Yes, almost certainly it does. To the concert promoters, and the majority of the attendees, your interchangeable lens 18-300 marks you out as a ‘pro’. Even though you’re not receiving payment (I presume) for images you take. It’s all part of the “That’s a good photo, you must have a good camera” syndrome.
Not fair, probably, but a fact of life.

You know what a professional lens is. It’s any lens attached to a camera that lets the photographer get close to the subject. They have that rule (and have done since time immemorial) to stop people ‘stealing’ ( their feelings) images that they would normally only license to paid photographers, who would need to be approved by the promoter and performers, and who would probably pay for the privilege. It also stops people in the audience setting up tripods and waving long lenses about.

It’s always been there and always will be. It’s the promoter’s event and they have every right to impose such a condition. It matters not that everyone takes their phone camera or point and shoot along and takes photos. They want to stop unlicensed video and still recording that could be sold - as opposed to ‘amateur’ (read un paid) people taking images for strictly personal use.

Yes, but not often. There have been a few times when I have inadvertently deleted something and I have gone back in time, so to speak, and have reinstalled the file. It works very well.

I keep time machine running, and back up to Backblaze. The latter came in very useful following a hard drive failure some time ago. With hard drives it is not a case of if they will fail, it’s when they will fail.

Time machine is a very useful feature.

I added more ram over the period of time. I think I could go higher with this Mac, but decided that 24 GB was enough. The device does have a DVD drive, but I think the time has come to for it to retire. It won’t load Mojave and certainly wont cope with Catalina, so I either replace it or do away with it completely.

For a number of reasons (not Lightroom work as I’m happy with that on the iPad Pro), I’d still like to have a Mac OS machine around. I’m thinking a Mac Mini with a big monitor (that would also work with the IPad Pro) so will investigate that.

I do think the iMac is past its sell by date!

As iPad pros are at least as powerful as most laptops and faster than many I don’t think the hardware is an issue. If adobe can produce a fully featured photoshop to run on an iPad Pro and Affinity Photo runs excellently I don’t see a problem there.

Thanks. Yes, interesting times.

I am on Victoria Bamford’s forum and will go back and look at the Apple Community too.

Thanks again.

Just to confirm, it’s a mid 2011 iMac 27” with 24GB memory, running High Sierra. The HD has been checked with disc utility and has no issues. The G-Tech hard drive has also been checked with Disc Utility and is running fine. The Lightroom version is the latest, on a subscription. No other programs have issues unless Lightroom is running.

I have the Lightroom library running on one G-Tech drive (3 TB) and Time Machine back-up running an another separate G-Tech drive (4TB). Everything except Time Machine is backed up to BackBlaze.

For me, running totally on an iPad Pro isn’t a problem. I can do most of what I want using Lightroom CC mobile, and where i need more abilities, I have affinity Photo. I’m interested in the upcoming Photoshop mobile that Adobe says will be a fully featured program.

The only thing that I do on the iMac, to be honest, is to renumber the image file names. I like the idea of having my own copies of all my images in addition to the cloud, but that’s achievable particularly when the iPad Pro can access separate drives.

As the iPad can also run a separate monitor, so I can get a 27”, that’s not a problem either.

Thank you all.

It could indeed be my iMac, which is a mid 2011 27” with plenty of memory. It’s running High Sierra. I’m using the latest version of Classic on a subscription.

Strangely no other programs are affected, just Lightroom.

On1 is interesting, but seems to lack the mobile side of things.

Thanks everyone.

I’ve been using Lightroom for years. I use Classic on my iMac and CC Mobile on my iPad Pro and iPhone. My frustrations with Classic are becoming too much. Constant crashes, inability to sync correctly etc. I’ve spent so much time on chat and phone calls with Adobe support and although they are helpful, they never seem to solve the problems and within weeks (more likely days) I’m suffering from crashes, sync errors again.

I have all my original photos (40,000+) on a G-Drive hard drive external to my iMac. I also use Creative Cloud so presumably the images are there too. Backup is via Backblaze to their cloud.

I’d like to have copies of my photos on my own storage (like the G-Drive) as well as available in the cloud. I’m happy to use Affinity Photo on my iPad, and also happy to use Luminar on my iMac.

I’m actually using my old iMac less and less and relying on my iPad Pro. With the introduction of iPadOS (iOS13) this fall, I can see me replacing the iMac with the iPad Pro, external hard drive, cloud storage and an external monitor (for when I’m in the office).

So question is - I know there are programs and systems for moving from Apple Photos to Lightroom, but what about the other way round? IE getting Photos to access the photos on my external hard drive so I can access them from the cloud while giving me access to the photos on my hard drive from my iPad (when connected and once iOS13 is released.

Any suggestions?

If you’re only using an iPhone for communication, you’d be better off getting an old flip phone. The iPhone and other smart phones are really mobile computing devices capable of so much more than just handling phone calls. Taking images is just one small part of of their abilities. Indeed, just on the photo aspect they can take and develop images, engage in post production, publish, print (via WiFi connected printers) organize, store, share etc., etc. Finacial activities - not just organize your finances but pay for things. Create - documents, artwork, spreadsheets. Access information. Monitor health. Play music. Watch video, tv etc. Navigate. Monitor traffic, monitor your vehicle’s efficiency. Monitor weather. Automate your home. Provide information when traveling. So much more.

The iPad Pro 2018 is only compatible with the pencil2. The earlier iPad is only compatible with the pencil 1.

Although the earlier iPads could accept storage devices, the iPad Pro 2018 with the USB C connector will only transfer photos through its USB C port. Other types of file are not transferred - yet.

Good advice to either go to an Apple store or call them via the number on their website. They know exactly what the device can do, unlike some of us here! ;-)

I’ve had various models of iPad over the years and last fall swapped out my Air 2 for a 12.9” Pro. I couldn’t be happier. I think you have to make a pro and con list to decide which you need. The Pro is not cheap but does have remarkable abilities. I use both Adobe Creative Cloud and iCloud so have found that the 512gb is big enough for me. I suppose it depends if you keep images on the device or upload them to the cloud. I also always have my iPhone with me so if i cant find WiFi (which is rare) I can use the hot spot on my phone to connect. I love using the Pencil 2 with Lightroom and am looking forward to Photoshop later this year.
However, I have found all the iPads I have used over the years have been great for photography.
The release of iOS 13 later this year is rumored to bring many positive changes for the iPad.
Refurbished gear as 47Greyfox states can be a good option.

If you get a Pro, the pencil is a great addition. The USB-C card reader is essential. I use the Apple Folio keyboard (as I write a lot) but others are available.

I’d agree with Tek any.

As regards the Macworld reviews, bear in mind that any device that has a lightening connector will not work with an iPad Pro 2018. Also USB-C connectors will not currently allow of device storage, or access to it.

Quote: If you look online, you can find ways to connect the iPadPro wirelessly to an external hard drive.

Yes, indeed. File Browser is a good example and very useful. However, you can’t (yet) just plug a hard drive into an iPad Pro as you would with a laptop or desktop computer.

That may change, or Apple may decide that the cloud is the only way to go. Who knows? !!!

My experience: I have had a number of iPads which I have used for photography over the years. I currently use a 12.9” 2018 iPad Pro. A remarkable device. I have an iMac which i use less and less. I haven’t had a laptop to four years and don’t miss one. The iPad Pro is not a laptop replacement and more than a laptop is a desktop replacement. The iPad Pro is a laptop alternative.
Currently you cannot use external hard disk storage with an iPad Pro. That may change with iOS 13 later this year but don’t hold your breath.
You can use various cloud storage systems. I use adobes Creative Cloud. It works fine. The Apple infrasturure also works fine. I cant speak for Amazon’s cloud storage or Google’s. Apples Files app works well for me too and the rumors are that it will be significantly enhanced during 2019.
The iPad Pro is not just a consumption device. It does allow creativity - i use Mobile Lightroom CC, but others have success with other applications.
I would emphasize that currently you cannot use external hard drives with the 2018 iPad Pro. I do use an iXtreme drive with my iPhone XS Max but it will not work with an iPad Pro.
Using an iPad Pro when traveling is a liberating experience as it’s much lighter than a laptop. It does however require a a different workflow, much as using a laptop was different than using a desktop - or indeed using digital cameras is different than using film, and using a medium format camera is different than using an SLR or mirror less is different from a DSLR.