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my take on the new MBP for photographers

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noirdesir said:
Removing the Touch bar, including fingerprint reader and custom T1 chip certainly saves some money. Going to the 15-W CPUs (instead of the 29-W CPUs), which includes a downgrade of the iGPU from the Iris 550 to the Iris 530 and speed downgrade of the CPU from 2.9 GHz to 2 GHz, might save something too (though Wikipedia lists both CPUs as costing $304, this might be a case where the lower TDP raises the $/performance price).

But removing the second pair of TB3 ports feels more like creating an incentive for people to upgrade to the more expensive model. Going to the lower-performance CPU seems like a similar move, a way to make the more expensive model more attractive. It certainly isn't using the lower TDP to make a more compact device (be it because lower cooling loads would allow it or because a smaller battery can provide the same battery life).
Click to expand...
Cheaper model has 10% larger battery AND a 15W CPU so in theory it should have quite a lot better battery life, my guess why both are listed as 10 hours is that Apple does not really want to draw attention to this.
 
kamina said:
noirdesir said:
Removing the Touch bar, including fingerprint reader and custom T1 chip certainly saves some money. Going to the 15-W CPUs (instead of the 29-W CPUs), which includes a downgrade of the iGPU from the Iris 550 to the Iris 530 and speed downgrade of the CPU from 2.9 GHz to 2 GHz, might save something too (though Wikipedia lists both CPUs as costing $304, this might be a case where the lower TDP raises the $/performance price).

But removing the second pair of TB3 ports feels more like creating an incentive for people to upgrade to the more expensive model. Going to the lower-performance CPU seems like a similar move, a way to make the more expensive model more attractive. It certainly isn't using the lower TDP to make a more compact device (be it because lower cooling loads would allow it or because a smaller battery can provide the same battery life).
Click to expand...
Cheaper model has 10% larger battery AND a 15W CPU so in theory it should have quite a lot better battery life, my guess why both are listed as 10 hours is that Apple does not really want to draw attention to this.
Click to expand...
My first thoughts as well.

BTW, the cheaper 13" has Iris 540 (not 530), very similar to the 550 (incl same 64 MB eDRAM):

Loading…

www.game-debate.com
 
strawbale said:
kamina said:
noirdesir said:
Removing the Touch bar, including fingerprint reader and custom T1 chip certainly saves some money. Going to the 15-W CPUs (instead of the 29-W CPUs), which includes a downgrade of the iGPU from the Iris 550 to the Iris 530 and speed downgrade of the CPU from 2.9 GHz to 2 GHz, might save something too (though Wikipedia lists both CPUs as costing $304, this might be a case where the lower TDP raises the $/performance price).

But removing the second pair of TB3 ports feels more like creating an incentive for people to upgrade to the more expensive model. Going to the lower-performance CPU seems like a similar move, a way to make the more expensive model more attractive. It certainly isn't using the lower TDP to make a more compact device (be it because lower cooling loads would allow it or because a smaller battery can provide the same battery life).
Click to expand...
Cheaper model has 10% larger battery AND a 15W CPU so in theory it should have quite a lot better battery life, my guess why both are listed as 10 hours is that Apple does not really want to draw attention to this.
Click to expand...
My first thoughts as well.

BTW, the cheaper 13" has Iris 540 (not 530), very similar to the 550 (incl same 64 MB eDRAM):
http://www.game-debate.com/gpu/inde...aphics-550-mobile-vs-iris-graphics-540-mobile
Click to expand...
I just got my kid an Intel NUC with an Iris 540, based on a few things I read it seems to be about 3x faster then the 4000 in my Mac Mini i7 from 2012 which handles Aperture / Capture One fine.
 
kamina said:
strawbale said:
kamina said:
noirdesir said:
Removing the Touch bar, including fingerprint reader and custom T1 chip certainly saves some money. Going to the 15-W CPUs (instead of the 29-W CPUs), which includes a downgrade of the iGPU from the Iris 550 to the Iris 530 and speed downgrade of the CPU from 2.9 GHz to 2 GHz, might save something too (though Wikipedia lists both CPUs as costing $304, this might be a case where the lower TDP raises the $/performance price).

But removing the second pair of TB3 ports feels more like creating an incentive for people to upgrade to the more expensive model. Going to the lower-performance CPU seems like a similar move, a way to make the more expensive model more attractive. It certainly isn't using the lower TDP to make a more compact device (be it because lower cooling loads would allow it or because a smaller battery can provide the same battery life).
Click to expand...
Cheaper model has 10% larger battery AND a 15W CPU so in theory it should have quite a lot better battery life, my guess why both are listed as 10 hours is that Apple does not really want to draw attention to this.
Click to expand...
My first thoughts as well.

BTW, the cheaper 13" has Iris 540 (not 530), very similar to the 550 (incl same 64 MB eDRAM):
http://www.game-debate.com/gpu/inde...aphics-550-mobile-vs-iris-graphics-540-mobile
Click to expand...
I just got my kid an Intel NUC with an Iris 540, based on a few things I read it seems to be about 3x faster then the 4000 in my Mac Mini i7 from 2012 which handles Aperture / Capture One fine.
Click to expand...
Have been thinking about one myself too, but not encouraged by the many problems with the skylake NUC's :(

Loading…

communities.intel.com
 
Last edited:
Dubcat said:
The price made my eyes water. I think they have lost the plot. Removing USB completely was ridiculous in my eyes but I could have forgiven it. It's really all about the price.

I'm in the market for a new computer. It was always going to be the MacBook Pro. I've put off the purchase a month because I knew it was coming. I'm not paying THAT much though.

Back to the drawing board. Never thought I'd say this, but I might end up going with a Surface Book or Surface Pro 4 :(
Click to expand...
I'm similar except NEVER going back to Windows (left in 2006 and forced to use it at my corp job still, hate the OS for so many reasons)....on the other points:

I was in the market as well. I had an aging 2012 MBA for travel (13", 8G RAM, 128G SSD, etc) and gave that to my wife. My main machine has been an i7 (quad) 16G and 240G SSD 2012 mini which still works great. But need to be more mobile as well.

Back in August, I went with the mid-level m5 1.2 MBr 12". This little guy runs very well, handles LR and Photos, as well as iMovie with 4k pretty well too. The PLAN was to do that, and IF the new MBP's looked appealing, sell and get a new MBP instead.

Then the price hit. Sure, a 13" with the bar is about $100 more than this MB 12" (which has 512MB SSD and I won't get less than that) the problem is config to get 512 SSD!!! The baseline with the bar does not get that option. You can upgrade the processor and RAM, but not the SSD from 256. Are you kidding? I do get discount (Corp) and get it out of the box for $1691. But that's with the 256! I need the 512MB. I'm running right now with about 200G free on my MB 512. I also always max RAM, so then it goes for $1879 (512 SSD and 16G RAM)

So, then you can go low end without the bar. With the 512 upgrade and RAM this low end is now $1785 for me. That was what I could buy a low end 15" 2015 MBP for!

Okay, fine, get the bar and the 512, you have to go to the top end 13" model. That comes out to be $1879 to start, then add the RAM = $2067!

Now, all of a sudden my little MB looks like it may stay a while OR maybe go a 2015 refurb OR what until prices come down in a gen or two 2017/18.

--
Ken
FujiFilm FinePix Moderator (Please PM vs. a public post if you have concerns or questions about the forum)
 
Last edited:
The 'top line' 13" comes with 512GB but otherwise the same standard spec as the 'bottom line' 13" with 256GB. It's priced at $200 more. That's the same as the upgrade price from 256GB to 512GB. I don't see what you're complaining about, other than the overall price being higher than you'd like. Hey, we'd probably all like Macs to cost less for the same spec and quality.
 
My Macbook Pro 13 (late 2013) works still like a charme. But I'm looking for a bigger screen. I'm more a laptop user than I sit behind my iMac 5K. So looking for an laptop with a bigger screen.

The past few years I also owned the Surface Pro3 and now the Surface Pro4. Still can't use to the Windows OS. Love the Surface hardware. Only the OS is not a match for me. So I do not use it much. Ow Yes.... for watching Netflix when in the bath ;-)

After seeing the specs of the new MacBooks I was disappointed that they remove the SD card slot and the USB. I'm a MacOS user for many years now. My first reaction was this new MacBook is not my cup of thee.

Are the adapters a deal breaker. In first YES.. after a while I had something. I all ready use some adapters. For example I use the Lexar SD card reader most of the time. Its faster than the one in my MacBook Pro13. After some rethinking and my first real life impression of the new MacBook Pro 13. I decided to go for the new MacBook Pro 15. I have no problem with the pricing. So placed an order for the MacBook Pro 15 | 512GB | 16 GB | 4GB video. Fast enough to work with the files of the Sony a7R II.

For me its real simple. Is the price out to high or are you disappointed in the specs etc. The just move one and look for alternative. As a company if this is Apple, Microsoft, Samsung etc you can't make everybody happy ;-)
 
ArtAlt said:
amateurphotographer said:
Hi folks this is my take:-....

9) I think on the whole and based on paper, this new MBP is awesome for working photographers. There are some additional cables to buy until the thunderbolt 3 devices come out, but its a small price to pay for the portability and power in a small package.

...
Click to expand...
I agree, especially after seeing one and trying it out at the Apple Store in NYC (just the 13" mode but WOW).

-
Click to expand...
Interesting this video below indicates the new MBP13 has 91% adobe RGB, for those that need colour accuracy this maybe a biggie. I shoot art galleries and find there is quite some difference between my Eizo CG248 and MBP15 (2014) even after calibration. So hopefully this additional 25% of colours will align this difference. Although this upgrade maybe minor to some, it saves editing time for me and thus getting the job done quicker.

 
amateurphotographer said:
amateurphotographer said:
...
Click to expand...
Interesting this video below indicates the new MBP13 has 91% adobe RGB, for those that need colour accuracy this maybe a biggie. I shoot art galleries and find there is quite some difference between my Eizo CG248 and MBP15 (2014) even after calibration. So hopefully this additional 25% of colours will align this difference. Although this upgrade maybe minor to some, it saves editing time for me and thus getting the job done quicker.

Click to expand...
The fall 2016 MacBook Pro's are the first ones to offer wide gamut screens. That's the good news. Apple has standardized on P3 rather than Adobe RGB, so there are some differences.

iMac screens began to offer P3 in the fall of 2016 and iPhones with the 7 series just recently.
 
ArtAlt said:
amateurphotographer said:
ArtAlt said:
...
Click to expand...
Interesting this video below indicates the new MBP13 has 91% adobe RGB, for those that need colour accuracy this maybe a biggie. I shoot art galleries and find there is quite some difference between my Eizo CG248 and MBP15 (2014) even after calibration. So hopefully this additional 25% of colours will align this difference. Although this upgrade maybe minor to some, it saves editing time for me and thus getting the job done quicker.

Click to expand...
The fall 2016 MacBook Pro's are the first ones to offer wide gamut screens. That's the good news. Apple has standardized on P3 rather than Adobe RGB, so there are some differences.

iMac screens began to offer P3 in the fall of 2016 and iPhones with the 7 series just recently.
Click to expand...
 
ArtAlt said:
strawbale said:
ArtAlt said:
...
Click to expand...
Difference is, MBP's 8-bit color, iMac's 10-bit.
Click to expand...
Thanks for pointing this out. Never dawned on me to ask.

--
Art Altman
http://www.artmaltman.photography
Click to expand...
However, the new MBP's do support 10-bit on external monitors:

13" (15"):
  • One (Two) display with 5120-by-2880 resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors
  • Up to two (four) displays with 4096-by-2304 resolution at 60Hz at over a billion colors
 
amateurphotographer said:
Hi folks this is my take:-

1) The new MBP 13 is physically smaller and lighter which is good for us travelling photographers who are always on the move, especially good for those travelling on planes. I often leave my 15 MBPr behind as too heavy and physically large. Remember when carrying your MBP you are also likely to get a case which increases bulk, e.g thinktank case
Click to expand...
I don't. My backpack, which is my office here in the New Guinea Islands, 5 degrees south of the equator, has a compartment that my 15" MBP just fits into. My cameras and other oddments (including a folding umbrella for rain and a small towel for sweat) are in the main part of the pack. So the MBP, a 3G dongle for connection to the internet on the move, and the power lead, are "it" in the computing department. Oh, and the back-up HD.
amateurphotographer said:
…

9) I think on the whole and based on paper, this new MBP is awesome for working photographers. There are some additional cables to buy until the thunderbolt 3 devices come out, but its a small price to pay for the portability and power in a small package.
Click to expand...
Some additional cables! Phooey! When I travel, I don't want to be messing with some additional cables. AND a buyer is already paying more for less convenient connectivity.

As it is, you provide no evidence whatsoever that the new MBP "is awesome for working photographers". But the notion that adding dangly bits that make the previously neat machine into something resembling an Xmas tree is a BIG price to pay. One I won't be paying (not that Apple could care a toss; if they did, they wouldn't have put the ridiculous new machines on the market).

Sorry to disappoint.

--
Geoffrey Heard
Down and out in Rabaul in the South Pacific
http://rabaulpng.com/we-are-all-traveling-throug/i-waited-51-years-for-tavur.html
 
Last edited:
Hen3ry said:
....
Some additional cables! Phooey! When I travel, I don't want to be messing with some additional cables. AND a buyer is already paying more for less convenient connectivity.
....
Click to expand...
Don't "carry dongles everywhere". Take every wire that you use on a regular basis and add a 2-inch converter to USB-C. Done.

Currently. Down the road it will all be USC-C.
 
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