"Does that camera have f-stops?"

[dmr]

Not that I remember, but I've been asked about the cameras I've used on occasion.

 

[rjbuzzclick]

I was shooting with a couple of Voigtlander folders on a recent trip and an older gentleman nearby asked "Are those 6x9's?". That kind of surprised me.

 

[Roberto V.]

I'm usually asked questions along the lines of 'how many megapixels does that have?' or 'how much zoom does it have?'. Interestingly, when people ask which batteries my camera uses and if they're still available (usually after asking if they still make the film) they seem very confused when I tell them that my cameras don't use batteries.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

I had others ask me for help in setting up their camera, including advice on F-Stop, etc. One example. I was shooting at night with my Canon P and 50/1.2, and a younger photographer not as familiar with their new 50/1.8 lens on a DSLR asked.

 

[hatidua]

Questions posed to photographers are likely less comical than questions photographers would ask those same people about their hobbies/careers.

 

[drew.saunders]

I'm sure we've all gotten "Is that a Hasselblad?" Except, of course, for people actually using Hasselblads.

Funniest "is that a..." question I've ever gotten was when using my cherrywood Tachihara view camera in Yosemite. The cherrywood is a bit reddish in color, with brass anodized aluminum parts, and someone asked "Is that a video camera?"

If you want to be pedantic, it's your lens that has the f-stops.

 

[nikon_sam]

Can't say anyone has asked me that question before. However in the mid 80's I was photographing in Old Montreal with a Zone VI 4x5 field camera. A tourist was walking by and asked me how old my camera was. (a reasonable question).

With a big grin I told him, "It was made about two years ago."

I don't remember his exact response, but he was a bit confused when he heard my answer.

Harry.

Been there, done that...with my Zone VI...
What I like to do is let them take a peek at the ground glass under the dark cloth...and I wait for the response when they actually see something...

 

[raytoei@gmail.com]

very funny responses.

i tend to confuse people by telling them that the camera is so old that it only takes black and white. And I usually ask them how many picture do they think the camera takes, i get numbers like 500 from young kids, and their jaw drop when i tell them that my tlr takes only 12...

 

[Particular]

Not exactly related, but I've noticed recently that if I hand someone one of my cameras - even a digital SLR - to take a picture with, they hold it arm's length from their face and wait for the screen to light up.

Meaning, people no longer know what a viewfinder is or to put it up to their eye.

I now want to stick a rectangular make-up mirror to the back of a leica and hand it to someone just to see their surprise at seeing themselves.

 

[n5jrn]

It gets worse... you simply cannot ask an average person to make a snapshot of you with your manual camera. If I set up everything they don't understand how (or why) you need to focus, especially with a rangefinder.

I solve that problem by setting the focus in advance and having the lens stopped down enough that it doesn't matter if it's off a little. I also make sure the film is advanced and the shutter cocked, of course. Then all I need to do is point out the shutter release and the finder, and tell them to frame the shot and push the button.

 

[Contarama]

I haven't been asked about the f stops but once I was at a car show snapping away with my old contaflex when an old man flagged me down and said "Wow I haven't seen anyone shooting a rangefinder in years"

He was very impressed that a young fellow was actually using something that didn't require batteries...

 

[Sjixxxy]

No, it's digital so it has G-spots.

I'm pretty sure I know a few photographers who would wish that this was true of their digital cameras.

 

[robklurfield]

Tue April 27, 2010 15:44

conversation at my optician's store with a salesperson about my M8:
"that's a very old camera, isn't it? it's so cool."
"no, it's only a year old."
"no way!"
"no really. see it's digital. let me take your picture. see."
"wow!"
[reaching into my bag for my M2:]
"this, however is a real camera."
here's the proof.
while in the store, I saw another customer with his M in hand.

here's the salesperson... a bit of hipster of course
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4009/4550134216_69d8631c73_b.jpg

 

[Warren T.]

I've been shooting pictures for over 30 years and nobody in the general public has ever asked me about 'f-stops', but then people rarely choose to strike up a conversation with me.

 

[deirdre]

At a museum in Barcelona, one of the guards gave me directions. Another person said, "She's got a Leica, she wants to go this [other] way as it has better stuff to photograph."

 

[Harry S.]

"F-Stop" annoys me in the same vein as the "glass" lens nomenclature.

 

[sevo]

The odd geek or hipster will once in a while ask to identify the camera if I use a particularly unusual (whether outdated or modern, huge or tiny) camera, and packs of teenage girls will sometimes ask to have their photo taken - but that is roughly the limit of communication from passers-by. Subjects usually are only interested in where the pictures might be published. Nobody has ever asked for technical details like f stops, except my own students or interns when we did street excursions.

 

[efix]

I quite often get asked about my M8. Usually along the lines of (as happened yesterday in a shopping centre) "Oh is that one of those old time SLRs?"

I just had to laugh so hard, as I got asked almost exactly the same question once about my chrome M8 Well, I don't blame anyone for not knowing the differnece between a rangefinder and an SLR, let alone between any two types of film camera, but it's just so very funny sometimes

 

[rxmd]

This Sunday when taking pictures in the street, I was approached by a group of wedding guests who asked me whether I could photograph the couple - the photographer's camera had broken down and he had no backup. So I became wedding photographer for some young Kirghiz couple I'd never seen before.

On a side note, I guess this was one of the occasions where having a big DSLR with a zoom around actually got me further than a film Leica would have.

 

[zerobuttons]

I must be doing something completely wrong. I'm taking photos for about 25 years now and I was never ever asked anything by strangers when I was out taking photos.

+1 (well, not 25 years.....yet).

Maybe I have that look that makes people think that my answer would be: "If I told you that, I would have to kill you".
Maybe I just look like I don´t know what I´m doing.....