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Jan 10, 2024 18:23:59   #
DirtFarmer wrote:
I'm 84 and my MBP is not my last computer.


You crack me up! Good attitude!!
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Jan 10, 2024 18:08:29   #
A. T. wrote:
Okay, I was in a very similar situation with my 2017 iMac and had to make a decision and I, like you, will never go back to Microsoft. So, after some chatting with my computer guru who has performed some upgrades on my Macs in the past and visiting the Apple store and looking at what was offered. I decided to go with the Mac Studio Ultra and the Apple Studio Display. I'm 68yrs. old and I'm also old school in that I hate having to change/upgrade computers very 5 to 7 years. So what I decided to do is make a purchase that would be well more than I needed to edit my photos and would buy more years of service. Again, this is a monster computer and display that is very expensive; however, my photography is my passion and worth every dollar spent on the editing equipment. Now that I have had and used the Mac Studio Ultra for about a week, I can tell you that it is by far nothing like anything I have ever used before and I have had three iMacs and two Macbook Pros. If you can afford this setup, I would HIGHLY recommend getting it.....I assure you, you won't regret it. You are more than welcome to contact me at any time if you have questions.
Okay, I was in a very similar situation with my 20... (show quote)


Thank you for this response. I did order the MacBookPro 16” because I still travel and needed a portable solution, and it has better specs than the iMac. I didn't actually look at the Ultra or mini Mac. I will probably eventually order the Studio Display for working at home. I'm not keeping up 2 computer systems anymore. I agree that the expense is worth it! The new MBP should be my last computer. I'm 74
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Jan 9, 2024 17:05:21   #
jcboy3 wrote:
The answer is no. This used to be a capability, at least with early iMacs such as yours, but the ability to do so was removed from the more recent operating systems. First, later model iMacs did not support being used as external monitors, and then they just got rid of the whole thing.

See this article: https://support.apple.com/en-us/105126

This is one of the reasons I don't like iMacs anymore. Sure, they were a relatively inexpensive way to get a computer, but when you get rid of an out of date computer, you have to get rid of a perfectly good and very nice monitor. I had a Late 2015 27-inch iMac Retina 5K. Great monitor, but eventually the MacOS didn't support the computer and I sold it.

And the Mac Mini has solved that issue. I do wish memory and storage was upgradable, so you need to get as much as you can afford when you buy one. However, at least with the latest thunderbolt interfaces, you can get very fast storage; I use an OWC external that stacks on the Mini, provides thunderbolt expansion, has an SSD slot, and a 3.5" hard drive slot. I put a 4TB SSD and 12TB hard drive in it.
The answer is no. This used to be a capability, a... (show quote)


I read this article and it looks as if I just missed the cutoff for using my iMac as a display for the new MBP. My iMac is late 2014. That's too bad because the 27-inch Retina 5K monitor is perfectly fine!! I could try to sell it!! I'll be keeping the brand new Magic Mouse I just bought though.
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Jan 9, 2024 14:17:09   #
A big thanks to all who responded. As usual, the UglyHedgehog members come through! I have decided to purchase the 16-inch MBP dedicated to pictures, just like I have a printer dedicated to pictures. I'll probably migrate my other apps over to the new MBP though since the current iMAC no longer updates the OS. This fact may be a security issue. Eventually, I may get a larger display.
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Jan 9, 2024 10:30:08   #
coolhanduke wrote:
I would go with the MacBook Pro 16”.

I just bought one recently and I like the portability.

Why have 2 units?

Unfortunately for me, mine is an M2 chip and they came out with the M 3 like 2 weeks later.


Don't you hate when that happens? I am leaning towards the 16” and eventually doing away with the iMAC. For now, it's good enough for everything except editing pictures in LR and PS.
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Jan 9, 2024 10:25:41   #
DirtFarmer wrote:
My (win10) desktop died about 2 years ago. I limped along on my (win10) laptop (still using it) but then got an Apple Silicon M1 laptop. The old laptop now does the residual windows applications that Apple doesn't support and the new Mac laptop does everything else. I got the 16" screen, which is not quite up to the 21" screen that I had but I moved to smaller quarters also and don't have room to attach the 21" screen to the Mac. When I get more space I will add the 21" screen and have a dual screen system, which I had on the desktop previously. It helps to be able to run both LR and PS on different screens.

You might find the new Apple Silicon laptop to be sufficient for all your needs. When you need a desktop, just put the laptop down and connect the extra monitor.
My (win10) desktop died about 2 years ago. I limpe... (show quote)


Everything you said makes sense. I was wondering if my current iMac could be used as a second monitor for my new MBP.
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Jan 9, 2024 10:19:24   #
jdub82 wrote:
My preference leans strongly toward the convenience of my MacBook for editing over a desktop computer. I am no longer using a desktop. The portability is a big advantage. I can take the MacBook with me when traveling if I desire, and easily edit some of my photos during the trip. When at home, I can edit from the comfort of the chair I prefer when using the MacBook for editing. However, I do believe it is a matter of personal preference. If you feel you really need the larger 24" display to adequately view and edit your photos, that may work better for you. Otherwise, I would go with the MacBook.
My preference leans strongly toward the convenienc... (show quote)


Thank you. I agree with that analogy
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Jan 9, 2024 10:16:58   #
jcboy3 wrote:
The nano-texture glass is a matte finish, great for reducing reflections, but it impacts contrast and color accuracy. If you work in an area where you have light sources behind you that will reflect, then I would get the nano-texture glass. I do not have any light sources behind me, so I have nothing reflecting, and thus I bought mine with standard glass.


Great info. I would prefer the standard glass then also
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Jan 9, 2024 10:15:15   #
burkphoto wrote:


Unless you work with huge files, render complex video or very large images, or do multi-track recordings of large orchestras with a microphone on every instrument, the more advanced chips are not really necessary. Most casual users are fine with M1, M2, or M3 models. Don't starve them for memory or storage, though. MacOS is noticeably smoother with 16GB memory and 1TB storage.

If you bought a base model, and find that it slows down or chokes on multiple applications, close all but the one you're using. Performance should improve. However, 8GB is an unrealistically small amount of memory for heavy lifting in Photoshop, Lightroom Classic, Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, Blender, Mathematica, and other high end applications. By heavy lifting, I mean working with very large or complex files with lots of layers, effects, and components that require rendering.

Try to keep at least a third of your storage empty, too, so that the operating system can do virtual memory paging when you fill up the memory with lots of open applications. The less memory you have, the more important this is.
img src="https://static.uglyhedgehog.com/images/s... (show quote)


My current MBP has a 1 TB SSD that is over half full so I think the new MBP should have a 2 TB SSD. I store my LR catalog and pictures on an external SSD. I think 16 GB Unified memory is enough for now, but more may be needed in the future and I can't add it later. Thank you!
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Jan 9, 2024 10:05:05   #
neillaubenthal wrote:
Either of those will be fine…RAM isn’t a big issue for either with Apple’s silicon chips…well, it is but not as much as it used to be with Intel chips. Either screen is fine…so your choice really comes down to whether you want a laptop or desktop. 16GB is plenty for LR…but generally speaking the current iMac is less fully featured. If it were me…I would get the laptop and an external 4K or 5K monitor for home use and not worry about keeping up 2 computers…unless you have other reasons for having both. I need a machine that is always on at home for file sharing, printer hosting, scanner hosting, and laptop backups over wifi…so I wanted and can afford both the Mac Studio and its display in the office and a 14 MBP for daily use and travel but using LrC on the smaller display of any laptop is a pain and ypu don’t want to do it full time. In your case…particularly if you take it out of the house…I would suggest the 14 MBP instead and a 27 inch monitor. Apple’s Studio display is nice…but there are plenty of very nice displays like the LG for less money, and the 14 is cheaper than the 16 laptop to partially offset the extra monitor cost. If I didn’t need a ‘server’ at home that’s the way I would go myself.

After size…then pick the chipset you need…I would suggest the M3 Pro over the vanilla M3 for longevity reasons…but getting the Max or eventual Ultra version is way overkill unless you’re. Pro or are seriously interested in lengthy videos…and even the base M anything is vastly faster than any of the Intel Mac hardware. RAM…16 is fine for LrC but I personally would get 24 for future proofing reasons…and get as much storage as you can afford because it’s fixed. I have the M1 Pro 14 MBP and it runs LrC just fine…and really, even an M1 base would be plenty fine for any non pro use.

If I were doing this clean slate from scratch…I would get the 14 M3 Pro MBP…the 11/14 core will actually be fine but the 12/18 will be (maybe) marginally faster but would give (maybe) 1-2 more years on future proofing. I would get 36GB RAM for future proofing, but again the 18 will be more than enough unless you do pro or video work which doesn’t sound like the case. 2 TB storage but if budget is a problem 1 is enough…but depending on the size of your catalog and originals it might not be enough for everything. I personally would put my catalog and images on either a 4TB internal or external SSD and when space became an issue would move older year images to another drive in LrC and keep catalog, current year images, and Smart Previews of all images on the internal or external SSD. Since I have need for a home server…I would get the lowest end Mac Mini for that and run it headless in the closet with big drives hanging off of it…and use Screens to control it remotely when needed, but would keep it close enough to the big display to run a cable to it when occasionally needed.
Either of those will be fine…RAM isn’t a big issue... (show quote)


I went to the Apple store to look at the choices and the salesman didn't even suggest a separate monitor. My current MBP is 15.4 inches and the 14” was really small to me. However, that's a mute point if I added a studio display. Both of my computers have 1TB internal storage and they are over half full, so 2 TB is probably a good idea. I keep my catalog, pictures and personal documents and spreadsheets on several external drives. I'm not a professional photographer but I do all the school pictures, senior pictures, and special events for the family and I have 42 grandchildren, so that's a lot of pictures!! Plus, they are large files since I use a Sony a7R4 full-frame camera with 61 mp resolution. My peripherals almost all have USB connections, not Thunderbolt 4 or USB 3, so the number of ports and available “dongles” is important to me. It's $700 more between the 14 and 16-inch MBP with the same specs,$200 less if I don't upgrade the M3 Pro chip on the 14-inch. I will definitely buy a new MBP with 36GB RAM and a 2 TB SSD. I just have to decide on the size. I'm leaning towards the 16-inch. Thank you for your advice!
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Jan 8, 2024 19:36:58   #
jaymatt wrote:
May I make another suggestion?

I had the same problem and, after some research, purchased a Mac Studio Cube, configured to my specifications, and a 27" BenQ monitor. The old Mac keyboard and mouse work just fine with the new setup. Go to the Mac website and give the Studio setup a look. What I like best about it is that I had it built with the ram, memory, etc. installed as I wanted it. A custom setup, so to speak.


I was looking at the Studio Display and the choices are standard glass or nano-texture glass. My wireless keyboard and mouse work just fine and I prefer using a mouse to the trackpad, although when major editing is required on PS, I use my Wacom tablet. I didn't see a Mac Studio Cube on their website.
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Jan 8, 2024 19:19:47   #
jdub82 wrote:
My preference leans strongly toward the convenience of my MacBook for editing over a desktop computer. I am no longer using a desktop. The portability is a big advantage. I can take the MacBook with me when traveling if I desire, and easily edit some of my photos during the trip. When at home, I can edit from the comfort of the chair I prefer when using the MacBook for editing. However, I do believe it is a matter of personal preference. If you feel you really need the larger 24" display to adequately view and edit your photos, that may work better for you. Otherwise, I would go with the MacBook.
My preference leans strongly toward the convenienc... (show quote)


Yes, the MacBook has better specs. Thank you. I was already leaning that way.
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Jan 8, 2024 10:32:03   #
jcboy3 wrote:
Apple only supports computers that are up to 5-7 years old.

If you are going to have a desktop and laptop, you need to plan to upgrade both regularly.

Since the iMac is too old to support recent Lightroom features, you should have a strategy that upgrades your desktop. But your laptop is going to go out of support as well, and you will have a year or so after that before your apps stop supporting it.

What you do depends on whether you want to continue with a desktop and laptop, or switch to just a laptop with a large monitor for desktop use.

If you are going to keep with the desktop/laptop paradigm, then I recommend upgrading your iMac to a Mac mini and Studio Display (or a less expensive third party monitor). I have had an iMac in the past, and the issue is that you have to toss a perfectly good monitor because you can't use it if you need to upgrade the computer. I find that to be just plain wasteful.

And then you will need to plan to upgrade your laptop in short order. Personally, I don't like running different operating systems on my desktop and laptop, and when I can't upgrade the OS on either, I upgrade the hardware.

Alternatively, you can drop the desktop and put all your money into a laptop and monitor. You will get much better hardware, and you won't have to keep upgrading both. In the past, this wasn't an option because laptops didn't have the processing power. Now, that's not really the case.

So, either upgrade your iMac to a Mac Mini and Studio Display, and plan to upgrade your laptop in the near future (very near, in my opinion), or upgrade your MacBookPro to the latest version, top off the memory and storage, and add a Studio Display for desktop use, and get rid of your iMac.
Apple only supports computers that are up to 5-7 y... (show quote)


I never thought about adding a studio display to use with the MacBookPro but I think your last option is the best. It's too cost prohibitive to keep upgrading both, especially now that I am retired. Is a studio display an apple product? If not, what brand and specs would be best?

Thank you for your very helpful response!
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Jan 7, 2024 22:37:26   #
My iMac is late 2014 and will not update past Big Sur v.11.7.10. Therefore, I can no longer update Lightroom Classic nor use the new features. I also have a MacBook Pro (2016) and it will update to Monterey v.12.7.2 Lightroom is version 13.1 on the MacBook and v.12.5 on the iMac. I can use the new blur feature on the MacBook; but when I open the same picture in the same catalog on the iMac, the effects are not there. I will need to update one of my computers, but which one?

I know Adobe recommends macOS Ventura v.13 and an XDR display. The newest MacBook Pro has a Liquid Retina XDR display but the newest iMAC has a (plain?) Liquid Retina display. Currently, I prefer to edit my photos on the 24-inch screen of the iMAC but I can edit on the MacBook even though the display is smaller. Unfortunately, when comparing a new MacBook vs a new iMAC, you can't compare apples to apples (pun intended). The chip is better in the MacBook but you can get more unified memory for $370 less in the iMac. What is more important? The chip or the memory? Just for clarity, I've included the specs for my 2 choices. Which would you choose? Pease don't try to talk me out of an Apple computer. I HATE the Microsoft OS.

iMAC 24" - $2329.00 (-$120 for 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU and no USB 3 ports)
M3 chip with 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
24 GB unified memory (-$200 for 16 GB, but will 16 GB be enough?)
1 TB SSD
2 Thunderbolt 4 ports
2 USB 3 ports
Magic Mouse
Keyboard with numeric pad

MacBook Pro 16"- $2699.00
M3 Pro chip with 12-core CPU, 18-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
18 GB unified memory (+$400 for 36 GB)
1 TB SSD
MagSafe 3 port for power
3 Thunderbolt 4 ports
HDMI port
SDXC card slot
headphone jack
140 W USB-C Power adaptor
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Nov 19, 2023 18:17:42   #
The lens arrived from KEH today and it’s perfect!! Such a difference from the other lens that I dropped. So glad for the advice I got on this site. I will put the dropped lens for sale on eBay for parts. I see they sell for $100.
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