Exodus

[leadweight]

There have been a number of posts over at FM from members that are leaving the forum over what they believe is an excessive belief that more gear means better photography, to the exclusion of all else.

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/688471

One member said its the pursuit of a magic combination of gear when it should be a magic combination of subject matter, light and technique.

What is even more interesting is this is happening in the Brand N mount forum. There has been a lot more chatter about gear in Canon land due to the recent release of the 50D and 5D2.

I share this sort of disappointment, although not to the point of exiting. Photography forums (not just this one) have an awful lot of silly A vs B threads. There are numerous discussions of the value of minor camera features and little discussion about how to use them. Speculation and fantasy shopping run rampant. Its entertaining, but not useful.

Advice on photographic technique or problem solving of any kind is rare. I don't mean nonexistent, just scarce. Images get posted with no discussion of how it was done, and usually all data has been stripped from the image. Perhaps that is a byproduct of post processing, but the data is gone at any rate. Its all secret sauce, but in that case the image is no more than an advertisement for some pro.

It would be a nice thing if this forum ran more in the spirit of photographers helping other photographers rather than just wasting time instead of doing whatever you are supposed to be doing.

[dekalbSTEEL]

yet only 2 of your 117 posts have been in the share forums (no photos of your shared):rolleyes:

most of the others are in the gear sections.........

[JeffreyG]

If you don't like gear chatter, don't hang out in gear forums. There is always a lot going on at POTN in the photo sharing area, and these areas are the best places to discuss light and technique.

Do people expect artistic discussion in the "EF and EF-S lenses" forum?

[leadweight]

yet only 2 of your 117 posts have been in the share forums (no photos of your shared):rolleyes:

most of the others are in the gear sections.........

That's a dangerous and careless leap to go from where a user posts to what he has to say. You obviously did not read any of the posts for content because if you did you would find I was frequently asking for advice on problems or giving it. I also have a few image posts in gear forum threads, but since you did not read anything you would not know that.

This sort of reply was expected. You probably have too much fun doing exactly what I am concerned about, and judging from your signature, the acquisition of gear is very important. Rather than directly agreeing or disagreeing with the original post you have made a subtle personal attack.

[leadweight]

If you don't like gear chatter, don't hang out in gear forums. There is always a lot going on at POTN in the photo sharing area, and these areas are the best places to discuss light and technique.

Do people expect artistic discussion in the "EF and EF-S lenses" forum?

There are issues that come up regarding gear that should be discussed in a gear forum. Unfortunately, there is so much chatter that anything in the area of problem solving or real advice gets lost. Its a bad signal to noise ratio, IMO. As for the sharing area, I have already indicated my disappointment. Good photos, but scarce on how it was done.

[nicksan]

I see posts like this occasionally and though I agree with it, it's rather annoying to me to be perfectly honest


There was another one about the 5D MKII according to a Nikon user...lots to read through but in the end the message was "it's about shooting, not the gear"...

Seriosuly? I use my 1DMKIII as a door stop. You mean to tell me you can shoot pictures with that thing? Ah...the missing link.:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

That's pretty obvious, and if it's not obvious to some, leave them alone. You can' pound that idea into someone who is a collector, not a shooter. Either they eventually come around or they never will.

However, as many have eluded to already, if you are in a gear forum, expect to read about gear. Troubleshooting, lens review, A vs. B, I bought a lens/camera, etc. You are barking up the wrong tree.

...or choose to stay away from that area and chill out in the G & N forum...:D;):p

[Mark_Cohran]

Sure, come on over to the G&N forum. We're all about sharing images and techniques there. :) Of course, the standards of behavior are much higher there too.

As nicksan and others have indicated, if you hang out in the gear forums, expect to read about gear. For some folks, that's what they like to talk about. They may be out there taking some of the greatest images in the world, but if they prefer to talk about gear, that's what you're going to hear from them.

It's also been my experience that is you see an image you admire, and you want to know the technical details, you have but to ask and most of the members will provide it to you.

[dekalbSTEEL]

That's a dangerous and careless leap to go from where a user posts to what he has to say. You obviously did not read any of the posts for content because if you did you would find I was frequently asking for advice on problems or giving it. I also have a few image posts in gear forum threads, but since you did not read anything you would not know that.

This sort of reply was expected. You probably have too much fun doing exactly what I am concerned about, and judging from your signature, the acquisition of gear is very important. Rather than directly agreeing or disagreeing with the original post you have made a subtle personal attack.

You, my friend, have made the dangerous and careless leap to judge me.

Having one body, 4 lenses and a third party flash (all purchased used, by the way) hardly qualifies me as a G.A.S. sufferer.....

I merely stated the facts based on what sections you have posted in here on POTN.

Have a lovely rest of the weekend:)

[Belmondo]

The beauty of this forum is there are venues where you can discuss just about anything you want. If you find the gearheads annoying, dabble in the share forums. We have members producing pro-level work here, and not all of them are using high end equipment. Others, like me, have beau coups top-rate cameras and lenses, but couldn't take a snapshot of Mickey Mouse in front of Snow White's Castle with any of it. Our goal in life is to dazzle people with our equipment lists.;)

If people are leaving one forum for another, and expressing dismay about one element within that forum, chances are they're hanging out in the wrong places. For sure, people in the gear forums are likely to be more preoccupied with hardware. People in the share forums and many of the regional chat threads are just the opposite. They're more about taking photos and making friends.

Explore.

Also, Fred Miranda ex patriots are definitely welcome here. (we don't charge to list in our buy/sell forum):lol:

[ugly_a]

I'm fairly new to this forum as well. I mostly hang around in the gear forums - being a techie as I am, I love pushing the camera technology to its limit and that is what interests me the most. Getting a good picture is a completely acceptable byproduct of this interest. I'm sure most of the photographers here don't share my interests, but POTN is composed of various people - hobbyists, professional sports and wedding photographers, birders, etc... makes the stay here a lot more interesting.

[midnight_rider]

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=510218&highlight=come+from+the+glass

We do not all believe in magic gear. I do however believe that the 17-50 can never be a good birding lens and will never be as sharp as a 50 1.4.
I myself have posted some a vs b threads and the responses that I have gotten have been very helpful. People spend a lot of money finding a lens that suits them and those threads can really help cut that cost by eliminating trial and error. This is by far the best forum that I have seen. No matter where you go there will be redundant post but if it helps some one then good for it. And every hobby has some degree of O.C.D to it so if it bothers you then do what I do go the the next post.

[weka2000]

Hell im a gear head and proud of it. But I also take a lot of photos and post.
If people want to leave then fine.

POTN has many sections and there is always serious answers when the serious questions are asked.

Yes there are heaps of this vs that threads so what.

Photography is about the light and .... the right gear to capture that light.

[leadweight]

You, my friend, have made the dangerous and careless leap to judge me.

Having one body, 4 lenses and a third party flash (all purchased used, by the way) hardly qualifies me as a G.A.S. sufferer.....

I merely stated the facts based on what sections you have posted in here on POTN.

Have a lovely rest of the weekend:)

No, you are the one who is trying to judge me. You did a name search and jumped to conclusions without checking your facts. You tried to misrepresent me as a hypocrite, which is quite unfair indeed. Shame on you, and don't expect anyone to believe you were merely giving a statistic on which sections I posted in because you drew conclusions without checking. Journalists have had their careers ruined for less careless acts. It was not as clever as you might have thought and now you are caught in a lie.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend...

[Belmondo]

Sorry guys. This could have been an interesting conversation, but we seem to have gotten sidetracked. I'm locking this thread to preserve the peace.

Thanks.