Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/01/31
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At 9:32 AM -0800 1/31/02, Henry Ting wrote:
>I need some input into this.
>I'm a Mac person and is currently thinking of
>upgrading to the G4 from the G3. I always use my
>Powerbook. Do you all think the new G4 powerbook (I
>like the screen and the size) is sufficient for good
>quality images, or should I just get a desktop G4.
>Athough I never have problems with the Mac's "plug and
>play" configuration, which scanner and printer I
>should best avoid due to known compatibility problems.
The G4 Titanium is nice, but should only be considered if you need
portability and can have only one machine. Any current G4 desktop and
decent 17" CRT will give you a better image editing platform than the
TiBook. Graphics are a lot faster, the hard drives are a lot faster
(for Photoshop scratch disks) and of course the colour gamut and lack
of viewing angle problems of the CRT are way better. CPU speeds are
from 733Mhz to dual 1Ghz. Present machines all come with graphic
cards which can support two monitors, so if you have some room on
your desk, it really allows a better work environment. I've had a two
monitor (or more) setup since 1987, and I couldn't think of going
back. You can add SCSI cards for really fast arrays or other odd
stuff, and it will last a lot longer because it will be a lot more
upgradeable.
You get way more bang for your buck with the desktop machines, but
they are hard to carry around. You decide. Maybe get a cheaper
desktop and an iBook.
As far as scanners and printers are concerned; the verdicts aren't
all in on OSX compatibility, although Epson seems to have made a
commitment to support most recent hardware (see
http://support.epson.com/webadvice/wa0301.html for some info on
printer support). Most printer companies will, I'm sure, provide OSX
drivers, although they are not available yet for many. I imagine the
recent Nikon, Minolta and Polaroid scanners will also be supported,
and Vuescan already supports some of these under OSX. SCSI scanners
are not as desirable, as you need a third party card, and for the
TiBook, SCSI is a no-no as the SCSI-Firewire converters are extremely
flaky, and have both software and hardware problems.
- --
* Henning J. Wulff
/|\ Wulff Photography & Design
/###\ mailto:henningw@archiphoto.com
|[ ]| http://www.archiphoto.com
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