Brian

Yeah, that’s the drive. I might have screwed something up or the website is being stupid. Swapping out a HD for that model is about a 3 on a 1-10 scale. The tough part is cloning the HD. That’s more of a 9. Here is a video demonstrating the process for your laptop

The laptop you were consider is fine. It checks all the boxes and that is a fair price. Your current laptop is upgradable, you just have to remove the bottom panel, disconnect the battery and then the existing HD, then install the new one and reverse the process. The toughest part will be cloning one HD to the other. This is the drive that I would install: Samsung 860 Pro SSD 1TB If you wanted to, you could go higher and get a 2TB model. You would also need to get a Sata to USB adapter and cloning software, like Acronis which would clone and expand your existing HD to the new one. So for roughly $275-ish, you could upgrade your existing HD if you went the 1TB route.

IF you can get a deal, go or it. If that laptop checks all of my "boxes" and is $1300, I'd buy it. (IPS Screen, Dedicated Video & Video RAM, 1TB HD, etc.) Laptops have been in huge demand due to people being forced to work-from-home due to COVID-19. So the prices were elevated. In reality, $1200-$1500 is a "typical" budget. I just don't want people to think that the $450 laptop from Wally-World is going to cut it. It depends. If the unit is not a "sealed unit" and you can have the HD replaced, by all means...go that route. A 1TB SSD or a m.2 version isn't THAT expensive anymore. We just have to figure out what your laptop has. The only thing that would need to be done, is to clone your old HD onto your new one, and if you don't want to go through all of that trouble, I'm sure a local computer shop offers those services. Or you could try doing things yourself and that depends on your comfort level. What laptop make/model are you working with now? Can you take a photo of the bottom and maybe find an access panel and post it here? This is what drives me insane with today's laptops. 256GB SSD drives make them "quick" to boot, consume less power which helps battery life, and are very cheap for the Manufacturers to use. A 256GB SSD Drive is meant for "General Computing," NOT Photo-editing. In fact, the majority of people with laptops that are having Photoshop Problems tend to stem from a lack of space on their main Hard Drive. Why? Because it's a stupid 256GB (or smaller) HD. I hate those small HDs just as much as Damien hates Lightroom.

Don't forget, 85mm gives you more compression, which tends to make people's faces look more natural. That's why 85mm and 105mm are your typical "Portrait" focal lengths. Longer focal lengths do this; it's just not the magnifying affect you get with just cropping in, the "look" of the photo is also different. For your situation, yeah...a 24mm is your target. 28mm is your typical Smartphone wide angle, so keep that in mind. It sounds like a 24mm, 50mm and 70-200 will work just fine for how you shoot.

Well, with COVID-19 all around, people out of work, photography in general seems to be waning, it doesn't surprise me that you aren't getting top dollar for a 70-200 E. Of course, as I write this, that lens is on sale for $1896.95 brand new, which is probably why you are being low-balled at around $900. Canon, Nikon and Sony are all experiencing slumps in terms of units sold and finances. Mirrorless is on the fore-front of practically every blog or YouTube video. Mirrorless is the new "It Girl." If you are asking my opinion, and with your post you are...I will never-ever-ever-ever-ever recommend a 3rd party lens unless if I absolutely have to. When I buy gear, I buy it for the intent of what images I can produce, and if I can make money off of it, so be it. I view them as tools, and not investments. If you go looking for things that have a high resale value, especially in the photography world, the quickest way you will make money is to sell ALL of your camera gear and go do something else. OEM is still King when it comes to re-sale value, you are just in a crappy market. That $1200 Sigma or Tamron Lens, you might get $100 for it. Maybe $200 if it's one of those Sigma ART lenses and if it's in high-demand. Pawn Shops and Used Camera sellers want to make money. They aren't there to be fair or to be your friend. They WILL low-ball you without remorse. They will take your lens for $900 and probably sell it for $1800. But with your lens going for $1900, that won't happen, it will probably go for around $1400 used. Now, if the 70-200 was still going for $2700, then you'd probably get around $1500 or so for it. Of course, this depends on the stock on hand and the condition of the lens. For example, if an Earthquake hit Japan again, or one of the countries that made a particular lens, had floods / natural disasters, which results in Nikon not being able to produce a particular lens or whatever product. If there are significant back-orders, this creates a huge demand for them, which increases prices on the resale/used market. This isn't the case. Especially with Mirrorless being all-the-rage these days. So your question is, can you live without a 24-70? Absolutely. I would own a 35mm, a 50mm and a 85mm. To keep costs down, I would get 1.8 versions of all of those lenses. Of course, since you have a Mirrorless body, I would get the Mirrorless versions of those focal lengths. This will allow you to get the best out of your Z6II. Even if you were getting a Nikon 24-70 for your Mirrorless, do not purchase anything but the Nikon 24-70 S lens. That lens is designed for all of the Z6II's image stabilization features. (The 5-point Axis.) Your typical lenses that were meant for DSLRs only do 2 or 3 axis, something like that; I can't remember off the top of my head. In terms of sharpness, there is a huge difference between the 24-70E with adapter and the Mirrorless version of the Nikon 24-70 S lens. Night and Day. Hands down, get the "S" version for your Mirrorless. I have a friend, who I know in real life, shoots baby portraits. Her D4 and 24-70G where just getting a bit heavy for her after a day of shooting and she switched to a Nikon Z6 and kept her 24-70G lens. She ended up hating the 24-70G with adapter and couldn't trust it. Sure it was "fine" on a gig, but having to take 12 or more photos to get 3-4 keepers that were TACK-SHARP was tough. Eventually the lens started having focusing problems and I convinced her to get the 24-70 S version, the one meant for Nikon Mirrorless Bodies. She reported back...HUGE world of difference. It got to the point that she is shooting less photos and 90% of them are keepers; in other words, she has a problem deciding which ones to keep because they are all "good enough." The 24-70 S lens is meant for the Nikon Mirrorless Line. So with that out of the way, let's talk pricing: Nikon 35mm S 1.8: $696.95 Nikon 50mm S 1.8: $496.95 Nikon 85mm S 1.8: $696.95 That's a total of $1890.85. plus any applicable Tax and Shipping. That should cover you in the most common ranges that people shoot at. Something wide, something long and something in the middle. The benefit you get with a Prime, is that it just worries about one focal length, so they tend to be sharper. The problem with them is you are always changing lenses, so you introduce dust into the mix AND the likelihood of you dropping one increases on a gig. Plus you have to have a bag on your shoulder to carry all three lenses around, plus your 70-200 with adapter. Nikon 24-70 S f/2.8: $1996.95. Currently, it's on sale for the Christmas Season. Not sure when it will end, but it is $300 off. So as I write this, that is a $106 difference. The benefit with a Zoom is really the convenience, you mount a lens and just go to work. I am a "Zoom Person." I've tried switching primes, but I run-and-gun too much during Weddings...but I do see the advantages of a prime lens. Zooms just work better for me and the way I shoot. In your case, you already have a 50mm 1.8 S, so that's only $1393.90-ish which is around the cost of a Tamron or Sigma (Yet-to-be-released Mirrorless Version) 24-70 lens. I'm thinking those lenses will be at least $1400 or $1500. Why? Because it's Mirrorless. It's the whole "Newness" thing and people are paying a premium price for things. Of course, I could be completely wrong, and they are $999.95. But I don't think so. $1200 would be the bottom price, in my humble opinion. So buy or wait? That's up to you. I think you will end up spending more than $900 in whatever direction that you go. (OEM or 3rd Party.) I really wished Nikon didn't charge $2700 for the 70-200. That was just plain stupid. I bought mine for $2200 when it went on sale and thought that was a good deal. Now with it being $1900, we both lost money. Anyway, WHAT focal length are you typically at? If you only used your Tamron 24-70 30% of the time, that tells me it wouldn't be worth it for you to blow $2000 on a lens. Especially in today's market. People aren't getting photos taken. So that changes it more to a hobby than a profession, at least until the world stops being insane. OK. Here is my advice. Go with Option #2 or #3. Hold off for now. Analyze on what you shoot, how you shoot a particular subject and at what focal length are you drawn to. Were you always wide or long? What Aperture? f/2.8 or wider? or were you at f/4 and such? This will determine on what to buy next. Let's say you are around 35mm or 38mm A LOT and just didn't realize it. Then a 35mm 1.8 S would be your target. If you lived at 70mm...then get a 85mm 1.8 S next. See where I'm going with this? You could do 90% of people stuff with a 50mm and a 85mm focal length, then throw a 70-200 in the mix. You just have to re-think and make it work. I've seen businesses built with those two prime lenses and a 70-200 Zoom. Of course, it depends on what you shoot. If you are doing weddings, then you will need a 24mm or 35mm in addition to the other focal lengths. But right now, people aren't getting married. Or baptized or anything else that is group related. It's been a slow year all-around. Hopefully the second-half of 2021 will be better. PS: I am interested in a Z6ii Body and will be getting a 24-70 S lens. That would make it the 3rd 24-70 that I own. I would just use my 70-200 E with Adapter and make things work. But for now, I'm holding off. I have other things to buy 1st and really haven't traveled anywhere this year.

...and your fear has caused you to get so far behind, if you do upgrade or even replace your iMac, you are looking at Photoshop CC. Period. CS5/CS6, even PS CC 2015 and PS CC 2017 are not compatible with Mac OS Catalina OR Big Sur. So keep in mind, if you do stick with a Mac, Photoshop CC is in your future. For the most part, Catalina is pretty stable now. The downside is that we are up to Big Sur. So really, you don't have much of a choice if you think about it. I will say this, PS CC 2019 is also really stable, so if there is an option to install that version for you, I'd upgrade to that. The latest / brand-new version of Photoshop has its quirks, but Adobe always seems to be patching something, so who knows, in six months from now, you may not have any issues. Honestly, the majority of folks who have problems have unstable systems to begin with. They have all sorts of crap all over the place, Desktops with tons of files on them, not enough HD space, haven't bothered to install patches and updates, do not perform any routine maintenance on their computers, no good backup strategies, etc. It's like they just put gas in the car and never do any oil changes over the years. Then they wonder why their engine breaks in the middle of nowhere? For your situation, I truly believe that you have a hardware issue, so your experience is a bit skewed. It's too bad that the idiots at the "Genius Bar" didn't really help you. As for what to buy, I've written a few articles on this very subject. They are pinned and starred at the top of this forum. Here is that I recently updated, give it a read: Quick & Dirty new iMac Configurations

If you have access to a printer, I want you to print out a white balance sheet. Here are instructions on how to do it. After you create one, take a few photos of it. I want to see how the white looks. Post the results here.

After you default your camera, I want you to learn all of its menus and specifically, set the Picture Style to NEUTRAL. This way when you look at the back of your camera, it will look more like the photo that is brought into ACR / Lightroom.

Are these orange images from your computer after importing into ACR or is this a shot from the back of the LCD with a cellphone photo?

That is weird. What are the White Balance values? Have you manually set WB in the past to a certain value and it needs to be changed back? Or is it on Auto White Balance? As of right now, I’d say you are looking at either buying a new camera or sending your current body in for repairs. Have you tried defaulting your camera’s settings?

If you need help setting up a new EHD, I can provide assistance. Do not spend extra for a “Mac Formatted” HD. This is the “Apple Tax” that manufactures put on their Mac Products. They know that people are willing to pay more for Apple’s products and will add, usually $30, to the cost of a “Mac Compatible” EHD. This is pure BS. ANY external drive should work. All that is required is about 5 min of your time to format and participation your new HD; no special software needed, it’s built into the OS.

I still recommend getting the RescuePro Deluxe Software. You will also need a (preferably clean) hard drive to put the recovered files on, along with with enough room for a “working space” for the recovery program. Of course, your main HD should work provided you have enough room, but when it comes to recovery of important files, I personally like to keep things isolated. I would recommend you get the $59.99 version as it recovers the most files for your money.

Well, just because she signed out of iCloud, doesn't mean that the files that were stored locally on the HD have disappeared. So you probably are looking at duplicated files. If you are that concerned, simply do a Time Machine Backup on a Fresh EHD of the 21.5" iMac and when that completes, eject and disconnect it. Then boot into recovery mode and I would format that HD and reload the Operating System. If it comes down to it, and those files turn out to be needed, you can always restore from that TM backup. As for what is in that used space? Beats me. I'd physically have to login and poke around. Your guess is as good as mine.

One more thing. Nikon stopped selling parts to 3rd party repair centers, so if Nikon won’t touch it, don’t bother having it repaired. Honestly, retire your current lens and get the 70-200E. It’s a huge difference over what you’ve experienced.

The AF 135mm f/2.0 lens relies on your camera body’s focus motor to work. It’s not like your current 50 or 70-200, which has built in focus motors in the lenses themselves. That’s why it’s “slow.” It was fast, for the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. Today...notsomuch.

The 50mm 1.4G is a piece of shit lens. If your 70-200 was worse than that lens, I feel really bad for you. Honestly, your opinion is a bit skewed since your 70-200 was so off. Truth be told, I really wasn’t into the 70-200 VR. The VRII was much better and the latest “E” version is even sharper. It also doesn’t have the “focus breathing” that the earlier two lenses suffered from Meaning, 200mm was more like 135mm when you got closer it’s hard to describe. I’m sure there are plenty of blog articles about this subject Here are your choices at 200mm: 70-200 f/2.8 E FL 70-200 f4 200mm f/2.0 I’d still get the 70-200E and ditch your old lens.

Oh, as far as something in the 100mm-200mm range, it’s the 70-200E. The 135 is an excellent lens, but is in dire need of a refresh. My thinking this won’t happen, and if it does, it will be a 135mm f/1.8 and be a Mirrorless Only Lens. (This is pure speculation on my part.)

What happened to your 70-200? Just wondering. The 105 is a legendary lens which works extremely well on both a DSLR and Mirrorless with the adapter. It’s wicked sharp. The problem is, it’s 105mm. If you photograph Dogs outdoors, I don’t know how well that lens would work for you. Are you around 105mm a lot? What Aperture are you usually at? Because when I have shot dogs, I’ve always been at f/5.6 to get their snout/nose and eyes in focus. Now if this is just studio work, and they stay in one spot that’s different. Then a fixed focal length you could make it work. Second Choice: A Nikon 70-200 E lens. (The newest version.) I own both a 70-200VR II and a 70-200E. Why do I have both? Because of my stupid D850. That camera and its 45MP require the best glass. My original 70-200 VRII works fine and there isn’t anything wrong with it. I use that with my other camera kit when I shoot weddings. What I can say is the 70-200E is sharper and better in every way than its two predecessors, except Nikon swapped the Zoom and Focusing Rings. I hate that the zoom is towards the front of the lens, but you get used to it. That’s the only downside. Which one? That’s tough. If you shoot on a Studio primary, then 105. Anything else, get a 70-200E. Currently, the 70-200 E lens is $1896.95, which is a STEAL. That’s $900 less than the original asking price and if you can afford it, BUY IT. Of course, the 105 is the same price, so I see your dilemma. Personally, I’d get a 70-200E since it’s so cheap and rent a 105 1.4E to see how you like it. That lens isn’t going anywhere, but I’d hate for you to blow $1900 and have it sit. You know what a 70-200 can do for you. The 105 is an unknown. 105mm might be too short for you and dogs. A 135mm lens would be better, but it’s an older lens and doesn’t focus quick. After renting a 105 lens, and really testing it, if you like it...buy it next year. The 70-200E for $1896 is just too good to pass up.

The biggest problem with shooting outdoors is Wind. So while it's very true that the bigger the modifier, the softer the light, those large Modifiers (Like a 60" Softbox) become REALLY BIG SAILS that cause all sorts of damage. I speak from experience. I didn't have a Sandbag on a light-stand and my 24" Umbrella that someone gave me flipped my flash on it's ass. It still works, but now has a big dent in the plastic from the Asphalt. So if you are going to be on location, make sure you have an assistant or at the very least, high-quality sandbags and sturdy light-stands, like C-Stands. If I only hit the lottery: This light kit looks very interesting: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1585441-REG/profoto_sal_cincotta_b10_plus.html The quest continues. Eventually I will come up with something that we both can afford. I also came across this Stella Pro Light Kit.

For me, I typically shoot Weddings, so I'm always running-and-gunning. If you can afford it, personally I'd get a Profoto Light and be done with it. Of course, we are talking a few thousand here. More later. I've gotta run.

Well, I did it again. I just can't help myself. I wrote another really long article on what to look for when trying to purchase a "Laptop for Photo Editing." Hopefully I've cleared up on WHY I pick things that I do, there just isn't a way to keep it simple. Why? It's EXTREMELY DIFFICULT in having links for "Recommended Models" when it comes to Laptops. That one you've been keeping your eye on waiting to purchase? It will be discontinued in 4-6 weeks, or less. I'm dead serious. Way-back-when, Manufacturers had a "Spring Line" and "Fall Line" when it came to laptops. Often the Spring Line had that year's new releases, and the Fall line had upgraded models or tweaked versions of their Spring Counterparts. When the Back-to-School time period hit, there were Sales on the Spring Line in order to clear out stock for the future Fall releases. That cycle lasted for years, mostly through the 1990's and early 2000's. But somewhere along the way, Manufactures stopped doing this. Well, except when it comes to Apple, they still have their Spring / Fall releases, not just for their computers, but their Smart Phone line as well. Today, Laptops are "En Vogue" for at most 90 Days. That's it. So if you see it, like it, meets my specifications...BUY IT. Because come next month, chances are it will be out of stock. Seriously. Combine that with the fact that Laptops that contain IPS Display Panels, and enough Horsepower for Photoshop, creates an even more difficult task to find one. In the past, I did link to certain laptops only to get an e-mail from someone two weeks later that said the model has been discontinued. So I don't bother posting links. This is why I'm so detailed when it comes to what to look for and I will post a few screenshots in the next section to give you an idea of what I'm looking at. Hopefully, this will clear things up. Currently, this Laptop would be one that is "Good for Photo Editing." There is limited stock available, and I have a feeling it's on its way to being Discontinued. But I'm going to link to it all the same. Let's dive into the Technical Specifications and we will focus on the areas that my eye: CPU? AMD Ryzen 7, which makes it a Intel i7 equivalent. CHECK! RAM? It has 8GB Soldered on the Motherboard, but does have a slot in where you can install a 16GB Stick of RAM. While this falls short of my 32GB Recommendation, it is more than 16GB in the end. (24GB). The downside is you will be throwing away the existing additional RAM. So this is a CHECK! Video Card? It has a NVIDIA Geforce RTX dedicated Video Card with its own dedicated Video Memory. (6GB.) This is a BIG CHECK! Display Panel Type? IPS!!! This is the thing to keep in mind, a Manufacturer will definitely LIST if it's a IPS Panel. If the technical specifications do not list this as an option, I would automatically assume that it contains a TN Panel and would move on. This is a BIG CHECK!! Bonus Points: It's not a Touch Screen. Why is this important? Because smudges from finger prints are a PITA to deal with when editing photos. Also Touchscreen Panels tend to be difficult to calibrate, which usually requires a more advanced Calibration Tool / Software. The Downside to this Display is the Color Gamut. It only displays 72% of the sRGB Colorspace. In reality, you want 90% or better, OR you will need to Calibrate MONTHLY at a minimum and have a set of test prints to check your colors at a moment's notice. Storage? 1TB for the Main HD. BIG CHECK!! As you can see, this particular model checks most, if not all my boxes on what to look for. Always dive into the Technical Specs when shopping for a Laptop. It will save you time. Once you find one that meets my requirement, THEN dive into the reviews to see if there are any problems / it's worth buying. Final Thoughts I hope your eyes haven't glazed over by now and you have found this article informative. While I still do not recommend laptops for Photo Editing, I can understand the appeal of one. If you much use a laptop to edit photos on, please for the love that is "Good-and-Green" purchase this Viewing Angle Gauge to go with it: Acratech Viewing Angle Gauge (Red) - B&H Acratech Viewing Angle Gauge (Silver) - Amazon This little device is so important to have when editing on a Laptop. Why? Because each time you open your screen, your Laptop's Viewing Angle Changes. Even with a fancy IPS screen, a simple inch one way or the other, WILL AFFECT on what you see on the screen. Especially in the Dark Areas of a photo, or even on the other extreme, the brights. Let's say you are trying to recover some detail in the darks. You might open your Laptop, do some editing and then close the lid. When you come back to finish editing, the Screen's Angle won't be the same. This will affect on what you see for a second time. All of a sudden, your edits from a few hours ago are Null-and-Void. So how does this tool help that? There is a little hole in the gauge, with a little "Nub" in front of the hole. When the Nub covers the hole, from your eye's vantage point, your laptop is at a good angle to edit on. As long as you make sure the Nub is in the same position, your edits will be close enough each time your open your screen. Got it?

OK, your hardware is "Fine" for Photoshop Standards. But I do see a few things that I don't like. I'd change your PS Scratch Disks to just use the Internal Drive. YES, YOU DO NEED A SCRATCH DISK. I'd just select the one named "Macintosh HD." You have more than enough room for the PS Scratch Disk, and you have 32GB of RAM, which really puts you ahead of the curve. The problem with using a EHD for a Scratch Disk, is the type of HD. If it's just a normal USB External HD, the bottleneck that you get with a USB port kills your performance. If you need that much Scratch Disk to process your images, we really need to look at your editing habits and the plug-ins that you use. You are running CS5 and MacOS Sierra. If there is any corruption with the video card drivers, there isn't a fix as the drivers come from Apple, which is part of the OS. Since you are so far behind with the MacOS versions, if you did attempt to upgrade, you will be forced to upgrade to MacOS Big Sur, which like Catalina is 64-bit only. Therefore, your Photoshop CS5 would stop working permanently. Period. Plus any other software / plugins that aren't 64-bit. Now, I know a lot of people will ask, "But I thought PS CS5 was 64-bit? Why is it going to stop working if I upgrade?" The reason is the programming language that PS CS5/CS6 was coded with is NOT compatible with MacOS Catalina OR Big Sur. In your case, if you do decide to upgrade, I'd hold off for now, as your entire editing month of December would go down the drain. If you think you have problems now, just you wait. The other thing that concerns me is they had to downgrade from High Sierra to Sierra. Why? As in, why didn't they fix that issue? They just slapped a Band-Aid on it and called it good. Ether there is a problem with your Fusion Drive, (Macintosh HD) or you have other problems with the Motherboard or Video Card. You aren't the 1st person to have issues with a 2015 27" iMac. I think Apple had a bad batch that year; specifically the GPU (The "Brain" of your Graphics Card) fails. The usual symptoms is laggy issues, weird / garbled display and being forced to reboot often to "fix" the issues. Unfortunately, you have a 2015 iMac. It's not worth fixing. I know, I know, "...but I spent so MUCH money!! It's only 5 years old!!" I get it. I empathize...but there is only one place that fixes Apple's products, and that is Apple. Spending over $1000+ (Parts and Labor, plus shipping) to fix a 5 year old computer isn't worth it in my opinion. Combine that with COVID and it jacking up all the prices, just complicates things. So what would I do? Use a little plug-ins as possible. Try not to use everything all at once. Also do not have 100+ tabs opened in Chrome when you edit, if you are anything like my wife. LOL!! She ALWAYS has so many Browser Tabs open constantly. The more Browser Tabs you have open, the more RAM is used as each tab eats a bit of RAM. Judging on your screenshots, this probably isn't the case, but I'm just making sure. That said, you run a lot of plug-ins. You might want to edit smaller batches of photos. Especially if your camera is 24MP or more. The higher the MP count, the more resources from your computer are required. The other thing I would try is head to your Photoshop's Performance Settings. Look towards the right and you should see your Graphics Card. Click the "Advanced Settings..." button and set the usage from "Advanced" to "BASIC." Then restart Photoshop. Heck, while you are there before your restart PS, uncheck that second HD in the Scratch Disk settings. Here is what I'm talking about with the Graphics Processor thing: This is how I have my PS Scratch Disk Setup:

Wow, it’s a Mac Pro. That’s plenty of Horsepower. “Advanced” in the Graphics Processor settings should work, but maybe there is an issue with PS. For now, leave it at Basic. You can always change it back and restart PS. I’m glad you cleared 85GB-ish of space. Not too shabby. With a Mac HD, internal or external, you never want to go more than 80% full at most. CleanMyMac is one of those programs I use weekly. It’s worth the Annual Subscription Fee. What Version of MacOS are you running. To find out, click the Apple menu and select “About this Mac.”

I've also kicked around this idea: Godox AD200 Pro Kit with a MagMog Modifer.