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Archive 2013 · Travel laptop- is 128 gb enough?

  
 
runakid
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Travel laptop- is 128 gb enough?


I will be sharing a laptop with my wife on all our travels. Looking at a macbook pro with retina. Probably going with a refurb to save $$. Or pay the extra and get 256 gb instead.

If we use an external hard drive will we be able to live with a 128 gb and then download when we get home. We shoot almost always in jpeg and are shooting with Nikon D300.



Oct 12, 2013 at 04:29 PM
EB-1
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Travel laptop- is 128 gb enough?


You have to do the math for the number of frames and file sizes. I use 960GB or 1TB SSDs in the 3lb. travel laptops now. In general I don't recommend anything less than 240-256GB since the performance of modern SSDs takes a write performance hit when too few channels of NAND are populated. Also, a larger drive will allow more total erase cycles, which may or may not be important in your application.

EBH



Oct 12, 2013 at 09:38 PM
Bifurcator
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Travel laptop- is 128 gb enough?


Yeah, even 256 seems awfully small to me for a photogs travel laptop. 128GB is basically just the OS and about 5 or 10 card uploads as after OS X and a few apps you'll have like 80GB free (ten 8GB card dumps). And like EB is saying with the way SSDs work after the tenth card it starts it's trim-overwrite cycles. I'm using a 128GB in a G5 Power Mac I found in the trashcan and I don't think I'd use it for image downloads - in fact I added a 3TB drive to it specifically for that very reason. A 256GB SSD is a little better but if you can afford it I think I would go with one of those new 800GB ~ 1TB SSD models and just use the 3 or 4 TB external for safety backups - clearing the images off the laptop only when they're of no more use existing on the laptop and fully integrated into the home & backup system(s).

I think a lot depends on how you use your cameras. My ears tell me that there's quite a few people who just always shoot in continuous drive - clicking off 3 to 6 images for every shot. If you're like that, just shoot a lot normally, or intend to ever start in with video, then for sure even 256GB would be a drag IMO. On the same note if you come back after a day of shooting with less than 1 or 2 gigs of data then maybe a 256 would do ya for awhile.

To repeat what EB said again, you need to run the numbers for yourselves.




Oct 12, 2013 at 11:15 PM
Ian.Dobinson
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Travel laptop- is 128 gb enough?


while I agree 128gb is probably not enough . lets face it your unlikely 'just' to store the photos of your trip

I also think apples prices for extra storage are excessive . so I would go with the base 128 gb and add in a portable USB3 drive or 2 . bus powered takes away the need to lug extra power supplies around.
dont bother with T-Bolt External drives as they are hyper expensive and USB3 is more than enough for photo storage

dont forget you can also add in a decent size SDXC card for extra on board storage for when you dont want to connect the external drives .




Oct 13, 2013 at 08:14 AM
OntheRez
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Travel laptop- is 128 gb enough?


As others have noted, you need to guesstimate your total shots based upon past experience, know your file size, and provision accordingly. On the road I shoot a 1DsIII with generates a ~25MB file. In two weeks of serious shooting, I've not filled up a MacAir with a 128GB SSD. The only significant software (outside of system Mail, Safari) is Aperture and I do cull regularly. If my arithmetic is correct I should be able to get ~5000 25MB RAWs on the device. I do rigorously cull, but still that's a lot of pix. Do the math. (128GB = 131072MB assuming the measurement is a based upon a true megabyte of 1024K as opposed to the marketing number of 1000K.)

Robert

BTW if you're looking for a reputable vendor of used Mac gear, I highly recommend Powermax.com. Have used them for over 10 years and they are remarkable. No I don't get a kickback for positive statements )



Oct 13, 2013 at 10:32 AM
Ian.Dobinson
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Travel laptop- is 128 gb enough?


OntheRez wrote:
As others have noted, you need to guesstimate your total shots based upon past experience, know your file size, and provision accordingly. On the road I shoot a 1DsIII with generates a ~25MB file. In two weeks of serious shooting, I've not filled up a MacAir with a 128GB SSD. The only significant software (outside of system Mail, Safari) is Aperture and I do cull regularly. If my arithmetic is correct I should be able to get ~5000 25MB RAWs on the device. I do rigorously cull, but still that's a lot of pix. Do the math. (128GB = 131072MB
...Show more

Robert , your not quite right with that sum .

in theory yes you could get just over 5000 25mb files on 128gb . But you need to format the drive so you have less than 128gb in the first place . then the OS and other stuff take up their space . so as a rough guestimate you could be looking at more like 60-70GB of actual free space .
so thats more like 2500 raw files (from you camera)

But the OP is talking about Jpegs from his 12mp D300 . so yes there probably will be more than enough space.

just a quick note to the OP - if you can shoot RAW . it gives you much more latitude in post






Oct 13, 2013 at 11:37 AM
15Bit
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Travel laptop- is 128 gb enough?


A 128GB drive is more than enough for holding an OS, working files and some music etc. I think it could be a bit tight for photos as well, but that will definitely depend on whether you are a high volume shooter or not. For sure, a 128GB SSD plus external USB drive will be cheaper (and better value) than an internal 256GB or larger SSD.


Oct 13, 2013 at 02:12 PM
OntheRez
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Travel laptop- is 128 gb enough?


Ian,
You are correct, of course, that all 128GB will not be available for photo storage. I just checked my MacAir with its 128GB SSD. I keep it fairly sparsely loaded with the system and its standard software, Apple's Pages and Numbers for lightweight work, and Aperture with all of its plug-ins. That leaves me with 90GB free. As you noted (and I missed) the OP will be shooting JPEG and while I do not know what the file size is, 90GB leaves room for literally 1,000s of pix. I would not be surprise if he could not get 3.5K - 4K JPEGs on his machine again depending on how much other software he has loaded. It hasn't been specified how long the trip is nor how many pix the OP expects to take, but I wouldn't pay the tax for a 256GB SSD (particularly at Apple's prices) if this is the laptop's major use.

Robert



Oct 14, 2013 at 10:18 AM
runakid
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Travel laptop- is 128 gb enough?


I just ordered a new 13" Apple Macbook pro with retina. I found out by talking to an Apple rep that I can always add to the hard drive. I was certain that I could and may have to in the future.

The first trip in November is to California and then on to BC for eagle photos. Probably 2-3 weeks. We will do some culling as we go nightly - of obvious bad shots [hopefully, not all of them].

Thanks to all. I love asking questions and then sit back and 'listen' to your replies to me and to each other. You guys have been so very helpful.



Oct 14, 2013 at 10:39 AM





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