Q2 users: Did you upgrade your computer?

[Flat Earth]

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I'm sorely tempted by the Q2 but I am worried about processing 47MB files.  My computer is old but was state-of-the -art back in its day (2010 Mac Pro, 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel X58, 16 GB RAM, ATI Radeon 5770 graphics card).  This works well with my 18 MB M9 files and the 16MB files from a Hasselblad CFV  (LR and PS workflow).  What Mac computing power are you using for your Q2?  Another issue with any computer upgrade is that I currently own PS and LR so if I change my hardware setup I am going to have to rent PS and LR, which I don't want to do.

[Leica Guy]

I have a mid-2011 iMac. It’s not fast, but it does handle my library of 135,000 photos okay. The new Catalina OS is the first that I cannot upgrade to, so it’s time I upgrade. More for that reason than because of the Q2. The Q2 files, while larger, have not been a significant issue. My catalog resides on a 6TB external HD and speed is limited by the USB 2 ports on my iMac. I have the subscription based LR and PS and have no regrets about that. Its a small price to pay for the latest features and that it operates well with the latest Apple OS. To better answer your question, I suspect you don’t have to upgrade, but you might enjoy the increased speed of a new system and especially the new USB-C ports. 

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[nicci78]

Upgrade path :

1. Get at least a 4K monitor first
2. Then eventually change the computer, if the older one cannot drive a 4K/5K monitor
3. At last, upgrade to Q2. Otherwise it will not worth it. 

 

[ramarren]

1 hour ago, Flat Earth said:

I'm sorely tempted by the Q2 but I am worried about processing 47MB files.  My computer is old but was state-of-the -art back in its day (2010 Mac Pro, 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel X58, 16 GB RAM, ATI Radeon 5770 graphics card).  This works well with my 18 MB M9 files and the 16MB files from a Hasselblad CFV  (LR and PS workflow).  What Mac computing power are you using for your Q2?  Another issue with any computer upgrade is that I currently own PS and LR so if I change my hardware setup I am going to have to rent PS and LR, which I don't want to do.

My image processing system is on a mid-2012 Mac mini, upgraded to a 1T SSD and 16G RAM, running macOS X Mojave. It handles Q2 files without any problem in my testing, but of course it is time to upgrade anyway ... this machine continues to plug along very nicely and reliably, but it's old and I know it's not anywhere near the current machines. 

I'd planned to upgrade sometime this year to the latest, fully stuffed Mac mini anyway. Probably around the end of Summer. My monitor, keyboard, and other peripherals are all still in fine condition so a mini makes the most sense ... just reuse all the other bits. I also see absolutely no need whatever for a 4K-whatever display. Just more consumerist BS, in my opinion. 

Software-wise, I haven't touched PS in years, and I know my LR v6.14 is the end of the line, so when I upgrade I'll be switching to something other than Adobe software for my image processing and file management. I've been testing several different apps for some time now and know I can get what I want without paying a monthly tax at this point...

Edited June 14, 2019 by ramarren

[pico]

54 minutes ago, iQ2 said:

The new Catalina OS is the first that I cannot upgrade to, so it’s time I upgrade.

Yes, true. FWIW, I checked my Mac Apps and found dozens, possibly over 100 apps that will not work in Catalina. LR and PS seem okay.

[microview]

My iMac (27in) dates back to 2008 and during a flirtation period wyih the Nikon Z7 (47k files) I didn't have any problems other than needing to have latest Iridient Developer for RAW files. Camera allows saving as Tiffs so I was straight back with LR5 which I use for QP/M262 DNGs. Its really a question of storage space more than processing with larger files.

[Overpowered by Funk]

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On 6/14/2019 at 8:43 AM, Flat Earth said:

I'm sorely tempted by the Q2 but I am worried about processing 47MB files.  My computer is old but was state-of-the -art back in its day (2010 Mac Pro, 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel X58, 16 GB RAM, ATI Radeon 5770 graphics card).  This works well with my 18 MB M9 files and the 16MB files from a Hasselblad CFV  (LR and PS workflow).  What Mac computing power are you using for your Q2?  Another issue with any computer upgrade is that I currently own PS and LR so if I change my hardware setup I am going to have to rent PS and LR, which I don't want to do.

You have plenty of processing power and RAM to do the job with your current Mac Pro. That having been said, you'd enjoy the updated OS and processing power of a newer machine. As for upgrading PS and LR I can assure you the new features make the expense worth the while.

[dtusk]

I was worried about this too while I was waiting for my Q2.  Turns out all is fine with my current set up.  Only thing I did was clear out some storage space.  This is what I have with no plans on upgrading yet:

iMac 27 inch mid 2010....2.8 GHz Intel Core i5....Memory 16 GB....ATI Radeon HD 5750 1024MB

 

 

[Overpowered by Funk]

14 hours ago, dtusk said:

I was worried about this too while I was waiting for my Q2.  Turns out all is fine with my current set up.  Only thing I did was clear out some storage space.  This is what I have with no plans on upgrading yet:

iMac 27 inch mid 2010....2.8 GHz Intel Core i5....Memory 16 GB....ATI Radeon HD 5750 1024MB

 

 

Presenting a different perspective on the computer question … 

For work I ingest, retain and edit (read multiple versions of files) large photo libraries (often #3,000+ images per shoot). In recent years medium format files (read 80-ish MB/file) have been common so I invested in a RAID to hold my files locally. I then backup to a cloud service. This gives me local + backup coverage and immediate access to the files.

I mention this to hopefully prepare new Q2 owners who are unfamiliar with wrangling files with a large data footprint. The reality is that a camera like the Q2 moves you into a new category of data need/use, which comes at a price and with additional (security) considerations.

 

[LexS]

Catalina is 64 bit only, it is not persé faster.

Older OS are fast enough, no real difference with newest.

You need enough "hardware" : 16GB memory (size is more important than speed), 4K screen, SSD instead of HDD, later OS (El Capitan, etc.), LTR 6 perpetual is fast enough and running as sole app at the same time even very fast. SSDs should have about 30GB free space at least to be not prone to heavy wear (I have at minimum 100GB free always).

 

 

[Jared]

I’m actually taking a slightly different tack with the Q2... For me, this is really my travel camera and my portable photography solution, so I wanted a truly portable computer to process its images.  I’m trying to see just how much I can accomplish on an iPad Pro with 1TB of internal storage (and a cloud software solution).  So far so good.  Lots to learn in the new tools, but I have been able to import into Lightroom Mobile, do most of my routine editing and file management, then export to Affinity Photos (at least till Photoshop is available for iPad later this year) for things like focus stacking and even median combining of photos for high ISO de-noise—a technique that is very helpful for nightscape sand the like.  So far so good with just an iPad.  Not a great choice for printing, of course, and iOS has some serious limitations for file management that result in some strange workarounds, but the iPad can certainly handle the photographic work itself.  Even opening twelve 47MP images as layers in a single stack didn’t seem any slower than on my “real” computer.  I think your current hardware can probably handle the files as long as you have adequate storage.

By the way, I’d recommend we all (eventually) get over our objections to renting rather than buying software.  The average “renter” of Photoshop and Lightroom spends less on software than “owning” with an occasional (every three years) upgrade.  Adobe and others are headed this way not because it will let them charge more per customer, but because they lose so much less to piracy.  Truly.  That and because of how recurring revenue is treated from an accounting standpoint.  It really isn’t so they can extract more money from honest customers.

[Jared]

Here is an example of what is (technically, not artistically) possible with the Q2 and just an iPad for editing...

Three screen grabs from Affinity Photos, one of the entire frame taken at ISO 6400, one of a single crop at 200% size so you can see how the Q2 handles noise, and one of a stack of 13 exposures to reduce the noise and eliminate color aliasing/Moire.  I was really pleased this worked so well with nothing but an iPad.

https://flickr.com/photos/53258211@N03/sets/72157709375376197

I think in your place I would give it a go with your existing hardware.  Even fairly complex computing tasks these days—like a median combine of 13 exposures—worked pretty well, and my iPad only has 6GB of RAM.

 

Edited July 2, 2019 by Jared

[AnikiMu]

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