAM. The second model (introduced in late-2006) was officially limited to 2GB as well, but unofficially people reported being able to do 3GB without issues (1 GB in one slot, 2 GB in another).