The work of an amateur photographer, and even more so of a professional, is simply impossible without a productive computer. The reason for this is the need for digital image processing. The specifics of the work of the photographer is associated with some requirements for the worker. It must have the appropriate characteristics. Processing photos in RAW format requires a certain amount of RAM, processor clock speed. The quality of the matrix and its diagonal are crucial. Accurate color reproduction required. Not every computer can satisfy all the requirements. Next, we will tell you in detail: what characteristics a laptop should have for a photographer and consider the main models that are best purchased today.
What characteristics should it have?
When choosing a laptop for a photographer, first of all, you should pay attention to the operating parameters of its following components:
- processor;
- video cards;
- random access memory;
- hard disk;
- interfaces;
- screen.
CPU
The choice in favor of a particular processor should be made based on the mode of its operation. Since the higher the performance, the shorter the battery life will be. For stationary use, the Intel Core i7 is perfect. It is productive, has a high clock frequency, it requires a large amount of energy to work. If the laptop will be used "on the road", which means battery life, the best solution would be Core i5 or Core i3. These CPUs have sufficient speed, but do not load the laptop battery.
video card
The video card should be given maximum attention. In a laptop for a photographer, it must be discrete. Built into the Intel HD processor or similar will not work. must have its own RAM, and for comfortable processing of photos in RAW format, it must be at least 2 GB.
The optimal solution would be Nvidia GeForce GT 750M. But at the same time, it is the processor that is the most important component of a laptop for a photographer. If there is a choice of a productive CPU or a powerful video processor, you need to purchase the first one.
RAM
The more RAM a laptop has and the higher the frequency of its operation, the better. There is not much memory. When choosing a laptop model for photo processing, it is worth purchasing equipped at least 8 GB of RAM.
There are many different memory models, types. Preference should be given to DDR 3 and DDR 4. The best solution would be a device with a RAM frequency of at least 2,133 MHz. The best - with an effective frequency of 3200 MHz. With these parameters, the throughput will be 8×3200=25.6 MB/s.
HDD
First of all, when choosing a disk, you should focus on the way it is used:
- to store photos;
- for processing.
In the first case, the disk size must be at least 1 TB - since the source of one photo often takes more than a dozen megabytes. If you only need to process images, only 128 GB will be enough. In this case, you should opt for an SSD - solid state drive.
Interfaces
For comfortable work, the photographer will need the following interfaces on a laptop:
- a card reader that works with SD cards and others;
- at least 4 USB ports;
- HDMI;
- WiFi.
Screen
The first thing to consider when choosing a laptop for photo editing is the screen size. It makes no sense to purchase a PC with this parameter, which is less than 15.6 inches. The optimal solution is 17 or more.
Again, you need to focus on the scope of the device. If the laptop will be used in the studio, to demonstrate photos, work on trips - you should not chase after the size. If it will be used permanently, for retouching, a large diagonal is simply necessary. The same is true with permission. The larger it is, the easier it is to work with a photo.
Rating laptops for photographers
The following models are best for a photographer to use a laptop at home:
- Apple Macbook Pro with a 15.4-inch screen;
- Republic of Gamers G74SX 17.3";
- Republic of Gamers G751JL 17.3"
The last 2 models are high-performance PCs from ASUS. Performance and image quality on the screen are at the highest level.
If the budget is limited or you need mobility, use on the road, studios, frequent carrying - you should make a choice in favor of a laptop:
- Acer Aspire E5-551G, Aspire E5-573G-76KH or Aspire Nitro VN7-792G-52S0;
- Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E555.
The screen size on these models is 15.6 inches.
Conclusion
Choosing a laptop for a photographer is a responsible procedure that requires an individual approach. You should prepare for it in advance. First of all, you need to decide on the budget and tasks that the personal computer will solve. Based on these two points, a choice can be made. If a certain model has already been selected, you should carefully study its characteristics, specification - and only after that purchase. Performance is critical. Comfortable work in Photoshop and LightRoom is possible only with sufficient memory and appropriate processing power.
You need a decent computer to edit high-resolution images and use modern visual effects. Laptops for today's enthusiasts can rival traditional desktop hardware for speed, and unlike older laptops, many of them have beautiful displays with stunning colors, as well as great image contrast to keep highlights and shadows visible.
For the review, I chose three laptops priced between 80,899 to 116,990 rubles, as they offer a fairly good price-to-performance ratio. My main priorities were image output quality, and having at least 8 GB of RAM, which is a realistic minimum for doing intensive photo editing. The screen size must be decided by the user, as 15-inch laptops are noticeably larger and heavier than their 13-inch counterparts, but provide more room for Photoshop palettes.
Key Points to Pay Attention to
It's easy to get lost in technical details and computer terminology, but there are a couple of key points that photographers should be aware of.
The first is the quality of the screen. The screen is usually more of an eyestrain than a source of eye pleasure, as screens can have terrible contrast and viewing angles, but IPS display technology corrects this shortcoming, and you should not buy anything of lesser quality.
The main storage of information on any new laptop should be an SSD (Solid State Drive). Traditional hard drives will degrade performance like flat tires on a Ferrari, and while dedicated graphics cards are great for gaming, they're not necessary for photo editing. Today's processors can do all the work for them, and have enough pixel processing power to handle photo editing.
Many photographers opt for a MacBook, and for good reason. But don't shy away from similarly priced desktop PCs that can get you a lot more for every dollar you spend, and also offer good upgradeability.
Apple MacBook Pro 13″ Retina
Processor: dual-core 2.7 GHz, Core i5 | RAM: 8 GB | Built-in memory: 256 GB SSD | Display: 13.3″ IPS display (2560×1600) |
Pros: Retina display, fast processor
Cons: unchanged design
Apple's Retina display has revolutionized the quality of laptop screens. And while competitors today use panels as good as Retina, MacBooks still offer the best visual experience. Brightness, contrast, saturation and detail are top notch on these displays, and Apple's factory color calibration is the most accurate. While its 2.7GHz processor is technically faster than the dual-core processors found in Dell and Microsoft laptops, the actual performance is nearly identical and nothing too special. The choice of this laptop may seem obvious, and besides, it is quite versatile.
Processor: dual-core 2.4 GHz, Core i5 | RAM: 8 GB | Built-in memory: 128 GB SSD | Display: 13.5″ IPS display (3000×2000) |
Pros: unrivaled display
Cons: updates
This notebook for non-professional users has a modest dual-core processor, but its performance is comparable to that of a MacBook. The battery lasts around 11 hours and 10 minutes and the screen quality is quite impressive. Only Apple's slightly better color calibration results in higher quality images on the MacBook, but Microsoft wins back the competition with 3000 by 2000 resolution and perfect aspect ratio when viewing APS-C images and running in full screen mode. The display screen is touch-sensitive, but its real advantage is that it can be detached from the rest of the laptop and turned into a tablet. You can also use a pen with 1024 levels of pressure, so this device can also serve as a graphics tablet. I would call it a winner, but a 128GB SSD drive is a clear limitation, and installing a larger capacity drive costs a lot of money. While it beats the MacBook in terms of flexibility, Apple's specs are better balanced for this price.
Processor: Quad-core, 2.6 GHz, Core i7 | RAM: 12 GB | Built-in memory: 512GB SSD | Display: 15.6″ IPS display (3840×2160) |
Pros: RAM, screen size
Cons: Image quality isn't quite top-notch
The ZenBook Pro's 15.6-inch screen sports an impressive Ultra HD resolution, resulting in the highest pixel density of any laptop we've tested. However, the image quality is not quite comparable to the MacBook and Surface Book. Color saturation and contrast are somewhat less intense, and this high pixel density offers very little real benefit over similar screens. Much more useful is the increased screen size, especially when working with Photoshop, but it puts the ZenBook at 2.27kg. This laptop has a fast processor and a powerful battery to power it. It's a true editing workshop, as long as you don't carry it around too often.
A laptop for a photographer should be powerful and equipped with a good display. We will tell you how to chooseoptimal performance for different tasks, what to look for first and give a useful resource for finding laptops with the best displays.
The first thing to do when choosing a portable computer is to decide on the purposes of its use. Of course, over time, they can change, as well as be combined, and a laptop bought as a stationary one will travel with you to outdoor photo shoots.
But nevertheless - decide what tasks the computer will perform in the first place. It depends on which direction to move on.
What to look for when choosing a computer for each of these tasks?
How to choose a laptop for photography
Let's look at all the characteristics that you will need to familiarize yourself with.
Display
The first and most important characteristic of a laptop for a photographer is the display. How accurately you will see colors and understand the results of processing will depend on its quality.
For regular work and photo processing, a small diagonal (for example, 13 inches) is not suitable. On such a display, the working area is very small and it will be too inconvenient to work.
However, an overly large diagonal is also not needed here, especially if you plan to take a laptop on trips from time to time. Best option: 15 inches.
However, if you plan to travel frequently, it makes sense to choose a laptop with a diagonal of 13 inches, and for serious processing, connect an external display to the laptop. In this case, you need a laptop to pull the high resolution of modern displays and have the necessary ports.
Photographers do not need to be told about the importance of monitor quality. If you take a portable computer for photo processing, a high-quality matrix is a must have. The best color rendering, contrast, viewing angle, color gamut are provided by IPS-type matrices. Resolution is better to choose 1920x1080 and higher.
Notebooks with IPS displays are more expensive than TN, but they will provide true-to-life colors and maximum color gamut (90-100% sRGB and even wider). But be careful, even if the characteristics of the computer include an IPS-matrix - make sure that it is really it, and not a TN-matrix with extended corners, and check the percentage of color gamut.
CPU
Programs for processing photos are usually quite demanding on the processor, so you should give preference to modern models. Ideally, an Intel Core i7 (or equivalent) with a frequency of at least 2 GHz.
A powerful processor will quickly “eat up” the battery charge, but this is important, for example, on the road. For stationary use at home, where it is always possible to connect a computer to a network, this is not critical.
Compact models with a diagonal of 13 inches are equipped with Intel Core i5, which will also be enough for most tasks.
RAM
Graphic editors are also demanding on the amount of RAM. For example, the minimum requirements for Adobe Lightroom are 4 GB, while the recommended ones are 12 GB; minimum for Photoshop - 2, recommended - 8 GB.
That is, the minimum option for today will be at least 8 GB of RAM. It is optimal to choose a laptop with 16 GB of RAM.
Hard drive or SSD
Image source: https://masterok.livejournal.com/3914516.html Today, laptops are equipped with hard drives or SSD drives.
The hard drive offers more capacity at an affordable price, but loses in speed. If the device is dropped, the hard drive is more prone to failure.
SSD drives are several times faster than a hard drive, but are significantly more expensive. No moving parts Plus have a smaller data rewrite resource.
To improve the overall performance of the entire laptop, we recommend choosing a laptop with an SSD drive. With a capacity of at least 256 GB, but 512 GB is better.
In this configuration, you will receive 100 or 350 GB of space, respectively, for working with current projects, and you will store the rest of the data on an external hard drive. By this you can find reviews of external drives.
Sometimes, large laptops combine SSD and HDD, which allows you to use the high speed of the drive and the capacity of the hard drive.
video card
To work with graphics, especially high resolution, you will need a powerful video card with 2 GB of RAM. It is best if it is discrete (separate), and not built-in.
Some laptops have two graphics cards - built-in for regular programs and discrete for graphics. Switching between them happens automatically.
It is important to study what resolution for an external monitor the laptop supports. It is best that the laptop supports a monitor with a resolution of 4k.
Ports and interfaces
For connecting a camera, external drives, flash drives, etc. you will need several USB ports: ideally at least three and at least third generation, for faster data transfer.
The built-in card reader (make sure it supports memory cards for your camera) and HDMI connector will also come in handy if you plan to connect a large monitor to your laptop or, for example, show pictures on a TV screen.
Some modern laptops, such as all new Apple models, are equipped exclusively with USB-C ports. This port is universal and allows you to connect various devices. Read more about USB-C.
Battery
If you're planning on using your laptop on location, look into laptop battery life.
The weight
If the laptop will be used more often at home, then the weight and size are not critical. If you are going to take it with you from time to time, pay attention to the weight and size.
Conclusion
Quality laptops that meet the needs of the photographer are quite expensive, so the choice should be taken seriously. First, decide on the tasks for which you need a computer. Secondly, with the budget.
Then, narrowing down the choice to models that meet the price / quality ratio, take into account your own preferences. For example, someone prefers exclusively Apple, while someone, on the contrary, categorically does not accept “apple” products.
And finally, when one or more options have been chosen, once again carefully study their characteristics, read reviews on the Internet - and only after that make a purchase.
Below are a few recommendations for specific laptops, but this list is provided as an example only. The market changes very quickly, and what is relevant at the time of writing may not be relevant next year.
Powerful desktop laptop for photography
Dell XPS 15 Touch, quad-core Core i7, 4K display, 100% Adobe RGB, Nvidia 1050 graphics, 1TB HDD, up to 32GB RAM, and a wide range of ports including USB 3.0, HDMI, Thunderbolt and memory card slot.
All-in-one photography laptop
The recently updated Apple MacBook Pro 15 and MacBook Pro 13, featuring Intel Core i7/i9 hexa-core processors (for 15-inch model) and i5/i7 quad-core processors (for 13-inch model), SSD storage, IPS displays with TrueTone technology c coverage is 25% wider than sRGB. As well as discrete Radeon Pro graphics, Thunderbolt 3 ports with USB-C interface, as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
And finally, a useful link. This is a list of laptops with the best displays, updated about once a month, so the information is the most up-to-date.
Apple products seem insanely expensive, especially when you compare cheap mainstream laptops to the Apple MacBook Pro. But when you start looking for a high-quality IPS screen for photo and video editing, a good keyboard and touchpad (touchpad or clickpad), long battery life, it turns out that overpaying for a Macbook is not so big. Moreover, in addition to hardware, you also get the Mac OS operating system, which is becoming increasingly popular after the infamous Windows 8 update.
The personal computer market is stagnant. In this regard, Intel even froze the construction of an American plant for the production of new generation processors worth $5 billion. And this is not surprising. Many buyers have purchased tablets and it turned out that they are quite enough for content consumption (watching video, listening to audio, Internet surfing, social networks, games). At the same time, the power of processors has increased very slightly in recent years. Switching to the latest Intel Haswell processor with Ivy Bridge generally makes sense if you want to reduce power consumption, because the performance gain is only 10-15%.
Laptops with Haswell processors have really greatly improved battery life, as well as the speed of access to the SSD and integrated graphics card. This also applies to Macbooks. If long battery life is important, then you should not take laptops with processors of previous generations.
Processors from AMD are very rare in laptops, mainly in the lower segments. Intel is represented by a huge line. Even if the processor is designated as Core i7, you need to carefully look at the markings. From the Core i7 family, low-voltage (ultra-mobile, not mobile) Core i7-4500u, and even Core i7-4200u, are now most common. They have reduced the number of cores, frequency, so they cannot boast of performance (it can be 2 times less!), but power consumption is at an excellent level. That is why they are most often found on ultrabooks. On larger laptops, Intel Core i7-4700MQ, 4702MQ, 4700HQ, 4702HQ are more common, the performance of which is significantly higher, the integrated graphics are better, but the power consumption is also significantly higher.
But if you understand hardware, then it’s better to look at comparisons of specific processors of the models you are interested in. You can find many examples of the fact that many new Intel Haswell processors are basically just marketing, when power consumption differs from the previous generation by only 1-3 W / h, and performance has increased by only 5-10%. Therefore, do not deny yourself the pleasure of comparing core i5 and core i7, especially if the former are full-fledged and the latter are low-voltage.
In general, if you edit photos and videos in stationary conditions, and not on the road, then taking a laptop does not make much sense. The power of a desktop computer will be much higher, plus you can put a normal graphics card and provide it with cooling. Notebooks also use mediocre video cards like the NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M, but they can have a significant impact on power consumption (when the laptop cannot switch to integrated video when necessary). In addition, a powerful graphics card requires good cooling, which can increase noise levels, and laptop components can heat up more and fail prematurely because of this. Moreover, users rarely think about the fact that laptops need to be cleaned of dust in order for coolers (fans) to work properly.
At the same time, a growing number of laptop manufacturers have jumped into the pixel race following the arrival of the Macbook with Retina displays. In this case, the most commonly used resolution is not 4K UHD (3840 × 2160) or 4096 × 2160, but something in between it and FullHD (1920 × 1080). But since Youtube and Vimeo already allow you to upload videos up to 4096x3072 resolution, 4K broadcasting in the US is just around the corner, 4K video cameras have begun to appear on the market, laptops and monitors with this resolution are not far off. Moreover, the first models will be very expensive and will probably fall sharply in price in a year, as has already happened with touch screens.
On the other hand, the capacities of the current solid-state drives (SSDs) are too small, the volumes of hard drives have recently also not doubled once every 1-2 years, as before. In addition, the integrated Intel graphics, even if it is Crystallwell (Iris Pro graphics 5200), is still too weak to support high resolutions (despite the fact that the performance does not reach the average mobile discrete cards like the NVidia GT 750M, and even the temperature cannot be boasted). maybe). At the same time, of course, the power consumption of the low-voltage core i7, together with the integrated Iris Pro video, can be at the level of a discrete video card. Although, for example, Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro uses an even weaker integrated video Intel HD Graphics 4400, despite the fact that the resolution is 3200x1800. This, coupled with Windows 8's scaling issues, leads to negative impressions of such solutions. A handful of Metro apps in Windows 8 (primarily for tablets and touchscreens) of course already support high resolutions, and things are only going to get better. But at the moment, of course, rushing to upgrade hardware without the need does not make much sense.
Another problem with laptops is the quality of the screens. In the mass segment, it is very mediocre, completely unsuitable for professional video and photo processing. More expensive models may also use IPS technology (or similar MVA, PVA, PPS). Compared to a matrix based on the simplest TN + film technology, IPS offers increased viewing angles up to 178 °, high contrast and color reproduction. At the same time, at the moment, IPS displays on 15-17-inch laptops very rarely appear, besides, their color reproduction quality on cheap models leaves much to be desired.
Not without reason, many video and photo processing professionals offer to purchase either a desktop computer, including an iMac, or a laptop and a good large IPS monitor for it. As for iMac, it is worth considering the complexity of their upgrade. The latest 21.5-inch iMacs don't even allow you to expand the memory in a simple way (to do this, you need to remove the screen and disassemble the floor of the computer). Although the latest generation 27-inch iMacs allow you to increase the size of the memory, you also have to remove the screen to replace the hard drive (including SSD).
The Windows segment, like the iMac, also includes All-in-one (AIO) solutions. Often, manufacturers of such solutions follow the path of Apple, making it very difficult to update computers. Among the exceptions is the 27-inch Dell XPS 2720 with a quality QHD (2560 x 1440) IPS screen. Upgrading the Dell XPS 2720 is very easy, just unscrew a few screws and remove the back cover. In addition to the upgrade in this segment, it is also worth paying attention to the processors used. Despite the huge dimensions of such devices, they often use mobile processors, including low-voltage ones. This is also due to the fact that some manufacturers offer to use such computers as huge tablets (and Haswell desktop power consumption is not at the best level, including compared to previous generation processors). In addition, often such solutions do not have a discrete video card (they use only integrated graphics) or simple-medium video cards (which can also be found on laptops). Haswell's graphics speed has grown significantly, but still, this segment of computers is not designed for toy lovers. When choosing such solutions, pay attention to whether the computer has a touch screen.
Also, photo and video professionals often recommend the 15-inch Macbook Pro with Retina display. It is made using IPS technology and is well suited for photo and video editing. Of course, the 13-inch model is more convenient when traveling, but for everyday work, 15 inches is the optimal size. It's not for nothing that Apple abandoned the 17-inch Macbook Pro. They are not mobile at all, and in stationary conditions, you can add a good large monitor to smaller laptops. The disadvantages of the Macbook Pro include the memory soldered onto the motherboard, which makes the upgrade impossible. But this is also true for many ultrabooks with Windows. Mobility requires sacrifice. It's also not uncommon for users of Macbooks with Retina displays to complain that, despite the 2880x1800 resolution, few elements can fit on the screen, as if the resolution is only 1440x900.
But on Windows 8 laptops, scaling is even worse. For example, even Photoshop Creative Cloud still doesn't support higher resolution screens. And that's not to mention the fact that working with high resolution in Photoshop becomes significantly slower.
The quality of the screen is determined by the brightness of the backlight, its uniformity in different parts of the screen, contrast, as well as coverage of the sRGB and AdobeRGB color spectra. Note that full coverage of the sRGB spectrum on laptops with an IPS matrix is possible only when using an RGB LED screen (the backlight uses 3 colors at once, not just one). At the same time, laptops also have high-quality TN screens that cover sRGB by 95-98%, but they cannot boast of large viewing angles.
The most worthy alternatives to the Macbook Pro can be called
- Dell Precision M3800 Mobile Workstation is a thin and light laptop (about 2 kg) with a QHD + (3200x1800) touch screen, 4th generation Intel Core i7 Haswell processor, NVIDIA Quadro graphics card.
- Dell XPS 15 with PPS QHD+ (3200x1800) display, 4th generation Intel Core Haswell (i3-i7) processor, NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M graphics card.
- HP Zbook 15 with FullHD DreamColor display (1920 x 1080), 4th Gen Intel Core i7-4800MQ processor, NVIDIA Quadro graphics, Thunderbolt port.
Please note that the DreamColor screen is needed, as the regular one covers about 90% of sRGB. - HP Zbook 17 with FullHD display, 4th generation Intel Core i7-4700MQ processor, NVIDIA Quadro graphics card, Thunderbolt port.
Covers about 93% of AdobeRGB. - Dell Precision M4800
QHD+ screen: AdobeRGB approx. 64% color gamut coverage, sRGB approx. 89%. - Dell Precision M6800
Options with FHD Premiercolor (RGB backlighting) are no longer available, unlike older models. - Lenovo W540 with 1920x1080 or 2880x1620 IPS display, 4th generation Intel Core i7-4700MQ Processor, NVIDIA Quadro graphics card, Thunderbolt port, X-Rite calibrator. There are no reviews.
Of the 15-17 inch workstations based on the 3rd generation Intel processor, we can also note:
- Dell Precision M4600 Premiercolor (15.6", 1920x1080, IPS, matte, LP156WF3 SLB1-B2-B3)
- Dell Precision M4700 Premiercolor (15.6", 1920x1080, IPS, matte screen).
The standard FHD panel does not fully cover sRGB. - Dell Precision M6600 Premiercolor (17.3", 1920x1080, IPS, matte screen, LP173WF3 SLB1-B2-B3)
- Dell Precision M6700 Premiercolor (17.3", 1920x1080, IPS, matte screen)
- HP EliteBook 8560w (15.6", 1920x1080, IPS, matte)
- HP EliteBook 8560w Dreamcolor (15.6", 1920x1080, IPS, matte, LP156WF3 SLB1-B2-B3)
- HP EliteBook 8570w DreamColor (15.6", 1920x1080, IPS, matte)
- HP EliteBook 8760w DreamColor (17.3", 1920x1080, IPS, matte, LP173WF3 SLB1-B2-B3)
- HP EliteBook 8770w DreamColor (17.3", 1920x1080, IPS, matte)
- Lenovo Thinkpad W530 (15.6", 1920x1080, matte screen)
Please note that the screens of the above laptops may be different, including even with a resolution of less than 1920x1080. In general, it is very strange that in this segment there is still a resolution of 1368x768, especially on 17-inch screens.
Dell QHD+ screens are more suitable for professional photo and video work than FullHD screens. And it's not just about resolution, but about other characteristics.
The color gamut of the Dell Precision M6700's IPS screen is wide because it uses RGB backlighting. The M6700's screen even covers NTSC, which is wider than AdobeRGB. Some even consider the colors of the M6700 to be oversaturated, as they have only seen screens covering 45-72% NTSC before.
The Dell M4800's QHD+ screen covers sRGB, but sRGB only covers 72% of NTSC.
The FullHD screen of the Dell M4800 only covers 60% of NTSC and has lower contrast.
Other laptops (mainly with IPS, MVA/PVA matrices) that were considered:
- Sony VAIO Fit 15A multi-flip (15", FullHD, IPS, glossy) - sRGB color gamut is about 97%.
- Sony VAIO Fit 15A multi-flip (15", 2880×1620, IPS, glossy) - Color gamut covers 86% sRGB and 62.8% Adobe RGB, and color gamut covers 99.6% sRGB and 68, 6% of Adobe RGB volume.
- Sony VAIO Fit SVF15A1S2ES (15", FullHD, Glossy) - The display cannot reproduce the AdobeRGB or sRGB color spectrum.
- Acer Aspire R572G (15", FullHD, i7-4500U, NVidia GeForce GT 750M) - Color gamut covers 96% sRGB. Acer offers good specs for the money, but overall product quality is pretty poor.
- Acer Aspire V5-572pg
- Acer Aspire V5-573G - (15" IPS screen from AU Optronics, FullHD, matte) - More than 90% sRGB color gamut.
- Acer Aspire V5-573P (15") - More than 90% sRGB color gamut.
- Acer Aspire R7 R7-571G - The color gamut of the LCD screen covers 80.25% of sRGB and about 59% of AdobeRGB.
- Samsung ATIV Book 8 (PLS) - The display cannot reproduce sRGB and AdobeRGB spaces, although sRGB is covered by 92%. Intel Ivy Bridge.
- Samsung Ativ Book 6 680Z5E-X01US (15", FullHD, PLS, Glossy, Touch) - The display cannot reproduce sRGB and AdobeRGB spaces, although sRGB is covered by 81% and AdobeRGB by 60%. IPS or PLS technologies are not used. Intel Ivy Bridge.
- Samsung Series 7 Chronos 770Z5E (15", FullHD, TN, Glossy) - Display cannot reproduce sRGB and AdobeRGB spaces
- ASUS N550JV - 15-inch laptop with IPS matrix. The color gamut of the LCD screen is not only smaller than sRGB, but also shifted relative to sRGB, although it covers 92% of sRGB.
- Sony VAIO Fit 15A SVF15N1X2RB is an ultrabook-transformer with a resolution of 2880×1620. The Ultrabook's LCD color gamut covers 86% of sRGB and 62.8% of Adobe RGB, and the color gamut of 99.6% of sRGB and 68.6% of Adobe RGB.
- Asus Zenbook UX51VZ is a good 15-inch laptop with an IPS screen, but not very suitable for photo and video work
- Asus Q550LF-BBI7T07 (15", IPS, i7-4500U, NVIDIA GT 745M)
- Lenovo Ideapad Y580 20994BU - Color gamut covers 91% sRGB
- Lenovo Ideapad Y510p 59400120 - Color gamut covers 82% sRGB and 56% AdobeRGB
- Dell Inspiron 15-7537. Series 7000. (1920x1080, IPS, glossy) The color gamut satisfactorily covers sRGB (about 80-90%) and AdobeRGB.
- Razer Blade
- Toshiba Qosmio X870
- Asus G75VW
- Asus G750JW - LCD color gamut covers 80% of sRGB and less than 60% of AdobeRGB
- MSI GT70
- Samsung Series 7
- Vizio CT15 with 1920x1080 IPS panels
- HP Envy 15-17. Recently, the Envy series has ceased to be elite (now the Specter series has become elite), so panels and other components are increasingly used not of very good quality.
- Gigabyte P35K Matte. There are no reviews.
- Gigabyte U35F-CF3. There are no reviews.
- Gigabyte P34G with 1920x1080 AHVA matrix (similar to IPS). The color gamut covers 63% of AdobeRGB.
- Gigabyte's P25W with a 1920x1080 matrix. The color gamut covers 59% of AdobeRGB. Not suitable for professional photo editing.
- Chillblast Photo OC Mobile
- System76 Galago UltraPro (OEM Clevo W740SU, Ubuntu, 14.1", 1920x1080, matte ColorPRO)
- System76 Gazelle Professional (OEM Clevo, Ubuntu, 15", 1920x1080, ColorPRO glossy).
Apparently, the B140HAN01 screen is based on AHVA technology (this is not TN or IPS) with balanced color reproduction and a color gamut that covers sRGB to a greater extent. Suitable for basic graphics and image editing. - System76 Bonobo Extreme (OEM Clevo, Ubuntu, 17.3", 1920x1080, ColorPRO Matte)
- Sager, Eurocom, Schenker XMG, DNS, DevilTech, Kobalt, Mythlogic, AVADirect, Malibal, One, PC Specialist, Falcon Northwest, DiTech, Origin, Digital Storm, FullRange, Bullman, Nexoc, Metabox, BTO, XoticPC, ...( OEM Clevo)
- Dell Alienware 17 (1920x1080, glossy, TN) - Color gamut covers 97% sRGB. But the viewing angles are small, because TN technology is used.
In some models screens with RGB LED. - Dell Alienware M18x R2 (1920x1080, glossy, TN) - Color gamut covers 97% sRGB. But the vertical viewing angles are small, because TN technology is used.
- Toshiba Qosmio 17 (1920x1080, TN) - Color gamut covers 65% of Adobe RGB and 96% of sRGB. But the viewing angles are small, because TN technology is used.
- Fujitsu Siemens Lifebook U904 (14", 3200x1800, Sharp IGZO)
- Samsung Ativ Book 9 NP930X5J (FullHD, Haswell) - so far only announced at CES, will appear no earlier than February-March 2014, the screen quality is still unknown.
In general, a very interesting picture emerges. Laptops with a screen well suited for photo and video editing often cost $2,000 or more in the US. This is especially true of heavy, reliable, but rather ugly workstations. Very rarely, these models can be bought below the allowable duty-free import limit in international mail. Basically, either old models, or refurbished ones, or used ones fit into the 1000 euro limit.
More budget Asus, Samsung and Sony do not cover sRGB, AdobeRGB as well. But they can be good compromises, although other options are better for professional photo and video work.
Personally, I settled on the Samsung ATIV Book 8. Although it has a previous generation Core i7-3635QM CPU, it is practically the same as the Core i7-4700QM in terms of performance and power consumption. Haswell has more powerful Intel HD4600 graphics, but in addition to the integrated Intel HD4000, this laptop also has a discrete Radeon HD 8770M video card (in other countries, an AMD Radeon HD 8870M video card is offered).
In second place I had the Sony VAIO Fit 15A. Its screen, of course, has better sRGB coverage (this is especially true for the expensive version with a resolution of 2880x1620), but the Nvidia GForce GT-735 video card is weak, the processor is weaker (although the new Haswell architecture with lower power consumption), the amount of RAM is fixed, articulated the design does not inspire confidence. Plus, there are a lot of complaints about the quality of Wi-Fi and the disconnected touch screen on this laptop, although for me both of these parameters are practically not important.
What laptop or computer do you recommend for photo and video editing?
(Update April 23, 2014)
Added a couple of Acer laptops with over 90% sRGB color gamut. Perhaps, when buying, I would look in their direction.
More recently, personal computers were considered a great luxury for the common man. But over time, everything has changed significantly. Today, a large number of users use laptops for studying, writing texts, communicating in social networks and making purchases in online stores. Also, at present, a large number of computer users like to produce a variety of photographs. In this regard, a laptop is essential for a professional photographer, which has such basic resources as Photoshop and Lightroom.
For a photographer, a laptop with these programs is perfect. In order for the installed programs to work efficiently, you should pay attention to the laptop processor. It must be of high quality and powerful enough. Also, the device must have an excellent screen resolution and a sufficiently large RAM. When buying a laptop for a photographer, first of all, you should pay attention to these parameters.
List of requirements for a laptop for a photographer
A laptop for a photographer must have the Lightroom program. It is with the help of this program that the photographer will be able to quickly process photos in RAW format. The display of the device is also quite important for the photographer. After all, the ideal colors of the picture that will be created depend on it. The user can achieve this effect thanks to the IPS or S-IPS matrix. It is recommended that the viewing angle be as large as possible. In the event that the laptop does not have a built-in matrix, the user will need to purchase an additional screen with a diagonal of 21 inches.
It is worth noting that the device that the photographer uses must have a sufficiently powerful built-in processor. It is worth paying attention to devices whose power is more than 2 gigahertz. For photo processing, a device that has the Windows 8 operating system can perfectly fit. The recommended amount of RAM for such a device is at least 1 gigabyte. The hard disk device can have any size. Also, the device must have a screen with a sufficiently high resolution.
Devices that are most suitable for working with photos
Currently, the best device that is suitable for a photographer is a laptop. Dell Inspiron 17. The company that creates these devices is currently bringing high quality and stylish devices to the market. This model of the device has a plastic case. But in order to give the device style and sophistication, the manufacturer was able to create aluminum inserts on the body of the device. The technical characteristics of this device deserve special attention.
The device has technical characteristics that are perfect for photo processing. The laptop has 8 gigabytes of RAM. The manufacturer was able to install internal memory on his gadget, the size of which is 1 terabyte. The screen that is installed on the laptop has a diagonal size of 17.3 inches. It has a fairly high resolution. The total weight of the device is no more than three kilograms.
A laptop is also perfect for a photographer. Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 Mid. The gadget has a 15 inch screen, which has excellent resolution. The manufacturer installed a fairly powerful processor in the gadget, the frequency of which is 2.5 gigahertz. RAM is quite large. This is directly 16 gigabytes. The size of the internal memory is of course small, it is only 512 gigabytes. Thanks to its excellent technical characteristics, this device perfectly copes with the tasks assigned to it in photo processing. Currently, there are a large number of laptop models on the computer market that can perfectly suit the work of a photographer.
Conclusion
Currently, the user is provided with a fairly large selection of computer equipment. In this regard, it is quite difficult for a photographer to select a laptop that can perfectly suit his work. When buying a device for a photographer, you should pay special attention to the size and screen resolution. Also an important factor is the presence of a very powerful processor in the gadget.
It is worth noting that if you purchase a laptop for a photographer that has a diagonal size of 13 inches, then you doom your photographer friend to some inconvenience. The thing is that the photographer's eyes start to hurt quite a lot from small screens. Therefore, experts recommend purchasing devices that have a screen size of at least 15 inches.
