About to purchase my first Mac. Please advise.

[parasko]

Hi all,

I'm about to venture into the Mac world for the first time. I'm contemplating the purchase of a new 24" Imac (since they have just been updated).

My first query is the glossy screen. Such screens seem easier on the eye when working for hours on photos but are they better or worse for photo retouching, in terms of determing amount of sharpness required, colour renditions etc.

Secondly, does anyone know whether I have to purchase Leopard separately or whether this usually comes with a new system purchase?

As all my software is for PC (Adobe Creative Suite, Office etc), and this is going to cost a lot of money, any other info you can provide on this Mac system, particularly pitfalls, is appreciated.

Cheers.

[parasko]

OK so now I've read a few different threads and I'm confused as hell.

...here was I concerned about glossy screens and instead I need to consider things like dual hard drives, RAID vs SATA, dual core vs quad core etc. Am I thinking in the right direction??

Problem is I know nothing about computers so I just want a simple setup to use CS3 and 35mm/medium format files scanned with my Nikon 9000.

...and my maximum budget is approx the cost of a new Imac 24" ($3300 Australian dollars/ approx. $3000 US)

Is a simple solution too much to ask (without being a computer geek)?

Please help.

Cheers.

[Nate Battles]

ummm, okay to begin with the first post.

glossy vs. matte screen. I have a matte screen and I like it. I have heard of users complain about glare on a glossy screen. Then again, I heard about users raving about their glossy screens. I wouldn't worry about that too much Mac monitors are awesome. Yes, Leopard comes standard with any new mac. The 24" imacs are sweet, I wish had one (stuck) with a 20". The new processors seem to be wicked fast as long as you have enough RAM, CS3 programs are RAM munchers the imacs will only hold up to 4 gb, where as the Mac Pro will hold up to 32gb. Then again, that's out of your budget. I have 4gb RAM and Web Premium running Flash which takes up more RAM than Photoshop and it handles file just fine. The imac will be plenty fast for your needs. You need to get new (Mac) versions of CS3 to run on your Mac. Even though these can run a virtual PC (Parallels) don't even think about running a PC version of Photoshop on the Virtual Machine side of your Mac. Get some external storage if you want to back things up. I recommend iomega or OWC drives.
Anyway, go for it. Macs are great.

Once you go Mac, you'll never go back

[Mike Boden]

With all due respect, if you don't know much about computers, then why do you want a Mac? What is it about the PC that you don't like? Or put another way, what do you hope to gain by switching platforms?

I personally use both platforms for different reasons. However, my Photoshop computer is a PC, and I don't really see a need to change at the moment.

As far as setting up RAID arrays, that's a decision independent of which platform you use. As for SATA drives, that decision is dependent on which type of drive the motherboard or RAID controller is compatible with.

[Scott Kathe]

Problem is I know nothing about computers so I just want a simple setup to use CS3 and 35mm/medium format files scanned with my Nikon 9000.

Is a simple solution too much to ask (without being a computer geek)
Please help.

Cheers.

I picked up one of the older 20" iMacs with a matte screen last fall and love it. The glossy screens had too much glare for me but a lot of people like them. If you can control the lighting environment you should be fine.

Mine is a refurb directly from the Apple store so it comes with the full standard warranty-and was about 30% cheaper. This is a great way to save money if you can get one.

Don't worry about photoshop too much. Adobe will allow you to change platforms once for free-there was some sort of fee involved but it was less than $20 I think. It was kind of a pain in the butt but it sure beat having to pay full price for the software again! Just call them up and tell them what you want to do and they will tell you how to do it.

Scott

[Walter Calahan]

Glossy is for gamers, and many of my college students. I don't get it 'cause the glossy screen reflects everything that's behind you into the screen. Matte surface is much easier on my eyes, but I'm an old fart.

All new Macs come with Leopard. You don't have to buy it separately.

I don't think the iMac has a slot for a PCI card, but if I'm wrong then you need to add a PCI card that can connect to a RAID external hard drive.

I have a MacPro with a 4-bay RAID tower. It talks to the computer via the PCI card.

As far as your Nikon 9000, unfortunately right now Nikon hasn't updated their software to work on Leopard. I have a Nikon 8000 and must use Silverfast scanning software to use the 8000.

[Bill_1856]

I bought a Mac because "everybody" said it was the computer to use for photography. Big mistake!

[Jim MacKenzie]

Glossy screens have better colour saturation and better apparent dynamic range (blacks are blacker, whites seem whiter). They are, of course, finicky about lighting but I find the trade to be worth it. I much prefer my glossy-screened notebook to my matte-screened desktop.

As for whether a Mac is a good computer for digital photography, I can't help you. My computers are for everything but photography.

[parasko]

Thanks. This is great advice so far....
..so let's see:

1. don't run Imac as virtual PC. So I need the Mac version of
Creative Suite. If Adobe allows me to change platforms for a minimal fee only, then this is no problem.

2. Silverfast needed for Nikon 9000. This will definitely influence whether I purchase a Mac or not as my scanner is crucial.

Any recommendations where I can pick up Silverfast on the cheap? What is a recommended price?

I'm still in doubt about the glossy screens so I will go into a store today to have another look.

Any other useful advice for my particular setup?

[Mike Boden]

Any recommendations where I can pick up Silverfast on the cheap? What is a recommended price?

Here's Silverfasts' website: www.silverfast.com

I don't use this software, but it appears that the price varies depending on which scanner you're using it with. It looks like it starts at $398 for your Nikon 9000.