Macbook air M2 Leica M11

[DrM]

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Dear all,

I’m planning to replace my pc laptop with a macbook air M2 for on the road lightroom/photoshop work. The weight, but especially the fanless design are triggering me. Any experience using the M2 Air? I would go for the 16gb, 512gb/1tb config, and process M11 files.

Best regards

Marc

[Aryel]

I got one with the same config and I am very happy with it but I am not a heavy user (it replaced a MacBook Pro from 2012): I shoot film, load the b&w tiff file in photoshop and invert it... It should work nicely with m11 files as well. 

[hansvons]

Get 16GB RAM and 1TB HD. The M1/2 powered MacBooks are excellent for editing photos. 

[jaapv]

Or use one of the extremely compact Samsung external SSDs for your photo files. Practical for transfer to your desktop. 

[DrM]

Awesome, thanks!!

[Michael-IIIf]

On 1/26/2023 at 11:12 AM, DrM said:

macbook air M2 for on the road lightroom/photoshop work

Facing the same decision last year, I went for the 14" MacBook Pro because:-

• Noticeably better display.
• Noticeably better speakers. They really are incredible and this was important for me as I use it for family viewing of movies together when we're travelling.
• SD card reader (and other extra ports). I know you can carry a cheap lightweight reader but having a built in port is nice.

My needs are slightly different because it is also my desktop machine, using a Studio Display.

I love the M2 form factor, and it is a bit lighter, but Amazon are doing $700 discount on the 14" MacBook Pro at the moment (it will be replaced soon) which makes it well worth considering.

[hoolyproductions]

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I got an M2 Air last Autumn when they came out. 16gb RAM and 1 TB SSD.

I was worried it would not have enough "oomph" for RAW processing in Lightroom (my 2018 Macbook Pro was "ok" but quite laggy when performing certain edits, and took forever when I wanted to use Topaz software). I needn't have worried, it is a very slick machine that more than meets my needs for Lightroom, and I much prefer the smaller and lighter form factor compared to MBP.

I noticed with Topaz that it deals with TIFF a lot faster than my previous MBP, but exporting and processing RAW via Topaz is still an exercise in patience and not something I would do routinely.

 

[DrM]

Hi,

Meanwhile, I bought the M2 air 16gb 1tb 8/10. Very happy with the performance, silence, and form factor. A SD slot I don't use with the M11 USBC connection; the display is good for on the road (the pro is better but no 100% AdobeRGB), for critical work I'll use an external monitor (don't need more than 1); sound is good enough for YouTube, critical listening cannot be done on a laptop.

Highly recommended with the M11 and Billingham Hadley 2020

[nxko]

I edit the M11 full size .dng files without issue on my iPad pro m1. Will the MacBook air m1 or m2 with 8gb ram be enough? Heard that the m2 air got slower ssd that affects performance, and thus the m1 will function better while editing. True? 

[hansvons]

You will need at least 16 GB of ram. 

[nxko]

12 hours ago, hansvons said:

You will need at least 16 GB of ram. 

Ok, thanks!

[Qwertynm]

Am 16.7.2023 um 09:22 schrieb nxko:

True?

You need at least 512GB of storage in the M2 Air to get two NAND chips. Otherwise your write/read speeds are going to be decreased by up to 50%. 

[jrp]

I liked the weight of the 13” M2 Air for travelling. But it did not have quite enough oomph for generating previews for DXO Purelab without a delay. The 14” M2 Pro gives me a more fluid workflow. It’s heavier than I would like and the screen is smaller than would be my ideal bit, in the end, you have to choose your compromises. Maybe the 15” M3 or M4 will be better …

[jaapv]

On 7/16/2023 at 9:22 AM, nxko said:

I edit the M11 full size .dng files without issue on my iPad pro m1. Will the MacBook air m1 or m2 with 8gb ram be enough? Heard that the m2 air got slower ssd that affects performance, and thus the m1 will function better while editing. True? 

I use an Intel MacBook Air 13” 16 GB 512 GB as a travel editor with PS 2023 It runs smoothly but the AI bits take their time. A Silicon chip should solve it. I would not hesitate to use an M1 one.