Being a professional photographer isn’t really all that simple. You need a lot of stuff. As if the business side of the job wasn’t enough, there’s a lot of essentials beyond cameras that are necessary. What’s more, the world of photography keeps evolving, and the needs keep changing. Lucky for you, we’ve tested lots of the gear you need. So we dove into the reviews index to look at everything you could possibly ask for. Here’s what we recommend for a photographer’s computer.
The Phoblographer’s various product round-up features are done in-house. Our philosophy is simple: you wouldn’t get a Wagyu beef steak review from a lifelong vegetarian. And you wouldn’t get photography advice from someone who doesn’t touch the product. We only recommend gear we’ve fully reviewed. If you’re wondering why your favorite product didn’t make the cut, there’s a chance it’s on another list. If we haven’t reviewed it, we won’t recommend it. This method keeps our lists packed with industry-leading knowledge. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Pro Tips on Essential Accessories for a Photographer’s Computer
Here are some pro tips you can use for choosing the right accessories for a photographer’s computer:
- If you’re going to get a printer, don’t go small. Realistically speaking, why would someone want a print smaller than their phone or computer screen? Think about that. This is why we always go big. But you don’t need to go incredibly big.
- If you’re on a PC, a photographer’s computer monitor is incredibly critical. But even if you’re editing on a Mac, a separate monitor can surely help!
- Lots of photographers love editing their images using a tablet. To them, it’s sort of like drawing on paper. It can take some getting used to, but a tablet could be very useful if you retouch a lot.
- Don’t store all your images on your computer’s hard drive. More importantly, always edit and store the photos on an external hard drive. Better yet, use a RAID of some sort.
- These days, most photographers’ computers are laptops. If that’s what you’re using, you’ll need hard drives that are more portable and reliable on the go.
Canon Prograf-1000
In our review, we state:
“I genuinely love this printer. It’s very well worth the money if you’re the type to print fairly large. If you’re not, then maybe go with something smaller. But there is also a big difference between seeing your image on a screen vs in a very big print of something around 17×22 inches. There’s just magic to it if you’ve already got an emotional connection to the piece–and that’s what I feel the photographers who use this printer can really capitalize on: shooting great photos that their clients love and making print sales accordingly. Beyond that, if you’re the enthusiast with some extra money to burn, this printer can help you decorate your apartment/home or even get you some extra cash on the side. Again, the emphasis on printing big is part of what’s so great about this printer.”
BenQ PD3420Q
In our review, we state:
“The BenQ PD3420Q comes much closer to the actual printed photo than the Macbook or iPhone screens. The colors from print to the BenQ screen were mostly accurate. Skin tones didn’t appear different like they did on the iPhone. The only color difference I noticed was some slight variation in warmth and tint. Some photos printed slightly warmer than what appeared on the screen. An adjustment of less than 1,500K brought the screen and print much closer. Other shots appeared a little more green in the print than they did on the monitor.”
Xencelabs Pen Tablet
In our review, we state:
“The Xencelabs Pen Tablet and Quick Keys combo is a fantastic entry into the photo editing tablet space. The large tablet makes it easy to edit images, the pen is comfortable to hold and easy to use, and the Quick Keys panel makes switching between tools and making adjustments easy. At just $279 for the tablet and pens and $359 for the tablet, pens, and Quick Keys, it’s a bargain for those who take editing seriously.”
GNARBOX 2.0
In our review, we state:
“By and large, GNARBOX 2.0 is offering photographers a great way of managing their files and the metadata. However, I’m not confident most photographers who use GNARBOX 2.0 know anything about keywording or metadata management. In a world where hashtags dominate everything, I’d be shocked to see if the photographers working with GNARBOX 2.0 even use the keywording features. Still, GNARBOX 2.0 is easy to boot up and immediately get to work for the photographer working out of the cloud for the most part.”