What should I look fo in a used laptop to be used for uploading and editing pictures on? What picture editing software do you recommend putting on it? Can such a laptop be found used for around $300?
Background:
My father believes I am a computer expert because I know a tiny bit more than he does, which is not saying a lot. He wants to know what specs he needs in the laptop he will buy for digital picture viewing and editing.
My father has a desktop at home, in Monterey, CA, but spends four months a year caravanning around Europe. He has been leaving the photography up to his lady friend but has become interested in taking it up again himself and getting a digital camera, a decision he claims is the result the bad influence I’ve had on him. So he has challenged me to determine what will best suit his wants and needs and advise him accordingly. I have already posted one question regarding the best method for uploading his pictures and after reviewing the informative and helpful responses and talking it over with him has decided that he should get a laptop so he can view, name, edit, and organize his pics in his spare time the four months while he’s traveling in addition to the other reasons why it might be nice to have a computer with him.
So I return to SDMB to ask: Which laptop should he buy? Did I mention he/we is/are of Scottish decent? That is, he is loath to spend any more than he absolutely has to. He has been looking at used laptops on e-bay and is resigned to spending around $300 on one.
Here is an example of one in his price range that is about to be sold:
IBM 600E Pentium II 366 MHz Processor, 128 megs ram, 6. gig HD, 13" screen, dvd-cd drive USB port, and 56k modem.
I am guessing that I can find old picture editing software that will run on it or something like it and that will do the trick. Am I mistaken? What do you recommend?
I know the DVD drive makes it more expensive but he has expressed an interest in one for using it to watch travel-oriented disks.
Again:
What specs are needed in a laptop to be used for uploading and editing pictures on? What picture editing software do you recommend putting on it?
I think it would be reasonable to take Adobe Photoshop Elements as a minimum requirement for photo editing. I say this because I’m so impressed with Elements’ capability for the price and Adobe historically has done a good job of minimizing hardware requirements. Here are the current requirements:
“Minimum processor: Pentium® processor, PowerPC™ processor
Operating system: Windows® 98, Windows® Me Millennium Edition, Windows® 2000, Windows® XP, Mac OS 9.1, Mac OS 9.2, Mac OS X V10.1.3 - V10.1.5
Minimum Memory Requirements: 128MB
Minimum Disk Space Requirements: 150MB for Windows, 350MB for Macintosh”
So, it looks like the laptop in question would be adequate for the job. However, to keep this from being painful, I would recommend adding another 128MB RAM to double the minimum memory requirement.
If frugality is a factor, just use the software that comes with the digi-cam, or look for freeware online.
You should warn your father that watching DVDs on a laptop will really chew up battery power… also, DVDs are area-coded, so unless he’s buying all of his DVDs in the same country as the laptop… though I have seen some souvenir and armchair travelogue-type DVDs that were area code-free.
He can save money and memory with a CD-R/W drive for storage of his photos. Most DVD drives do that anyhow.
An extra rechargeable battery for both the laptop and the digi-cam would be a good idea for the road.
View, name, and organize - Yes. Edit - no. Unless you’re talking about a high end laptop with a high contrast, wide viewing angle LCD you’ll never get WYSIWYG out of a laptop. Colors and contrast will shift if his head moves from the optimal viewing position, and even there the edges will likely not show true color. Then again, if he’s anything like my dad, that stuff won’t bother him. I’d tell him to save the original files and edit them at home on a good ol’ CRT, especially if he’s going to try to print them.
I trecently upgraded my 4.5 yo IBM laptop, I used PS Elements and Photosuite, prints up to 8.5x11 from 4&5 mpixel digicams and from scans of silver photos…it was 300mhz, 64mb.
I finally got a new one…2.6ghx, 512mb, 15 inch screen that is much less angle sensitive(you can always add a crt if the flatscreen isn’t up to your standards) and a cd burner, and I do prints up to 13x19". It is much better, especially when working with hi res drum scans
I have a fair amount of real world experience in using and selling and maintaining new and used notebooks. I going to go against the tide re the 300 notebook. For another 400 or so you can get a 2+ gigahertz one (with rebate) and with a full warranty that will play DVDs, burn CD’s and do a host of things better than the older 400-600 mhz units. Plus it will come with Windows XP, which is a far, far better and more stable OS than Win 98 or Win Me. A nice, new 2+ Ghz notebook with full warranty is so cheap these days, it is (IMO) a false economy to try and save a few hundred dollars an get a beater notebook vs spending a few hundred more for a unit with tremendously greater horsepower and a fresh battery.
Used notebooks, much more so than desktops, are a crap shoot in terms of the rigors of the life they have led before you get them, and how much life they have left. New batteries, even on older units are often $ 100+ and chances are better than even that a used notebook is going to have a battery that will soon need to be replaced. DVDs are another matter. Even if they have a DVD capable drive, you will have to get some decent playback software, and depending on the video chipset and the CPU horsepower available, the playback may (or may not) be all that smooth.
Having said this, you can easily get a unit for $300. (or less) that will edit photos. If the unit is running 98 or Me putting any more than 128 megs of RAM into the machine is going to have limited utility as Windows 98/Me really can’t make efficient use of much beyond 128 megs in terms of truly improving performance.