MacBook Air 8Gb - enough for Phocus and Multi-Shot capture?

[DenisM]

I need to buy a Mac laptop for multi-shot capture, but not proccessing, only capture.

Is a MacBook Air i5, 8Gb RAM enough for Phocus and MS capture?

If not, what's my minimum requirement?

Many thanks.

D.

[Chris Gahran]

I don't use laptops when shooting so my recommendations may be suspect.

You need a Mac with a dedicated, discrete GPU to run Phocus. That means a MacBook Pro i7 with a dual graphics setup, as far as I can gather. My brief search showed me that nearly every MacBook has an integrated graphics unit which I do not believe works well with Phocus.

Chris

[jerome_m]

From experience, one can certainly run Phocus on a Macbook air. The dedicated processor is not absolutely necessary, especially if only capture is intended and no post-processing.

What I do not know is whether multishot is possible on these machines. I don't have a multishot back.

[DenisM]

Thanks for the replies.

A few queries elsewhere have suggested that the MacBook Pro would be necessary for MS capture.

A new range of Mac laptops is imminent. That might change things.

In the meantime, I think Hasselblad could be more specific about requirements, making a decision easier, don't you?

Thanks again.

D.

[Chris Gahran]

Some processing must be done in the background when capturing 4-shot images. My old backs take five exposures (black calibration + 4-shot) but produce one MS image.

Hasselblad's GPU recommendation may only be needed for on-screen viewing.

You may need to call Hasselblad tech support for a definitive answer.

From the Hasselblad website, downloads, Phocus 3.0.4 Read Me PDF:

Graphics adapters-
You should be aware that the Phocus viewer utilizes the processing power of the GPU - therefore using a Mac with a high performance GPU is definitely an advantage. All current Mac's using discrete GPU's should give good performance, we do not recommend using a Mac that only incorporates an integrated Intel GPU.

[DenisM]

Chris,

Many thanks for the clarification.

So, which if any of the laptops here would satisfy Hasselblad's GPU criteria?

http://www.apple.com/ie/shop/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

Since this is just for capture, I want to spend as little as possible and refurbished is good enough for me.

Thanks again.

D.

[jerome_m]

Quite frankly, I doubt that the requirements are that high for capture only. They date back to a time where integrated graphic coprocessors were a lot less powerful than today. As I said: I use focus on a macbook air just fine, although some post processing operations are indeed a bit slow. The only difference is that I do not have a multishot back.

Can't you just borrow a macbook air to test how it really is?

[DenisM]

Can't you just borrow a macbook air to test how it really is?

I wish...

Thanks for the reply.

D

[jerome_m]

Where do you live?

[DenisM]

Have had a reply from Hasselblad saying that, for capture purposes, MacBook Air is ok with my 39 MS and Phocus.

D.

[jerome_m]

All's Well That Ends Well.

[Chris Gahran]

Denis,

Good, now you have a recommendation from on high...

I shoot in client's factories or showrooms and I bring lighting so I have access to electrical power. I use iMacs for tethering when "out in the field".

While I have not looked at MacBooks for several years, I did not like the change I saw in brightness and contrast (and maybe a change in color also—it has been several years since I looked) as I changed my viewing position when looking at the MacBook display.

Happily, I found iMac displays very tolerant of off-axis viewing. I can have three or four people gathered in front of my 21.5 inch iMac and no one is seeing an odd looking image. (I find 21.5 inch iMacs easier [lighter] to take on location and more stable when put on the lightweight folding table I bring with me on location.)

Chris