My latest for Digital Photo Pro is about the MacBook Air a laptop for cyclists. And, how photographers are able to carry more power and capacity with far less weight than ever before.
As I shared, “Last fall and over the winter, I flew to Paris, Austin, Maui, and back to Seattle. I carried the a9, a set of Sigma lenses, the new MacBook Air and a rugged SSD. That setup worked marvelously well. I packed the gear in a Mission Workshop bag, like the Integer.”
I reviewed the Integer for our magazine last year. If you’re into compartments like I am (v. a rucksack), it’s (the Vandal is on Amazon for $325).
No Compromise Compact
Traveling light used to involve compromises but not anymore. The latest MacBook Air and a camera like the a9 or even the just launched a6400 means you’ve got more than enough of everything (from the camera and computer) to get the shoot done. And, especially when you rely on a service like iCloud to offload space-hogging documents. My travel kit with the MacBook Air is
- MacBook Air Retina with 250G drive—$1099 on Amazon
- G-Tech Rugged, 500G—$120
- Sony Alpha a9—$4498
- Various Sigma lenses
- Mission Workshop bag—$185
That’s about $6K, plus or minus a hundred dollars for your choice of bag. The grand total is a couple grand less if you bought the a7 III or an older model mirrorless camera of your choice, like one of the new Panasonics, Canons, or Nikons. And, I recommend you do.
At 2.75 pounds and 0.61 inches thin, the MacBook Air is certainly lighter than what I used to carry with me. What you need to know is the retina screen and powerful dual cores go to work, but the fast SSD is what makes it so capable. Even for short videos, like the kind I publish.
Read the rest of the story on Digital Photo Pro where I discuss the performance, keyboard, and sound. That was what surprised me the most about the MacBook Air, the sound from the speakers filled a room and I don’t carry a Bluetooth speaker with me any longer.
Carrying less weight is what I’m always trying to do.
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