Benjamin Marks
Veteran
Oh, and as an aside: who would bother answering "hate it," while involving themselves in the discussion? Now that makes NO sense.
Ben
Ben
FA Limited
missing in action
Pentax FA Limited lenses are so close to rangefinder optics that you should feel completely comfortable contributing here. Please do!
slow response back from me but thanks!
i actually went to a holiday RFF meet and everybody seemed to like the FA's too
raid
Dad Photographer
Hate ... is a strong word. The same goes for Love.
I don't think that either word applies here.
I don't think that either word applies here.
Al Patterson
Ferroequinologist
Over time, both words have fit my feelings towards RFF. But I agree that most of them time the real feeling would fall somewhere between the two. It's been so long I can't even remember what my vote was in this poll.
calexg
Established
I thoroughly enjoy this forum. I'd lurked for quite some time before I decided to join. I've learned HEAPS about photography thanks to this website and I think there are a lot of very experienced individuals who post here. It's great that people share their knowledge! While you occasionally encounter bad threads or trolls, I'd say it's worth it to stick around.
Ronald_H
Don't call me Ron
I hate the pissing contests, like on every forum (although RFF is heaven compared to most).
I love the wealth of knowledge and the willingness to help each other here.
I love the wealth of knowledge and the willingness to help each other here.
semrich
Well-known
Like Raid, Love and Hate are strong words, still I picked love and better stated would be, I enjoy reading the threads and as many have stated I have learned a lot and my photography has improved as a result.
pvdhaar
Peter
I keep coming back to RFF because there's nothing quite like it. There's a good balance between social talk, gear and photography..
jarski
Veteran
RFF is large, well modded forum with a mature user base. not a common combination in Net, in fact only one I know existing. these are reasons I keep coming back + interest to the topic of course.
reading well articulated opinions of people here is interesting and educating, but often its still better to turn the whole thing off and grab a good book
reading well articulated opinions of people here is interesting and educating, but often its still better to turn the whole thing off and grab a good book
tarullifoto
Established
RFF is fantastic! I'm relatively new here, but the images I have seen here are really extremely good. One reason I am a little reluctant to post is that I wonder if my own are up to snuff!
I always enjoy reading what people have to say about different topics, and the questions people have asked are almost aways thought provoking.
I have been on other sites, where the purported goal is the publication of a quality gallery of images, but the control that the site maintains over the collection is a constant source of discord among the membership, which carries over in the forums.
This really is a special place, with a fantastic membership - cheezy as it may sound, I feel lucky to have found this place.
F.
I always enjoy reading what people have to say about different topics, and the questions people have asked are almost aways thought provoking.
I have been on other sites, where the purported goal is the publication of a quality gallery of images, but the control that the site maintains over the collection is a constant source of discord among the membership, which carries over in the forums.
This really is a special place, with a fantastic membership - cheezy as it may sound, I feel lucky to have found this place.
F.
WDPictures
Established
Very enjoyable overall and as I try to use my time wisely I'll just pass on some threads/posts that don't strike me whether I agree or not.
As a newbie to RFF I appreciate the tolerance to easy questions by the old timers here. Certainly I can search anywhere on the internet and get true and honest answers but I'm here to engage with RFF users for a lot of the reasons listed by others in this thread.
As a newbie to RFF I appreciate the tolerance to easy questions by the old timers here. Certainly I can search anywhere on the internet and get true and honest answers but I'm here to engage with RFF users for a lot of the reasons listed by others in this thread.
Roger Hicks
Veteran
Dear Peter,
Usually. But given that I've just started getting anonymous hate mail, apparently originating from an RFF member (he refers to RFF in the letter, in among the obscenities), maybe it's time to leave.
Tashi delek,
R.
Kevin
Rainbow Bridge
Oh dear. What do the admins have to say about this?
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
If the person isn't emailing through RFF and isn't using an email address that could be traced to his real name, there probably isn't any way the RFF mods could do anything. I hope Roger will stay, I don't always agree with what he says, but he's a nice guy and very knowledgeable. Besides, its cool getting to talk to someone famous
ChrisPlatt
Thread Killer
Love or hate the forum and its participants, RFF is a vast and indispensable photographic resource.
Chris
Chris
It seems a shame to yield the hater that measure of success. You may be able to set your email to divert mail from that source into the Spam folder. Best wishes for your continued presence here -- Doug
350D_user
B+W film devotee
Gah, too late for the vote.
I enjoy reading RFF. There's just so much discussion going on, over a wide variety of subjects. It's a refreshing change to the DSLR forums I read, where the common subject is normally "What DSLR camera can I get for £200?", or discussions about more megapixels being better etc.
I mentioned the RFF discussion thread about "bokeh" to my other half. Her reaction was, "They discuss that?! Why?"
On top of that, most discussions I've seen in RFF tend to be from people who use their equipment, as opposed to the digital forums whose readers, for no real reason, tend to buy the latest and alleged greatest equipment.
I enjoy reading RFF. There's just so much discussion going on, over a wide variety of subjects. It's a refreshing change to the DSLR forums I read, where the common subject is normally "What DSLR camera can I get for £200?", or discussions about more megapixels being better etc.
I mentioned the RFF discussion thread about "bokeh" to my other half. Her reaction was, "They discuss that?! Why?"
On top of that, most discussions I've seen in RFF tend to be from people who use their equipment, as opposed to the digital forums whose readers, for no real reason, tend to buy the latest and alleged greatest equipment.
Hi Dave -- Nice to see the poll is mostly positive. I'd wonder if there were many who didn't enjoy RFF discussions yet still hang around and participate!
We have our own equivalent subjects like "what fast wide angle lens should I get for my (whatever), and by the way my budget is $200..."
Yes, we have members willing and able to pay top prices for their top-end gear, but I think they tend to use it rather than just fondle it or display it for others to admire. Like some others, I feel a bit lucky to eventually find bargains in that top gear. And then the usual asking prices keep going up, so one feels even better about having found that bargain!
As to bokeh, your other half has a point with which others here find agreement. The sharp parts are the important parts, right, or even motion blur has a purpose.
But... the nature of the out of focus areas can have a subtle effect on one's impression of the whole image. Smooth and creamy, or maybe a little nervous. Either way can be good if it contributes to the nature of the photo, even if not consciously noted. Consciously noted bokeh, indeed, tends to distract from the subject, I think. And at worst can be distracting to the point of irritation. Bokeh just IS, and besides being "good" or "bad" it can have its own character that affects one's perception of the whole. So it's worth the photographer being aware of, in my opinion. And worthy of discussion!
We have our own equivalent subjects like "what fast wide angle lens should I get for my (whatever), and by the way my budget is $200..."
Yes, we have members willing and able to pay top prices for their top-end gear, but I think they tend to use it rather than just fondle it or display it for others to admire. Like some others, I feel a bit lucky to eventually find bargains in that top gear. And then the usual asking prices keep going up, so one feels even better about having found that bargain!
As to bokeh, your other half has a point with which others here find agreement. The sharp parts are the important parts, right, or even motion blur has a purpose.
But... the nature of the out of focus areas can have a subtle effect on one's impression of the whole image. Smooth and creamy, or maybe a little nervous. Either way can be good if it contributes to the nature of the photo, even if not consciously noted. Consciously noted bokeh, indeed, tends to distract from the subject, I think. And at worst can be distracting to the point of irritation. Bokeh just IS, and besides being "good" or "bad" it can have its own character that affects one's perception of the whole. So it's worth the photographer being aware of, in my opinion. And worthy of discussion!