Stella Michaels
Member
Hi all, I'm new here.. just wondering - can anyone recommend a Mac laptop that will actually run Hasselblad Phocus properly, without growing ever slower - and even allow tethering to my H4D-50? Thanks.. Stella
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Hasseblads with Mac laptops, anyone?
- Thread starter Stella Michaels
- Start date
Stella Michaels
Member
Thanks, Godfrey! May I ask what year your MacBook Pro was made?
Godfrey
Well-known member
The last one I had was a 2016 model. The newer ones are much higher performance, but it worked fine for me.
Note that nearly any computer, without sufficient maintenance, will 'get slower' as time goes on and cruft accumulates. Cruft being miscellaneous bits of code left behind and occluding RAM, old stuff that takes up space on storage devices like hard drives and SSD, etc etc. I participate in the discipline to clean out the cruft every few months to ensure that all of my computing devices (desktop, laptop, tablet, and smartphone) run as they did when new, and keep them all up to date on OS and apps. To me, the every few months worth of cleanup time is well worth it...
G
Note that nearly any computer, without sufficient maintenance, will 'get slower' as time goes on and cruft accumulates. Cruft being miscellaneous bits of code left behind and occluding RAM, old stuff that takes up space on storage devices like hard drives and SSD, etc etc. I participate in the discipline to clean out the cruft every few months to ensure that all of my computing devices (desktop, laptop, tablet, and smartphone) run as they did when new, and keep them all up to date on OS and apps. To me, the every few months worth of cleanup time is well worth it...
G
Stella Michaels
Member
Thanks Godfrey, useful!
That means I could probably get one 2nd hand at a significant saving over a new one.
I keep my data on external drives, leaving the main Mac HD to hold just apps, but one does also accumulate internet, mail, and other stuff on there despite that. I run cleaning scans too. However, I have a firewall PC in my studio which I keep off the net and use only for tethering. This also runs very slowly with Phocus, so I figure it's mainly to do with processing power. The 'Pro' suffix seems to be the key with Macs.
That means I could probably get one 2nd hand at a significant saving over a new one.
I keep my data on external drives, leaving the main Mac HD to hold just apps, but one does also accumulate internet, mail, and other stuff on there despite that. I run cleaning scans too. However, I have a firewall PC in my studio which I keep off the net and use only for tethering. This also runs very slowly with Phocus, so I figure it's mainly to do with processing power. The 'Pro' suffix seems to be the key with Macs.
Steve Hendrix
Well-known member
Stella - raw conversion applications have more and more in recent years come to rely on graphics processing as a substantial part of their performance. And Phocus is certainly a good example of this. If you're in the market for a new Mac, now is a good time as the M1 MacBook Pro models just came out and are very, very capable. It might also be a good idea to run the Activity Monitor App in the background (located in the Utilities folder inside the Applications folder in Mac OS), so you can get a handle on what might be sapping resources as you use an intensive application like Phocus.
Steve Hendrix/CI
Stella Michaels
Member
Thank you Steve, yes, I think I'm coming round to that conclusion!
The 2nd hand Mac laptop market is a bit of a minefield..
Good point re Activity Monitor! I'll give that a whizz.
The 2nd hand Mac laptop market is a bit of a minefield..
Good point re Activity Monitor! I'll give that a whizz.
hotshoe
Member
It's been a few years since I ran Phocus on macOS, but I never had a problem w/ perf (was on iMac Pro at time). @Stella Michaels , What make/model/year Mac are you on, and what GPU? If you're in an Intel Mac, now is a good time to dump it while it's still worth something, depending on how old. This years modes are v2, and, so far, I'm finding the transition from Intel to be surprisingly smooth (includes running C1, LR, PS, & Resolve).
For reference, the M1X (MacBookPro18,2) destroys my old MacBook Pro (16" i9 8 core) in user perceived performance (IMO) and as-measured (GeekBench results below for a rough idea). Also, as Steve points out, GPU is increasingly important nowadays for image & video processing, especially if high-res images and heavy post processing. If you look at the GPU scores, you'll see how far GPU performance has come in just a few years. The latest M1X outperforms my "old" 2019 15" MacBook Pro by 3.5x on OpenCL. (Ignore the integrated Intel scores, not used for accelerated graphics.) Single-core performance is also important because a lot of apps don't take advantage of multiple processors, or don't do it (i.e., scale) very well.
So far, I'm very pleased with C1 performance on the M1X. I have the M1X Max, but the "Max" shouldn't make much of a difference from the base M1X & M1X pro for stills image processing, if at all. I also installed the latest version of Phocus out of curiosity (because of this thread) on my M1X, and it loads fast and is snappy. However, I haven't processed any files. I happy to import some of my old 3FR files to see how M1X performs if it helps.
For reference, the M1X (MacBookPro18,2) destroys my old MacBook Pro (16" i9 8 core) in user perceived performance (IMO) and as-measured (GeekBench results below for a rough idea). Also, as Steve points out, GPU is increasingly important nowadays for image & video processing, especially if high-res images and heavy post processing. If you look at the GPU scores, you'll see how far GPU performance has come in just a few years. The latest M1X outperforms my "old" 2019 15" MacBook Pro by 3.5x on OpenCL. (Ignore the integrated Intel scores, not used for accelerated graphics.) Single-core performance is also important because a lot of apps don't take advantage of multiple processors, or don't do it (i.e., scale) very well.
So far, I'm very pleased with C1 performance on the M1X. I have the M1X Max, but the "Max" shouldn't make much of a difference from the base M1X & M1X pro for stills image processing, if at all. I also installed the latest version of Phocus out of curiosity (because of this thread) on my M1X, and it loads fast and is snappy. However, I haven't processed any files. I happy to import some of my old 3FR files to see how M1X performs if it helps.
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Stella Michaels
Member
Hi Mr H,
Thank you for your detailed and helpful reply! I think the main problem is that I am not running a Mac Pro - I figured all would be well on my 27" iMac, but it seems not, and my PC is no better. Both slow down after 3-4 captures.
So the question is whether to risk buying a second hand laptop - such as this -
www.backmarket.co.uk
or to just go for a new M1.
I'd have to spend on extra RAM if I do that.
I attach a pic of my 'about my mac' - any thought would be great/
Thanks again
Stella
Thank you for your detailed and helpful reply! I think the main problem is that I am not running a Mac Pro - I figured all would be well on my 27" iMac, but it seems not, and my PC is no better. Both slow down after 3-4 captures.
So the question is whether to risk buying a second hand laptop - such as this -
MacBook Pro 15" (2019) - QWERTY - English (UK) Touch Bar - Retina - Core i9 - 2.3 GHz - SSD 512 GB - RAM 16GB | Back Market
Refurbished MacBook Apple MacBook Pro 15" (2019) - QWERTY - English (UK) Touch Bar - Retina - Core i9 - 2.3 GHz - SSD 512 GB - RAM 16GB ✌ Up to 70% cheaper than new! ✅ Fast, free delivery ✅ Cheap MacBook Pro ✅ 12 month warranty ✅ 30-day returns
I'd have to spend on extra RAM if I do that.
I attach a pic of my 'about my mac' - any thought would be great/
Thanks again
Stella
Stella Michaels
Member
...But now, looking PROPERLY at your figures.. I think the M1 it seems to be!
Godfrey
Well-known member
It's hard to imagine any of the older systems out-performing the new M1 class systems... If performance is a priority, never mind warranty and futures, just go buy an M1 based system and be done with it.
I plan to acquire both a new iPad Pro 11" and a new mini, with M1 processors, sometime this coming year to stay abreast of the processor performance and futures. I'm not rushed because my current hardware is working fine for what I'm doing now ... and if the processing is a little slow sometimes, well, I take it as an opportunity to take a break until the machinery catches up.
I've already got one mini (my old 2012 i7-quad core) locked into macOS Maverick because that's the last version of the OS that the Light L16 camera's native processing app (Lumen) runs properly on. It's slammed tight and firewalled .. no upgrades! ... and stripped down to be used for specifically that purpose. When I come back with a few dozen images from the L16 to process, it takes a while to render them out to transportable DNG files but, eh? I have time.
G
I plan to acquire both a new iPad Pro 11" and a new mini, with M1 processors, sometime this coming year to stay abreast of the processor performance and futures. I'm not rushed because my current hardware is working fine for what I'm doing now ... and if the processing is a little slow sometimes, well, I take it as an opportunity to take a break until the machinery catches up.
I've already got one mini (my old 2012 i7-quad core) locked into macOS Maverick because that's the last version of the OS that the Light L16 camera's native processing app (Lumen) runs properly on. It's slammed tight and firewalled .. no upgrades! ... and stripped down to be used for specifically that purpose. When I come back with a few dozen images from the L16 to process, it takes a while to render them out to transportable DNG files but, eh? I have time.
G
Stella Michaels
Member
Thanks Godfrey.
I'm not after crazy performance speed - but waiting up to 30 seconds for each 50mp Hasselblad Phocus capture - and getting the interminable rolling ball after a few shots, or if I click too fast, is way too tedious!
It should only be 2-3 sec, and no ball ever. If the Aussie photographer Peter Coulson (on YouTube) can do it on a 2013 iMac Pro, surely this shouldn't be a problem today!
Its not much better if I want to crop or otherwise edit an existing 3f file either. Oh dear - I've had enough!
But I'm just getting so tangled up in the 'what Mac should I get' thing!
Options seem to be:
1) Get an old cheap Macbook Pro (like your MacBook Pro 13" with 16G RAM and a 1T) that runs Phocus properly. For around £400-500? Risky though, might be clapped out!
2) Get the latest M1 Macbook Pro and add 8mb RAM - ending up like £1400 - oops getting dear!
3) Get an iPad Pro like yours - nice and transportable, but small. Not keen - I like to see what I'm doing. Could get a slightly bigger screen for not much more by buying a laptop!
4) Get an M1 mini - about which I know nothing - but if it could be plugged into my existing 27" iMac - though not transportable, still seems like a good bet for £600-700?
My great fear is buying one of the above options and finding that Phocus captures still won't run properly, or that I have to spend yet more to make it run properly, or it needs more RAM but it can't be added - or worse still, I could have had it going OK all along on my existing kit, if only I'd known 'x' the mystery solution!
If only Hasselblad, or Apple, would clarify all this!
I'm not after crazy performance speed - but waiting up to 30 seconds for each 50mp Hasselblad Phocus capture - and getting the interminable rolling ball after a few shots, or if I click too fast, is way too tedious!
It should only be 2-3 sec, and no ball ever. If the Aussie photographer Peter Coulson (on YouTube) can do it on a 2013 iMac Pro, surely this shouldn't be a problem today!
Its not much better if I want to crop or otherwise edit an existing 3f file either. Oh dear - I've had enough!
But I'm just getting so tangled up in the 'what Mac should I get' thing!
Options seem to be:
1) Get an old cheap Macbook Pro (like your MacBook Pro 13" with 16G RAM and a 1T) that runs Phocus properly. For around £400-500? Risky though, might be clapped out!
2) Get the latest M1 Macbook Pro and add 8mb RAM - ending up like £1400 - oops getting dear!
3) Get an iPad Pro like yours - nice and transportable, but small. Not keen - I like to see what I'm doing. Could get a slightly bigger screen for not much more by buying a laptop!
4) Get an M1 mini - about which I know nothing - but if it could be plugged into my existing 27" iMac - though not transportable, still seems like a good bet for £600-700?
My great fear is buying one of the above options and finding that Phocus captures still won't run properly, or that I have to spend yet more to make it run properly, or it needs more RAM but it can't be added - or worse still, I could have had it going OK all along on my existing kit, if only I'd known 'x' the mystery solution!
If only Hasselblad, or Apple, would clarify all this!
Stella,
The updated version of Phocus works quite well on my M1 MacBook Pro with 16 Gb RAM.
Before you pull the trigger on an M1 (or any newer Mac for that matter) you should check that it will support tethering to your Hasselblad. Is it a FireWire connection? If so there may be compatibility issues.
Which version of Phocus are you currently running? I ask because the software not your computer may be your current culprit.
John
The updated version of Phocus works quite well on my M1 MacBook Pro with 16 Gb RAM.
Before you pull the trigger on an M1 (or any newer Mac for that matter) you should check that it will support tethering to your Hasselblad. Is it a FireWire connection? If so there may be compatibility issues.
Which version of Phocus are you currently running? I ask because the software not your computer may be your current culprit.
John
Stella Michaels
Member
Thanks John!
I'm running Phocus 3.4.8, which is the highest my Sierra 10.12 OS will do, I think.
If I update to a higher OS, I start to lose things like NIK and old versions of Capture 1, which is a pain, so I'm staying here - which is also a pain with the Hasselblad!
My Blad cable has a Thunderbolt adapter on the end, which lets it plug into the small socket on the back of the iMac. (It has a little lightning flash symbol over it.)
I'm running Phocus 3.4.8, which is the highest my Sierra 10.12 OS will do, I think.
If I update to a higher OS, I start to lose things like NIK and old versions of Capture 1, which is a pain, so I'm staying here - which is also a pain with the Hasselblad!
My Blad cable has a Thunderbolt adapter on the end, which lets it plug into the small socket on the back of the iMac. (It has a little lightning flash symbol over it.)
Hi Stella,
may I ask how much free disk space your Mac has? Mac OS X slows down significantly if the drive where the OS is located has about 20 GB and less left.
Other than that I can only confirm what the others have said, M1 Mac, no matter which one, are performing like crazy and Phocus is running smoothly.
may I ask how much free disk space your Mac has? Mac OS X slows down significantly if the drive where the OS is located has about 20 GB and less left.
Other than that I can only confirm what the others have said, M1 Mac, no matter which one, are performing like crazy and Phocus is running smoothly.
It seems more the issue of a slow hard drive. I haven't thoroughly read all comments here (shame on me, I know) but do you use a SSD? For reference: I use Phocus on my Mac MIni (Intel Core i7) with an SSD and I do not have any issues with it. The files are being transferred easily from my H4D-40 and the connection is (thanks to Apple with their @#$@# port policies) Thunderbolt 3 USB-C -> Firewire 3 -> Firewire 2 -> H4D-40.
Stella Michaels
Member
No - it's a 1Tb spinning drive. I have seen a 2013 spinning drive iMac Pro running Phocus captures like the clappers, so It surely can't be the drive?
I have 740Gb of free space - I store all data on external drives. Just apps on the computer itself. (Yeh, and mail, and internet)
I have a similar lash-up connection to yours!
What is the Mac Mini connected to? Just a monitor, or another mac?
I have 740Gb of free space - I store all data on external drives. Just apps on the computer itself. (Yeh, and mail, and internet)
I have a similar lash-up connection to yours!
What is the Mac Mini connected to? Just a monitor, or another mac?
georgecleansman
Member
This new machine helps
Attachments
I found Phocus to be bog slow on my 2014 Macbook Pro, but I think it was always that way. The difference was like night and day when I upgraded to the newer native M1 version on my M1 MBP.
Presumably you can tether via a Thunderbolt-to-USB-C adapter, but it might be good to verify this.
Stella Michaels
Member
I bet! Quite a price though!This new machine helps