Behavioral patterns of rangefinder users

[imush]

From anecdotal evidence, I think that the following habits might be strongly correlated:

• Using a rangefinder
• Wearing a mechanical spring watch
• Owning a cars with manual transmission
• Being self employed, or at least not working for a large corporation or government.
• Self managing investment portfolios

In short, we are a specific sort of control freaks with a tendency to distrust some aspects of social order and technology that are accepted by most people.

 

[FrankS]

I'm an outlier I guess.
-RF user
-I rarely wear a watch but when I do, it's a solar powered electric watch. I have a couple of mechanical pocket watches in a drawer.
-Auto transmission
-Retired government worker (of sorts)
-Pension fund managed portfolio

But I am into wrenching on old air cooled motorcycles.

 

[x-ray]

The only thing wrong in your list for me is the manual transmission. No problem with a manual but I get tired of shifting in heavy traffic.

I've used leicas since 1968.

I wear my fathers 25 year watch from his job. It's a Boulova self winding chronograph he received in 1976. I also have two other vintage mechanical watches. One I found in a hotel room thirty five years ago and the other is a WWII army issue with a radium dial. I sold my Rolex because it never kept as good a time as my Timex. I hate having to depend on batteries.

My Jeep is automatic and my wires Honda is automatic but have had a Porsche that was manual.

I've been self employed for 30 plus years and retiring soon. I love self employment.

I do all my own investing. No ripoff fees from brokers that couldn't care less about me.

Funny how you got it right.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

I started to use rangefinder in eighties. As teenager. Around 1983 or so.
I started to use my first personal credit card in 2003.

Our table plastic watch was made in USA and given to me as souvenir at GVG, Tektronix in Nevada City in 1995.
In 1999 I left train in Helsinki with this watch in my pocket because all mechanical ones were dead. I went to the Stockman store and came out with Citizen Titanium which I still wear every day.
In 1987 or so I purchased Swiss named (Cardinal) quartz watches, they are still around house somewhere and running.

 

[krötenblender]

From anecdotal evidence, I think that the following habits might be strongly correlated:

You are completely off... I don't wear any watch, working for one of the biggest automotive supplier companies in the world (not CEO...) and I don't even own a car (neither manual nor auto-transmission - heck, I proudly don't even have a drivers license... 😀 ), and I don't care about investment-decisions at all.

I'm just watching the world around me, and take pictures of it with RFs.

 

[kxl]

I disagree for 2 reasons:

1) The latter 4 attributes do not correlate to being an RF shooter, as others have stated.

As it pertains to me:

• I do shoot an RF, but
• I wear a solar-powered watch
• My car has automatic transmission
• I work for a large corporation (the type of work that I do is typically only available at large corporations.
• My investment portfolio is managed by a financial adviser

2) Those same attributes do not correlate to being a "specific sort of control freaks with a tendency to distrust some aspects of social order and technology that are accepted by most people."

I do not distrust social order and my work is very closely related to technology.

 

[Peter David Grant]

You might want to add (not sure if you can) a response for those outside of the US for driving manual... over in the UK other than buses its pretty rare to see anyone driver anything other than a manual. I guess the same in Western Europe too.

 

[filmtwit]

I shoot RF as well as DSLR
I have an older Oris diving watch (Automatic).
I drive an automatic (Honda Element), but couldn't find a used manual at the time.
I currently work for a non profit educational publisher.

 

[richard_l]

I don't wear a watch.
I drive an automatic.
I have mostly worked in the public sector (academic).
I do not manage my own investments.

😛

 

[ferider]

Cann't confirm your hypothesis:

I don't wear a watch.
I sometimes drive an automatic. Othertimes I shift manually; mostly though, I shift with my foot.
I work in a large software/high-tech company.
I do not manage my own investments.

I detest control freaks.

 

[Darthfeeble]

I forget to wind, too lazy to shift, retired grunt employee and worked hard to become one, don't invest exactly. I like autofocus, exposure and electric advance on my digital camera. So there!

 

[pete hogan]

Not of the pattern.

No watch. Civic with autofocus transmission.

 

[FrozenInTime]

I don't wear a watch - unless I'm traveling, then it's mechanical; never going to buy an iWatch.
I was never going to buy a car with Automatic transmission - then I moved to California and am grateful I did because of the sharp hills and traffic ( and overly regulated state setting all the fun twisty roads as 35mph zones - taking all the fun out of driving ) ; but if I moved home to Scotland I would buy a manual and whiz through the curves at 60 mph again. However if I had a choice I would rather travel by train and bicycle.
I work for a large electronics corporation, which pays for nice camera gear - but I wish I worked for myself and dream I could control my work life balance.

The last thee cameras I bought were all mechanical RF or scale focus film cameras - guess I'm a luddite at heart.

 

[CMur12]

I think this would apply as much to the general RFF membership overall, as we are largely photographers of a more traditional sort.

I shoot manual-focus/manual-exposure SLRs for 135 and TLRs for medium format. Since I rarely use my only RF, a Canonet, I didn't vote in the poll.

I wear mechanical watches (a railroad pocket watch or a 17-jewel wind-it-yourself wrist watch that I got for Christmas in 1962),
My Honda Accord has a stick shift, and
I like to write with fountain pens.
Beyond that, I'm a retired state employee.

- Murray

 

[Michael Markey]

You might want to add (not sure if you can) a response for those outside of the US for driving manual... over in the UK other than buses its pretty rare to see anyone driver anything other than a manual.

That and I don`t wear a watch.

 

[ruby.monkey]

I guess my watch counts as electronic - a Tag 2000 that I've worn for about a quarter of a century. I drive a manual but am not averse to automatic transmissions. I work for a large company, and I'm married to a chartered accountant - so violence would ensue were I ever to try to make my own investment choices. 😉

Your correlation seems about as strong as that between moral conviction and the desire to become Prime Minister.

 

[JP Owens]

No watch (my low tech feature phone has a clock), small business (editor, photographer, and manage dozens of computers across seven newspapers, designed and manage seven websites), have a general distrust of technology, auto transmission (2002 Jeep), but have had many manual shift cars over the years. Have several RF's, but my aging eyes really love autofocus slrs. Professional manages finances.

I'm not sure there is a typical RF shooter, other than being mostly male.

 

[oftheherd]

I use RF when it pleases me to do so, but when I get a chance to photograph, I prefer film SLRs or even sometimes a 6mp digital P&S. My 1st RF was my Super Press 23, because it had big negatives. No belief in any superiority of RF over SLR.

I grew up with manual transmissions, but find auto transmissions convenient.

I haven't used a wind watch since electronic watches could be set not to beep every hour.

I worked at what I enjoyed and earned two retirements which I am enjoying while working on another, which also offers contributions to my choice of any of several stock funds. I have no other choices than which funds. I don't think that is what you mean by self management.

 

[Rick Waldroup]

You are completely off... I don't wear any watch, working for one of the biggest automotive supplier companies in the world (not CEO...) and I don't even own a car (neither manual nor auto-transmission - heck, I proudly don't even have a drivers license... 😀 ), and I don't care about investment-decisions at all.

I'm just watching the world around me, and take pictures of it with RFs.

I like this.

 

[NeeZee]

I wear an electronic watch. That's all I could check. Still love rangefinders.