The Mac OS is a real good user interface for Linux/Unix, and it accommodates Adobe software. Same idea as Windows being a good user interface for MS-DOS.

Thanks!

Two words: MacBook Pro. Preferably the new 16". Be sure yours has the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M video. It is possible to spend more but the base Intel Core i9 and 16GB of RAM will serve you well.

Macs have a very good screen, lots of processing power, good video, and some sort of processing magic that makes them run image software very well. I *think* a Windows machine with the same real-world performance would actually cost more but I'm not gonna debate that one without a test lab.

Best advice so far: Don't buy F-mount lenses for a Z camera. If you already have F-mount lenses by all means get the FTZ adapter. If not, buy Z lenses.

FWIW, I can tell no difference in focus speed between my "D" bodies and my "Z" body using the F-mount 70-200 f/2.8 or 80-400 f/4.5-5.6. YMMV

A premium MacBook Pro will have premium video. I've been using MB Pros for several years with whatever "premium" video was available at the time. They have run great, only slowing a little now that I'm processing files from a 45mb sensor. My current MBP has the 2.9g i7 and 16gb of ram. It runs LR and PS.

In my experience, and comparing with friends who run Windows, Macs do not need an all-out video card the way PCs do.

Tried the LR plugin but it doesn't support my camera. I usually want to know the Focus Point on the most recent shots so as a work-around I leave the images on the card for a while and refer to the LCD as needed.

I am on my second 15" MacBook Pro. 2011 and 2017. Both use a 2.9ghz Core i7. Both have premium graphics. Ram has been as low as 4GB and as much as 16GB. Both use solid-state drives with external backup. Both machines run LR and PS like poop through a goose on my 12mp and 24mp cameras. LR has slowed a bit with the new 45mp camera but its not a problem. These laptops run Adobe software about the same speed as my friend's built-to-the hilt Windows desktop computer.

If shooting SOOC jpg images, auto WB will benefit your images most of the time.

If shooting raw, auto WB will give you the best LCD view of your images. If auto WB later appears to be wrong in the raw editor, you can correct it during post-processing easily and without any penalty.

To be clear: LR does not back up the image files. The LR backup is for the catalog. The catalog is information about the image files, but not the actual files.

To back up the image files, back up the whole computer - which should be done regularly anyway. When you back up the computer, you also make a backup copy of the catalog which is very good thing.

As Stogieboy pointed out, the iPhone is making different adjustments than the Z7. The Z7 SOOC jpg could be made to look more like the iPhone by turning on Active D Lighting and setting the Picture Control to Vivid. Those menu items are in the Shooting Menu, second page as you scroll down.

Take some time to shoot the same scene using different in-camera settings. Review the differences and use the information to set up your in-camera jpg settings for different conditions. If those menu items weren't needed to get the most out of our cameras, we would only need an off-on switch and a shutter button. :)

Thanks for the reply. Good to know about Pentax and Hasselblad. I'm sure Adobe is pleased. :)

I've been swearing by the Adobe (LR) DNG converter for almost 10 years. Have not sworn *at* it yet, but always prepared to! :)

Bob

True, but needs qualification. The Joint Photographers Expert Group has a JPEG standard for lossless DNG files up to 16 bits. But the 16 bit lossless Adobe DNG standard with sidecar provision for RAW editors should not be confused with the compressed 8 bit image files that come out of cameras and RAW converters for printing and sharing.

No cameras have a DNG option AFAIK. Pretty sure this is a big disappointment at Adobe.

Nine years with Time Machine now. It is already on the MacBook at no additional cost. Flawless backups and I can move to a new laptop (and have) in minutes if the need arises.

Not sure about JohnR's comment above. I can go to the backup folders on my backup drive and find any file I have/had on the laptop without hassle or delay.

Time Machine can require some maintenance. If your backup drive is getting full you might not want to keep every backup from 2009-2015.

Regrettably, raw editors do not run on any industry-wide standards. Edits made in Editor A are stored (separately from the image file) in a format that can't be read or displayed by Editor B and so on down the line. Maybe someday. . .

This is the same reason a raw editor may not recognize and apply image parameters that came from the camera.

Because raw editors are non-destructive, you could in theory open a raw in several different editors and make radically different edits with each one. When you come back to those editors and open the file, each editor will display an entirely different version of the image.

Do not hesitate to check out the new Mirrorless Z cameras from Nikon. Worthy purchase options include the F To Z lens adapter.