Asking about equipment... is is poor taste?

[antiquark]

Hello,
Why is is that asking about equipment in photography is considered poor taste? For example, a few days ago, someone asked what kind of camera was used on the first Mt. Everest expedition, and some people had a problem with that.

Is there any other profession where equipment should not be discussed? Look at sports. For example, everyone knows what kind of golf ball, golf club etc, Tiger Woods is using. It's not like he's trying to keep it a secret!

Maybe it's because there's a belief that "the camera (or film) doesn't matter", so if you attribute the success of a picture to the equipment, then you're, in a way, insulting the photographer.

(Personally, I always have an interest in what camera/film was used, regardless of who took the picture.)

 

[jmcd]

Perceived lack of respect for artistic achievement is the reason. The question of equipment only bothers some.

 

[back alley]

doesn't bother me.
some others may be more sensitive about it...

 

[Avotius]

You know I get why people are interested in what others are using, on one side you have that confidence that what you buy is a good thing because it is tried and tested and I get that, on the other side you might think that having a Leica will make you HCB which is crap.

An example from today, my Ricoh GRD would not start up so I dug around in an old box of stuff for my old 3mp Sony P72 digital camera from 2003 which I have not used in years, surprised to find it working still I took it out with me instead of the Ricoh which needs a fixing. Here is one of the pictures from today:

Sony P72, 39mm f2.8 lens, ISO 400


Not too bad really from a crappy slow outdated piece of plastic. Wont enlarge very much at 3 mp but I had a camera with me today when the opportunity for an image presented itself and that is just about all that maters right? That is what I think the whole "whats he using?" thing should be about, what works out there and that's why they have it, but then again that's not why I bought a Leica M6 :angel:

 

[robin a]

Better to know than to wonder.....Huh?

 

[Thardy]

Hello,
Why is is that asking about equipment in photography is considered poor taste?

Maybe it's because there's a belief that "the camera (or film) doesn't matter",

You ever see those Nikon V Canon arguments on Photo.net?

 

[dazedgonebye]

I don't take offence from that sort of question.
I do really like "Hey, that camera takes great pictures." Makes me want to say something like, "Hey, your mouth says stupid things." But I just smile instead.

 

[robklurfield]

It seems to me that point behind an open forum is to have open discussion... that all topics related to the purpose of the board should be fair game. This gives us all some responsibility for being polite, open-minded and fair. It also obligates us to have skin thick enough to tolerate differences of opinion and criticism. None of us and none of our opinions will be universally well-received. So, if you want to ask about what equipment was used, you ought to ask. You ought to expect that some people may think the questions are inappropriate while others were waiting to ask the same questions.

I enjoy RFF. It's stimulating to see different points of view in writing and in images. Ocassionally, I get ticked off to see some posters venting anger on others for their opinions and expressing it in the form of "you are an idiot" sorts of comments.

Not sure who I'm quoting here, but "opinions are like a**holes; everybody has on and most of them stink."

If this board weren't intended to suit a multitude of RF interests, including gadget obsessions, there wouldn't be so many sub-forums dedicated to particular brands and formats. Aesthetics are a wonderful topic, but folks shouldn't be so narrow minded as to slam you for asking about which gizmo they used to fulfill their vision.

The question always lurking foremost in my own mind is not, what did you use to capture that image, but how long did you have to wait in that spot or lucky did you have to be to arrive at the right moment to see that AND have some piece of equipment in your hand. Then, I do sometimes wonder which piece of equipment it was. In the end, I always regret the times I didn't have a camera with me or didn't click the shutter much more than I'll ever regret which camera or lens.

Have fun, have a sense of humor and try smiling.

 

[uhligfd]

Which brand of typewriter did Hemingway, Faulkner, Morrison etc use when, for which specific book? How about the quality of their work when the typewriter was switched to another model or brand in the middle somewhere?

Any direct effect on their writing, work?

None, I would assume.

Now about Nikon and Canon, Zeiss and Leica, as our tools, we think that those names matter?

Fools we are. And the public too.

 

[Gumby]

(snip) Not sure who I'm quoting here, but "opinions are like a**holes; everybody has on and most of them stink."

(snip) Have fun, have a sense of humor and try smiling.

I believe this saying has been attributed to several different people: Ben Franklin, Wise Richard, Bill Mattocks, Lao Tzu, and even Confucious. I recently red it on a fortune cookie so I believe more in the Chinese origins.

But I like your advise the best!

 

[robklurfield]

Avotius, lovely shot that proves the point about the gear being seconday. Somebody likes garlic.

Uhligfd, I absolutely agree with you. On the other hand, on awful lot of the posts and sub-boards on this site are dedicated to gear, so clearly, many people here are interested in it. When the interests rise to level of obsessive fixation, things can get silly in a hurry.

Me? I'm enjoying a new J-8 that arrived in the mail yesterday. $56 on 'bay. Fun to play with wide open. I'm no Hemingway, no Faulker. Not HCB either. So what do I know. One thing about gear is it's nice when it fits you like an old shoe and you get that comfort level. I imagine that some of these great writers were only comfortable writing in a particular chair, at a particular desk with a special, beat up old Remington. Didn't actually directly impact their writing except that it might have provided a frame of mind.

With one body and just two lenses right now, I'd like to add one wider lens, one longer lens and one faster lens than my current 28 2.8 and 50 2.0. I could easily live with just one lens however. The gear can come and go, but you still are stuck with the same eyes, brain-mind and hands. Might as well open up and use that original equipment with the maximum creativity, imagination and verve as you can muster.

 

[back alley]

Which brand of typewriter did Hemingway, Faulkner, Morrison etc use when, for which specific book? How about the quality of their work when the typewriter was switched to another model or brand in the middle somewhere?

Any direct effect on their writing, work?

None, I would assume.

Now about Nikon and Canon, Zeiss and Leica, as our tools, we think that those names matter?

Fools we are. And the public too.

this is an old and very tired example to trot out.
i have 2 laptops and another at work, each is different and one is the easiest of the 3 to work on. i do write better when using that one computer because i'm more comfortable and have to think less when using it.
camera, lens, film etc. do make a difference in how the final image will appear so yes, i am interested in those details.

joe

 

[Gary Sandhu]

here's the camera first used on mt everest.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/everest/lost/search/camera.html

 

[robklurfield]

Still, our shots are always more dependent on where we plant our feet, point our eyes, let our brains mediate what we see and then decide to click the shutter at, than they are on what was in our hands. Sometimes that OOF shot with a scratched 70 yr old lens and some expired film captures something our megabuck, brand name gadgets didn't catch.

Being honest for a moment, I do have to admit that I last after shiny, new objects and old classics just much as the next guy or gal on RFF. And, if budget permitted, I'd probably have a lot of stuff piled up in closet.

I think a question about what somebody used to shoot on Mt Everest is worthwile, since in a challenging environment like that it wouldn't been any fun to get to the summit only discover your shutter release button was frozen.

Look at some Man Ray Rayograms and think about what you could do with no equipment. Or, the old Quaker Oats container pinhole. Creativity resides in the old melon. All the rest comes from making use of the tools (or lack of tools) at hand.

 

[Avotius]

this is an old and very tired example to trot out.
i have 2 laptops and another at work, each is different and one is the easiest of the 3 to work on. i do write better when using that one computer because i'm more comfortable and have to think less when using it.
camera, lens, film etc. do make a difference in how the final image will appear so yes, i am interested in those details.

joe

Got to agree with Joe here, when using my M6 I think about it too much, is the shutter speed right... did the light just change... did I just bump it against something... but where I use my bessa I dont have to think about it nearly as much and in many ways I think it is a better tool mostly because it has aperture priority shooting. I also seem to take more images when using the bessa because I am not fumbling with the shutter dial or looking at the top of the camera to make sure I didnt just set the speed to something improper for movement or whatever.

Yes tools are important, and yes the eye is important, though I would say the eye is more important then the tool. Its maybe a 30% tool 70% eye thing for me and every percent is equally important to getting that final result.

 

[Yammerman]

I listened to a BBC R4 programme about the "street photographer" Nick Turpin. I'd been made aware of him by a thread on this site and after I'd listened I revisted his web site and I wondered what camera and lens he used but there was no info and after a a "google" I found nothing and I gave up.

I was just interested in the focal length and his distance from his subject . I like to know the technical "how" so maybe I can learn from it or maybe not. That someone should object is laughable as its what interests me ....where's the harm.
.

 

[ferider]

Ask a mechanic about his favorite tools, a writer about the fountain pen he likes, a cook about his knives, etc.

I wonder what Hemingway had to say about his guns.

I do think it is in poor taste to be rude when somebody asks a question (speaking about the Everest thread). 🙂

Cheers,

Roland.

 

[eleskin]

I think it is fine to ask. I remember when I heard a discussion about how some photographers did not want to tell others what chemistry they used to develop film because they had "trade secrets". They must be very insecure people to feel threatened by the fact that others will gain knowledge for their benefit. I teach advanced darkroom classes, and I will tell you everything I know, my students will know too, and believe me, what camera is used etc,, is ALWAYS brought up THANK GOD!!!

You know, when i was in graduate school, my professors always had Leicas around their necks, and at that time, I had a Minolta X-700. I certainly asked them why they used these type of cameras. Do I still own a Minolta? No. M4-2, M6, M8, Fuji GSW 690, Mamiya Universal Press, Rollei TLR, Rolleiflex SLX, Pantax 645N, YES!!!! Learning about the history of photography helped me too. A very large percentage of the photographers I liked used M series Leicas (Salgado , etc,,,).

So ask the question, and do not feel bad at all. If he or she has a problem, they have other issues (Dr. Freud) to contend with.

 

[robklurfield]

One reason I have stuck with RF's for my entire adult life, never tempted to go back to an SLR, is that the equipment can get out of your way and become an extension of our hands, eyes and brains.

I do have a Digilux 2. Nearly everything I've ever shot with it is well-exposed and in perfect focus. Little of what I've shot with it is as interesting as anything I shot 25 yrs ago with an M4 and a Sekonic meter or some good guessing. Equipment can function like a crutch that prevents us from supporting ourselves with insightful vision. The Digilux is now my wife's camera and I'm solely relying on an M8. It's nice to return to the simpliciyt of relying on eyes and brain with little intermediation. And, if the results suck, I can always take another frame.

 

[btgc]

Recently I scratched head about what kind of cameras they use when climbing to high peaks this days, having choice of both mechanical and digital cameras. Can they charge there digital cameras, I'm not sure there are electricity generators. Do digital cameras survive rough conditions?

Do anyone can shed light on this? I'd take small film camera, either fully mechanical (mind the weight) or yet better plastic P&S, running on small lithium battery - reduced weight, runs for years. Oh, need a sherpa to carry film 😕

P.S. I wonder if Pentax K2 were somehow related to climbing (peak K2) ?