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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Dell Mini
Debra L Rothenberg, Photographer
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New York | NY | USA | Posted: 9:25 AM on 10.22.08 |
->> http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/laptop-inspiron-9?...
anyone ever use this?
I am a MAC user but a photographer I know was using this last night and it was the perfect size...9 inches and very light.
No CD drive so (silly question)..how do you load the software?
Is this worth it for fast transmitting from the field? He seemed pleased, but he is a PC guy |
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George Bridges, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Washington | DC | USA | Posted: 9:37 AM on 10.22.08 |
->> Debra,
I'm a Mac person as well but I know a lot of photographers who like traveling with a smaller netbook like this for the space/weight/small-footprint-on-the-desk factors.
I've thought about buying one myself but mainly for a second home computer and doing things on it that are better targeted to Windows machines.
As far as photo uses go, there are a lot of limitations. For some basic work, quick filing, the specs are not bad. But the processor is slower and the RAM is lower than a larger notebook so you will see some speed drops, especially when importing a ton of images (very notably RAW) and if you have to do any heavy Photoshop work.
For getting a couple quick images out from on-site it would probably be perfect, but I wouldn't use it as your main photo workhorse. So you have to think if you want to load up your disks to send a few images and then do all that downloading of disks and editing again when you get home for archiving and filing additional images. |
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Richard Wolowicz, Photographer
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Brossard | QC | Canada | Posted: 9:40 AM on 10.22.08 |
->> I too saw this on the Dell website the other day. I know that an external CD/DVD is an option in their "Customize It" options (probably get one 3rd party at a better price) ... my question was how it would be able to handle running Photomechanic, CS3 and an FTP client at the same time.
Cool little machine and probably something I'm going to keep in mind when I look at upgrades but, the performance of it is what worries me. |
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George Bridges, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Washington | DC | USA | Posted: 10:22 AM on 10.22.08 |
->> Richard,
the biggest drawback is the 1gb of RAM maximum. When you get PM with 200 photos open and then want to open two or three 30mb images you will definitely see a slowdown, especially if you are used to working on a processor that is 2ghz-plus with 2-4 gb or RAM.
Also, I like the idea of a solid state drive but you definitely won't be putting a ton of images on such a small drive.
Again, good for travel but not what you want as your main machine |
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Ian Halperin, Photographer
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Mark Smith, Photographer
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Elk City | OK | USA | Posted: 11:40 AM on 10.22.08 |
| ->> My wife was looking at one of these, and my concern was the solid state drive, and whether a larger one would be available in the future, and whether it would be upgradeable. |
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Rich Cruse, Photographer
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Laguna Niguel | CA | USA | Posted: 12:40 PM on 10.22.08 |
->> The Dell looks like a great size. The processor is under powered, so it might not be very useful for heavy PhotoShop use. Even the 16 gig drive would be filled up with two of my CF cards, so an external drive would be mandatory. I don't know if the Dell can power external USB drives. It might require a powered hub. Still it is intriguing.
For Apple users, the new MacBook for $1299 is a lot more useful and it has a 13" screen. The MacBook Air is the closest Apple has to the Dell. It is more than double the cost, but a much more capable machine.
Lots of people like these smaller machines for basic web, email and MS Office type stuff- no heavy lifting.
Rich
PS: Don't forget you can get FREE Wi-Fi at all Starbuck's for 2 hours each day if you have a balance on one of their gift cards. |
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Kirby Yau, Photographer, Assistant
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San Diego | CA | USA | Posted: 4:06 PM on 10.22.08 |
->> Maybe Zach Honig can shed some light on this.
What would be the equivalent to the bat signal? |
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Mark Smith, Photographer
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Elk City | OK | USA | Posted: 4:38 PM on 10.22.08 |
| ->> A spotlight with a big Z? Or, would that bring Zorro? |
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Landon Finch, Photographer
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Colorado Springs | CO | USA | Posted: 4:47 PM on 10.22.08 |
->> The 16GB hard drive in my mind makes it useless for photo work.
If you're looking for something small, check out the HP Mini-Note. |
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David Harpe, Photographer
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Louisville | KY | USA | Posted: 5:19 PM on 10.22.08 |
->> Minis
For the past couple of years I've been using a Sony T350 Ultraportable for field work. The Sony is a very similar size compared to the Dell and is actually a bit slower in the processor department. Ultraportables are great if you need to shoot and transmit and not do a lot of post-production. The Sony was completely adequate when running XP and Photomechanic, and it's only running at 1.2GHz (versus 1.6GHz for the Dell). Definitely not good enough for a primary machine, but for tactical applications like newspaper and wire work when you need to pack light and transmit fast, they are awesome.
The 16Gb SSD will be fine for doing most things. With three USB ports it's trivial to add an external drive...which you'll need anyway for archiving.
I'll probably pick one up in the next couple of weeks and retire my Sony. |
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Debra L Rothenberg, Photographer
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New York | NY | USA | Posted: 7:36 PM on 10.22.08 |
->> a small laptop wouldn't be my main machine. As anyone who is an "urban" photographer knows, it's back breaking to carry everything plus a laptop all day long. It would be used to FTP out no more than 20 jpegs at most.
Another photographer today was using the MAC Air and he was raving about it. It's larger than the Dell Mini (but it's a MAC!) and he said it was faster and a little heavier. I know some here hate the Air for fast FTP work but he was raving about it.
My old G4 Powerbook is getting too heavy and slow and it's time for a new laptop just for field work. |
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Charles Gawlik, Photographer
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San Diego | CA | USA | Posted: 12:22 PM on 10.23.08 |
->> I am using a Q1Ultra made by Samsung. Samsung describes the machine as an UMPC (Ultra Mobile Personal Computer) I picked up this machine before an assignment where I needed to transmit quickly and did not wish to lug a traditional laptop around. In fact the Q1Ultra fits into the ThinkTank Speed Changer which was a plus for me at the time of purchase (Summer 2007). At one time I had tethered the camera to the UMPC which was then bluetoothed to my cellular phone and I was able to shoot and transmit at the same time. (Was not a practical setup as the bluetooth was slower than I had anticipated. Another session I tethered via USB both the camera and the phone at the same time.) The one time I used the machine as my sole computer on a trip I brought along a fold-up bluetooth keyboard so I could type at a reasonable speed as I am suffering from PSP thumbs these days and am trying to rest the thumbs as much as possible. The screen is a touch screen with an integrated keyboard software, but I usually turn that off to save system resources.
Lately though I use the Q1Ultra with Pixagent's ITP for shooting the club scene where I will wifi my camera(s) to the Q1Ultra which will be connected to the house video screens for updated images throughout the night. And at home I use the Q1Ultra as a Skype phone.
The Q1Ultra Specifications:
* Windows Vista Home Premium (some users have downgraded their systems to XP Pro)
* 800MHz CPU (faster ones are available)
* 2GB RAM (came with 1GB but I cracked the case open and replaced with a 2GB SODIMM, once I hear of users able to install a 4GB SODIMM I may do the same).
* Built in front and back 1.3MP cameras
* 60GB Hard Drive
* WiFi B/G/N, Bluetooth, Ethernet
* 1024x600 screen resolution
* Wireless Modems - Verizon/ATT/Sprint aircards modems are available, I do not have one though.
Cons:
You will notice that last line of the specifications... The 1024x600 screen resolution is not a typo. I installed Photoshop CS3 Extended and am able to use Photoshop but the Camera Raw dialog box is a pain to manage on the small height of the screen. So for absolute-needing-to-be-done-at-that-immeadiate-moment image editing I would always need to connect an external monitor to use a full 1024x800 screen. (A plus is that I can setup actions/scripts to run from Pixagent through Photoshop which can apply metadata and any curve adjustments I desire without needing to launch and monitor Photoshop. Also as the monitor is a touchscreen I can use the stylus like a wacom tablet for creating selections, or brush strokes). The default RAM that came with the machine was hi-latency RAM, so I swapped out for larger a larger capacity and low-latency RAM and performance has dramatically improved. |
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Mike Huffstatler, Photographer
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Rancho Cucamonga | Ca | United States | Posted: 2:39 PM on 10.23.08 |
->> In an attempt to get this back towards the original question (while smelling the imminent MAC v PC battle), let me add this about the Mini 9. I know a bit about this as my full time gig is as a technology specialist for the company selling these. While I work more with corporate accounts, and this is consumer oriented , I do specialize in "client" products so I need to know about this unit. That said however: please consider anything here to be MY PERSONAL OPINION and not one of official statement of which I am not qualified to provide. The only reason for mention of this is full disclosure.
The mini9 is positioned as a mid-tier product. Something that provides a level of functionality between a smart phone device and a full-blown PC. It is more purpose built, with optimazations for lighter usage like web browsing, email or other communication and multimedia consumption, not necesarily creation. The Atom processor is uses is not going to give you performance levels of a standard Core 2 duo processor.
solid state with no moving parts means great durability. Integrated 802.11 wireless for hotspots or other wireless networks, and soon to be avaialble integrated wireless WAN capabilities...cellular based data...from all the major carriers. Having these options should allow you to transmit from just about anywhere.
16gb SSD might be a limiting factor, but, I think it can be worked around easy enough. Its not designed to load large applications. I would never even consider loading photoshop on it. Photo Mechanic should run fine though, but it might make for a bit different workflow. Instead of copying files to your laptops hard drive, keep them on the CF cards. Heck, you can get cards larger than what's installed in the mini and they are so cheap now you probably have plenty to shoot a gig and leave them there for the night.
Regarding the 1gb memory limit, that really should be a non-issue if you are not loading big applications. If it is of concern, there are a couple of blogs out there touting some hacks. It's actually fairly easy to plug in a 2gb DIMM, but it is not something Dell has tested/endorsed.
For loading software, you can connect USB based CDROM, or in many cases, applications are avaialble for download so you just pull them down direct. (I'm pretty sure PM still has this)
If you want more of a lightweight, full blown PC, there are a couple o fnew options in the Dell Latitude lineup. The E4200 is a 2.2 pound, 12.1" LED display, full power unit with a full host of ports, replacable batteries, firewire, eSata, solid state drives that out perform 10k RPM drives and more. no built in optical drive here, but there are external devices. If you want a bit larger screen at 13.3", full power processor instead of ultra-low voltage, better graphics, faster memory, integrated optical drive and can handle 3.5 pounds, check the E4300. I have one of these coming to me soon and look forward to putting through the paces.
As always, find the right tool for the right job. There will always be options. Might be a windows XP unit, a Vista unit, or a MAC O/S unit...they are all "PC's" after all.
Hope this helps. Let me know what specific questions you might have. This might be pretty general.
Mike |
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Paul Nelson, Photographer
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Temperance | MI | USA | Posted: 11:01 PM on 10.23.08 |
->> I still have a Latitude L400 and Inspiron 2100 that I'm about to give up on. They are Dell ultraportables from the about 4-5 years ago and can run Windows XP. The only reason I won't continue to keep them is that they can only support 256mb of memory - otherwise they'd still have value! They are smaller than a textbook and keep the weight down. They're also very easy to tear down and replace any component (if you have experience working on portables).
However - the drawbacks (always improving though) of ultra portability is less overall battery life, slower processing, and connecting everything externally. (plus these old laptops of mine don't have USB 2.0 - only 1.1, ugh). There's a time and a place, especially in the field where these get the simple tasks done. The older models are so cheap now that if you break it, just buy another! Just wish they had a little more expansion ability. The price is low on new ones though too - so there's a whole plethora of options (used and new).
The models everyone is talking about in the thread are nothing new vs. the old ones I have - just better bells and whistles. It's essentially a LCD screen and a motherboard surrounded by plastic, so there's not so many parts vs. your standard laptop. The portability issues have been around since the first laptop came out :) Everyone has their own preferences as to what they want and can lug around.
If I really had to make a decision though, I'd like one that can make toast:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP-reW1eLYE |
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