M1 Pro Macbook Photography Review - 16GB Ram Mistake?

@ChrisPieta
Chris Pieta
14:27
10 Dec 2021
Product comparison review

Table of contents

0:44
The M1 Pro MacBook Pro
0:55
What I use it for
1:25
The scope of this review
1:37
M1 Pro MacBook Pro Design
1:51
Hollow Bottom
1:58
SD Card Slot
2:11
M1 Pro MacBook Pro Ports
2:17
MagSafe
2:34
Battery Life
2:51
Touch Bar
3:02
Touch ID
3:09
Keyboard
3:21
The Notch
3:33
Why the notch?
3:55
Usability
4:07
Display
4:45
Pro Motion
4:54
Smudges
5:09
No more smudges
5:23
Speakers
5:38
Microphone
5:55
Webcam
6:10
Don't forget to subscribe ;)
6:24
M1 Pro MacBook Pro Performance
6:32
Lightroom Performance
7:00
Stress Test
7:31
Speed
9:05
Photoshop Performance
9:50
Final Cut Pro Performance
10:25
Exhaust Fans
10:49
Battery Life Part 2
11:34
Figuring out configuration
11:45
Ditch the Intel MacBook
12:04
M1 Pro, your best bet!
12:39
What exactly to get
12:49
What I got
13:36
My recommendation
14:04
Free Simple Checklist
14:18
Thank you!
  • #commissionearned: Chris Pieta and QualiTube may earn commission at no extra cost to you
Play from here [0:00]

After a month of using the new M1 Pro MacBook everyday, I can tell you that this machine is a total game-changer. In this video, I'm reviewing the new M1 Pro MacBook Pro from the perspective of a professional photographer. The performance is insane; the screen is beautiful; and the SD card slot is back. I've used this in the office, in the studio and at coffee shops. Let's see how this laptop has changed my creative process over the past month.

The M1 Pro MacBook Pro

Play from here [0:44]

Today, we're reviewing the new M1 Pro MacBook Pro after a month of daily use. I went with a 16-inch model with a 10-Core CPU, 16-Core GPU, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage for about $2,699 (prices may change).

What I use it for

Play from here [0:55]

My professional uses for this laptop are photo editing in Lightroom, video editing in Final Cut Pro and tethered shooting through Sony's Imaging Edge app. I also organize my life and business through Notion, write emails, use Slack to talk to my team, take Zoom calls with clients, and watch a lot of YouTube videos.

Play from here [1:10]

This review will focus on the pro uses I personally have for this laptop. I know a lot of you will be able to find this really valuable. I've already made a first-look video as well as an extensive Lightroom stress-test video, writing a bunch of tests, comparing the latest MacBook Pro to last year's model. Go check that out if you want to see some detailed testing.

The scope of this review

Play from here [1:25]

This review is covering the design, the performance, and at the end, I'll tell you which one you should get. If you want to skip ahead, I've got the chapters marked in the Timestamps.

M1 Pro MacBook Pro Design

Play from here [1:37]

Apple has made some huge changes when it comes to design. The ports are back; the touch bar is gone, and we've got this new more boxy case, which I'm a big fan of. We've been seeing Apple move toward this design choice in the new iPhone line-up, as well as the iMacs that came out last year. I'm all for it.

Hollow Bottom

Play from here [1:51]

The bottom of the case also feels a bit more hollow. I don't know if that makes sense, but when I tap it, it feels like there's more room for airflow down there.

SD Card Slot

Play from here [1:58]

We've got all our favorite ports back. I love that there's an SD card slot on this M1 Pro MacBook Pro. I use this SD card slot multiple times a day, and this alone saves me a tiny bit of time. More importantly, it just gives me peace of mind when I'm traveling. I don't have to remember to bring an extra dongle with me.

M1 Pro MacBook Pro Ports

Play from here [2:11]

We've also got an HDMI port, three Thunderbolt USB-C ports, a headphone jack, and the MagSafe.

MagSafe

Play from here [2:17]

Apple brought back MagSafe, which is fun, but personally, I haven't even used it once over the past month. When I'm in the office, the M1 Pro MacBook Pro is hooked up to my LG 5K external display, which constantly charges it. When I'm not my desk, the battery life of this thing is so good that I don't even ever need to worry about charging it unless I'm going on a multiple day trip.

Interested?

The most powerful MacBook Pro ever is here. With the blazing-fast M1 Pro or M1 Max chip — the first Apple silicon designed for pros — you get groundbreaking performance and amazing battery life. Add to that a stunning Liquid Retina XDR display, the best camera and audio ever in a Mac notebook, and all the ports you need. The first notebook of its kind, this MacBook Pro is a beast.

Check Price

Battery Life

Play from here [2:34]

I've used the M1 Pro MacBook Pro in coffee shops for half a day and even tethered in a studio shoot on a battery, and I've had zero complaints about the battery life.

Play from here [2:41]

All that being said, I could see myself using MagSafe for the fast-charge feature. Apple claims that you can get a 50% battery charge in 30 minutes through MagSafe, which is an awesome feature to have if you need it.

Touch Bar

Play from here [2:51]

The touch bar is gone. Some people loved it; some people hated it, but most people just didn't use it for anything special. I fall into that last group. I just never found a good use for it. I like having the function keys back. That tactile feel is really nice.

Touch ID

Play from here [3:02]

Touch ID has its own key now, and it feels faster than ever. Unlocking this laptop from sleep always feels immediate. I'm glad Touch ID is here to stay.

Keyboard

Play from here [3:09]

The keyboard feels pretty much the same as the 2019 16-inch MacBook Pros, maybe a little more tactile feedback on this one. Also, this new keyboard is all black, which I have to say looks pretty cool. It definitely helps distinguish these new MacBooks from older models.

The Notch

Play from here [3:21]

Now there's one more feature that makes this model stand out from the previous MacBook Pros and that's a notch. Yes, Apple added a notch to the screen, and when I was watching the keynote announcing these, it didn't really cross my mind that people would make such a big deal out of it.

Why the notch?

Play from here [3:33]

The reason there is a notch is because there's an extra third of an inch of screen real estate space. It's not like Apple took the screen we already had and made it smaller by adding a notch. They took the screen; they made it bigger, and they had to include a notch to fit the webcam. Now, for the notch be a bit smaller, sure, definitely. Right now, there's only a webcam in it. I have a good feeling that Apple is going to introduce Face ID into these, so that might be why it's so big right now.

Usability

Play from here [3:55]

As for usability, when your mouse goes over the notch, the M1 Pro MacBook Pro just pretends it's not there, and it's just some more screen. This is also visible if you take screenshots of your screen. Alright, enough about this silly notch. What about the rest of the display?

Display

Play from here [4:07]

Apple brought its Liquid Retina XDR display to the MacBook, and oh boy, it's amazing. This display gives new life to all of my photos. The blacks are super rich on the screen, and it gives my really contrasty photos this awesome look to them. The colors just look beautiful. The dark parts look amazing, and it just makes the photos pop off the screen. Really cool stuff, Apple.

Play from here [4:26]

Like all Apple displays, this is a color-accurate display with P3 color gamut. It's also got 1000 nits of sustained brightness and 1600 nits of peak brightness when you're watching HDR content. One thing I've heard with people that print their work is they need to recalibrate this display to match their printers, so if you're someone who prints off your photos or design work, just keep that in mind about the M1 Pro MacBook Pro.

Pro Motion

Play from here [4:45]

Apple also brought Pro Motion to these MacBooks. I honestly haven't noticed it apart from sliding through different workspaces. It's a nice feature I have, I guess, but I haven't really noticed it that much at all.

Smudges

Play from here [4:54]

There's one last thing I want to mention about this screen that I love. In older models of MacBooks, my screen would get dirty whenever I closed it. The screen ended up touching the keyboard and all the oils from my fingers would transfer from the keyboard to the screen. You'd be able to see this because some of the keyboard buttons would be outlined on the screen.

Interested?

The most powerful MacBook Pro ever is here. With the blazing-fast M1 Pro or M1 Max chip — the first Apple silicon designed for pros — you get groundbreaking performance and amazing battery life. Add to that a stunning Liquid Retina XDR display, the best camera and audio ever in a Mac notebook, and all the ports you need. The first notebook of its kind, this MacBook Pro is a beast.

Check Price

No more smudges

Play from here [5:09]

Well, that problem is gone now. There must be some more space between the screen and the keys because I haven't really run into a dirty screen yet. It's really nice if you're a photographer because when you're editing a photo, you might not know if your photo has an imperfection in it, or if it's just some dirt on your screen. Big thumbs-up to apps on this one.

Speakers

Play from here [5:23]

The new MacBook Pros have updated their speakers, their microphones, and their webcam. MacBook speakers are already so far ahead of any other laptops out there. These sound a little bit better than the previous generations, but I actually don't know if I'd be able to tell them apart in a blind test. MacBook speakers are just a wonderful experience.

Microphone

Play from here [5:38]

The microphones have also been updated. I'm actually recording this part on the M1 Pro MacBook Pro mic, and it sounds pretty good. If you're using these mics for Zoom calls, then your voice will come across nice and clear. Maybe, if you get really close up to them, you'd even be able to use them as a voice-over on a video if you don't have a proper external mic.

Webcam

Play from here [5:55]

Finally, the webcam. It's been finally upgraded to 1080p after what feels like five years of just being behind all the other competition. I've used it on some Zoom calls. I guess it looks better. It's still not, I think phenomenal. If you want to livestream or anything like that, I recommend you just get a proper webcam or use a real camera.

Don't forget to subscribe ;)

Play from here [6:10]

If you're gaining any value out of this M1 Pro MacBook Pro video so far, please drop a like. I love making these videos, and your support really helps to make more of these. If you want us to notify you for future videos, please consider subscribing.

M1 Pro MacBook Pro Performance

Play from here [6:24]

The M1 Pro chip is crazy good. It's an absolute game-changer for my workflow as a photographer and as a YouTuber. The performance of this machine is just incredible.

Lightroom Performance

Play from here [6:32]

I've never been happy with Lightroom performance until I used it on this computer. Everything is buttery-smooth, importing, building previews, and exporting all, that happens really fast. I'll get into some numbers in a second, but more importantly to me is the editing performance.

Play from here [6:46]

Dealing with large files and multiple masks and brushes can really cause Lightroom to lag, but not on M1 Pro. I did some stress tests comparing it to my mid range 2019, 16-inch MacBook Pro, and I was absolutely blown away by the results. The full video is available through this link, but let me break it down for you.

Stress Test

Play from here [7:00]

I'm using 61-megapixel files for these tests. The first test was just Lightroom open, and everything was buttery smooth. After that, I wanted to start stress testing it, so first, I opened Final Cut Pro, then I opened ten tabs in Chrome with videos playing simultaneously, and finally, I connected my laptop to an external UNCLEAR display.

Play from here [7:17]

I had 20 tabs open playing videos simultaneously on the M1 Pro MacBook Pro. Lightroom refused to slow down. Keep in mind, I've only got 16GB of RAM on this machine. Then, when I was testing using ten plus masks and brushes, there was still no lag. Even more impressive, I didn't even hear the fans going.

Interested?

The most powerful MacBook Pro ever is here. With the blazing-fast M1 Pro or M1 Max chip — the first Apple silicon designed for pros — you get groundbreaking performance and amazing battery life. Add to that a stunning Liquid Retina XDR display, the best camera and audio ever in a Mac notebook, and all the ports you need. The first notebook of its kind, this MacBook Pro is a beast.

Check Price

Speed

Play from here [7:31]

The new M1 Pro chip, more CPU and GPU cores, and the faster SSDs all come together to give this laptop speed as out of this world.

Play from here [7:38]

We also did some importing, building previews and export tests in my initial impressions video. We imported 161-megapixel photos from my Sony A7R IV. Those files are 120MB each, and that means that we're writing 12GB of data onto my new computer.

Play from here [7:52]

I was using Sony's top-line memory cards, which claim a read speed of 277 Mbps. I then compared these times to the previous generation 16-inch midrange MacBook Pro, which had an i7 32GB of RAM, 4GB of AMD Radeon 5300 graphics, and a 1TB SSD.

Play from here [8:09]

The new M1 Pro MacBook Pro imported all 100 photos in 49 seconds, finished building previews in 1 minute and 56 seconds. The 2019 midrange MacBook completed all imports in 2 minutes and 26 seconds and finished building all previews in 2 minutes and 59 seconds.

Play from here [8:23]

These times are drastically different, and we can really see the new SSD and M1 Pro chip working twice as fast on the import and about 50% faster for building previews, crazy speed tier. With the export times, we had similar speed bumps. Exporting 100 photos took about 4 minutes on the M1 Pro MacBook Pro and about 6 minutes and 30 seconds on the older laptop. Again, we're seeing about 50% to 60% difference in speed here.

Play from here [8:44]

This workflow that I just demonstrated here is one that I actually go through a lot. I do a lot of stop motion videos for clients, so importing and exporting 100 photos is a pretty common thing that I do. I've done a number of these stop motions over the past month and saved me loads of time. By investing to this new laptop, I'm able to deliver the same high quality content to my clients at the same price, but it takes me less time. Time is money.

Let's talk Photoshop.

Photoshop Performance

Play from here [9:05]

I personally don't use Photoshop that often anymore. Most of my extensive Photoshop work in my business is done by one of my editors. That being said, my main use case for Photoshop is a little dodge and burn here and there, and then some spot healing.

Play from here [9:16]

For this use case, the new M1 Pro chip was just flawless. In my line of work, I do a lot of tethered shooting. For prop photography, it's great because I can quickly review the photos and rate them immediately, so it saves me time during the culling process.

Play from here [9:27]

I also used this M1 Pro MacBook Pro on offsite studio shoot like I mentioned earlier. I was tethered the entire time. The performance was flawless as well.

Play from here [9:34]

It was great to be able to shoot and quickly show the client how the photos were turning out.

Play from here [9:38]

I had it set to let Lightroom import the photos and then applied a preset so that the client would be able to see what the final result would look like. In both cases, the new hard drives really helped with the import speeds here. This has definitely sped up my workflow.

Let's talk Final Cut Pro.

Final Cut Pro Performance

Play from here [9:50]

Final Cut is made by Apple, so it's really optimized to take full advantage of these new chips. Grubbing through 4K footage is buttery smooth as expected and export times are just ridiculously fast. I tested a ten-minute-long, 4K YouTube video on the new M1 Pro MacBook Pro as well as on my older 16-inch MacBook to see how they performed.

Play from here [10:07]

The M1 Pro ended up exploring this ten-minute-long video in one minute and 26 seconds. That's just insane. My old MacBook was going for a while after this. It took four minutes and 36 seconds to export, three times slower. It's wild how fast the chip is when the software is fully optimized to take advantage of it.

When need to talk about the fans.

Exhaust Fans

Play from here [10:25]

This past month of use, I never heard the fans turn on once. If I'm exporting something and I put my ear really close to a laptop and I try to hear them, I can hear something, but these fans are just so quiet that I never noticed them.

Play from here [10:36]

I'm curious to know if M1 Max has the fans going more often than the M1 Pro. This laptop doesn't get hot either. When I'm on the couch, I can just have them on my legs and it feels fine. If I want to do this with my older laptop, I would need to put a book or something underneath so that my legs wouldn't burn.

Interested?

The most powerful MacBook Pro ever is here. With the blazing-fast M1 Pro or M1 Max chip — the first Apple silicon designed for pros — you get groundbreaking performance and amazing battery life. Add to that a stunning Liquid Retina XDR display, the best camera and audio ever in a Mac notebook, and all the ports you need. The first notebook of its kind, this MacBook Pro is a beast.

Check Price

Battery Life Part 2

Play from here [10:49]

Battery life on this thing is phenomenal. The new M1 Pro chip is just so efficient. I found myself editing off of the battery in my living room and in coffee shops, and there's no drop in performance. This is pretty remarkable in itself. As far as real world testing is concerned, if I'm doing light work, light email, web browsing, that kind of stuff, then my battery has lasted the entire day.

Play from here [11:07]

When I edited in Lightroom, I've been able to get about four hours, which is three more than I could get with my old laptop. I mentioned earlier that I took this laptop on a studio shoot where I tethered it with my camera. My photos were importing to Lightroom as I was taking them.

Play from here [11:19]

At the end of the two-hour shoot, my battery was at 50%. I also realized that my laptop was charging my camera throughout the entire process. The battery life of this M1 Pro MacBook Pro just gives you so much peace of mind. So, which configuration should you get?

Figuring out configuration

Play from here [11:34]

Clearly, the performance of these new laptops is a major leap ahead of the Intel models. If you're a creative professional, you need to ditch intel immediately. This is both a financially-smart decision and it's going to help you in your career.

Ditch the Intel MacBook

Play from here [11:45]

Intel MacBooks are just going to lose their value really rapidly, so the sooner you can sell yours, the better. Now, whether you're an M1 Pro, M1 Max, or just even an M1 chip is another question. If you're making any money from your creative endeavors, I'd say, just go for the M1 Pro or Max. If you're not making money, then the M1 chip could be something to look at. But, if you've got money to spend, then get the M1 Pro.

M1 Pro, your best bet!

Play from here [12:04]

For 95% of professionals out there, the M1 Pro is going to be the best bet. I keep hearing people being unsure whether the M1 Pro will be enough power for them.

Play from here [12:12]

In my latest videos on these laptops, I had a lot of people saying they're coming from a 2015, 2016, 2017 MacBook, and they don't know which one is right for them. If you're going from a five year old laptop to the M1 Pro, your mind will be blown at the speed of this thing.

Play from here [12:24]

The M1 Pro is twice as fast as my laptop from last year, so just imagine how much faster is going to be over your old MacBook. Give yourself a peace of mind and just grab the M1 Pro. If you're shooting 8K video, then yeah, probably go with the M1 Max. Unless you actually have a use case for it, stick with M1 Pro.

What exactly to get

Play from here [12:39]

As far as configurations go, should you get the 16GB brand version or 32GB? What about the SSD, 14-inch or 16-inch? You definitely want to get the screen size that you're more comfortable with.

What I got

Play from here [12:49]

I personally like the 16-inch one, but if you want more portability, 14-inch is a great option. I also went with 16GB of RAM on this thing. I wanted this laptop as soon as it came out, so that was my only option there. I don't regret that choice at all. 16GB has been plenty for all the uses I talked about earlier. If money is an issue for you, then I would say stick with 16GB, and put the rest of the money towards a bigger SSD.

Play from here [13:08]

The biggest complaint I hear about the 16GB model is people saying the M1 Pro MacBook Pro going to up a lot of swap memory and destroy their SSD. All the tests people are claiming are from the early days of SSDs, and SSDs have gone way better over the years.

Play from here [13:20]

I really don't think that this will be an issue. The speed of SSDs also makes a swap memory here really fast. You saw the test that I did. If 16GB wasn't an issue there, I don't think it's going to be an issue down the road for me. I could be completely wrong about this and I'll eat my words, but right, now I'm confident that I made the right choice.

My recommendation

Play from here [13:36]

If you're a working professional, which one is right for you? If you don't have that much money to spend, the base level 14-inch MacBook Pro for about $2,000 (prices may change) is a fantastic choice. If you have some cash to invest in business, then I would go for the 10-Core CPU, 16-Core GPU, 16GB RAM, 1TB option.

Play from here [13:51]

With this, you can either do it in the 14-inch or 16-inch model. It really depends what form factor you prefer. The 14-inch model goes for about $2,499 (prices may change), and the 16-inch goes for about $2,699 (prices may change). These laptops will last you years and years.

Free Simple Checklist

Play from here [14:04]

As a special thank you for watching till the end, I want to share with you a free creative business checklist that I made here. If you're a photographer, a filmmaker, or any creative trying to make money in this industry, go download this free simple checklist. It'll jumpstart your business in less than 30 days, and you'll be making money doing something you love.

Thank you!

Play from here [14:18]

I appreciate you watching. Your time is valuable, and I'm grateful you spent it watching this video. If you liked the video, please give it a thumbs up and I'll see you on the next one. Bye.

Interested?

The most powerful MacBook Pro ever is here. With the blazing-fast M1 Pro or M1 Max chip — the first Apple silicon designed for pros — you get groundbreaking performance and amazing battery life. Add to that a stunning Liquid Retina XDR display, the best camera and audio ever in a Mac notebook, and all the ports you need. The first notebook of its kind, this MacBook Pro is a beast.

Check Price
About Chris Pieta

Hi, I'm Chris, and this channel is all about photography and how to start a creative business! You'll learn everything from how to find your niche, what camera equipment you need, where to buy it on the cheap, and much more. Whether it's for product photography, weddings, portraits, or commercial shoots - starting your own photography business can be an amazing experience. Subscribe now so that you never miss a video!

Chris Pieta

Hi, I'm Chris, and this channel is all about photography and how to start a creative business! You'll learn everything from how to find your niche, what camera equipment you need, where to buy it on the cheap, and much more. Whether it's for product photography, weddings, portraits, or commercial shoots - starting your own photography business can be an amazing experience. Subscribe now so that you never miss a video!