Macbook vs Macbook Pro's screen for tethered

[wolfram]

for the past few years I've been shooting tethered into a 12" Powerbook and even though I love it's size for location work i have never been able to judge a photo's exposure/tones/colors on location with it. Yesterday it died and I have to replace it. For me the size of the 13" Macbook is the most attractive however my question, is there a noticeable difference between the Macbook & MacbookPro's screen that people would recommend getting the 15"? Am I overlooking any of the different features that the 15" has when it comes to shooting tethered (canon's software maybe lite editing in bridge & or photoshop)?

Any and all insights or advice would be very welcome. thanks jeff

[blatantimage]

Jeff.
I have last years Macbook Pro and a Macbook I sometimes use for backup. Of course the newest, latest greatest will offer snappier performance.
But Neither, not any laptop LCD is ideal for judging true exposure/ tone/ color. Then theres the bigger issue of "Glossy"-Sure the glossy finish has a consumer "wow" factor, but is a nightmare in the field- or for accurate calibration and color accuracy. Apple has left "Professional" graphics folks in the orphanage on this one. (Anti Glare is an option on only the 17" new models).
I guess my answer is the tethered laptop can be a 'soft proof' but that's all. I wouldn't do color corrections unless I had a serious handle on my profile under those ambient conditions. As far as speed- you will definitely notice a jump with an upgrade from the 12" powerbook on any newer machine.
It also depends on your shooting situation. Sometimes I'm on a location with a tight rig, others I have more flexible space,power, and comforts of the studio, etc.

[wolfram]

Thanks for responding to my question I appreciate it. yes I understand that laptops are not for critical adjustments. I think that's why I haven't upgraded from the G-4 Powerbook it's just a glorified polaroid / DVD viewer and not a true work station.(speed it always takes me longer to walk over to adjust a light than the computer any ways) I also understand that there is no more matte screen or firewire on the 13"  I guess my question is wether the 13" screen is the same as the 15" I have read that the 13" (Macbook) is very flat with no blacks. Will the graphic's card have problems with photoshop CS4? I can spend all day at the Apple store looking ("wow" effect) and yet five minutes on location will see the problems so any opinions would be very welcome. Thanks Jeff

[peterkrogh]

>not any laptop LCD is ideal for judging true exposure/ tone/ color


Well,not exactly.
I've been using this one...
http://arstechnica.com/hardware/news/2008/08/lenovo-w700-desktop-replacement-par-excellence.ars

Peter

[wolfram]

Hi Peter thank you for your response, yes I've seen that laptop mentioned before. It's price is out of my budget, but more importantly I wonder if it's price tag/size would have me leaving it in the pelican case more often than not. "Do I need it on the ladder no, but it's nice" I was really on the fence about staying with Apple when I bought my last MacPro. Have you completely switched over to Windows? Do you have any insights towards the Macbook? or advice? thanks jeff

[peterkrogh]

Jeff,
I'm dual platform. (Need to be able to talk to users on both platforms)
If cash is an issue, the Macbooks are a really great deal. User-replaceable hard drive, 4 GB RAM, good battery life, etc.  I don't like the screen, and would not be using it for critical work except in a pinch. but I'm pretty fond of that machine otherwise. It can drive a big monitor if necessary.

(BTW, I also really like the Dell XPS 1210 as a machine in a similar class on the Windows platform.  It's the smallest machine I own,but works great. Plus, it has more bling.)

I heard a rumor of a Mac Netbook, which is intriguing.

Peter

[wolfram]

Thanks again Peter for taking the time to respond, great insight. Went to the Apple store today and couldn't tell the difference between the screens plus the salesperson was not very helpful. I did see a major viewing angle difference between the glossy laptop screens and the iMac's matte screen. ( great next year or in two months when apple brings back the 15" anti-glare ;-)

Does anyone know if the screen on the Macbook & MB-pro are the same or are there differences? The other question is wether there has been any trouble reported using the macbooks video card & CS4?

I truly appreciate everyone's time & insights in responding. thanks jeff

[peterkrogh]

>plus the salesperson was not very helpful.

At the Apple Store?  Shocking!
If you are looking for good advice about Apple, go to a VAR instead. MBS in Gaithersburg is a good one.
Peter