Brian

OK, the answer to your question… ”It depends…” LMAO!! What does it depend on? How your camera is setup. Plus the more that is going on, results in how many photos you will take. If you are into details a lot, you will shoot more. If you are a “Spray and Pray” shooter, you will shoot more. If your Wedding is 12-15 hrs, you will shoot more. See what I mean? First, it starts with your camera’s sensor, the more MP, the larger the Image sizes overall. For example, my Nikon D850 produces WAY BIGGER Raw images than my D4s. Second, is how you setup your camera to record images. You definitely want to shoot Raw, but you don’t need to set your camera to the highest Bit setting either. A 16 Bit image will have more data than a 12 Bit image. Same thing as a 14 Bit image vs a 12 Bit. Then you might decide to use compression which reduces the image sizes thereby giving you more images per card. So what do I use when I shoot Weddings? 12-Bit Uncompressed. I do not want my camera reducing any data and in reality, 12-Bit is fine for 99.99999% of what people shoot. Even though “Lossless Compression” exists and has been out forever, I still like my image files un-touched. That being said, some cameras do not allow anything but “Lossless Compression” turned on, which is a shame. Finally, since you have one of the newer fancy Canons, I would recommend turning sRAW off. Don’t use it. It’s the same thing: you are compressing the files to gain more images per card at a cost of messing around with the data in those images. This is my personal point-of-view, even though others will go out of my way to change my mind, I’m not budging Bottom Line: You need another 64GB card. The way I shoot Weddings is I have a “A Set” and a “B Set.” The A Set is for the getting ready, Ceremony shots and usually formals. The B Set is for the Reception shots. My camera is set to “Duplicate” so the images are recorded on both cards at the same time. 64GB is plenty for most cameras and by having multiple sets ensures you won’t run out of space. Speaking of space, it’s always a good idea to leave a little space on the card. I NEVER fill a card and have my camera to always favored image quality vs file size. A GB left is fine. Finally, I do have a “C Set.” That’s my “Overflow/Backup” set. If anything were to go wrong with either the A or B Set, the C Set is used. My cards are treated in pairs, ALWAYS. I never just swap a single card, especially if the camera is set to duplicate cards. You will seriously mess yourself up by just swapping out one card. To answer your question, you should have plenty of space with two sets of 64GB cards. But again, that’s on you. If you lay on the shutter a lot, you will have less room overall. So make sure you Photograph More and shoot less. You also want to learn Continuous Focusing Modes on your camera. Especially for the walking shots. One Shot or Single will bite you in the Ass and if you aren’t used to using Continuous, or AI-Servo or whatever Canon calls it, time to start practicing NOW.

Honestly? I hate laptops for photo-editing. I feel that Mac Laptops are way overpriced and it’s very tough to find a IPS based screen in a Windows laptop. In reality, you are looking at the gaming laptop selection. Not only for the RAM, CPU Speed and HD capacity, but you really need a separate and dedicated video GPU with its own video RAM to make today’s modern Photoshop run well. Check out the Windows Forum here, I have a few articles pinned at the top and have answered this same question so many times.

My opinion on the M1 line is “Meh.” The main issue with the Liquid Retina Display is they can not be calibrated with the current and affordable tools/devices that are on the market. No SpyderX Elite or equivalent device, it’s not compatible with the current MacBook Pro Screens. Also, there is no upgrading the fact as everything is built into one chip. With the M1, and soon to be released in the next few months…the M2 line, is you aren’t buying for today, but 4-8 years from now. Of course you may not have a problem forking out $3000-$4000 every 24-36 months for a laptop. I personally do.

That’s fine. The 4TB portable ones should work well. Enjoy your purchase.

So how much space have you purchased for iCloud?

You want a 6TB SSD Drive? I can hear your wallet screaming all the way to my house. That. Is. Going. To. Be. Expensive. I’d recommend buying Sandisk EVO 8TB SSD Drives and making your own external. The trick will be finding a case that supports those drives. Why are you hung up on a SSD Drive? The G-Drives you linked to are fine drives. Even though they are traditional spinning HDs, they are Enterprise Grade. That means they are not the cheap $99 special that you are used to. If you are worried about speed, the USB 3.0 Bottleneck will kill the true potential of that SSD Drive. If you are worried about moving parts and you travel a lot, I’d get a larger capacity of that Sandisk Model that you linked to above. SSD isn’t bulletproof, they have their own issues. So don’t fall for marketing. Here is that drive I was talking about: Samsung 870 QVO SATA III 2.5" SSD 8TB (MZ-77Q8T0B) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089C3TZL9/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_T6QSBXSZRTCW84Q2182N

Before we get into that stuff, what display are you considering? The new MBPs can not be calibrated with the current calibration devices as the screens are too new technology-wise and we need to wait for the next gen calibration tools. As far as HD space, 512 is just not enough. I still recommend at least 1TB at a minimum. With the M1 Macs, they are way more efficient when it comes to RAM, so 16GB should be enough. That said, when it comes to the M1 Macs, everything is built onto one big chip (CPU, Video, RAM, HD Storage) so you need to think 7-8 years ahead and choose the upgrade options now as there is no upgrading after the fact. Didn’t buy enough RAM for your $4000 M1 MBP? Too bad, you need to buy a whole new laptop to get more.

I’m moving this to the Macintosh Users Group.

I also own, use and recommend G-Drives. That drive is fine, though I think a 6TB model is a better deal. Remember, you won't have the full 4TB to play with once it's formatted. Speaking of which, let me know when you get that drive and we will go over partitioning and formatting it to NTFS. Lots of Manufacturers are setting their drives to ExFAT, which I do not like.

Yes. Though 1TB of storage, after formatting is 900-and-something Gigabytes. Are you sure that's large enough? That being said, if you are looking for portability, that drive has been on my Amazon Wishlist for quite some time.

One has Thunderbolt 3 Ports and USB-C 3.2 Gen 1, the other has a single USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 Port only. If you have a Thunderbolt 3 port on your Windows Computer, or have a new Mac, which has Thunderbolt 3/4 ports, get the Thunderbolt version. If you don't the USB-C 3.2 Single port version is fine. Both drives are the Enterprise-Grade (Meaning Beefy & Strong) type so you don't have to worry about that. Basically, it's the same drive in both, just the interface ports on the back of the case are different.

I like!! Enjoy your purchase.

If you are going with a MacBook, you can upgrade the HD to 2TB, buts that’s kinda expensive. Personally, I’d leave it at 1TB and get a Thunderbolt 3 external drive, like this one: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1644072-REG A Thunderbolt 3 interface is FAST. Combine that with 12TB, should give you lots of space. That’s the drive that I have. Now, I’d you are the type that dumps everything on your HD, never deletes anything and wants to have your files with you at all times, then you are paying for Apple’s expensive larger internal HDs.

Just think, $271 vs $1000!!!

Yes. That looks like the RAM. What I would do, is remove the existing Apple RAM and put those two 16GB sticks in those slots. Then install the Apple RAM in the empty slots. It’s easy to do, takes about 5 min or so, lots and lots of YouTube videos demonstrating the process. When you are done, head to the Apple Menu and select “About this Mac…” it should say 40GB.

From the website: "NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 graphics card," That's the card I'm always recommending. 8GB is perfect for Photoshop CC. The only thing I do not like is this: "512GB SSD + 2TB HDD" That means you have a 512GB Main Drive and a 2TB Secondary Drive. I personally prefer 1TB main drives. If you do go with that configuration, you will need to be hyper-anal and very particular on what is installed on that C Drive. No more thinking "Next-next-next...yes-agree...next-next-next-finish." You will have to make sure WHAT is installed on that main drive. Otherwise I foresee a post either here or in Ask Damien in 6 months wondering why your brand new computer is "running so slow." See if you can upgrade that Drive to at least 1TB. Everything else is fine.

First things first... Is this the 27" model or the stupid 24" or 21.5" model? The reason that I ask is, when it comes to Apple: Go Big or Go Home!! What I always recommend to people, including myself, is to start with the most expensive 27" iMac Model and then go upgrading things. Why? Because Apple charges you MORE FOR THE SAME EXACT COMPONENT UPGRADE if you went with the lower model trying to "Save" money. That's right...that 1TB HD upgrade is CHEAPER if you went with the most expensive 27" iMac!! So if you chose a $1999 or $1799 model, the HD upgrade would probably cost you about $100 more. Nice, eh? When it's all said and done, this is what I would buy today, right now. I would then purchase a 32GB Upgrade Kit from Crucial (or their resellers) to upgrade the RAM from 8GB to 40GB. This upgrade should cost you no more than $300 or so. For the same upgrade from Apple, well to take it to 32GB, would cost $1000 on top of the iMac's cost and you will have less RAM in the end. So why pay $1000 and get less? Save that money and get more for it. Anyway, here is the configuration: Cost is $3229 before AppleCare, Shipping & Tax. Prices are in US Dollars. Do yourself a favor and DO NOT BUY A 21.5" iMac. You are not saving ANY money in the slightest. Apple has crippled that iMac line and they can not be easily upgraded after the fact, since there isn't any access panels. You get a better motherboard, better components, better speed, better configuration options if you went with a 27" model. The 21.5" iMacs are meant for General Computing...meaning: Wasting time on FB, Pinterest and the like, answering e-mail, paying bills, watching Netflix, stuff like that. The 21.5" iMac is fine. As soon as you throw "Photo Editing" or worse yet, "Video Editing" into the mix, you are no longer a "General Computer User." Why do I recommend the things that I do? Because when I build my computers, I have a 7-8 year time-frame in mind. I'm not forking out my hard-earned cash every two years or so. My 2017 27" iMac is still going strong and I have at least another 5-6 years of usage out of the thing. So I'd rather fork out $3600 now, have it last for 7 years than to fork out $2500 every 24-36 months. KWIM? $3600-ish vs $7500. Something to think about.

I'd get one that has the DisplayPort. Well, if your computer has a DisplayPort. Personally, I like the Dell Ultrasharp IPS based displays.

DisplayPort is the most flexible out of all the port types. It's Royalty-Free, which makes Manufactures want to use them. There are all sorts of adapters / cables. DisplayPort to HDMI, DisplayPort to DVI, there is even a DisplayPort to VGA! So if you do get a dock that has two Display Ports, all you would need is to get the appropriate adapter/cable to attach to the existing monitors. If she upgrades her Display, DisplayPort is one of the standard ports going forward. As we've agreed above, just make sure the Dock has it's own power source to help with things. Let me know what you get.

IF her laptop has a single USB-C port, that would be perfect. This Docking Station is what I had in mind. I'm sure you can find something similar on your side of the planet. For the Display that is DVI, you need one of these cables: DisplayPort to DVI Cable OR if she already is using / has a DVI Cable, you need one of these DisplayPort to DVI Adapters. What she needs is very standard with today's technology, but at a Cavieat...she needs to have a USB-C (Thunderbolt 3) to obtain the optimum results. We can make things work with a USB 3.0 Port though...but not a USB 2.0 Port.

Also, what is the interface type of her two displays? HDMI? DisplayPort? Hopefully one of those two and not a VGA port. The “Powered Hub” Dock that I’m referring to should be around A$60-ish. In the States they go for about $40 on Amazon.

Yeah, I’d recommend getting a Dell Docking station IF you are looking to insert the laptop directly into the docking station. Otherwise, you could get one that I will refer to as a “Hub”, meaning it uses USB-C ports and has its own power. This way you can get the benefits of a dock without risking shorting the laptop if you purchased a generic one. What Dell Laptop does she have? I’m sure she has three screens going, my wife does at our home. I joke that she has a “Command Center” before I was able to create one.

Not all Macs make a startup sound. It’s normal. You can go in the Command Line and type a command to enable it, but this command doesn’t work at all on brand new Macs. The new Macs don’t make the sound at all; it doesn’t seem to be part of the ROM’s programming any longer. Oh the sound that people recognize the most is a F# Major Chord, in case you are wondering. Well, it has been a few differ tones over the years, even was a C Major Chord at one point. Give this video a watch for more info:

It's because you are using cheap lights. If you make a change, fire it off a few times. Also, weak batteries will screw with you as well. If you are looking for a light and you photograph babies & kids a lot, like your sample photos above, you are looking at a 250 Watt Seconds Light, such as the Profoto B10 OCF Flash Head (250 w/s). The 500 w/s light has too much power for the fuzzy-wuzzy sleeping baby photos. The cool part with the B10 is you can control them via your smart phone instead of forking out the $450 or so for the Hot Shoe TTL Controller.

Well, that’s the thing with flash photography, your camera’s metering system is completely worthless. Why? Because the light from the strobe isn’t present until you click the shutter. The WB values are compiled using the ambient light, and then suddenly change when the light from the flash hits the subject, albeit very briefly. That’s why I asked about what lights you use, the better lights will tell you what to expect for color temperature with their bulbs and what value you need to set your camera to when using their products. There is a difference between a $2000 light like a ProPhoto and a $200 light like a Alien Bee. Even a light like a Godoy AD400 might have issues, but photographers seem to like them and I even thought about getting one at some point. Cheaper lights, like Alien Bees, are all over the place and the color temp can change on you from shot to shot. This is the result of the power output of the Bee, it changes especially if you change the light power. It usually takes 3-4 flashes from the Bee to get it to settle down if you change something. You might want to utilize a Gray Card more often and use the WB eye dropper tool. Granted, it’s not 100% fool proof, but you will need to fiddle and figure out what works for you or at the very least create a starting point for your WB in post. Again, this topic is covered in the Raw Class. Edit: One more thing! Adobe’s thinking of White Balance Color Temp and the Camera Manufacturer’s thinking of WB Color Temp usually are different. So even though you may set your camera to 5000K (or whatever) it may not be what Adobe perceives as “5000K.” That’s the frustrating part with WB and Adobe’s products; the Camera Manufacturers do not share the “Secret Sauce Recipe” on how the camera bodies compile WB values, so there will always be a discrepancy.