Ideal Laptop for Photographers!

[AccentAE86]

I've finally found my ideal "on the road" laptop to run my business on! The Lenovo Thinkpad X220t !!

Anyhow, at the request of my workshop students and others that I mentor, I've slapped together a review of the features of this little laptop that are of interest to photography pros. Thought it might also help a person or two here who are researching a portable machine for their business so I thought I'd post it here too.

Hahaha, I thought you guys might get a good laugh at the email I chose to put up on the screen during the demo. (though you'll likely have to go fullscreen and HD to read it)



It will be great on those out of town multi-day commercial assignments where I need to edit photos before I can get home. Before, I used to bring a suitcase full of computer gear with an external monitor, but now I can do it all on this laptop alone. It has also made same-day wedding reception photo slideshow editing so awesome.

A couple things I forgot to mention in the video...

There are three battery options. One is the standard battery, then there is an extended battery, and also a battery slice (that can be installed in addition to you other battery) that gives you up to 18 hours of active computing battery power.

It also meets 8 MILSPEC ruggedness tests for extremes in high and low temps, humidity, vibration, altitude, g-force, can operate in fine silica blowing sand, and repeated ballistic shock (they drop it on concrete 18 times or so and it still runs). The crazy thing is, this isn't even a laptop that's designed to be super rugged... it's just the standard Thinkpad build quality.

The keyboard is unparalleled. You will not use a better laptop keyboard than a Thinkpad keyboard. They are also spill resistant and can handle a cup of coffee spilled into it.

It is EXTREMELY friendly to user-upgrades. In fact, they LABEL each screw on the bottom with icons. Remove the screws with the RAM icon to upgrade RAM. Remove screws with the keyboard icon to remove the keyboard... etc...

There are couple things that I don't like though.

No option for discrete graphics, only the on-board Intel HD graphics chip. It's surprisingly good, though. I've heard people run external graphics cards through the expresscard port though if you want to run a serious setup.

No USB 3.0! Though again, people have also installed a USB 3.0 expresscard that sits flush in the slot, so it's practically like it comes with it... but not.

I wish I could get more than 8GB of RAM into it, but for such a compact laptop, 8GB is pretty good.

The 2.5" HD drive bay only accepts the new 7mm height drives. I had to deshell my Corsair SSD to run it in here. There are numerous SSDs that will fit without being deshelled though. Or you can just install an SSD into the mSATA slot.

Though overall, I think Lenovo hit a home run with this one. I've been waiting for a laptop that was worth upgrading my 4 year old T61 for, and this definitely doesn't disappoint.

[D'z Nutz]

That's freakin' sweet. Good review. My next laptop was likely going to be a Lenovo anyways so this is even more tempting. The fact that there's the PC slot for CF cards gives me a boner too. No more dangling card readers

[blitz]

That's awesome. I'm on the Lenovo site right now, by build with 4 gb RAM looks to be $1500 or so? Where did you pick yours up?

[blitz]

Just bought one. For anyone interested, there's a 10% off coupon code for October

$1577 taxes in for a fully loaded i7.

Thanks Accent!

Edit: Where did you get your CF card reader?

[taemo]

$1577?
that's a pretty good deal!

[Gibson]

Holy shit I want it! Great review too.

I use my Macbook Pro but the battery life is pretty pitiful. That being said, it's taken a pretty good beating over the last two years and it's still kickin'.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Looks nice but at $1500+, no discrete graphics, no USB 3.0 and no HDMI out I would think would be deal breakers for a lot of people. You can get that on a $600 laptop, and my $250 netbook has HDMI out. Seems to me like at that pricepoint, it's a perfect screen let down by mediocre specs.

I do agree that the size is perfect, though. If I am buying a laptop I want a 12-14" screen MAX. Beyond that it's way too big (IMO).

Excellent review though, thanks for sharing. If you have deep pockets and no need for graphics power that looks like a great piece of equipment.

[dragonone]

i wonder if it can be even cheaper with coupons and sales in the RFD lenovo threads.. does seem kinda steep, perhaps the $ is justified by its durability and screen

[AccentAE86]

Originally posted by blitz
That's awesome. I'm on the Lenovo site right now, by build with 4 gb RAM looks to be $1500 or so? Where did you pick yours up?

I picked mine up from the Lenovo website. I ordered it before it was officially shipping so I had to wait a couple of months. I prefer to buy it from Lenovo because you can select all the options you want. The resellers usually have pre-configured units that may or may not be up to the spec you want.

I went with:
i7 2620M
4GB RAM (I bought another 4GB stick from Memory express, much cheaper than buying from Lenovo)
Win7 64 PRO
250GB HD (which I promptly removed and installed my Corsair SSD.
3x3 wifi antenna (gets me better speed and reliability)
Bluetooth
Added the standard battery. I think it ships with the extended battery by default, but I wanted a battery that sits flush within the chassis. So now I have two batteries... one for regular use, and the extended for when I go out for the day and don't want to bring my AC adapter.

Originally posted by blitz
Just bought one. For anyone interested, there's a 10% off coupon code for October

$1577 taxes in for a fully loaded i7.

Thanks Accent!

Edit: Where did you get your CF card reader?

Congrats dude! I'm sure you'll love it. I don't think there's a better photographer's laptop in existence right now!

I got my CF reader on ebay years ago when expresscard was still pretty new. It's definitely faster than USB2.0. It's a generic no name brand from China I believe:

Originally posted by Gibson
Holy shit I want it! Great review too.

I use my Macbook Pro but the battery life is pretty pitiful. That being said, it's taken a pretty good beating over the last two years and it's still kickin'.

It's funny, I actually started SAVING money when I switched to thinkpads. I'd typically destroy my laptops after two years. I take it on the road a lot. Now with Thinkpads, I EXPECT to get 4 years out of them. So I was paying more for the machine but overall I was spending less because I was buying half as often as I used to. These things are rugged and they LAST. A typical Thinkpad will last two years without breaking a sweat.

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt
Looks nice but at $1500+, no discrete graphics, no USB 3.0 and no HDMI out I would think would be deal breakers for a lot of people. You can get that on a $600 laptop, and my $250 netbook has HDMI out. Seems to me like at that pricepoint, it's a perfect screen let down by mediocre specs.

I do agree that the size is perfect, though. If I am buying a laptop I want a 12-14" screen MAX. Beyond that it's way too big (IMO).

Excellent review though, thanks for sharing. If you have deep pockets and no need for graphics power that looks like a great piece of equipment.

Originally posted by dragonone
i wonder if it can be even cheaper with coupons and sales in the RFD lenovo threads.. does seem kinda steep, perhaps the $ is justified by its durability and screen

The one thing that everyone needs to realize is the Thinkpad line is a BUSINESS line. It is not designed or optimized for play. The Ideapad line is more suited for play. Thinkpads are built for business users who use their machines for productivity. Hence VGA and Displayport rather than HDMI, and no discrete. (I'd much prefer HDMI too) After owning a few Thinkpads, I find that their premium price is low... I would pay more than they charge to get their legendary quality and crazy flexibility and options. I mean c'mon, what other laptop can accept dual SSD drives in such a tiny form factor? IPS screen? MILSPEC durability? Genuine Wacom digitizer? When you consider the Wacom 12" Cintiq digitizer is $1100, the X220t is a steal. It just cannot be compared to a $600 laptop because the quality and capabilities are so far apart, even if they have the same processor, RAM and HD space.

[blitz]

Originally posted by AccentAE86


I picked mine up from the Lenovo website. I ordered it before it was officially shipping so I had to wait a couple of months. I prefer to buy it from Lenovo because you can select all the options you want. The resellers usually have pre-configured units that may or may not be up to the spec you want.

I went with:
i7 2620M
4GB RAM (I bought another 4GB stick from Memory express, much cheaper than buying from Lenovo)
Win7 64 PRO
250GB HD (which I promptly removed and installed my Corsair SSD.
3x3 wifi antenna (gets me better speed and reliability)
Bluetooth
Added the standard battery. I think it ships with the extended battery by default, but I wanted a battery that sits flush within the chassis. So now I have two batteries... one for regular use, and the extended for when I go out for the day and don't want to bring my AC adapter.



Congrats dude! I'm sure you'll love it. I don't think there's a better photographer's laptop in existence right now!

I got my CF reader on ebay years ago when expresscard was still pretty new. It's definitely faster than USB2.0. It's a generic no name brand from China I believe:

Exact same specs I choose, except I went with Win7 Home and the 320 GB 7200 HD. I debatd the smaller battery, but ended up leaving it out. Ordered a Delkin CF reader off ebay. $40 all in, Vistek wanted $80 shipped and Henry's/TCS don't stock it.

I have a decent desktop, but the idea of being able to sit on the couch and edit photos with a pen is awesome. There will be no game installs on this one, LR, Nik Software, PS and Microsoft office should be all I need. I'm also going to be travelling more for work soon, so this will help with presentations and such.

Thanks again Accent! I don't think I've ever been this excited for an electronic device since I got my first Nintendo64!

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by AccentAE86


The one thing that everyone needs to realize is the Thinkpad line is a BUSINESS line. It is not designed or optimized for play. The Ideapad line is more suited for play. Thinkpads are built for business users who use their machines for productivity. Hence VGA and Displayport rather than HDMI, and no discrete. (I'd much prefer HDMI too) After owning a few Thinkpads, I find that their premium price is low... I would pay more than they charge to get their legendary quality and crazy flexibility and options. I mean c'mon, what other laptop can accept dual SSD drives in such a tiny form factor? IPS screen? MILSPEC durability? Genuine Wacom digitizer? When you consider the Wacom 12" Cintiq digitizer is $1100, the X220t is a steal. It just cannot be compared to a $600 laptop because the quality and capabilities are so far apart, even if they have the same processor, RAM and HD space.

I guess photoshop is mostly CPU intensive, not graphics intensive, so as a dedicated photo machine this isn't too bad.

Do they make any non-tablet 12-14" laptops with IPS screens? Or is the only way to get a decent screen on a laptop to go with a tablet? I'm not crazy about touch screens because I hate fingerprints or smudges on my screen (could use a stylus I guess).

[pizdets17]

with a reflag deals coupon these things were $930 shipped for an i7 with 4gb 250 last month...

[pizdets17]

nevermind, it wasn't the 't'. But keep an eye out, reflags has insane deals exclusively for them from lenovo all the time

Originally posted by pizdets17
with a reflag deals coupon these things were $930 shipped for an i7 with 4gb 250 last month...

[AccentAE86]

Originally posted by blitz


Exact same specs I choose, except I went with Win7 Home and the 320 GB 7200 HD. I debatd the smaller battery, but ended up leaving it out. Ordered a Delkin CF reader off ebay. $40 all in, Vistek wanted $80 shipped and Henry's/TCS don't stock it.

I have a decent desktop, but the idea of being able to sit on the couch and edit photos with a pen is awesome. There will be no game installs on this one, LR, Nik Software, PS and Microsoft office should be all I need. I'm also going to be travelling more for work soon, so this will help with presentations and such.

Thanks again Accent! I don't think I've ever been this excited for an electronic device since I got my first Nintendo64!

Do you use a digitizer on your desktop? I have a medium sized Wacom Intuos4 for my desktop, so editing without a pen is painful to me. hahaha.

If you want to add another drive to your 320GB drive, a lot of people are reporting great things about the 120GB Renice mSATA SSD. You can get them on ebay for about $300. If you put your lightroom cache and PS scratch on the SSD, it will speed up photo processing significantly.

One of the best parts is that Windows 8 will be MUCH MUCH more touch oriented, so the touch experience of this laptop will only get better and better as time goes on.

[AccentAE86]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt


I guess photoshop is mostly CPU intensive, not graphics intensive, so as a dedicated photo machine this isn't too bad.

Do they make any non-tablet 12-14" laptops with IPS screens? Or is the only way to get a decent screen on a laptop to go with a tablet? I'm not crazy about touch screens because I hate fingerprints or smudges on my screen (could use a stylus I guess).

The touchscreen is designed to be touched. I don't know how, but the fingerprints are well hidden and minimally affect the display image. And because it's designed to be touched, it's much much easier to wipe it clean than a standard laptop screen.

You can get the non-tablet X220 if you don't want the digitizer. If you get the upgraded display, you get the same IPS screen as the X220t, but with no touch, no digitizer, and no swivel screen.

[blitz]

Originally posted by AccentAE86


Do you use a digitizer on your desktop? I have a medium sized Wacom Intuos4 for my desktop, so editing without a pen is painful to me. hahaha.

If you want to add another drive to your 320GB drive, a lot of people are reporting great things about the 120GB Renice mSATA SSD. You can get them on ebay for about $300. If you put your lightroom cache and PS scratch on the SSD, it will speed up photo processing significantly.

One of the best parts is that Windows 8 will be MUCH MUCH more touch oriented, so the touch experience of this laptop will only get better and better as time goes on.

I've got a small Intuos and it's a love/hate relationship. Mainly because of my co-ordination trying to draw on something that isn't a screen.

I've been looking at mSATA, thanks for the tip. Just ordered one from bctit.com or something like that. $310 shipped.

They've got a 15% coupon on the main page until Oct 10th. just under $1500 shipped.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by AccentAE86


The touchscreen is designed to be touched. I don't know how, but the fingerprints are well hidden and minimally affect the display image. And because it's designed to be touched, it's much much easier to wipe it clean than a standard laptop screen.

You can get the non-tablet X220 if you don't want the digitizer. If you get the upgraded display, you get the same IPS screen as the X220t, but with no touch, no digitizer, and no swivel screen.

That is much more interesting to me - thanks.

[pizdets17]

I wish my MBP was IPS. But I have an i5, 8gb ddr3 1333, with a stataIII sad at 550mb/sec and 7+hrs battery life in a 13" aluminum body with a light up keyboard which I love for night use...Don't think there would be much point to change to this. Also for those who don't know, you can take out the optical drive in MBP and use two ssd's in raid0 and with sata 3 that would eat this IBM alive...

[Gibson]

Originally posted by AccentAE86


It's funny, I actually started SAVING money when I switched to thinkpads. I'd typically destroy my laptops after two years. I take it on the road a lot. Now with Thinkpads, I EXPECT to get 4 years out of them. So I was paying more for the machine but overall I was spending less because I was buying half as often as I used to. These things are rugged and they LAST. A typical Thinkpad will last two years without breaking a sweat.

What went wrong with your laptops?

Originally posted by pizdets17
I wish my MBP was IPS. But I have an i5, 8gb ddr3 1333, with a stataIII sad at 550mb/sec and 7+hrs battery life in a 13" aluminum body with a light up keyboard which I love for night use...Don't think there would be much point to change to this. Also for those who don't know, you can take out the optical drive in MBP and use two ssd's in raid0 and with sata 3 that would eat this IBM alive...

Can I ask how you manage 7 hours battery life with a MBP? I can barely get two.

[AccentAE86]

Originally posted by Gibson


What went wrong with your laptops?

they would just wear out. My last Dell, the casing starting falling apart. The seams were no longer lined up, the keyboard wouldn't sit flat... as a result, a couple of keys wouldn't work.

My last toshiba, the motherboard failed after powering it on after it was sitting outside in my car in -30 temps all day. I know that's asking for trouble, but it's just a reality of my work. My thinkpads have withstanded this for years without a hitch.

Before that, it was just some really accelerated wear and tear, like screen hinges breaking, connectors coming loose and cracking, fans failing and overheating. I'm really hard on my laptops... they don't get babied at all. I was lucky if I could get one to last two years.