Need help with laptop setup for viewing raw files from memory card.

micromacro · 07-19-2016, 08:11 PM

I've been thinking about buying a small laptop specifically to check pictures from memory card (raw files) on laptop while I'm away from my home comp.

So far I figured out only one thing: I want 11-13 inches small, lightweight laptop with SD slot. That's all I know.
I'm a total laptop dinosaur: I don't like them, and have never really used them.

So, if I buy a laptop, then what? I've searched online, and did not find any clear advice step by step.
How to do the simple thing - put the memory card with raw files into slot to see the files, specifically for K-1.

If I install silkypix 5 which came with K-1 in laptop, will it be enough to review big raw files from K-1? How much memory do I need for it? What else can I use?
I plan to stay with Windows, so Apple laptops are out of question.

I also have lighroom5, photoshop elements 14, and passport ultra external hard drive (which I don't use yet)
I really need help with step-by-step instructions for a complete dummy what the heck to do, and how much memory do I need for a portable laptop.
Used to have my husband for all around computer advice. Not any more...

SpecialK · 07-19-2016, 08:25 PM

I would suggest FastStone Image Viewer, Screen Capture, Photo Resizer .... It's free and easy. (Mouse to each edge of the screen for different menus...)

I use it on a 10" netbook for viewing on vacations, and also on the desktop at home for chimping and renaming. It can convert raw to jpg if desired with a fair amount of control. Compare up to 4 images at a time.

It previews the embedded jpg very quickly compared to something opening a raw file.

Any new laptop should have enough memory - I think I have 2 GB in the netbook.

Just download the program onto your laptop. Open the program and navigate to your photos like with a file manager and the folder tree. Eventually you can adjust things like thumbnail size, etc.

**UncleVanya** · 07-19-2016, 08:26 PM

Originally posted by micromacro

I've been thinking about buying a small laptop specifically to check pictures from memory card (raw files) on laptop while I'm away from my home comp.

So far I figured out only one thing: I want 11-13 inches small, lightweight laptop with SD slot. That's all I know.
I'm a total laptop dinosaur: I don't like them, and have never really used them.

So, if I buy a laptop, then what? I've searched online, and did not find any clear advice step by step.
How to do the simple thing - put the memory card with raw files into slot to see the files, specifically for K-1.

If I install silkypix 5 which came with K-1 in laptop, will it be enough to review big raw files from K-1? How much memory do I need for it? What else can I use?
I plan to stay with Windows, so Apple laptops are out of question.

I also have lighroom5, photoshop elements 14, and passport ultra external hard drive (which I don't use yet)
I really need help with step-by-step instructions for a complete dummy what the heck to do, and how much memory do I need for a portable laptop.
Used to have my husband for all around computer advice. Not any more...

What is the reason for viewing the files? If you aren't going to edit would JPG's be sufficient? I ask because I have a laptop with a 15.6" screen that I edit on but I also have a chromebook that I use for travel/quick work. There I use only the JPG's and some online editing suites or just view the JPGs. The Chrome OS isn't required although it has benefits. The size and weight are similar to what you are considering. Essentially I wonder if the JPG would be sufficient if so the requirements are very small.

micromacro · 07-19-2016, 08:46 PM

Originally posted by UncleVanya

What is the reason for viewing the files? If you aren't going to edit would JPG's be sufficient?

I don't shot in jpg, therefore I would like to have the possibility to review raw files on the bigger screen while I'm away from my home computer on trips. Now I use the magnifier for it to check out of focus pictures from the camera screen. It's too small and uncomfortable. Also, bigger screen would be useful to show pictures to someone.
Light editing would be also a plus since I need to kill time while relaxing and staying away from TV and internet.

---------- Post added 07-19-16 at 08:50 PM ----------

Originally posted by SpecialK

I would suggest FastStone Image Viewer, Screen Capture, Photo Resizer .... It's free and easy. (Mouse to each edge of the screen for different menus...).

Thanks! Seems like that's exactly I'm looking for. So, 2GB will be ok for a basics. I also can get 4GB, depends on price, of course.

wissink · 07-19-2016, 09:54 PM

It seems to me you just want to look through your photos. How about save your cash and simply get an HDMI cable and plug your camera into whatever TV or monitor is on hand. Any hotel or friends' houses will have one. In terms of editing there are cropping and deleting and even some enhancement options right in your camera. Any cheap laptop for viewing will be unpleasantly slow for going through RAW files. If you use HDMI it'll be as fast as your camera menus with the ergonomics of your camera. I think you can buy portable displays as well which will do the same thing.

I hate laptops too but have owned a few in the past. I'd prefer a desktop everytime. I used a MS Surface Pro for awhile and found it useless for even culling raws.. at least in Lightroom. I never tried anything else. Currently I'm testing Fast Picture Viewer which I can scroll through images as fast as I can scroll the mouse wheel.

I think you need to be very clear with yourself what you are wanting to do. Just view, show, crop, delete? Get an HDMI cable. Are you planning on importing all your images to the laptop, doing some basic edits and then reimporting them to a desktop? If you're using Lightroom, that will involve merging catalogues everytime so you don't lose your edits from your laptop.

Maybe I misunderstood your post. Good luck with your decision.

stein · 07-19-2016, 10:33 PM

Just a note, FS image viewer does have all the basic options to edit files, even RAW, however, it can not save it as RAW once it has been edited. With Win10, any modern laptop should do, and I think that no serious manufacturer puts 1G of RAM in these machines anymore as RAM is really cheap these days, even though the basic requirement to run Win10 is 1G RAM for 32-bit and a minimum of 2G for 64-bit system with at least 1 GHz processor. I also have that problem not seeing details on the small 3.2" and usually carry a Toshiba Satellite C-50 15.6" laptop when away from home for more days. It was around 300€ brand new with 4G of RAM and Intel CPU which is fast enough and capable to cope with anything I throw at it. I don't plug the SD card directly into it but have two 32G MicroSD cards and a a tiny Kingston MicroSD card reader shaped as an USB stick and plug it into the USB port.

RAART · 07-19-2016, 10:33 PM

I will suggest that you get at least 8GB of RAM and if you can afford bump that up to 16GB. The other critical component is screen. Make sure that you choose laptop with good screen and good resolution. Look into if the hard drive on laptop is easy accessible as down the road I strongly recommend that you exchange it for SSD. Do not worry too much about processor as all of them will be fine but RAM, Screen and HD are more critical in my opinion. Get the biggest resolution screen you can afford.

I guess that you are not technically inclined but for sure you can find friend of a friend maybe to help you out later if you like to exchange hard drive for an SSD. I think that requirement for Lightroom is to have at least 2GB but from experience minimum is 4GB and to run big files even with 8GB is questionable that is the reason I like to say at least 16GB to be on the safe side and for the future software upgrades. Look if the laptop has dedicated VRAM (video memory) and if 2GB VRAM will be excellent.

I hope that all this did not confused you and it will be better if you specified your budget for the laptop that maybe we can be more specific.

All the best.

Last edited by RAART; 07-19-2016 at 11:25 PM.

p38arover · 07-19-2016, 11:07 PM

If you are using Windows, you will need to down load a plug-in to view DNG files in Windows Explorer. Don't ask me why Windows doesn't natively support DNG.

stein · 07-19-2016, 11:14 PM

Originally posted by p38arover

If you are using Windows, you will need to down load a plug-in to view DNG files in Windows Explorer. Don't ask me why Windows doesn't natively support DNG.

I knew I forgot something... However, the plugin allows windows to create and show thumbnails of the RAW (DNG) files in Windows Explorer, the absence of the plugin doesn't reduce the functionality of the Fast Stone Image Viewer, as it recognizes the DNG files anyway and if I recall well, creates it's own database of thumbnails visible inside the application, even if not recognized by Windows in Explorer. (without the plugin, Explorer only shows icons, not thumbnails of the DNG files)

LensBeginner · 07-20-2016, 12:24 AM

+1 to RAART, RAM is never enough.
Second I'd put CPU (processor) power, third maybe GPU (graphic card)
The importance of HHD (hard disk drive) speed depends a lot on which tasks you do, but on low-end netbooks it's always pretty much the same, unless it has an SSD (solid state drive), that is.

**frogoutofwater** · 07-20-2016, 05:35 AM

I know you're asking about instructions for viewing files, but if you're interested in recommendations for laptops, I can make two suggestions:

1) If you've got the budget, the Dell XPS 13 is great. It has a beautiful 13" screen packed into a laptop that's only slightly bigger than a standard 11" laptop. It's super-lightweight (a little over 2 pounds), handles well, starts up and runs fast and handles Lightroom and Photoshop (I've got CC) well. It doesn't have a lot of memory, so you need to store your images (and possibly your LR catalog) on an external drive. I think the configuration I purchased about 18 months ago (fairly high-end) was about $1200.

2) If you'd like to spend a fair bit less, Asus often has an inexpensive (e.g., <$500) and lightweight 11" laptop in its line. I took one to Borneo with me a few years ago.

I'd also recommend that instead of running a different program (like Silkypix) to read your RAW files that you just get an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, so that you can run Lightroom (and take advantage of its catalog function) on your travel laptop as well as your main computer.

micromacro · 07-20-2016, 09:19 AM

Originally posted by wissink

It seems to me you just want to look through your photos. How about save your cash and simply get an HDMI cable and plug your camera into whatever TV or monitor is on hand.

Well, the idea of finding any TV on my way in the hotel is not appealing

. It's not all the time I can have TV around.

---------- Post added 07-20-16 at 09:23 AM ----------

Originally posted by frogoutofwater

I'd also recommend that instead of running a different program (like Silkypix) to read your RAW files that you just get an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, so that you can run Lightroom (and take advantage of its catalog function) on your travel laptop as well as your main computer.

Can I run Lightroom if I do have it on a disk? I installed it ones on my home comp, and guess I can install it again on laptop.
Why CC subscription should be better?

---------- Post added 07-20-16 at 09:33 AM ----------

Originally posted by RAART

I hope that all this did not confused you and it will be better if you specified your budget for the laptop that maybe we can be more specific. All the best.

No, you did not confuse me. Thank you, it gets better to understand all that abbreviations.

---------- Post added 07-20-16 at 09:35 AM ----------

Lots of information to consume

It will take time.

---------- Post added 07-20-16 at 09:46 AM ----------

Originally posted by frogoutofwater

1) If you've got the budget, the Dell XPS 13 is great. It has a beautiful 13" screen packed into a laptop that's only slightly bigger than a standard 11" laptop. It's super-lightweight (a little over 2 pounds), handles well, starts up and runs fast and handles Lightroom and Photoshop (I've got CC) well. It doesn't have a lot of memory, so you need to store your images (and possibly your LR catalog) on an external drive. I think the configuration I purchased about 18 months ago (fairly high-end) was about $1200.

2) If you'd like to spend a fair bit less, Asus often has an inexpensive (e.g., <$500) and lightweight 11" laptop in its line. I took one to Borneo with me a few years ago.

Dell XPS is in my list. I want to cut corners with Asus, but recent reviews tell me that it's not that great as before, so many issues.
I also like (well, online, did not check it offline) Macbook Air 13inch, which is close in price to Dell. 11 inch would be better, but that model does not have SD slot. Not sure that I need learning curve with Apple software. Why, why do I need to learn so much crap around digital photography?!

I just want to take and review pictures.

stein · 07-20-2016, 10:03 AM

Originally posted by micromacro

I also like (well, online, did not check it offline) Macbook Air 13inch, which is close in price to Dell. 11 inch would be better, but that model does not have SD slot.

Lack of SD card reader shouldn't be an obstacle. As I said, I use Micro SD cards (via adapter in the camera) and a tiny reader to copy/move images from the card to the computer.

BTW, all Adobe software was originally written for Mac, not for PC, later it just got translated to be usable on Windows as well. I don't think that there's a lot difference today, so if you intend to use some of software you are used to on Win, it's most likely almost the same on Mac. If I could (ever) afford to pay 4 figures for a laptop, that would be a Mac Air, not a Win based one. My wife has a 14" Dell and it's a very capable machine but also heavy as a brick.

micromacro · 07-20-2016, 10:29 AM

It's not 4 figures for the models I compare. They both look pretty good for someone like me. I feel like I'm shopping for the first ever DSLR, again.

MacAir is $799 at BH
Dell is $669 there
Apple 13.3" ; MacBook Air Laptop Computer (Early 2015) | B&H
Dell 13.3" XPS 13 9343 Notebook XPS9343-1818SLV B&H Photo

**frogoutofwater** · 07-20-2016, 10:53 AM

Originally posted by micromacro

It's not 4 figures for the models I compare. They both look pretty good for someone like me. I feel like I'm shopping for the first ever DSLR, again.

MacAir is $799 at BH
Dell is $669 there
Apple 13.3" ; MacBook Air Laptop Computer (Early 2015) | B&H
Dell 13.3" XPS 13 9343 Notebook XPS9343-1818SLV B&H Photo

I went with a faster processor on the Dell and more RAM. My specs were closer to this - and I bought direct from Dell:
XPS 13 High Performance Laptop with InfinityEdge Display | Dell

They often have some decent offers (currently, I think you might be able to get 10% off).

I also bought my machine over a year ago, when the Dell XPS was the new kid on the block, so it might have been more expensive then.

What kind of desktop do you use at home? If you're a PC person and a bit of a techno-phobe, I would recommend that you stick with a PC for a laptop.

07-19-2016, 08:11 PM	#1
micromacro Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Florida Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,722	Need help with laptop setup for viewing raw files from memory card. I've been thinking about buying a small laptop specifically to check pictures from memory card (raw files) on laptop while I'm away from my home comp. So far I figured out only one thing: I want 11-13 inches small, lightweight laptop with SD slot. That's all I know. I'm a total laptop dinosaur: I don't like them, and have never really used them. So, if I buy a laptop, then what? I've searched online, and did not find any clear advice step by step. How to do the simple thing - put the memory card with raw files into slot to see the files, specifically for K-1. If I install silkypix 5 which came with K-1 in laptop, will it be enough to review big raw files from K-1? How much memory do I need for it? What else can I use? I plan to stay with Windows, so Apple laptops are out of question. I also have lighroom5, photoshop elements 14, and passport ultra external hard drive (which I don't use yet) I really need help with step-by-step instructions for a complete dummy what the heck to do, and how much memory do I need for a portable laptop. Used to have my husband for all around computer advice. Not any more...

07-19-2016, 08:25 PM	#2
SpecialK Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: So California Photos: Gallery Posts: 16,481	I would suggest FastStone Image Viewer, Screen Capture, Photo Resizer .... It's free and easy. (Mouse to each edge of the screen for different menus...) I use it on a 10" netbook for viewing on vacations, and also on the desktop at home for chimping and renaming. It can convert raw to jpg if desired with a fair amount of control. Compare up to 4 images at a time. It previews the embedded jpg very quickly compared to something opening a raw file. Any new laptop should have enough memory - I think I have 2 GB in the netbook. Just download the program onto your laptop. Open the program and navigate to your photos like with a file manager and the folder tree. Eventually you can adjust things like thumbnail size, etc. Last edited by SpecialK; 07-19-2016 at 08:36 PM.

07-19-2016, 09:54 PM	#5
wissink Veteran Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: S-ON Photos: Gallery Posts: 609	It seems to me you just want to look through your photos. How about save your cash and simply get an HDMI cable and plug your camera into whatever TV or monitor is on hand. Any hotel or friends' houses will have one. In terms of editing there are cropping and deleting and even some enhancement options right in your camera. Any cheap laptop for viewing will be unpleasantly slow for going through RAW files. If you use HDMI it'll be as fast as your camera menus with the ergonomics of your camera. I think you can buy portable displays as well which will do the same thing. I hate laptops too but have owned a few in the past. I'd prefer a desktop everytime. I used a MS Surface Pro for awhile and found it useless for even culling raws.. at least in Lightroom. I never tried anything else. Currently I'm testing Fast Picture Viewer which I can scroll through images as fast as I can scroll the mouse wheel. I think you need to be very clear with yourself what you are wanting to do. Just view, show, crop, delete? Get an HDMI cable. Are you planning on importing all your images to the laptop, doing some basic edits and then reimporting them to a desktop? If you're using Lightroom, that will involve merging catalogues everytime so you don't lose your edits from your laptop. Maybe I misunderstood your post. Good luck with your decision. Last edited by wissink; 07-19-2016 at 10:01 PM.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Camera memory card data is lost for formatting. Need your help!	Jona373	Troubleshooting and Beginner Help	2	03-20-2014 07:54 AM
K5IIs Help with RAW files	Catherine	Visitors' Center	11	05-16-2013 12:22 PM
memory card storage with RAW files	Tonylj	Visitors' Center	4	11-09-2011 12:39 AM
CS5, PIcassa and RAW files, need some help	Metalwizards	Digital Processing, Software, and Printing	4	08-02-2011 03:14 AM
Need help with Picasa and viewing .PEF files	dragonfly	Troubleshooting and Beginner Help	15	02-08-2010 01:18 PM

07-19-2016, 08:26 PM	#3
UncleVanya Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2014 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 28,407	Originally posted by micromacro I've been thinking about buying a small laptop specifically to check pictures from memory card (raw files) on laptop while I'm away from my home comp. So far I figured out only one thing: I want 11-13 inches small, lightweight laptop with SD slot. That's all I know. I'm a total laptop dinosaur: I don't like them, and have never really used them. So, if I buy a laptop, then what? I've searched online, and did not find any clear advice step by step. How to do the simple thing - put the memory card with raw files into slot to see the files, specifically for K-1. If I install silkypix 5 which came with K-1 in laptop, will it be enough to review big raw files from K-1? How much memory do I need for it? What else can I use? I plan to stay with Windows, so Apple laptops are out of question. I also have lighroom5, photoshop elements 14, and passport ultra external hard drive (which I don't use yet) I really need help with step-by-step instructions for a complete dummy what the heck to do, and how much memory do I need for a portable laptop. Used to have my husband for all around computer advice. Not any more... What is the reason for viewing the files? If you aren't going to edit would JPG's be sufficient? I ask because I have a laptop with a 15.6" screen that I edit on but I also have a chromebook that I use for travel/quick work. There I use only the JPG's and some online editing suites or just view the JPGs. The Chrome OS isn't required although it has benefits. The size and weight are similar to what you are considering. Essentially I wonder if the JPG would be sufficient if so the requirements are very small.

07-19-2016, 08:46 PM	#4
micromacro Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Florida Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,722 Original Poster	Originally posted by UncleVanya What is the reason for viewing the files? If you aren't going to edit would JPG's be sufficient? I don't shot in jpg, therefore I would like to have the possibility to review raw files on the bigger screen while I'm away from my home computer on trips. Now I use the magnifier for it to check out of focus pictures from the camera screen. It's too small and uncomfortable. Also, bigger screen would be useful to show pictures to someone. Light editing would be also a plus since I need to kill time while relaxing and staying away from TV and internet. ---------- Post added 07-19-16 at 08:50 PM ---------- Originally posted by SpecialK I would suggest FastStone Image Viewer, Screen Capture, Photo Resizer .... It's free and easy. (Mouse to each edge of the screen for different menus...). Thanks! Seems like that's exactly I'm looking for. So, 2GB will be ok for a basics. I also can get 4GB, depends on price, of course.

07-19-2016, 10:33 PM	#6
stein Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Subotica Photos: Gallery Posts: 235	Just a note, FS image viewer does have all the basic options to edit files, even RAW, however, it can not save it as RAW once it has been edited. With Win10, any modern laptop should do, and I think that no serious manufacturer puts 1G of RAM in these machines anymore as RAM is really cheap these days, even though the basic requirement to run Win10 is 1G RAM for 32-bit and a minimum of 2G for 64-bit system with at least 1 GHz processor. I also have that problem not seeing details on the small 3.2" and usually carry a Toshiba Satellite C-50 15.6" laptop when away from home for more days. It was around 300€ brand new with 4G of RAM and Intel CPU which is fast enough and capable to cope with anything I throw at it. I don't plug the SD card directly into it but have two 32G MicroSD cards and a a tiny Kingston MicroSD card reader shaped as an USB stick and plug it into the USB port.

07-19-2016, 10:33 PM	#7
RAART Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Oakville, ON Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,095	I will suggest that you get at least 8GB of RAM and if you can afford bump that up to 16GB. The other critical component is screen. Make sure that you choose laptop with good screen and good resolution. Look into if the hard drive on laptop is easy accessible as down the road I strongly recommend that you exchange it for SSD. Do not worry too much about processor as all of them will be fine but RAM, Screen and HD are more critical in my opinion. Get the biggest resolution screen you can afford. I guess that you are not technically inclined but for sure you can find friend of a friend maybe to help you out later if you like to exchange hard drive for an SSD. I think that requirement for Lightroom is to have at least 2GB but from experience minimum is 4GB and to run big files even with 8GB is questionable that is the reason I like to say at least 16GB to be on the safe side and for the future software upgrades. Look if the laptop has dedicated VRAM (video memory) and if 2GB VRAM will be excellent. I hope that all this did not confused you and it will be better if you specified your budget for the laptop that maybe we can be more specific. All the best. Last edited by RAART; 07-19-2016 at 11:25 PM.

07-19-2016, 11:07 PM	#8
p38arover Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Western Sydney, Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,084	If you are using Windows, you will need to down load a plug-in to view DNG files in Windows Explorer. Don't ask me why Windows doesn't natively support DNG.

07-19-2016, 11:14 PM	#9
stein Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Subotica Photos: Gallery Posts: 235	Originally posted by p38arover If you are using Windows, you will need to down load a plug-in to view DNG files in Windows Explorer. Don't ask me why Windows doesn't natively support DNG. I knew I forgot something... However, the plugin allows windows to create and show thumbnails of the RAW (DNG) files in Windows Explorer, the absence of the plugin doesn't reduce the functionality of the Fast Stone Image Viewer, as it recognizes the DNG files anyway and if I recall well, creates it's own database of thumbnails visible inside the application, even if not recognized by Windows in Explorer. (without the plugin, Explorer only shows icons, not thumbnails of the DNG files)

07-20-2016, 12:24 AM	#10
LensBeginner Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Photos: Albums Posts: 4,696	+1 to RAART, RAM is never enough. Second I'd put CPU (processor) power, third maybe GPU (graphic card) The importance of HHD (hard disk drive) speed depends a lot on which tasks you do, but on low-end netbooks it's always pretty much the same, unless it has an SSD (solid state drive), that is.

07-20-2016, 05:35 AM	#11
frogoutofwater Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Toronto Photos: Gallery Posts: 674	I know you're asking about instructions for viewing files, but if you're interested in recommendations for laptops, I can make two suggestions: 1) If you've got the budget, the Dell XPS 13 is great. It has a beautiful 13" screen packed into a laptop that's only slightly bigger than a standard 11" laptop. It's super-lightweight (a little over 2 pounds), handles well, starts up and runs fast and handles Lightroom and Photoshop (I've got CC) well. It doesn't have a lot of memory, so you need to store your images (and possibly your LR catalog) on an external drive. I think the configuration I purchased about 18 months ago (fairly high-end) was about $1200. 2) If you'd like to spend a fair bit less, Asus often has an inexpensive (e.g., <$500) and lightweight 11" laptop in its line. I took one to Borneo with me a few years ago. I'd also recommend that instead of running a different program (like Silkypix) to read your RAW files that you just get an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, so that you can run Lightroom (and take advantage of its catalog function) on your travel laptop as well as your main computer.

07-20-2016, 09:19 AM	#12
micromacro Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Florida Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,722 Original Poster	Originally posted by wissink It seems to me you just want to look through your photos. How about save your cash and simply get an HDMI cable and plug your camera into whatever TV or monitor is on hand. Well, the idea of finding any TV on my way in the hotel is not appealing . It's not all the time I can have TV around. ---------- Post added 07-20-16 at 09:23 AM ---------- Originally posted by frogoutofwater I'd also recommend that instead of running a different program (like Silkypix) to read your RAW files that you just get an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, so that you can run Lightroom (and take advantage of its catalog function) on your travel laptop as well as your main computer. Can I run Lightroom if I do have it on a disk? I installed it ones on my home comp, and guess I can install it again on laptop. Why CC subscription should be better? ---------- Post added 07-20-16 at 09:33 AM ---------- Originally posted by RAART I hope that all this did not confused you and it will be better if you specified your budget for the laptop that maybe we can be more specific. All the best. No, you did not confuse me. Thank you, it gets better to understand all that abbreviations. ---------- Post added 07-20-16 at 09:35 AM ---------- Lots of information to consume It will take time. ---------- Post added 07-20-16 at 09:46 AM ---------- Originally posted by frogoutofwater 1) If you've got the budget, the Dell XPS 13 is great. It has a beautiful 13" screen packed into a laptop that's only slightly bigger than a standard 11" laptop. It's super-lightweight (a little over 2 pounds), handles well, starts up and runs fast and handles Lightroom and Photoshop (I've got CC) well. It doesn't have a lot of memory, so you need to store your images (and possibly your LR catalog) on an external drive. I think the configuration I purchased about 18 months ago (fairly high-end) was about $1200. 2) If you'd like to spend a fair bit less, Asus often has an inexpensive (e.g., <$500) and lightweight 11" laptop in its line. I took one to Borneo with me a few years ago. Dell XPS is in my list. I want to cut corners with Asus, but recent reviews tell me that it's not that great as before, so many issues. I also like (well, online, did not check it offline) Macbook Air 13inch, which is close in price to Dell. 11 inch would be better, but that model does not have SD slot. Not sure that I need learning curve with Apple software. Why, why do I need to learn so much crap around digital photography?! I just want to take and review pictures.

07-20-2016, 10:03 AM	#13
stein Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Subotica Photos: Gallery Posts: 235	Originally posted by micromacro I also like (well, online, did not check it offline) Macbook Air 13inch, which is close in price to Dell. 11 inch would be better, but that model does not have SD slot. Lack of SD card reader shouldn't be an obstacle. As I said, I use Micro SD cards (via adapter in the camera) and a tiny reader to copy/move images from the card to the computer. BTW, all Adobe software was originally written for Mac, not for PC, later it just got translated to be usable on Windows as well. I don't think that there's a lot difference today, so if you intend to use some of software you are used to on Win, it's most likely almost the same on Mac. If I could (ever) afford to pay 4 figures for a laptop, that would be a Mac Air, not a Win based one. My wife has a 14" Dell and it's a very capable machine but also heavy as a brick.

07-20-2016, 10:29 AM	#14
micromacro Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Florida Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,722 Original Poster	It's not 4 figures for the models I compare. They both look pretty good for someone like me. I feel like I'm shopping for the first ever DSLR, again. MacAir is $799 at BH Dell is $669 there Apple 13.3" ; MacBook Air Laptop Computer (Early 2015) \| B&H Dell 13.3" XPS 13 9343 Notebook XPS9343-1818SLV B&H Photo

07-20-2016, 10:53 AM	#15
frogoutofwater Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Toronto Photos: Gallery Posts: 674	Originally posted by micromacro It's not 4 figures for the models I compare. They both look pretty good for someone like me. I feel like I'm shopping for the first ever DSLR, again. MacAir is $799 at BH Dell is $669 there Apple 13.3" ; MacBook Air Laptop Computer (Early 2015) \| B&H Dell 13.3" XPS 13 9343 Notebook XPS9343-1818SLV B&H Photo I went with a faster processor on the Dell and more RAM. My specs were closer to this - and I bought direct from Dell: XPS 13 High Performance Laptop with InfinityEdge Display \| Dell They often have some decent offers (currently, I think you might be able to get 10% off). I also bought my machine over a year ago, when the Dell XPS was the new kid on the block, so it might have been more expensive then. What kind of desktop do you use at home? If you're a PC person and a bit of a techno-phobe, I would recommend that you stick with a PC for a laptop.