picsman Loc: Scotland

I currently have a mid 2014 Macbook Pro. At weekends I attend mountain bike events and upload my images when driving home after the event. Recently the macbook pro has been running out of application memory when I upload about 4000 images through Capture One. So I have to stop driving restart the laptop which then has to go through all the duplicates before it can start uploading new images. I think it is time for a new M1 macbook. I know from reviews that the Air is similar to a low end Pro, and has no fan and only 2 thunderbolt 4 ports, where the Pro has a fan and 3 ports. If I buy an Air I will also need to buy a hub or dock to get more ports for my peripherals, card reader, SSD storage and monogram device I use for fast culling when not driving eg staying in a B&B. I also have Lightroom and may switch to that instead of capture one.

Does anyone have real experience of using the M1 air and/or Pro uploading 4000 images and can offer any advice? Please don't respond with other laptop suggestions, I live in the apple universe.

David Martin Loc: Cary, NC

The M1 Macbook Pro also has SDXC card reader and HDMI port. While I haven't uploaded as many as 4000 images at a time, I have had no problem quickly uploading/downloading hundreds of RAW images of approx 50 MB each. And Capture One runs quite well.

ejrmaine Loc: South Carolina

I bought the 14" M1 MacBook Pro when it came out. My workflow is I upload my new images directly to the internal Macintosh HD for culling & processing, then I transfer the processed image to an external drive. While I don't upload 4000 images at a time, I have uploaded over 600 images from SD's directly to the Macintosh HD without any issues. I do use a hub, as my Backup drive, Wacom Tablet, wired keyboard, etc have the older USB-B connections.

My only comment would be to pump up the RAM, the MacBook Pro comes with 16G, you probably should go to 32 G or even 64 G. Note the MacBook Air comes with 8G and tops out at 16 G, so I'd really suggest you consider the MacBook Pro.

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

You might try a Raspberry.
(I know you said no non-Apple suggestions but at least I kept it in the fruit realm)

Beowulf Loc: Aquidneck Island, RI

I have a 2021 MacBook Pro 16" with the M1 chip. It is my second MPB (2012 13" now defunct). I love its speed and graphics quality, but I do have one gripe: it doesn't seem to use the Rosetta 2 software that is intended to allow previous Intel chip Mac software to load as it should. I have several programs that I want to use and I am told should work, but cannot because of this. I have sought guidance from Mac users online and have followed suggested procedures to load Rosetta 2 or use the Terminal program to try to load those programs, but to no avail.

Supposedly, Apple, Adobe, etc. are working to make this more seamless, but it's been seven months since I acquired the Mac and there has been no progress there.

Regardless, the programs that do run do so speedily and with no other issues.

Gspeed Loc: Rhinebeck, NY

I have no experience w/the Air. Bought the smaller version of the MacBook Pro around the holidays. It is just the right size to carry around, fit on my lap. My baby. Graphics + speed are great. Yes, it was pricy but my previous MacBook Pro lasted forever. Really happy I decided on the smaller (14”?), (not the 16”). Love it. Great for zoom mtgs., has a nice heft, speedy fast, lots of memory. You can’t go wrong.

~ Eileen

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Look on YouTube for reviews. There are many! Before you spend extra money, decide if it will be worth it. I made the mistake of buying more memory and a larger SSD with my M1. It wasn't necessary. "More" isn't automatically better.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=m1+macbook

jbk224 Loc: Long Island, NY

This suggestion only makes sense if you are into very heavy video editing. It doesn't sound as though the OP has this requirement. The M1 Chip memory architecture kills the adage that more is better. Check out benchmark reviews and you will find that 16GB will serve you well. 32GB likely never using. And 64GB gratuitous.

jbk224 Loc: Long Island, NY

I answered a memory suggestion below. However, your running out of application memory, can be caused by a 'memory leak' with Capture One. I have been using CP1 for a while now and never had this problem. Now having the M1 16" MBPro, and Capture One now optimized for M1....no complaints. Never d/l 4000 images.
The M1 RAM handles virtual memory and memory swap completely differently than Intel chips. I do not think that you will have any issues. I would consider either waiting for Apple's June event to see if the M2 Air is announced. If not, both 14"+16" can offer the same performance depending on the upgrades you choose. The 14" provides more portability as it is lighter and can be upgraded to the same minimum specs as the base 16". Consider minimum specs of 10 Core/16 Core GPU for either size. The fact that you d/l so many images to your internal drive; I would get at least 1TB of memory. If video is important, then I would consider upgrading to the Max chip. It does offer better performance specs for video. If battery life is paramount, then go with the 16".
FYI...the new CP1 offers some great new features and works seamlessly with my M1!

moonhawk Loc: Land of Enchantment

Better screen on the Pro. Also I love the SD card slot. Not useful if your camera uses something else.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

M1 MacBook Air with 16GB Unified Memory and 1TB SSD, here. There is nothing disappointing about it. I run Lightroom Classic and Photoshop. My card reader:

https://www.charjenpro.com/products/ultimatedock

The 14” Pro is great if your budget allows. My son has one. The monitor is better and the SD slot is nice, but last generation. The Ultimate Dock SD reader is faster.

I’m a huge fan of Apple Silicon. Over a decade in development, it has been a very smooth transition for most of us.
…which is a great device for the road.

MrPhotog

4000 images, no, but I recently moved 780+ images off of a mostly full 64 gb card on to a removable hard drive connected to a 2021 macbook pro with their m1 chip. About 340 were 40 mp raw images and the rest were jpegs.

I used the SD card slot and transferred the files to a 1 tb solid state hard drive ($80 Costco special) The hard drive had a USB-C connection that went into the thunderbolt 4 port, but did not operate at thunderbolt speed. The ‘timer’ estimated a 13 minute transfer time at the start, but actually finished in 5-7 minutes.

Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI

Pro. The only advantage to the Air is its very light. Also keep most of your images onto external hard drives, and you won't be encumbered by managing your active files.