M240 Lightroom on OSX vs Win 7/8

[dugby]

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There may be a "fork in the road" for my platform for M240 Lightroom processing.

 

I do not want this thread to turn into a Windows vs OSX bashing. (I have 30yrs ++ of IT & Wintel experience) and am considering OSX was various reasons.

 

I would like to hear from those in this forum using LR on OSX as to what considerations I should contemplate with a 16GB i7 SSD based OSX system.

 

Are there any hidden got-cha's to plan for, or avoid with LR on OSX ?

[jaapv]

Slightly puzzling question. LR and OSX are perfect partners. I doubt you will even notice which platform you are running on.

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[analog-photo]

I have used LR on OSX for four years now. Changed to Mac at the same time after decades as PC -user. My impression is that LR and OSX functions perfect together. And, without being a computer expert, I think OSX is a far better platform than Windows. More stable, less hang-ups/crashes.

[zeitz]

If your question is "do I need a Mac Pro or is an iMac OK", Lightroom runs fine on an iMac. iMac's are currently offered as i5 or i7. However, I'm not familiar with calibrating the iMac display as I use Dell monitors on my Mac Pro. 16GB of RAM will be plenty.

 

Do look into expandability and all the stuff you use that doesn't fit inside the box. Coming from a big Dell workstation, I'm still not used to having all that stuff plugged into the MacPro, which only has 4 USB ports. So the first thing needed is a big USB hub.

[Exodies]

Don't forget about the card reader on the back of the iMac. When I bought my first one, I searched the house for hours to find a card reader. On looking at the back to plug the USB reader in I was greatly surprised to see the card slot

[jaapv]

If your question is "do I need a Mac Pro or is an iMac OK", Lightroom runs fine on an iMac. iMac's are currently offered as i5 or i7. However, I'm not familiar with calibrating the iMac display as I use Dell monitors on my Mac Pro. 16GB of RAM will be plenty.

 

Do look into expandability and all the stuff you use that doesn't fit inside the box. Coming from a big Dell workstation, I'm still not used to having all that stuff plugged into the MacPro, which only has 4 USB ports. So the first thing needed is a big USB hub.

 

The problem with iMac is that the screen is not particularly suited to photography (nor is the Dell by the way) The colour gamut is maximally sRGB and the contrast transitions are limited. Not that they are unusable, but if one is prepared to go for quality in the form of Leica I feel that the rest of the chain should match.

 

I would advise a Mac Mini or MacPro with either Eizo GC screens or NEC Spectraview.

[Jeff S]

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... or MacPro with either Eizo GC screens or NEC Spectraview.

 

+1

 

But if you go the NEC route, be sure that any O/S update supports SpectraView; I once upgraded without checking…Apple took 6 months to catch up. Apple is a lot slower to support desktop technology in this mobile world (the new Mac Pro notwithstanding).

 

Jeff

[zeitz]

Dell makes lots of monitors, cheap to expensive. The high end Dell screens are highly rated and recommended for photography by David Brooks at Shutterbug. My Dell 2001FP screens are getting very old and are soon to be replaced.

[kdriceman]

The problem with iMac is that the screen is not particularly suited to photography (nor is the Dell by the way) The colour gamut is maximally sRGB and the contrast transitions are limited. Not that they are unusable, but if one is prepared to go for quality in the form of Leica I feel that the rest of the chain should match.

 

I would advise a Mac Mini or MacPro with either Eizo GC screens or NEC Spectraview.

 

 

And when the monitor goes out, you are done with the iMac.

 

Additionally, here is a link to improving LR performance. You can probably skip over the "Optimize Hardware and OS " section as you will have a new system that exceeds the LR minimums. But the "Optimal Settings" section is helpful. http://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom/kb/optimize-performance-lightroom.html

[sanyasi]

You obviously know more about computers than I do given your background. Having said that, I think computing power is not nearly the issue that it once was in the Nineties. That isn't true if you are stitching 16 medium format files together, working with dozens of layers, or doing animation or heavy video editing. I doubt, however, that anything you do in LR will tax your computer it you have 16gb ram. 8 may even be enough for just LR editing, although a large catalogue could raise issues.

[sanyasi]

You obviously know more about computers than I do given your background. Having said that, I think computing power is not nearly the issue that it once was in the Nineties. That isn't true if you are stitching 16 medium format files together, working with dozens of layers, or doing animation or heavy video editing. I doubt, however, that anything you do in LR will tax your computer it you have 16gb ram. 8 may even be enough for just LR editing, although a large catalogue could raise issues.

 

I am an osx user and used LR in conjunction with photoshop and nik products. Never had an issue, although I now work with just photoshop, nik, and photo mechanic.