Should I buy a...?

Roger Hicks said:
But any individual Canon (especially on ebay, or in a camera store round the corner) might or might not be a better buy than any individual Leica, so 'should I buy a this or a that' is of much more limited use with ancient gear.

Cheers,

Roger
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Roger,

It would seem to me that we need two strata of information: one general that would cover the features of a camera, its aknowledged strengths and weaknesses, commonly occuring problems, price range, first hand experiences (esp. how does it 'feel' to have and use a camera in ideal conditions) and so on. And then a more specific one directly related to the individual camera in question. Both layers of info are important for future buyers. It is the first one that is addressed by questions here and elsewhere. The more specific one, well, one can only hope it is addressed honestly by the seller of the gear.

Best,
 
Please give me your advice: I am an artist, I want to paint pictures. Should I buy a set of oil paints or water colors? Which is better to use to paint nice pictures?
 
I wish I had a better memory.

Who was the photographer who went to an arts awards ceremony, and an author asked them 'I love your photo, what kind of camera did you use for that?'

And the photographer said 'I liked your last book, what sort of word processor did you use for that?'
 
I think as Roger said, this thread has drifted ... with influence I might add!

I wish Jon could make his point without it seeming like an attempt to demean individuals who differ in opinion from him. 😕
 
roger, i can't speak to the experiences of others, but for me i have been lucky in the past when it comes to buying good samples of older gear. i have bought a dud or 2 but mostly the older gear was good.
i know that for me i have to buy on the net as getting most any rf gear locally is impossible.
but the days of old gear are gone for me. i like the look and feel of new gear and that is the route i now take.
 
my wife is a writer, and I know for certain that she can not "get into it" unless she is sitting with a notebook (as in PAPER) or at her Remington Model 17. Her "gear" influences her results. Perhaps she is not very good. Perhaps she is not a writer at all, or at least a "real" one - in which case one of you guys will have to tell her, I don't like sleeping on couches🙂
 
back alley (and Keith).

I do not demean people. I say the truth as I see it.

And back alley: I am not insulting. But I do hold a deep and honest feeling that photography has to do with skill and ability, and not a particular camera.

Having said that, I have contributed to the Olympus 35RC vs XA thread running these past few days as it seems an honest request for information and not a fantasy talk fest thing. I have also been active on the Voigtlander eyepiece thread as it seems to be an issue for that camera.

Over at my day job on another website I do the same sort of thing as back alley, for a salary, and never need to treat people like this. All my comments will start off with words such as: 'We always enjoy your photos and...'. The site owner writes in a similar fashion. We treat our photographers with care and respect. Business is booming. People are leaving RFF to come over to us.

At RFF the site owner seems to think that they can route the discussion in the way they wish. Jorge did it and Stephen does it too. back alley is the Smithers to the Mr Burns.

I am sure Stephen is a great guy to do business with if you're buying a camera. And I'm sure back alley is a great guy to talk photography with. But the combined attitude needs a major rethink.

If RFF is going to attract more than camera fondlers it needs to reinvent itself in a serious way.
 
ClaremontPhoto said:
back alley (and Keith).

I do not demean people. I say the truth as I see it.

And back alley: I am not insulting. But I do hold a deep and honest feeling that photography has to do with skill and ability, and not a particular camera.

Having said that, I have contributed to the Olympus 35RC vs XA thread running these past few days as it seems an honest request for information and not a fantasy talk fest thing. I have also been active on the Voigtlander eyepiece thread as it seems to be an issue for that camera.

Over at my day job on another website I do the same sort of thing as back alley, for a salary, and never need to treat people like this. All my comments will start off with words such as: 'We always enjoy your photos and...'. The site owner writes in a similar fashion. We treat our photographers with care and respect. Business is booming. People are leaving RFF to come over to us.

At RFF the site owner seems to think that they can route the discussion in the way they wish. Jorge did it and Stephen does it too. back alley is the Smithers to the Mr Burns.

I am sure Stephen is a great guy to do business with if you're buying a camera. And I'm sure back alley is a great guy to talk photography with. But the combined attitude needs a major rethink.

If RFF is going to attract more than camera fondlers it needs to reinvent itself in a serious way.
Click to expand...


i believe you need a rethink on this jon.
it really isn't your place to say if you are rude and demeaning but more it's the person being demeaned to testify to it.
if i feel demeaned then that's how i feel and that's all there is to it. it's not your place to tell me that my feelings are wrong.

as to rff's popularity we have tripled in membership of late so i think we are doing ok.
i never claimed to be the nicest guy around but i do think i'm fair and honest with people and i'm not about to compliment someone as a set up to a negative comment, seems dishonest to me.
and i don't go over to other photo sites to bad mouth people as some here do.

joe
 
To take a concrete example, is a 50-year-old Canon worth having? To me, yes if it's silly-cheap but otherwise I'd rather have a Leica, thank you all the same.
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I'm not sure I understand this statement. Are you saying that given a choice between a 50-year old Canon and a 50-year old Leica, you think the Leica is inherently superior?

I thought the subject was the usability of old gear and not personal preferences. 😕
 
The silliest thing, I agree!

I also find silly that everybody recommends what he owns, regardless of its true quality. Like a person asking for recommendation on which 35mm lens and 100 people will recommend 50 diffrerent lenses (the one they own, obviously, even if it's cheap).

Me, personally, if someone asks for the best 35mm lens (as an example), I will simply recommend the latest and greatest as being the best: 35mm lux asph even though I don't own it. Wouldn't that be just normal?
 
ClaremontPhoto said:
back alley (and Keith).

I do not demean people. I say the truth as I see it.

And back alley: I am not insulting. But I do hold a deep and honest feeling that photography has to do with skill and ability, and not a particular camera.

Having said that, I have contributed to the Olympus 35RC vs XA thread running these past few days as it seems an honest request for information and not a fantasy talk fest thing. I have also been active on the Voigtlander eyepiece thread as it seems to be an issue for that camera.

Over at my day job on another website I do the same sort of thing as back alley, for a salary, and never need to treat people like this. All my comments will start off with words such as: 'We always enjoy your photos and...'. The site owner writes in a similar fashion. We treat our photographers with care and respect. Business is booming. People are leaving RFF to come over to us.

At RFF the site owner seems to think that they can route the discussion in the way they wish. Jorge did it and Stephen does it too. back alley is the Smithers to the Mr Burns.

I am sure Stephen is a great guy to do business with if you're buying a camera. And I'm sure back alley is a great guy to talk photography with. But the combined attitude needs a major rethink.

If RFF is going to attract more than camera fondlers it needs to reinvent itself in a serious way.
Click to expand...

Personally (and I know that my personal opinion + $1.50 will get you a small coffee - but none the less), I find this kind of commment to be in poor taste, counter-productive and quite frankly smacking of personal agendas/grievences... Why belittle a forum and its members on that very forum - last time I checked we are free to "vote" on the usefulness of a forum by simply choosing to be a part of it, or not...
 
...if i feel demeaned then that's how i feel and that's all there is to it.
Click to expand...


In different times, the saying was I take offense, rather than, I am offended. It makes one an active participant in one's own emotional state, rather than the victim of whatever circumstance brings.
 
brachal:


Thank you.

In a few days back alley will be asking about a Zeiss Ikon lens hood, and I'll be talking about a photo, and we'll be back to situation normal. RFF style.
 
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