Not sure if this is the place or not, but it seemed like a safe bet. I was reading through the various posts concerning media for long term storage. There was the usual suggestions, CD, DVD, hard rives, cloud systems, etc. and about somethings becoming obsolete and disappearing, remember the Kodak Photo CD? I've got a bunch of files on that media and the only saving grace is I have an old XP machine with PS 7 and the requisite plug ins. The one that caught my eye because I have not heard of it is the "M drive". Would ya'll care to fill me in? The simpler the explanation the better, no need to get too far in the weeds.
Thanks, and keep smiling.
Mike

Very well said, I could not add another word.

I was into PC's from way back when an 8088 was the best thing on the market. I bought a MacBook (late 2008 model) that served me very well and I still have it, although it is now in retirement. It just got to the point it wouldn't handle the load any more. I bought a 13" MacBook Air to replace it and don't regret it one bit. It does everything I need and then some. I run PS, LR, and edit video with Final Cut Pro X, and audio as needed with Audacity. I also have a copy of Affinity Photo loaded and play with it once in awhile. Personally I would never go back to a PC. I can run the MacBook in "clamshell mode" by attaching a separate monitor and wireless keyboard, and I have a wireless mouse. I've got 8 gb ram (some would say thats not enough) and 500 gb SSD. I have several external drives I use for storage and back up. Just my thoughts, you have to go in the direction that you feel most comfortable.

They will be sorely disappointed... Area 51 is actually in Irvine, California, just off Sand Canyon Dr. :)

A quick reply about up loading. No you do not have to up load photos to your MB first. I copy the SD drive first, and then paste to a particular folder on my external drive, then I go into LR and do an import of the images that I want to process. There are other things that can be done so your image is not stored on your hard drive, you would have to research that part. Mike

I have not read all the comments, sorry if this is redundant. I have the same year and model as yours and I run PS and LR just fine. Your problem is not RAM but storage. If you click on the apple logo in the top left corner, you will get a drop down menu, select "About This Mac" you will have I think four items you can click on, click on "Storage" it will let you know what is utilizing your drive space, and will give you some options to increase it. A lot of my storage is taken up with "Documents", which seems to be a catch all. I'm still learning LR and every day is an adventure, some good, some not so good. I bought a WD Elements SE, 2 tb portable drive from OfficeDepot, inexpensive. I hope I have helped at least a little but. "Goodnight and good luck".

Here is my $20 worth (two cents adjusted for inflation). I was a motion picture photographer when I was active duty Air Force, long before video. What I learned in MoPic was applicable to still photography. So much so that I made the transition seamlessly. I also spent a lot of time in video in my later year and have seen the evolution from 2" quad tape to being able to do the same thing with my Canon Rebel. However having said that, the lessons I learned early on concerning lighting, exposure, composition, framing, etc. were fully transferable to the still world. Just as an aside, the cameras I used were capable of shooting up to 500 fps and occasionally in special circumstances 5000 fps. Keep in mind this was 16mm film, not video. Those that get nitpicky about shooting video, lighten up, shoot whatever you want and enjoy the ride, its a blast.

Here is my take and I have not read through all of the posts to see if any one has already mentioned this. I have a Calumet 4X5 folding wooden field camera that I dearly love, it was a gift from my wife many years ago. When we settle down permanently, this is what I'm going to do. You don't really need a darkroom. You need some place to load your film holders, I've used a changing bag, if not available, how about a closet at night? As for processing, I have a Patterson tank and a 4x5 film holder that fits it. Once loaded just go through the normal processing procedures. I've used the kitchen sink much to my wife's dismay, or you can send it out for processing. Once you have your negatives all you need to do is use your DSLR to copy them. I constructed a small light box one day using some white foam core I had laying around, along with a set of LED puck lights, used a piece of white trash bag glued to a frame for a diffuser and a pice of glass. Total cost was zero bucks. I just lay my negs emulsion side down on the class and snap away. Just make sure your negs and glass are clean. For camera settings, I go with manual and auto focus. I have done, b&w, color and color transparencies.
I will be disappointed if I did not receive some kind of blow back from this, I look at it this way. Take that old camera, load up a bunch of film holders, go out, shoot and have a ball!!

Great shot!! We spent a summer working in an RV park on the North Rim. Very enjoyable. Its been said that the Grand Canyon is an upside down mountain.

I've been trying to post some photos, but I'm not having much luck.
For some reason I can only select one photo as opposed to more than one.
I'm using a MacBook and running Safari. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advanced!!

Or what ever.
I'm trying to wrap my head around some of the discussion about LR being a non-destructive post processing process or software.

I have always saved my original images to a backup drive and then brought them into Photoshop, did what I needed to do then save it under a different file name and more than likely a different format. The original image still exists.

Am I missing something here? Lets not get to far into the weeds with this.
Thanks,
Mike

Has anyone tried or been successful at adapting a DSLR to a 4x5? I've got a beautiful Calumet folding wood field camera that I absolutely love. I would love to put it back in service. Right now it sits on a shelf on display. I do not nor do I anticipate being able to process B&W film again. I've been looking at various options and right now the only viable one is an adapter from Fotodiox, but I don't know if it will work. I've sent an inquiry and am waiting for a reply. Like I said, just wondering if anyone has tried this. Any info would be appreciated.
Thanks!! :)

The darkroom smells were alluring at one time. I had a really great darkroom and really enjoyed using it. But as I delved further and further into the digital realm, I've pretty much been in it from the beginning, the less and less my DR was utilized until it became a general storage room. Finally sold everything off, except my cameras. I was skeptical of digital at first, then we got into Photoshop and in spite of it's steep learning curve, I found I could do all the the things that I could do in the darkroom, its been a forward trip and I never looked back. We also sold our home, bought an RV and travelled for almost nine years, no place for a darkroom in a 38' fifth week!! Keep smiling and shooting!!

You might also try your library. The Pike's Peak Library District in Colorado Springs, has a branch that is dedicated to a lot of "stuff" besides books. A TV studio, computers for editing, cameras video and still for check out, and the list goes on. One of the many benefits is being able to access Lynda.com free. Like I said check it out. Even our little library in Westcliffe, CO has an extensive digital presence.
Good luck, and keep shooting!!

Here's my take FWIW. When I first got into digital imaging, we were in it at the beginning, I wasn't
very enthusiastic. Slow computers, try a 286, some of the first Kodak DCS cameras that were converted Nikons. Things left a lot to be desired. Then we got better cameras, faster computers and transitioned from Aldus Photosyler II to Adobe Photoshop. Still wasn't happy. One day out of frustration I sat down with the manual, you remember those, and went through it. What I discovered was that now I could do all the different "things" I've always wanted to do in the dark room, but didn't have the assets to do them. It was great to say the least. I love doing documentary work, but it still needs some post processing. Even shooting film PP was needed at times. It did not take me long to trade my darkroom for a desk. I still miss being in the dark, processing film or making prints, the smell of the hypo and stop bath, the fingers stained brown from hand processing cut film.Would I go back, not with our current mobile lifestyle, we are semi-full time RV'ers. So in the end, let us each do our own thing, enjoy photography and the self expression, in our own way. This is where nothing is wrong, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Namaste