Ken Ford
Refuses to suffer fools
RFF is a state of mind. 🙂
Is RFF even relevant anymore?
- Thread starter kshapero
- Start date
- Latest activity Latest activity:
- Replies 121
- Views 7K
Mcary
Veteran
Yes even though it seems that less people are visiting/participating these days than before yes I think RFF is still relevant.
*I left/did not visit RFF for little over two years May 2016 to June 2018 and since returning the areas where I've noticed the biggest difference are the galleries and Picks of the Week thread. To me it just seems that a lot fewer people are participating in these two areas.
*I left/did not visit RFF for little over two years May 2016 to June 2018 and since returning the areas where I've noticed the biggest difference are the galleries and Picks of the Week thread. To me it just seems that a lot fewer people are participating in these two areas.
Archiver
Veteran
I've been enjoying RFF for ten years or more, beginning with lurking and mining the archives, and then posting and interacting with you fine folk. There's a wealth of knowledge in past posts and present members which will always be relevant, and our shared love of photography, gear and creativity means we will always have something to discuss. So yeah, relevant.
farlymac
PF McFarland
RFF exists because it is relevant. Simple as that. Too many other forums have packed it in because the members get tired of the same old thing. RFF allows us to include all forms of photography in the discussion because if not, then we would all just be talking in circles about the same subjects, and that would be really boring.
I hope this forum goes on forever, because it is a store of knowledge not found in very many places. And that is because of its diversity, not because it is RF centered. What you know about rangefinders can inform all types of photography, and make us all better at it.
What really makes this forum relevant though is the members themselves. I've been the recipient of a lot of help while I wander through various camera platforms learning their good and bad points. I hope to be able to do the same as time goes on. I don't think there is anywhere else I could have done this in one place like here. There is another forum I belong to that has the same sort of ideals, but its member base isn't as large, and the more experienced ones didn't follow along when a complete change had to be made because Internet technology demanded it. I miss those guys, and the ones here who have passed along. The best thing here though is their posts still live, whereas with the other forum that was all lost because we couldn't get control of the database due to there being no other administrators other than the owner who died suddenly.
So here's to the Head Bartender, and all the others who make this a welcoming place.
Cheers!
PF
I hope this forum goes on forever, because it is a store of knowledge not found in very many places. And that is because of its diversity, not because it is RF centered. What you know about rangefinders can inform all types of photography, and make us all better at it.
What really makes this forum relevant though is the members themselves. I've been the recipient of a lot of help while I wander through various camera platforms learning their good and bad points. I hope to be able to do the same as time goes on. I don't think there is anywhere else I could have done this in one place like here. There is another forum I belong to that has the same sort of ideals, but its member base isn't as large, and the more experienced ones didn't follow along when a complete change had to be made because Internet technology demanded it. I miss those guys, and the ones here who have passed along. The best thing here though is their posts still live, whereas with the other forum that was all lost because we couldn't get control of the database due to there being no other administrators other than the owner who died suddenly.
So here's to the Head Bartender, and all the others who make this a welcoming place.
Cheers!
PF
Yokosuka Mike
Abstract Clarity
In the good old days
Relevance was just a purple haze
We all wondered what was,
A lover's plea
Milkshakes and Kodachrome
Nothing seemed to serious
But what did we know
We all had a place we could,
Call home
What is relavent? What do we feel about anything?
I think we're (or I'm) just looking for a place to be
Mike
Relevance was just a purple haze
We all wondered what was,
A lover's plea
Milkshakes and Kodachrome
Nothing seemed to serious
But what did we know
We all had a place we could,
Call home
What is relavent? What do we feel about anything?
I think we're (or I'm) just looking for a place to be
Mike
Yokosuka Mike
Abstract Clarity
Sometimes I need to not post. My thoughts are not always of any value.
Mike
Mike
bulevardi
Well-known
This forum is still core, spot on photography.
Cant say that from MTV, not broadcasting music anymore. Why do they still exist?
Cant say that from MTV, not broadcasting music anymore. Why do they still exist?
bulevardi
Well-known
I have a Twitter account, but not really posting with it, it was just to promote something a while ago and to test it out. But I'm not active or reading other posts, it's just a troll platform imho.
Groups on Facebook are not in depth enough for me. It's also a platform to spam around from my experience.
It's too fugitive and momentary ... However you reach a wide range of people and sometimes get in touch with cool people, the social platform is there, but the interface is not my cup of tea.
I still like forums, where you can imho go more in depth and discussions are shown in a better overview.
I had a blog before, and recently I stumbled upon that and saw that my last post was already more than 10 years ago. The blog was set up by different authors/users, but by lack of interest and ideas, it clearly died 🙂
I have a flickr account, not using it so often, but I use it to store photos I can embed on forums. There are forums around now where you can embed Instagram photos easily too, nowadays.
So yes, I'm on Instagram, that is, sometimes addictive. I really began late with it, around 2 years ago. But it's easy to get in touch with locals, as you can tag it, or geo-tag photos and quickly connect and chat with others.
I already met cool people from here in Brussels in real life. You can always add me @bulevardi_official.
However, it is a total different medium than Forums where you can discuss things and talk about real stuff instead of small-talk.
madNbad
Well-known
I sent a note to the Head Bartender about my experience on two very different forums and he asked if I would repost it:
Here is my short example of RFF relevancy: Recently on both RFF and Nikonians I posted the same question about the Nikkor 45mm 2.8 GN. I was expecting better from the experts at Nikonians but so far the post has only received about thirty views and the only answer is one I posted. In comparison on RFF there have been close to three hundred views and about nine answers helping some owners of this lens to better understand its' quirks. Thanks for hosting and maintaining this site. It truly is a place where photographers of all levels of experience can come with questions and feel welcomed.
Here is my short example of RFF relevancy: Recently on both RFF and Nikonians I posted the same question about the Nikkor 45mm 2.8 GN. I was expecting better from the experts at Nikonians but so far the post has only received about thirty views and the only answer is one I posted. In comparison on RFF there have been close to three hundred views and about nine answers helping some owners of this lens to better understand its' quirks. Thanks for hosting and maintaining this site. It truly is a place where photographers of all levels of experience can come with questions and feel welcomed.
jsrockit
Moderator
Yes, I agree. It is a place where old and new camera equipment is equally relevant. Most other forums are only looking at what is next.
goamules
Well-known
Since he asked if this forum is relevant most have answered "yes, because we do MORE than rangefinders!"
To me, I'm here for rangefinder content, only. I shoot them, I collect them. There are venues for people that use old tractors, antique lamps, ancient swords. None of those allow their venue to be diluted by adding everything else loosely categorized with them. (Not lawn mowers, IKEA lamps, modern Rambo knives). A niche is just that. A general photography forum can be found in dozens of places. A rangefinder forum in just one. So yes, as long as we talk about rangefinders, the forum is very relevant.....to me! Others that want everything under the sun should go elsewhere.
To me, I'm here for rangefinder content, only. I shoot them, I collect them. There are venues for people that use old tractors, antique lamps, ancient swords. None of those allow their venue to be diluted by adding everything else loosely categorized with them. (Not lawn mowers, IKEA lamps, modern Rambo knives). A niche is just that. A general photography forum can be found in dozens of places. A rangefinder forum in just one. So yes, as long as we talk about rangefinders, the forum is very relevant.....to me! Others that want everything under the sun should go elsewhere.
jsrockit
Moderator
I think RFF does a good job of allowing other cameras without killing the RF content no? I don`t feel I should leave RFF because I don`t use RF cameras anymore.
Marco Milazzo
Member
I check it every day. It contains the most meaningful information and conversation about cameras and photography on the Internet. The information and opinions come from real people, not corporations or brands.
DKimg
Established
I agree!! At least my personal experience picking up a rangefinder and wanting to learn the ins and outs of it... I found this forum and it very much influenced my photography life since then! I'm very glad that I've met some awesome people from this forum and it helped me expand my knowledge of film, cameras, developing and drum scanning!
Besides the help and useful information and resources, I like the vibe of this forum. It's an emotionally balanced place where people are nice and helpful! I always gravitate to this forum first for a quick read beside the other forums out there.... And I believe it will continue to be this way with the many interest and passion people have for photography.
Steve M.
Veteran
Having a fixed mindset that likes a forum to be only what we want all the time is a good way to create needless unhappiness. Go with the flow is my motto on most things. It's a lot more fun to let people express themselves unhindered. In Zen we have a saying that the best way to control your ox (which can be seen as a metaphor for our life) is to give them a large field and allow them to roam wherever they wish.
Guth
Appreciative User
I think that this is a fair question and one that could be asked at most forums. My question in return would be how literally is the question intended? As someone who is relatively new around here I would say that this forum would certainly seem to still be relevant by many different measures. For one thing, people are still voluntarily gathering here to converse with one another. For another, most all of discussions appear to be centered around cameras and photography. How much of this is centered specifically on rangefinder camera's is hard to say, but such focus is largely out of the forum's control both in life and here online. I can tell you that I personally landed here specifically because it was titled RANGEFINDERforum. My emphasis of course.
I think the bigger issue for forums in general is the overall dwindling interest in this format as a communication medium. I say this as someone who has been running a forum of my own for the past 5+ years that is dedicated to one specific motorcycle (the Honda CB1100) and motorcycling in general. It's a pretty niche forum to begin with. Over time the focus of conversation has shifted somewhat from largely being focused solely on the one particular motorcycle to a bit more of a general discussion of motorcycling in general. Sometime's people's tastes change and they move on to another motorcycle, yet they still want to participate on a forum with a community that they enjoy (I'm sure the same is true when it comes to cameras). On top of that, motorcycling here in the States is decreasing in popularity quite rapidly. In addition, like many forums, the majority of the members on my forum are older guys like myself (which is the segment of the population this particular motorcycle appeals to) and we too are dwindling in number as we age. So my forum has quite a few strikes against it. But my focus has always been on the quality of the conversation as opposed to the quantity. I would much rather have a small forum with conversation that is more civil and informative in nature involving people who are knowledgeable or at least have a genuine passion for the topic at hand as opposed to a whole lot of people mainly bashing one another over differences of opinion. I specifically limit the conversation on my forum to just motorcycling. No talk of politics, religion, or anything else really off-topic for that matter. The web is full of places for that stuff.
One of the things that has stood out to me during my short while here so far is the same civility that I hope for from those who participate on my forum. I can say that I am very appreciative of this. That might strike some of my close friends as funny since I personally have a less than innocent vocabulary. But I feel that online conversation, with it's lack of facial expression and body language and involvement from people all over the globe results in the use of "colorful" language being a real impediment to constructive conversation. This community strikes me as very knowledgeable, supportive and helpful. It is exactly what I was looking for. Somewhat ironically for someone who owns a forum, I myself have been trying to spend less time online. Just the same, I for one have very much been enjoying the time that I have spent here over the past few months. I know that this comes down not only to the community that has grown out of an appreciation for the topic at hand, but also from those who are responsible for making this place happen. For that, I tip my cap to the head bartender and all of the moderators that help keep things running smoothly around here.
I think the bigger issue for forums in general is the overall dwindling interest in this format as a communication medium. I say this as someone who has been running a forum of my own for the past 5+ years that is dedicated to one specific motorcycle (the Honda CB1100) and motorcycling in general. It's a pretty niche forum to begin with. Over time the focus of conversation has shifted somewhat from largely being focused solely on the one particular motorcycle to a bit more of a general discussion of motorcycling in general. Sometime's people's tastes change and they move on to another motorcycle, yet they still want to participate on a forum with a community that they enjoy (I'm sure the same is true when it comes to cameras). On top of that, motorcycling here in the States is decreasing in popularity quite rapidly. In addition, like many forums, the majority of the members on my forum are older guys like myself (which is the segment of the population this particular motorcycle appeals to) and we too are dwindling in number as we age. So my forum has quite a few strikes against it. But my focus has always been on the quality of the conversation as opposed to the quantity. I would much rather have a small forum with conversation that is more civil and informative in nature involving people who are knowledgeable or at least have a genuine passion for the topic at hand as opposed to a whole lot of people mainly bashing one another over differences of opinion. I specifically limit the conversation on my forum to just motorcycling. No talk of politics, religion, or anything else really off-topic for that matter. The web is full of places for that stuff.
One of the things that has stood out to me during my short while here so far is the same civility that I hope for from those who participate on my forum. I can say that I am very appreciative of this. That might strike some of my close friends as funny since I personally have a less than innocent vocabulary. But I feel that online conversation, with it's lack of facial expression and body language and involvement from people all over the globe results in the use of "colorful" language being a real impediment to constructive conversation. This community strikes me as very knowledgeable, supportive and helpful. It is exactly what I was looking for. Somewhat ironically for someone who owns a forum, I myself have been trying to spend less time online. Just the same, I for one have very much been enjoying the time that I have spent here over the past few months. I know that this comes down not only to the community that has grown out of an appreciation for the topic at hand, but also from those who are responsible for making this place happen. For that, I tip my cap to the head bartender and all of the moderators that help keep things running smoothly around here.
CMur12
Veteran
I found my way here because I posed a question about caffenol to another photographer in a forum not related to photography. That person (a member of this forum) gave me a link to a discussion about caffenol on RFF.
I lurked for awhile to see what else I might find of interest on a forum for RF users and found that there was space here for other photographers, as well. So, I decided to join.
I've used compact fixed-lens rangefinder cameras for travel and living abroad, and they were perfect for the task. Back here in the US, however, I have used them very little. I shoot mostly film in older manual-focus 135 SLRs and 120 TLRs, and I am struggling to add digital to the mix. 😱
All of that is to say that I find RFF a relevant forum for all kinds of photographers, who are able to respect each other and get along (albeit with a bit of a strain at times). I would say that the traffic on this forum, alone, would be ample evidence that it is relevant to those who keep coming here.
- Murray
I lurked for awhile to see what else I might find of interest on a forum for RF users and found that there was space here for other photographers, as well. So, I decided to join.
I've used compact fixed-lens rangefinder cameras for travel and living abroad, and they were perfect for the task. Back here in the US, however, I have used them very little. I shoot mostly film in older manual-focus 135 SLRs and 120 TLRs, and I am struggling to add digital to the mix. 😱
All of that is to say that I find RFF a relevant forum for all kinds of photographers, who are able to respect each other and get along (albeit with a bit of a strain at times). I would say that the traffic on this forum, alone, would be ample evidence that it is relevant to those who keep coming here.
- Murray
Spavinaw
Well-known
Interesting subject relatives--oh--er--relevance. Sorry 'bout that. Couldn't help myself.
Anyway, think I lurked here a couple of years before I jumped in. Now days it's mostly family pictures with a P&S rangefinder type camera. For serious stuff I'd dig out an SLR. But at first I had a Kodak Tourist 800 with a Prazisa rangefinder attached, so I'm familiar with rangefinders from the start. My cameras range from Minolta subminiature to 4X5 Super Speed Graphic so just about anything having to do with cameras (not just rangefinders) can be of interest to me. Rapid system anyone?
It should be obvious by now that I like the broad spectrum this forum covers. Even if a coffee cup,, car, knife, watch, etc. creeps in occasionally, I still enjoy it. Guess you could say I just like "stuff".
All the above being said, there are lots of posts that I never click on--digital for example. No matter how limited or broad one's interest is, surely having to decide which posts to click on and which to pass over should not be too burdensome on anyone.
Yes, I love this forum.
Anyway, think I lurked here a couple of years before I jumped in. Now days it's mostly family pictures with a P&S rangefinder type camera. For serious stuff I'd dig out an SLR. But at first I had a Kodak Tourist 800 with a Prazisa rangefinder attached, so I'm familiar with rangefinders from the start. My cameras range from Minolta subminiature to 4X5 Super Speed Graphic so just about anything having to do with cameras (not just rangefinders) can be of interest to me. Rapid system anyone?
It should be obvious by now that I like the broad spectrum this forum covers. Even if a coffee cup,, car, knife, watch, etc. creeps in occasionally, I still enjoy it. Guess you could say I just like "stuff".
All the above being said, there are lots of posts that I never click on--digital for example. No matter how limited or broad one's interest is, surely having to decide which posts to click on and which to pass over should not be too burdensome on anyone.
Yes, I love this forum.
rbiemer
Unabashed Amateur
RFf obsolete? No, I don't think so.
It has evolved over the years, has weathered some...interesting...individuals ( there was that one guy who hated us for some reason), had and has some truly excellent photographers willing to share their knowledge and passion, and, for me(and probably for others), has helped me in both my photography and in dealing with some non-phot stuff in real life.
I haven't been haunting the place as much as I once did mostly because I haven't had much to offer not because there's less to learn here.
Rob
It has evolved over the years, has weathered some...interesting...individuals ( there was that one guy who hated us for some reason), had and has some truly excellent photographers willing to share their knowledge and passion, and, for me(and probably for others), has helped me in both my photography and in dealing with some non-phot stuff in real life.
I haven't been haunting the place as much as I once did mostly because I haven't had much to offer not because there's less to learn here.
Rob
besk
Well-known
I look at this forum first before any others. It is interesting and relevant to my photography hobby. Have to admit, however, that I feel a little guilty when I pick up my SLR's to shoot.
