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Photographers’ Laptops

From the ultra-mobile netbooks to full-featured desktop replacements, there’s a portable computer just right for your photography

This Article Features Photo Zoom

Lenovo W700 Weight: 8.3 pounds Size: 16.1x12.2x1.6 inches List Price: From $2,729

The Lenovo W700 was designed specifically for photographers, and while it’s among the least portable of the laptops here, it’s one of the best desktop replacements. With a base configuration that uses an Intel Core 2 Duo running at 2.53 GHz up to a Core 2 Extreme, an NVIDIA Quadro FX graphics processor with up to 1 GB of dedicated memory and up to 4 GB of RAM, this laptop will power through any image-editing task you throw at it.

What really sets this laptop apart from the competition though is the outstanding display that includes Pantone color calibration and a much wider gamut (up to 72% of Adobe RGB) than the typical laptop display is capable of reproducing. Another key feature that photographers, in particular, will appreciate is the integrated 4x3-inch Wacom tablet with full pen and pressure support. Other options include dual hard drives up to 320 GB each, Blu-ray recordable, a 7-in-1 card reader and an ExpressCard/34 slot.

Toshiba has a wide range of laptops, but the Portégé line is perhaps the most interesting for photographers. The ultralight R600 has a 12.1-inch transreflective screen that has been optimized for use outdoors, giving you a better look at your images while you’re still in the field. The computer comes with an Intel Core 2 Duo running at 1.4 GHz, 3 GB of RAM and a 160 GB hard drive. Similar in size, weight and performance to the Apple MacBook Air, the R600 adds a DVD-R, 2 USB, an SDHC slot and an eSATA port.

For a desktop replacement, the Qosmio X305 is billed as a portable gaming machine, but it includes all the features you’d want in an image-processing computer. The 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor is coupled with 4 GB of RAM, a 320 GB hard drive and a DVD-R optical drive. The 17-inch screen uses TruBrite Technology for better viewing in bright lighting conditions, and it’s powered by dual NVIDIA 9800M processors with 512 MB of memory each.

Three USB ports, FireWire 400, eSata and ExpressCard slots, as well as a 5-in-1 card reader, are included. The X305 also includes HDMI out for high-definition playback.

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