Post the most ridiculous comments you've received with a big lens on!

gymell wrote in post #4668009
I think some of the sarcastic answers here are simply in the spirit of the thread, not that you're really going to give that answer to someone who is asking an honest question.

Well put. I've always enjoyed some of the "snappy answers to stupid questions" postings (with a tip of the hat to AL Jaffee of MAD Magazine), but I've never used one. Even when my friend's friend asked "Are you a photographer?" after I'd spent 10 minutes snapping him playing his guitar. What could I say except "Yup"?

I think when most people say "zoom" they are working from a logical average human non-photographer vocabulary and we immediately tend to interpret what they say in the accurate sense of the word for our vocabulary as photographers.

I think what the average person means to say is, "How many times more magnification can you see with that over what I can see with my own eyes?" From that perspective my answer is formulated based on "focal length X 1.6 / 50". Essentially the same basic method used to calculate "powers" for a pair of binoculars. So for a 500mm lens (on a 1.6 crop body) I'd be saying, "The zoom of this lens is 16x normal vision or 16x (16 power)". The direct answer would be, "It has a 16 power zoom and it doesn't actually zoom in and out like a pair of binoculars. It's fixed at the maximum zoom". If they were interested in knowing how I arrived at that I'd explain the formula using 50mm = human vision as "normal" and 16 times normal as a "common" way of determining the zoom.

[Please don't use this as an opportunity to tell us that 50mm is not your preferred flavor of "normal" and site all the websites that make your case. Nor is this about the differing meanings of "magnification" in lens speak. It's conveying a concept in a way that satisfies the question of the non-photographer, that's the point. ]

rowdyred94 wrote in post #4662963
Please stop crapping up this thread with OT chatter. Get a room!

Heh, made me giggle.

LBaldwin wrote in post #4667729
The reason NO firefighter wants to see his Mug in the paper... There is an unwritten rule that ANY firefighter that has his image, likeness or even back of his turnouts (some stations). He has to buy dinner for the whole station. In some departments that means that he has to go to the store, get the food come back to the station and cook it for the crew.!!

Les

In Australia its a 6 Pack of Beer for everyone else on the Appliance

NSWESP wrote in post #4668442
In Australia its a 6 Pack of Beer for everyone else on the Appliance

Did someone say Beeeeyaaah?

NSWESP wrote in post #4668442
In Australia its a 6 Pack of Beer for everyone else on the Appliance

Here in Olathe, KS it's ice cream, and our guys can come up with LOTS of reasons for someone to have to buy it--first call, first time on the front page, first time on the local news (or any time they appear on either), first day on the job, you name it. Great Fun!

No hilarious stories like some I've read (the Greece story gets my vote for funniest so far), but I often get the "Wow, I bet that takes really good pictures." line a lot.

divalac wrote in post #4668545
"Wow, I bet that takes really good pictures." line a lot.

If anyone ever says that to me, I'm going to reply "No it doesn't. I do."

Or maybe "Yeah. It's kinda like how a $300 frying pan makes a delicious meal."

The most angered I've ever been by a comment was at the end of this summer, I went to the zoo with a group of about 15 new friends at my new school, an orientation week activity.

At the end of the day, 2/3 of the group was gathered around me as I showed some pictures on the LCD, one person looking at them looked up to her friend a few feet away talking to someone else and says to her "Come look at these pictures, they're really good!"

Her response "Nah, it's because he has a really good camera, look at that thing." and continues her other conversation.

I almost snapped, but I just continued to show those who were interested, and supportive...

/my first post in this thread, kinda excited since I've been reading it for over a year.


Most of the time at zoos people are very nice and helpful, all the zoo keepers tell me when I should come back to see that animal active, or help me find the animals, parents make sure their children stay out of the way and don't shake the railing I'm leaning on (well most of them do...), and lots of "Look at that thing!" comments.
The kids have some of the funniest comments.

I would reply, yupe, it's just like her, she's not pretty at all, it's just what she's wearing right now. Look at those pretty clothes and the really expensive makeup she has on

BIATCH

aCiD99 wrote in post #4669615
Her response "Nah, it's because he has a really good camera, look at that thing." and continues her other conversation.

The only thing stopping me from snapping in some way was the fact I'd just met all these people days before, probably would have been a poor start to a 3 year relationship :P

Edit: It's also kinda funny, because what you just suggested would have fit VERY well... LOL

you are a nice guy then, If it was me and she was dis'ing my camera, my gear and on top of that, ME oh... all hell is going to break loose. I could care less about anything, if someone doesn't understand the basic decency of respecting others before expecting them to respect you, then F u, i'm going to rain **** on u and put you into your place.

Your zoo comments made me think of a recent incident that happened, my friend was telling me that there's a chick in school that's going to challenge my photography status, (my friends know i'm crazy about photography) so they showed me her site and she went to the zoo, and took some images of the animals and she put them in the Nature section of her port... I couldn't contain myself and told them, I don't do her style of photography but at least I know that I myself wont go to the zoo and snap images of animals in the zoo and then later want to relate myself as a nature photographer... hee hee hee

aCiD99 wrote in post #4670192
The only thing stopping me from snapping in some way was the fact I'd just met all these people days before, probably would have been a poor start to a 3 year relationship :P

Edit: It's also kinda funny, because what you just suggested would have fit VERY well... LOL

jonnythan wrote in post #4668764
Or maybe "Yeah. It's kinda like how a $300 frying pan makes a delicious meal."

Man I really like this one! I will be very tempted to try this one, depending on how insulted I feel by the person. I Agree with most on this thread, I do want to encourage people in photography if they are truly interested, but when they start to make intentional insults about me/my gear... that is just not right, and I have never been the best at that biblical "turn the other cheek" thing.

~Z

PiRho wrote in post #4672328
Man I really like this one! I will be very tempted to try this one, depending on how insulted I feel by the person. I Agree with most on this thread, I do want to encourage people in photography if they are truly interested, but when they start to make intentional insults about me/my gear... that is just not right, and I have never been the best at that biblical "turn the other cheek" thing.

~Z

You gotta say it with a straight face and sound like you really mean it.

Rembrandt must have had wonderful brushes!

um, anyone else think that most of these replies are rude? if someone asks you a question give them the answer. There is no need to be rude because someone doesnt know something. be thankful that they are interested in you. remember, you do not know everything, and if you ask someone a question you would want them to be respectful and give you a proper answer. i didnt realize that there was such snobbery to go along with buying a camera and learning how to use it.