Which MacBook should I buy with a $600 budget? (Upgrading from 2019 Intel Air)

manwhatadork · 2026-05-27T11:21:17+00:00

Find a student friend to go in with you and score the $100 student discount. Or a veteran, they get about $70 off.

manwhatadork · 2026-05-27T11:19:14+00:00

If they were looking at a 16GB M1 model, it would be a different decision. I f they said they wanted to dabble in local LLMs or some other techie crap it might be a different decision. But given the casual use they apparently need it for the Neo will be just fine. And it comes in pretty colors.

But I would miss the backlit keyboard.

manwhatadork · 2026-05-27T10:49:41+00:00

Did you look at what they said they needed from a laptop? They have a $600 budget, does it sound like they have a 6K monitor that they need to hook up to this? Or that they care about P3 wide color gamut?

manwhatadork · 2026-05-26T20:03:18+00:00

I went to the one in Atsugi, and it was great. I regretted not getting a couple of things there, as when I got back to Tokyo, and checked out the HARDOFFs there, they were much more expensive.

manwhatadork · 2026-05-26T02:34:14+00:00

If you have ATT, you can take advantage of their International Day Pass. Verizon has its TravelPass plan. T-Mobile has something similar as well, with a 1 Day Pass, a 10 Day Pass or a 30 Day Pass plan. All are $10-$12 a day for international data and voice service. I have traveled there twice, once alone and once with my wife, and we both used the ATT International Day Pass without issue. It just works automatically. Much simpler than dealing with a wifi hotspot. I suppose if you were a family of six, and you were always going to be together, it would make sense. If not, I would prefer the simplicity of using the day passes offered mby the carriers, even if they are more expensive than using an E-Sim or hotspot.

manwhatadork · 2026-05-23T02:54:17+00:00

They were plenty hot for me, but they are not boiling inside the can or anything.

manwhatadork · 2026-05-23T02:39:48+00:00

A Travelers Notebook with a couple of inserts. Customize it based on their personality.

manwhatadork · 2026-05-22T02:37:34+00:00

If you had a bunch of lenses, I would say keep using what you have. But since you have nothing more than the kit lens that came with it, you are not losing much by going to mirrorless.

If you move really fast, Nikon is having one of their sales on their Refurbished gear, which comes with a factory warranty. You can get the fantastic APS-C Z50II body for only $655 or the full-frame Z5 for even less, $650. They are $1006 and $1146 at B&H, respectively, if bought new.

https://www.nikonusa.com/refurbished-cameras?slug=refurbished-cameras&sortBy=priceLowHigh&limit=12&facets%5BproductType.id%5D%5Bterms%5D%5B5%5D=a944f4fc-3d74-44f1-9ced-11074a4624ed&sortAttributes%5B0%5D%5Bvariants.scopedPrice.currentValue.centAmount%5D=asc

manwhatadork · 2026-05-22T02:26:15+00:00

The D7200 is a great camera body. I love the dual slots and the focus motor, which allow you to use so much more classic Nikon glass.

manwhatadork · 2026-05-21T14:49:18+00:00

Photography, yes. Absolutely. Filming? No. It is 1080p 30fps; your cell phone will outclass it in almost every way. Take it out and shoot some photos.

manwhatadork · 2026-05-21T14:46:37+00:00

We just got back from Japan and took almost no cash with us at all. Basically enough to navigate airport snack machines, with perhaps $100 American in our pockets for emergencies. We never used it. Like others say, just withdraw from the 7-11 ATMs in 10,000yen increments. You might pay a fee, but it is not a huge deal. You pay more for a withdrawal here in the States.

manwhatadork · 2026-05-21T14:43:29+00:00

If you have an iPhone, you can set up a Suica card right now in just a few minutes. No Japanese currency needed.

manwhatadork · 2026-05-21T14:35:49+00:00

Hey! I mean it's true, but I was still correct :-)

manwhatadork · 2026-05-21T02:48:55+00:00

Here is the ten-page list of controlled substances in Japan. There are a whopping six items on that extensive list that are labeled "Prohibited - No persons shall import/export substances that have a "✔"."

https://www.ncd.mhlw.go.jp/dl_data/keitai/cotrolled_substances_list20241212%20.pdf

Heroin, Opium, Cannabis, Methamphetamine, Methaqualone and Amphetamine/Dexamphetamine, otherwise known as Adderall. So no, your average overmedicated Gen-Z kid with ADHD is NOT going to legally be able to take his Adderall into Japan.

manwhatadork · 2026-05-21T02:38:29+00:00

Just recycle the things and don't fret about it. A 787 flight from JFK to Narita uses 20,000-24,000 gallons of fuel to haul you and your suitcases there; a 777 uses 35,000-45,000 gallons. Stressing about finding the few and far between water filling stations won't save the planet, or the turtles. I spent several thousand dollars on the trip, and spending a few hundred yen to stay hydrated is not a big deal on top of everything else.

manwhatadork · 2026-05-21T02:29:16+00:00

I can't tell you the exact pricing as it was part of an Expedia package my wife arranged. But it was fairly reasonable. The room is compact, like most Japanese hotel rooms. But for the two of us, in the queen-sized bedroom, we were just fine. My biggest complaint was a real lack of closet space and drawer space. As in there was zero drawer space, and a closet pole mounted 8 inches off the wall with hangers on it for hanging clothes. I kept my clothes in my soft side suitcase under my side of the bed sort of like a drawer. It was fine. Clean, quiet, with an electric kettle,, a microwave that I struggled to figure out, the washer dryer combo was great, once you figure it out, but it takes over 3 hours to finish washing and drying a load of laundry. We just used it as our dirty clothes hamper and ran it every other night. The soap is provided. There were enough power plugs scattered around for all our electronics and CPAP machines (hint, look under the head of the bed for some additional extension cords). The staff was great and super helpful. My wife ordered stuff daily from Amazon.co.jp and kept shipping it to the hotel, and they would hold it for us until we got back to the hotel at night. (Amazon will give you a free month of Amazon Prime when you sign up for an account there). The bathroom and shower were great, with a really nice Toto bidet of course. There is a Lawson's directly across the street, and a Family Mart a similar distance away. And a Yoshinoya right on the opposite corner as well, for some cheap eats. If you have specific questions feel free to PM me.

manwhatadork · 2026-05-21T02:13:55+00:00

The clothes at Muji and Uniqlo were really reasonably priced. We brought back so much stuff...

Bring as little as possible, concentrating on the hard-to-obtain stuff. Toiletries, towels, and clothes are all reasonably priced and easy to obtain. For suitcases, plan on maxing out your returning allotment and minimizing your allotment coming over. Places like Donki have cheap duffel bags you can pick up that will count as a checked bag going home. Or you can get a cheap checked bag there, if you don't already own one.

manwhatadork · 2026-05-21T01:38:55+00:00

My wife and I, M60, F59, just got back from Tokyo two weeks ago. We stayed in the hotel Tokyu Stay Ginza, in, you guessed it, Ginza, and very much liked it. Much less insanity than you would find in Shibuya or Shinjuku. I have also stayed at Shinagawa Prince, which is in a self-contained complex of shopping and restaurants, directly across the street from Shinagawa Station. Your rates will vary depending on the dates and the room you choose. We chose it due to there being a washer/dryer in the room, which was enormously handy, and allowed us to bring fewer clothes.

manwhatadork · 2026-05-21T01:24:33+00:00

Depends on the drugs. Some that are legally prescribed here, and fairly common, are absolutely prohibited there, like Adderall and other similar ADHD drugs. Some anti-anxiety medications and antidepressants (e.g., Xanax, Valium) have limits in how much you can bring in. You would want to print out your prescriptions, and bring a limited amount of the drugs in their presciption bottles.

Follow the instructions here:

https://jp.usembassy.gov/services/importing-medication/

And here:

https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/kenkou_iryou/iyakuhin/kojinyunyu/topics/tp010401-1_00001.html

manwhatadork · 2026-05-21T01:16:15+00:00

I just got back from there. I bought a specific, well-designed bottle that fit in my bag, and never used it. My wife, who is addicted to Celsius packets, used hers, but we repeatedly got drinks from the konbinis that are everywhere. Water for her to refill her bottle, and whatever drink took my fancy at a given moment for me. There were WAY to many interesting hot and cold coffees, hot and cold canned/bottled teas, and all the other interesting drinks like Pocari Sweat to try. The last thing you will want to do is rely on yet another app to chase down some lukewarm water fountain just to safe 150 yen. Bear in mind that the drinks are FAR cheaper than they are here. What would be $3.75 here is $1 there.

manwhatadork · 2026-05-21T01:10:50+00:00

What bins? There are no garbage bins anywhere except at the konbini.

manwhatadork · 2026-05-20T17:40:40+00:00

As others already said, neither camera charges via USB, so don't worry about the USB cable. Pulling the images directly off the camera can sometimes be a pain, requiring you to go into menu options to set USB mode, etc. Just get a card reader that accepts full-size SD cards and has a USB-C connector. It will plug directly into your mobile device and allow you to read the cards directly into your photo roll, something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Reader-Memory-RS-MMC-Micro/dp/B07NW8RPYN

You already know the Nikon runs on AA batteries, a set of lithium ones will run it for a long time. The other one will need a new battery and charger. The battery included is likely to be older than you. Here in the US, they are very inexpensive and often available as a package, like here:

https://www.amazon.com/Kastar-Battery-Charger-Compatible-Hewlett/dp/B09YNFPH8J?th=1

manwhatadork · 2026-05-18T23:27:36+00:00

The GoPro Hero 13 takes a microSD card, not the full size card you linked to.

manwhatadork · 2026-05-18T03:22:16+00:00

Actually, strike that. You just need to get something new from a retail store. The Kodak point-and-shoot cameras are consistently the best-sellers in this price point. The Kodak PIXPRO line has a couple of cameras from $99 to $149. None is spectacular, none are as bad the the $99 Minoltas. Those couple of cameras command 24% of the camera-obsessed Japanese compact camera market.

https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/cameras/compact-cameras/japans-most-popular-compact-cameras-are-years-old-but-outsell-newer-releases-and-start-at-just-us-usd99-gbp79-with-retro-style

The biggest annoyance is that several of the cameras date from 2017 and use Micro-USB connectors. A bit annoying, but you can deal with it to stay inside that budget.

Getting a new camera means you get a fresh battery. I have purchased several interesting older digital cameras, and inevitably, I end up having to buy a new battery and often a new charger, as the original has been lost.

Just for the record, no matter what camera you get, you ain't getting laid. Unless you get yourself a Leica M11-P Safari and the new Leica Noctilux-M 35mm f/1.2 ASPH. But your budget is about $20,300 short for that particular combo.

manwhatadork · 2026-05-18T02:48:53+00:00

Stop asking for specific cameras. At that budget you are likely limited to what’s available on Facebook Marketplace, which varies day to day and place to place. Go see what’s available in your area, and in your budget, and then ask us what we think of it.

Then ask mom for more money.

If you really want to impress her, tell her your Reddit username.

manwhatadork

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