We aren’t into the holiday season just yet, but with the new MacBook Pro hitting the shelves, it sure feels like Christmas arrived early.
There are few tools out their better-suited for the pixel-to-pixel challenges faced by the modern photographer than the new MacBook Pro. With top-notch hardware and enough flash storage to support just about anything, it’s one of the most impressive pieces machines we’ve seen – ever.
While we’re licking our chops just to get our hands on the thing, professional photographer and Nikon Brand Ambassador Lucas Gilman has already put it into action.
Last week, our friends over at SLR Lounge had the chance to interview Lucas about his experience with the new Mac Book (Click here to read the full interview on SLR). Here’s a short excerpt about some of the main reasons why he’s excited to use this new system.
So after you come back from a shoot, what happens? What was your set up like before the new Mac Pro?
Once I get back to my office, I transfer the files from the G-DRIVE Ev into a G-DRIVE PRO with Thunderbolt, which acts as my working drive, and two USB 3.0 4-bay G-speed Q for backup. The original G-DRIVE mini goes to storage off-site.
Prior to working with the Mac Pro, I was already using the top-of-the-line 27″ Apple iMac with iFusion drive and 36GB RAM for my post-processing and video production work. Most of my post-production work is in Aperture, with a little bit of Photoshop when needed. For movie-editing, I use Final Cut Pro X.
So what’s it like to use the Mac Pro?
First of all, it is really a piece of art. It’s like an art sculpture. I can’t believe how small it is, too.
Performance-wise, there is zero lag in Aperture. Full screen images from the D800 can be processed and zoomed in and out instantly. And we’re dealing with 75MB RAW files here.
With Aperture, I build the Library within the Mac Pro’s internal SSD drive and reference the actual images stored in the working Thunderbolt G-DRIVE Pro.
I like to work fast and efficient. I “3-star” the images that make the first cut. Then I “4-star” the images in the next round of cut. Finally, I “5-star” the images that become the final selects. They get worked on, stored in the archive, and delivered to the client.
The Mac Pro is also great to use it for Final Cut Pro X when editing video as well. My iMac has dual graphics card, but this Mac Pro has dual AMD FirePro with 3GB VRAM.
Another big advantage with the Mac Pro for me is the 4K display support. I was using the Sharp 4K monitor and there was just tons of display space.
The Mac Pro and OS X Mavericks is a great marriage of hardware and software that have been tuned for each other. They help me focus on getting the job done much quicker and get back out on the field or spend more time with my family. I travel over 200 days per year, so the less time I can spend in the office, the better. The Mac Pro really enhances my workflow instead of getting in the way.
A big question we have about the Mac Pro centers around its lack of upgradeability and future-proofing. What are your thoughts on those two topics?
Honestly, even without internal expendability, the Thunderbolt 2 allows photographer to tailor their Mac Pro to suit their needs, whether it’s for a RED setup, Thunderbolt RAID, or a high-speed Network Storage. The Thunderbolt drives really keep up with filmmakers who are working in HD and 4K video.
First Successful Descent of Abiqua Falls from lucas Gilman on Vimeo.
Click here to read the full interview on SLR.
Source: SLR Lounge.
