# 2 part question from a total beginner



## Distractionator (Jun 6, 2016)

Should I invest in a computer to do photo editing, or should I invest in more lenses? If I should go with the computer first should I go desktop or laptop? Any suggestions?


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## Ysarex (Jun 6, 2016)

Are you shooting digital or film? How do you edit photos now? If you use a laptop you should make sure the display is good for photo editing. Many laptops have YN displays (power conservative and cheap) but they are poor for photo editing.

Joe


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## table1349 (Jun 6, 2016)

Digital or Film?

If it is Digital why would you invest in more lenses to take pictures you can't see.  Kind of like shooting film and never developing the negatives.  

As for a computer desktop with an ISP display.


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## Trever1t (Jun 6, 2016)

Obviously the OP is shooting digital and has a computer but wants to know if lenses or upgrading the system is advised.

Answer: you need to tell us what you have in order to give a somewhat realistic suggestion.


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## wyogirl (Jun 6, 2016)

What lenses do you currently own?  What type of photography do you shoot?  Your question has too many holes for us to give you solid advice.


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## Distractionator (Jun 6, 2016)

I'm shooting digital, I don't edit my photos currently, I just store them to an older laptop I've got laying around. I've only got the basic lens which are an AF-S nikkor 18-55mm and a nikon AF nikkor 70-300 the camera I'm using is the nikon d3300, I know pretty basic gear all around but this is something I wanna grow into


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## dxqcanada (Jun 6, 2016)

Desktop computer ... more bang for the buck.
Laptop if portability/small space is essential.

In day an age of photography the computer is your darkroom, so it is a tool, part of your camera equipment.


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## Distractionator (Jun 6, 2016)

Thank you very much. Any suggestions on a good desktop, not outrageously expensive?


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## dxqcanada (Jun 6, 2016)

"Expensive" is a relative term ...


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## table1349 (Jun 6, 2016)

dxqcanada said:


> "Expensive" is a relative term ...


I know what you mean, when my wife's relatives come over for dinner it gets Expensive.


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## dxqcanada (Jun 6, 2016)

gryphonslair99 said:


> dxqcanada said:
> 
> 
> > "Expensive" is a relative term ...
> ...



KFC ... that's the solution.


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## jcdeboever (Jun 6, 2016)

Distractionator said:


> Thank you very much. Any suggestions on a good desktop, not outrageously expensive?


If you can afford it, get a Mac. 

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk


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## snowbear (Jun 6, 2016)

dxqcanada said:


> KFC ... that's the solution.


No - McDonald's dollar menu


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## otherprof (Jun 6, 2016)

jcdeboever said:


> Distractionator said:
> 
> 
> > Thank you very much. Any suggestions on a good desktop, not outrageously expensive?
> ...


I moved from PC to Mac (MacBook Pro) and have never regretted it. I'm out on my deck taking a break from sorting photos right now. But the desktop Macs are generally less expensive for what you get, and you do get that big monitor.


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## KmH (Jun 6, 2016)

The last computer I bought was a refurbished Dell Optiplex 760.
I got it from Overstock.com.
Intel Core Duo 2 E7400 @ 2.80GHz processor, 750 GB disk drive, upgraded power supply.
Windows 7 Professional 64-bit SP1
I upgraded the RAM to a total of 8 GB of Dual-Channel 398MHz DDR2.
I bought the computer on September 8, 2013, it cost me $266.


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## wyogirl (Jun 6, 2016)

I edit on a gaming pc-- an alien gear/dell. I like Mac but I couldn't justify the price at the time. Plus-- my pc was a surprise gift from my very well meaning and supportive husband. Your display is a very important piece of this puzzle so I wouldn't buy a "kit", instead buy your monitor separate.


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## chuasam (Jun 6, 2016)

Distractionator said:


> Thank you very much. Any suggestions on a good desktop, not outrageously expensive?


the iMac 27" is awesome. Way more affordable than the MacPro.


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## Distractionator (Jun 7, 2016)

Thank you everyone for the input, I think I'm gonna go with the iMac 27" just gotta figure out the specs to get


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## Designer (Jun 7, 2016)

What is your proposed budget?


Distractionator said:


> Thank you everyone for the input, I think I'm gonna go with the iMac 27" just gotta figure out the specs to get


You can upgrade the RAM very easily.  I upgraded mine from 4g to 12g.


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## table1349 (Jun 7, 2016)

I would go for as much as you can afford.  The i7 processor and as much ram as possible.  I finally had to replace the old 7 year old iMac a few months ago.  The 5K display is nice, got the i7 processor and 32 gigs of ram plus the 3tb hybrid drive.  It should easily last at least 7 years before i need to replace it.  Mac's tend to be useable longer than PC's before the need to replace them.


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## sw_ (Jun 7, 2016)

Just upgraded the misses' laptop from 4gb to 16gb. Zoom!!! Shop around and get the best bang for your buck, check with a local computer repair shop to see if they have something versus paying a lot for something you don't truly need. 

My .02


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## Distractionator (Jun 7, 2016)

My budget is around 1500 right now but can save up if need be, I really appreciate all the help everyone is giving me! Thanks guys


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## waday (Jun 7, 2016)

Distractionator said:


> My budget is around 1500 right now but can save up if need be, I really appreciate all the help everyone is giving me! Thanks guys


The 27-inch iMac starts at $1800. Do you need the extra desktop space on the 27-inch? I know you _want_ that extra space, but do you need it? Likely not.

I debated going to the larger 27-inch, but it wasn't worth the extra expense for me. The 21.5-inch works well enough, costs less, and looks perfect at my desk. Any larger would have been just too large.

I am a hobbyist, not a professional. If I was a professional making money off, I would give you a differing opinion. 

What do you do with your photos? If you're a hobbyist like me, then you don't need top of the line. Save that extra money for lenses, bills, etc. Just my opinion.


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## Distractionator (Jun 7, 2016)

I'm more of a hobbyist right now, but I wanna eventually become a professional


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## Stradawhovious (Jun 7, 2016)

Distractionator said:


> I'm more of a hobbyist right now, but I wanna eventually become a professional



With that in mind, If I'm being honest I would say that investing in editing hardware or gear upgrades is pointless until you have developed enough skill as a photographer to reach the full potential of the gear you have now, and the gear you have now is plenty capable for a beginner.

Have you reached the full potential of the gear you have now?  By that, I mean are the physical limitations of what you have preventing you from progressing in your craft?

If not, then spend your money on knowledge.  If so, then spend your money on stuff.

My .02


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## Distractionator (Jun 7, 2016)

My limitation as of now is I don't have a computer to do photoshop or any photo editing software to tweak my photos, so I'd like to get a computer so I can start working with some photo editing softwares. But you're right I should definitely look into gaining knowledge, any suggestions on any books?


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## Stradawhovious (Jun 7, 2016)

Distractionator said:


> My limitation as of now is I don't have a computer to do photoshop or any photo editing software to tweak my photos, so I'd like to get a computer so I can start working with some photo editing softwares. But you're right I should definitely look into gaining knowledge, any suggestions on any books?




Don't get me wrong, I have no idea where you are at technically, so I wasn't suggesting anything specific... just recommending a question to ask yourself.

Book recommendations are tough without knowing where you are at technically, but people of all skill levels can learn from the following book...

http://www.amazon.com/Light-Science...e and magic&qid=1465337953&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

There are also a million groups on Flickr and Facepage that are really helpful as well, that will cater to specific disciplines.


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## Distractionator (Jun 7, 2016)

I'm pretty much just starting out to be honest, I've always wanted to get into photography, and I'm happy to finally be chasing my passion, and it's a perfect question I should be asking myself. I appreciate all the input and help.


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## Stradawhovious (Jun 7, 2016)

Distractionator said:


> I'm pretty much just starting out to be honest, I've always wanted to get into photography, and I'm happy to finally be chasing my passion, and it's a perfect question I should be asking myself. I appreciate all the input and help.



Are you familiar with the exposure triangle?  Rule of thirds? Depth of Field?

If you aren't very familiar with those three concepts, it would be a fantastic place to start, and best of all with the wealth of knowledge available to you on the interwebz, that information is cheap as free.


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## Distractionator (Jun 7, 2016)

I'm not familiar with any of those at all, so thank you very much for the help


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## Dave442 (Jun 8, 2016)

Although I use a Mac now, I've always felt my Windows machines give very good performance at a much better price point. If I was starting out then I would go for a decent Windows machine and then plan to review again in a couple years. 

I suggest looking for a photography course and of course, take a lot of pictures.


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## JonTinkler (Jun 8, 2016)

Hi there, if you're going to start editing in any sort of volume you'll just want to get as much RAM as you can afford, and Lightroom. What kind of budget do you have? 

If you're thinking down the lens path, the Nikon 50mm f1.8 is a brilliant little lens for not a lot of $$$ - it is tons sharper than the ones you have right now, and great for low light. But again, it really depends on what you're shooting!


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## Distractionator (Jun 8, 2016)

That's a very good point I could go with a pc for a lot cheaper now and always upgrade in the future for sure. My budget is around 1500. As far as what I'm shooting, I've been shooting anything and everything I can


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## robbins.photo (Jun 8, 2016)

Distractionator said:


> That's a very good point I could go with a pc for a lot cheaper now and always upgrade in the future for sure. My budget is around 1500. As far as what I'm shooting, I've been shooting anything and everything I can



I wouldn't spend anywhere near that 1500 if ?I were you,  A refurbished I3 with 8gig of ram or maybe a bit more would be more than enough to get the job done.  Put the rest in the bank and use it to pay for a subscription to photoshop and lightroom, and maybe future lens or camera upgrades down the road. 

Not a big fan of the subscription thing myself mind you, but sadly it's just the way it goes.  Not really much else out there that will do what photoshop does for me so I end up spending 10 bucks a month on it and lightroom.  Would rather buy it outright but they really don't do that anymore, so cest la vie.


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## TheLibrarian (Jun 16, 2016)

Not to hijack the thread but do some people enjoy using tablets with touch screen and perhaps some stylus for much cheaper and still apple? I realized recently I think I have 1000 GB on my PC even though its not that great, its officey. and you can probably get touch screens on desktops if you want them.


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## fredd80 (Jun 18, 2016)

If we are talking about photo editing, Mac books are nice but be aware that parts are soldered to the board. There are far more equally good Windows laptops like the Dell XPS 15/13  that have as good or better resolution and vastly better audio.  The Lenovo Yoga series is also excellent. There are also laptops from Dell, Acer, Asus, Lenovo that are very good for less money AND you can replace parts. I always look for different reviews online that are up to date. Check Technemag as I know they got articles on video, photo and graphic design laptops. Also, think about narrowing your focus on what you plan on working with and I'm sure you'll be able to find more specific answers.


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## Big Red Dobie (Jun 27, 2016)

I would suggest finding a computer store, one of the small ones, NOT a Best Buy or chain store. They generally accept trade-ins from those that want to upgrade then sell what was traded in. I bought an I7 Lenovo with 8gig ram - had it upgraded to 16 and still was under 400 for a laptop. That would leave about 1100 to put towards a couple of lens, software to edit the pics with and a lot of other things.

Jim


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## donny1963 (Jul 19, 2016)

Distractionator said:


> Should I invest in a computer to do photo editing, or should I invest in more lenses? If I should go with the computer first should I go desktop or laptop? Any suggestions?




Depends, do you need lenses for what you want to do, you can always get your lenses you want,, they are places in some areas that you can rent work stations on site, prices vary but are affordable, so you can edit your stuff there, and some of these places use both windows systems and mac , so if you want you can test out both and see what you like best.
both windows and mac work great, it's all a matter of preference..
I would advise to stay away from laptops to do editing, they are not as good for display and laptops tend to cost more money, for what you would pay

for a laptop you could get a better desktop system.
I'm a windows guy always have always will, being that i use to work for Microsoft for years.
Years ago windows and DOS platform was buggy and had problems, but all that has been taken care of today's windows works great.

Now you don't have to go this way, but what i tend to advise people when they ask is, to get the best widows desktop system you can afford, try to go with SSD drives because they work faster.
What i use to edit my images and i shoot RAW because this is the best way to go more flexible and you can recover images better when you shoot raw.
I use Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop for my post-production work.

Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop are awesome, and you can get them cheap, you can lease both lightroom and photoshop as a package for only $9.99 a month, they have a few packages you can join up with,

the one i use to get both lightroom and photoshop is the photography package.
years ago you use to have to buy each one of them for a high price and when they came out with the newer version you had to upgrade spending money almost every year, this got quite expensive,  with this deal you never own them but you lease them for only $9.99 a month and get all the updates and newer versions automatically, so you always have the newest version of both software.

you can even pay less by leasing them by the year, for a bit less then $9.99 a month, the only catch is you pay for the entire year up front.
but you end up paying less.

you can check out all the plans they have available to you.  here      Adobe Creative Cloud
you can even check out some of there other software you might have interest as well and get deals on leasing.
now you can get another package that has most of there software in it, for $49.99 a month, and that is a deal .
I don't because i only use 3 of the adobe software,   Lightroom photoshop and Premiere Pro, i pay $19.99 on top of the $9.99 for the photography package  for the Premiere Pro..

Bur for right now for photography, Lightroom and photoshop is all your going to ever need for now until you start doing more advance stuff like video editing and rendering 3d in video's , for that i use Premiere Pro.
Now for a monitor,you want a good monitor because when you do your post  editing you want the colors and settings to be accurate as possible.

i use a QHD monitor.  benQ sw2700PT 27"   .
and you also want to calibrate it each time you do your editing, i use the X-Rite Colormunki, cost like $400.00 but it will do all the work for you when you calibrate your monitor.

If you chose not to use that you might end up with incorrect settings and when you go to get your work printed they will look differently then what you expected and saw on your monitor..
Calibrating it will ensure everything is correct when you edit your pictures..
Even Highlights and contrast will be effected as well as color..

Now this is if you are trying to be serious about your images and want them to be as perfect as they can be, if your just taking pictures to share on Facebook then you don't really need to do any of that..

If you get serious and or start to do weddings or something then you definitely want to do that, because chances are your customers would be getting different looking images then you intended especially when it comes to having prints made..

Hope this helps..


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