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

All right, you mean that to the not too interested, the moderate wide angle end of P&S cameras has been rised to be the benchmark?
That could very well be. For those who do know anything about film cameras, it may be enough to point out that there's a crop factor involved, if you have such a camera.

apersson850 wrote in post #4675929
All right, you mean that to the not too interested, the moderate wide angle end of P&S cameras has been rised to be the benchmark?
That could very well be. For those who do know anything about film cameras, it may be enough to point out that there's a crop factor involved, if you have such a camera.

I'd say yes. It never occurred to me before I started getting into SLRs that the 35mm equivalent focal length of the various point and shoot cameras may be different. It was only a few months ago that I would have asked someone with a large lens "what kinda zoom is that?" I know that if I heard "10x" I would have understood that to mean that I could get *not quite* as "close" to something far away as my dad could with his S3 IS.

That's all they're asking. They're wondering about the reach. The answer could be as simple "well this lens gets me about as close to the subject as your average 10x zoom camera."

tim wrote in post #4674685
I got an email from a friend once "Those are good photos, you must have a great camera!". I replied "Thanks for your lovely email, you must have a great keyboard!".

Although I don't like it when people assume that the only reason I can take a good photo is because of the camera, you also have to remember that often part of a great photo IS the gear! Otherwise half of this forum would never get any posts!!! I'm not a fantastic photographer but with a crappy P&S I wouldn't get half as nice a shot as I do with my camera. If someone says "wow, that camera takes nice photos!" then its different, but if someone compliments my gear (and forgets to compliment the photographer) then I can forgive them for that. If you've never taken the time to learn what a powerful camera can do (in the right hands) then you wouldn't realize what role the photographer plays.

Not to single you out Tim; in fact that was a very funny response!

thepepperman wrote in post #4675968
Although I don't like it when people assume that the only reason I can take a good photo is because of the camera, you also have to remember that often part of a great photo IS the gear! Otherwise half of this forum would never get any posts!!! I'm not a fantastic photographer but with a crappy P&S I wouldn't get half as nice a shot as I do with my camera. If someone says "wow, that camera takes nice photos!" then its different, but if someone compliments my gear (and forgets to compliment the photographer) then I can forgive them for that. If you've never taken the time to learn what a powerful camera can do (in the right hands) then you wouldn't realize what role the photographer plays.

Not to single you out Tim; in fact that was a very funny response!

Well, I read somewhere in a thread that a guy said he would rather have an experienced photog with a P&S at his wedding than an inexperienced photog with a 1D MkIII. I agree that the gear plays a part but if the person BEHIND the camera has no idea what they are doing then they are almost certainly going to fail at capturing a good picture.

I haven't been out shooting recently because of the weather so I don't have any funny comments about my gear to post

Sounds reasonable to me. I've noticed that sometimes, when I get a comment about the tremendous reach my camera must have, and I hand it over to them to look for themselves, it gets completely ruined.

It goes like this:

First comment: Gosh, is that heavy. How can you carry it around? (If it's indoors, we're now typically talking about the EOS 40D, EF-S 17-55 f/2.8, grip BG-E2N with two BP-511A and the Speedlite 580 EX II, a 2.5 kg piece.)

Second comment: How do you turn on the display? (As I don't go into the manual focusing live view procedure, I urge them to look through the viewfinder and press the shutter button half way.)

Third comment: Where is the zoom button? (I tell them to turn the ring on the lens, which in turn requires the basic lesson of how to hold an SLR properly).

Fourth comment: There's something wrong, the zoom seems blocked. (When they see the impact of a 55 mm focal length of this camera).

As someone wrote above, there's no need to be rude just because someone doesn't know the same thing as you do. So if they seem genuinly interested, I may go through the basic differences in priorities you have to decide upon, when you purchase a DSLR camera and equipment versus carry a P&S in your pocket. If you do care about going through that, you'll actually find a few who are much more interested than they even knew themselves.

I have no problems with people trying to hold my camera like they do with their cellular phone. They just don't know better.
On the ohter hand, I don't bother very long with people who still try to do that, after I've shown them how to hold an SLR, where to look and what to turn. If they don't want to learn, then don't waste my time.

jonnythan wrote in post #4675891
This 105mm focal length is what a consumer expects with a "3x" zoom.

I was like this a few moons ago. I thought the mag factor is the X factor.

I only learned about dSLR bodies after I bought my PnS (Canon A610), only because someone asked what dSLR body am holding and what other lens do I have. He's an oldschool photog and I'm perplexed by his questions. I almost said "Whatcha talkin' 'bout willis?!?!?!"

heres a story that is not really a comment because of big lens story at all but i felt it should go here.

I was at my swim practice this evening and we had a serious workout. Throughout most of the set i was pretty much out of breath and quite possibly had lack of oxygen to the brain. Anyway, i was explaining to my coach that my triceps felt especially tight today. However, he had no idea what i was talking about. The reason? I accidently kept saying tripods instead of triceps. The conversation went something like this

me: hey *coachs name* for some reason my tripods are really tight today.

coach: uh yea so, what do you want me to do about it (he knows photography is my hobby).

me: *feeling strange because of his response* uh oh, i thought uh i should just let you know uh yea. Maybe give me some insight as to why they are so tense.

coach: i dont know anything about tripods, put some WD-40 on it or something. *laughs* are you really asking me this now? get back to swimming.

me: *starts cracking up* and then i explain.

the_incubus wrote in post #4677473
heres a story that is not really a comment because of big lens story at all but i felt it should go here.

I was at my swim practice this evening and we had a serious workout. Throughout most of the set i was pretty much out of breath and quite possibly had lack of oxygen to the brain. Anyway, i was explaining to my coach that my triceps felt especially tight today. However, he had no idea what i was talking about. The reason? I accidently kept saying tripods instead of triceps. The conversation went something like this

me: hey *coachs name* for some reason my tripods are really tight today.

coach: uh yea so, what do you want me to do about it (he knows photography is my hobby).

me: *feeling strange because of his response* uh oh, i thought uh i should just let you know uh yea. Maybe give me some insight as to why they are so tense.

coach: i dont know anything about tripods, put some WD-40 on it or something. *laughs* are you really asking me this now? get back to swimming.

me: *starts cracking up* and then i explain.

Did you hold your breath too long Izak? That was tooo funny!

Although only people in the US may get this, I thought it was a pretty clever response.

while shooting with 70-200:

woman: Are you a professional photographer?
me: No, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.
She thought it was hilarious, apparently remembered the commercials.

Glad to be a part of this community, keep up the great posts.

Just tonight while shooting a boys varsity hockey game:

Guy walks up the stands and sees my Mark II + 300 2.8 on a monopod.

Him: "That's a nice camera"
Me: "Yes, it is!"

Him, I and a couple other guys talked the next two hours while I was shooting.

Bear073 wrote in post #4678523
Although only people in the US may get this, I thought it was a pretty clever response.

while shooting with 70-220:

woman: Are you a professional photographer?
me: No, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.
She thought it was hilarious, apparently remembered the commercials.

Glad to be a part of this community, keep up the great posts.

clever!

Bear073 wrote in post #4678523
Although only people in the US may get this, I thought it was a pretty clever response.

while shooting with 70-200:

woman: Are you a professional photographer?
me: No, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.
She thought it was hilarious, apparently remembered the commercials.

Glad to be a part of this community, keep up the great posts.

Welcome to the forum!
That is a good story!

~Z

Have been for vacation with 70-200mm. I was mistakenly as a paparazzi

Bear073 wrote in post #4678523
Although only people in the US may get this, I thought it was a pretty clever response.

while shooting with 70-200:

woman: Are you a professional photographer?
me: No, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.
She thought it was hilarious, apparently remembered the commercials.

Glad to be a part of this community, keep up the great posts.

HAHA! I'm going to use that the next time someone asks that.