For file transferring, I would recommend picking up a cheap 10/100/1000 switch (you can get them for under $40). If you use the wired network through that, you can get very fast transfer speeds - very comparable to TDM.

Hi
I totally agree with you. Performances are now OK on non-Pro notebooks but you don't talk about the display size... I still have the same question than before Oct. 14th : is 13" enough to use Aperture??? I still don't have the answer and this is why I didn't buy a laptop yet...

I have been using a USB2 HD with my MBP without any problem. I also use a uSB2 reader that I bought because it claimed to be as fast as a Firewire 400, and by all accounts it is. It is what I use in the filed.

It is the sandisk Thunderbolt CF card reader.

Wired ethernet is a good point and would help solve that problem. I'll check out that CF card reader, too. Screen size is definitely a tough question! It's not ideal for sure, but I think it goes into the compromise/tradeoff category (along with CPU speed). Mentally, I'm telling myself that this machine wouldn't be my primary machine, which would make the screen size fall under the "not ideal, but acceptable, especially since it means less weight." Expose and Spaces would help a lot!

All airlines allow one carry on and one personal bag, the personal bag definition is not very clean. It should definitely be smaller than your carry on bag. What I've been doing (but I'm by no means anywhere close to a pro photographer). A nice backpack e.g. the ones from REI which leave a significant amount of space. I carry my 15.4 MBP, three smaller lenses 1.5 kg lens and one or two bodies. Depending if I want to shoot film or not. Additional to that I have two 1 liter water bottles (which you buy after passing the security zone) on the side and perhaps some food. It's essentially a daypack, the tripod can be strapped on top of the backpack and is not considered an extra item. Then in a messenger bag I have other stuff which I want to bring with me, that's my personal bag and sofar nobody asked me to check it in. All clothes etc. are then in the one free checked bag, let's see when they will start charging us for the one bag checked.

I am a non-professional Aperture-User and for me the non-pro MacBooks are more than enough. Granted, the GMA950 tends to slow things down occasionally, but then again, I am not in a hurry to get that image on the news.

Screensize is a issue though. When using importing images the one thing the drives me insane is the size of the field where you add tags and description. It's less than 50 pixel high, when the dock is visible. I have to blend out the dock whenever I want to use Aperture (Command + alt + D). It's okay to work with when on the road, but when I am at home I attach the MacBook to a 24" Display, using the primary only for overview of the album and the large screen for the display of the picture I am currently editing.

I'm in a similar situation...

I have a MacPro which I use for most of my image processing, photoblogging, etc. And a late 2007 MacBookPro for when I'm on the road.

But am really getting tired of the weight and bulk of the MBP. So I'm considering a new MacBook for some future on the road photo projects. It has enough power to do initial edits in Lightroom, writing, and web/net communications. And the smaller screen is just fine - critical image editing is best done on desktop non TN-based LCD panels. And all laptops use TN panels - including Apple's.

I considered the MacBook Air, but the non-replaceable battery (and short battery life) is a non-starter. And I'd have to drag around an external DVD burner for backups - which is built-in on the MacBook.

So, will probably switch to a MacBook in a couple months...

Brad
Urban photoblog: http://www.citysnaps.net/blog

jbosch, that's definitely true in the US and some other parts of the world. Typically, I have my photo backpack and a small messenger bag carry on, where I have my laptop and other random bits in the messenger bag. However, when you go really random places, sometimes there are strict weight limits, size limits, and/or you end up hiking with all your luggage to get to wherever you're saying. The weight really adds up in those cases.

Patrick, your point about the 24" display is similar to what I was talking about with having a second machine (a Mac Pro) for non-on-the-road work.

Brad, have you considered using a hard drive instead of burning to DVD while on the road?

>>> Brad, have you considered using a hard drive instead of burning to DVD while on the road?

Josh, I have, and have been using FireWire bus-powered 2.5" drives (from OWC). But in the future, for some extended projects, I'd like to burn DVDs of a days' captures to mail home. Kind of a just in-case sort of thing - guarding against theft and loss...

The new MacBook looks pretty sweet. Fortunately my bus-powered drives also have USB ports, but am still a little irked on FW going away.

I'm also looking at netbooks from MSI and Acer, but the thought of using Windows chills me. Even though I guess they potentially could run a PC version of Lightroom. A shame Apple doesn't (yet) have something that small and light. I really don't need a big laptop.

I can't imagine losing my ExpressCard slot. I connect to my aperture library on an external eSATA drive and it's as if it was on my local machine. I'm also not a fan of the glossy screens.

I have been using a 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo 17 inch MacBook Pro as my primary workstation until now. I have a Mac Pro that I use for Final Cut Studio but I haven't really used it for Aperture. I need to work from the road on my projects and weight is a huge issue. I am used to the wonderful 1920x1200 resolution but something smaller is welcome.

I have a new MacBook Air on order right now which will solve this problem for me. This computer will go everywhere with me. I have been using OWC FireWire 800 external 2.5 inch drives for backup but more recently, in anticipation of this switch, I have started using Western Digital My Passport 2.5 inch USB 2.0 drives. They work amazingly well and are about as small as 2.5 inch drives can get. They are now available in capacities as large as 500GB and I can fit almost two in the space that one OWC drive takes. They are cheap enough that you can have several with you and you can also get them in different colors. I am carrying a red 320GB, blue 320GB, and titanium 320GB.

Those are my thoughts on this portability issue. In addition, I am going to start using my current MacBook Pro as another machine for portable Final Cut Studio work and possibly Aperture as well. Sometimes I find that I can be more productive with two machines side by side as I am working on multiple tasks. Teleport, a great little utility, makes this much easier because I can just use one keyboard and mouse for this type of setup.

Hi
Last year my first gen MBP 17" starting to feel a little slow and I wanted a bigger screen. I was looking into getting a 24 or 30, but that didn't really address the performance issues. Than the new 24" imacs came out, and I thought that I could sell my MPB and purchase a 24" imac and a Macbook for about the same price.

The screen on the imac is great (glossy though), but I really like the simple macbook for traveling on site. I don't have to worry about it, the size is right, as is the weight. The screen is not though and working in direct sunlight just isn't possible. Having said that, even with the matte screens, working in direct sunlight wasn't great.

While ideally I would like to have a Macpro, the price of the 24 imac is unbeatable.

So instead of getting that new macbookpro with that small 15" screen, and unless you spend actually use the mbp in the road to edit pictures not just sort and tag, I recommend the 24" imac and macbook combo.

Bourne

I think my biggest complaint overall with the MB is the screen - but not size... My problem is that Apple uses a significantly cheaper screen that is far worse in color reproduction and viewing angles than the MBP. I find the angle problem to be bad enough that sometimes I cant find a position where the entire screen shows consistent contrast, usually one or both of the vertical extreems of the screen shows 'greyed' blacks.

I was hoping they would improve it with the newest revision, but they didnt...

I want to buy a laptop and my budget is nearly $900 I am looking for a good brand, but all seems to be nice. Could you suggest me which one would be better among Dell, compaq and lenovo and sony, coz these are among the most popular ones.