Windows or Mac for photogaphy

[Cutter]

Might be getting a New computer soon, would love to know your views.

Windows or Mac? thats the question

[donoreo]

Why leave out Linux?

I am a systems administrator, mostly Linux, and use Linux on my laptop and one desktop at home.

However, I use my Mac Mini for photography. I wanted something to just work and there is plenty of support out there to ask questions and find solutions. I will be buying another one and passing this one onto the girls.

[karenoliver]

Originally Posted by Cutter

Might be getting a New computer soon, would love to know your views.

Windows or Mac? thats the question

We were always told in college that the graphics were better for photography on a mac and lots of magazines and newspapers use macs. I almost bought a mac desktop on interest free credit just before Christmas but then sat down and estimated how much the software was going to cost to replace after. If you use photoshop for example you would have to buy the mac version.

Karen

[Cathus]

if you have equivalent quality screens, is there really any difference? after all, all they do is manipulate 1s and zeros.

Mind you, these £1400 Macs with the big 32-or-so inch screens are gorgeous.

[OldBoy]

Atari for music, Mac for graphics used to be very true years ago, but today PC's can match Macs in graphics. Then, DTP required special programs like PageMaker or QuarkEXpress to produce layouts for printing. Today, most word processors can produce DTP output with almost the same ease as a stand alone DTP package. In the commerical world most printing is done on Xerox printers which are run by PC's. Remember, those chaps who teach photography were brought up using Macs, so will always lean that way. Having used both Macs and PC's, I still prefer the PC, but then I used them when a hard drive was a hugh 10mb and was bigger than two drives today.

As to the original question, Macs are good but so are PC's. PC's are cheaper to upgrade than Macs. As most of the world uses PC's there is greater choice of software, which is cheaper than that for the Macs. If you have used Macs before then go for it again. If you haven't then might be better sticking with the PC. At the end of the day it's your choice.

[karenoliver]

Originally Posted by OldBoy

Atari for music, Mac for graphics used to be very true years ago, but today PC's can match Macs in graphics. Then, DTP required special programs like PageMaker or QuarkEXpress to produce layouts for printing. Today, most word processors can produce DTP output with almost the same ease as a stand alone DTP package. In the commerical world most printing is done on Xerox printers which are run by PC's. Remember, those chaps who teach photography were brought up using Macs, so will always lean that way. Having used both Macs and PC's, I still prefer the PC, but then I used them when a hard drive was a hugh 10mb and was bigger than two drives today.

As to the original question, Macs are good but so are PC's. PC's are cheaper to upgrade than Macs. As most of the world uses PC's there is greater choice of software, which is cheaper than that for the Macs. If you have used Macs before then go for it again. If you haven't then might be better sticking with the PC. At the end of the day it's your choice.

Yeah you are probably right, Oldboy. I am quite happy with my windows pc too and the cost of having to rebuy Photoshop, silver efex pro and all the alienskin stuff not to mention other software would have been stupid on my part. What I would say Mark is that the macs do look really nice and some of them do take up less space as well.

Karen

[jet_kit]

It's not just the cost of the software. When a PC breaks, you pop down to your friendly Computer shop, buy a new bit and plug it in. When a Mac breaks ........ Oh no!!!!!!!!
My sister-in-law is a graphic artist and was schooled in Macs and will use nothing else, but it always seems to either be in the shop being fixed, or she has to buy the latest machine for (what with a PC would be) a small upgrade.
I've used both, and I agree the new Macs are very pretty, but for quality I'll put my 26" PC monitor up against one any time. If it comes to size alone, TVs are very cheap right now. You could get yourself a 36" LCD for very little money and use that!

[Cutter]

I must admit that the mac does look great and I was always led to believe that Macs were better graphic wise but as you have said, Pc's have caught up and perhaps there is not alot of difference.

The big thing is the speed, the mac I want is really fast 7i, perhaps I should see whats on offer for a pc at that price.
Thanks for all your comments if anyone would like to add i would be greatful.

[OldBoy]

Originally Posted by Cutter

I must admit that the mac does look great and I was always led to believe that Macs were better graphic wise but as you have said, Pc's have caught up and perhaps there is not alot of difference.

The big thing is the speed, the mac I want is really fast 7i, perhaps I should see whats on offer for a pc at that price.
Thanks for all your comments if anyone would like to add i would be greatful.

Check this out: http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/pcs/1...ellspawn-xfire

Or this: http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/pcs/1...27-inch-2-7ghz

[wavemachine]

Well essentialy a mac is a PC, Macs tend to use graphics cards which are also available for PC's ATI I believe last time I looked. Macs can also run Windows and various versions of Mac OS have been hacked to run on PC's.

The main difference between a Mac and a PC is the case (internals are pretty much the same), monitor, keyboard, Mouse and of course the operating system. Having said that they are very stylish and I am sure quite a classy/fasionable bit of kit which looks sleek on a desk.

I have not really used a Mac, I have walked past a few and that is it although I do know a lot of people that own them, use a PC on a daily basis at work and won't be without them.

If it will do everything you want it to and you can afford one taking into account you will need to buy photo editing software and just maybe go without a few apps you can't get for the Mac then I would go and try one and in an Apple store and see if you like it or not.