Why Can't People Be Honest? And Nice?

Stu W

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Okay, I was just looking over postings pnet. One poor guy asked about his 8 element chrome 35mm Summicron. He was unsure about using it as he heard it was collectible. Boy did he get his teeth kicked in. He was told basically that it was a crap lens that is common as dirt. It is worth 6 or 7 hundred. A Summaron is better. Why can't these guys play nice in the sandbox. The lens is collectible, as is shown by what it sells for on the bay. Not uncommon to see them go for 1800 in good condition. When I was shopping for my Summarit I asked what they were worth. I got all kinds of 100-150 if mint answers. When I posted a wanted to buy, the value jumped to 3-4 hundred. I'm sure not everyone over there is evil. I belong. I would never post a question over there again however. At least until they clean house. Stu
 
Stu W said:
Okay, I was just looking over postings pnet. One poor guy asked about his 8 element chrome 35mm Summicron. He was unsure about using it as he heard it was collectible. Boy did he get his teeth kicked in. He was told basically that it was a crap lens that is common as dirt. It is worth 6 or 7 hundred. A Summaron is better. Why can't these guys play nice in the sandbox. The lens is collectible, as is shown by what it sells for on the bay. Not uncommon to see them go for 1800 in good condition. When I was shopping for my Summarit I asked what they were worth. I got all kinds of 100-150 if mint answers. When I posted a wanted to buy, the value jumped to 3-4 hundred. I'm sure not everyone over there is evil. I belong. I would never post a question over there again however. At least until they clean house. Stu

Actually is isn't very clever to ask such questions in a forum. Aren't there always buyers AND sellers ? 🙄 The guy IMO got what he needed: A lesson !

bertram
 
it's another culture over there, the kind of culture you find on a petri dish 🙂

Todd
 
Stu i think that is the nature of public forums - sad that it is. It's a faceless form of communication -people can assume whatever charator they want. Petty jealousy seems rife. However if you wade through the s**t PNnet has a extensive database of knowledge. Same goes for the Lightstalkers site - can be very bitchy but again i've discovered many useful links and leads from that site that i've seen nowhere else.
 
There occasionally is a tendency to believe that having a certain camera, car, job or house makes you a better person. And that those who don't possess those things are inferior, so therefore it's OK to treat those people as you wish.

Personally, I left pnet for that very reason.

For me, photography is a hobby, and to belittle others is unacceptable.
 
Bertram, I disagree. I would like to think the people on the forum weren't out to screw me. As a matter of fact, I purchased my dual range, from a member. He sent me the lens for my approval without any money exchanging hands. That's trust. I like to think I can trust the people here, and I value their opinions. Stu
 
The classic camera forum is a world apart from the Leica forum, Pnet is more than the one forum.

Todd
 
Jorge Torralba said:
It even happens here more often than one would think.

Yes it does. I violated one of my basic rules yesterday in mentioing I may have some "surplus" Nikkor lenses.

Suddenly several folks who otherwise think I am dirt here were all solicitous. As if suddenly my being a RFF member made me their "best bud".

I "slipped" out of that pickle and will go back to my "prime directive" that I only sell on eBay and there I do not sell under the "copake_ham" name!
😎
 
To answer the original question: Because many people are not happy with their life! It does not matter if they have more than most. If one is unhappy (wants more, thinks s/he deserves more) and blames others for his/er misery, s/he will be nasty at home, at work, when driving, and in the forums. I try to remind myself that a nasty person is a miserable person and leave it at that. Some times it works.
 
Stu, I encountered a number of fine people at pnet but since I don't frequent the Leica forum I can't offer any insight on what you observed.

That said, I've found the community at RFF to be just that -- a real community. Good advice, good humor and a generally congenial atmosphere.

Case in point. About a month ago I posted an inquiry to find out what my CL/'cron might be worth. Got helpful reponses, ended up corresponding with a couple other RFF members and amongst ourselves found a deal that worked for everyone. One person got the body, the other the lens. They lived close enough to each other that I shipped to one and they got together to divvy it up.

Win-win-win.

I've also bought and sold internationally via RFF and all the deals have worked out well. I also appreciate the perspective offered by members from around the globe.

my two lux worth/ScottGee1
 
There are some good people on Pnet many of them here in RFF as well
Just 'cos a few are unhelpful shouldn't detract from the usefulness of Pnet as a data base.
Besides there are many other interesting forum groups there not just the Leica one.
There's even a slot for Plaubel users - one which i found very helpful.
I've emailed many Pnet menbers and got decent helpful replies, in general i think it's a good community.
 
Stu... some people join forums for reasons other than discussing photography. Avoid those who don't discuss the craft and expect their responses to be like you described. Most often the snipers are the "it's all about me" respondents. My camera, my film, my advice...

Shrug it off. Focus on your photography.
 
Stu,

I had to go back and re-read your original post to figure where this "advice" was going.

What you were appently saying is that when someone asked a query about the quality of a Lietz lens for informational purposes - the opinions "trashed" it.

Apparently this was a self-serving exercise so as to "convince" the questioner to doubt its worth. All along these "experts" knowing that they were gainsaying in an attempt to steal a bargain.

And yes, this also happens here on RFF - albeit on a reduced scale given the more narrow niche.

But when Jorge introduced an auction system here as part of the "enhanced" classifieds it was vehementlly attacked by many.

Why?

Why not have a classified ads system where honest sellers and honest buyers can engage in an "open cry" method of establishing a fair "clearing" price?
 
Stu, simple answer, don't bother with Pnet. There may be some good people over there, but in my experience there are many more with self inflated, puffed up egos, with their heads stuck firmly up their own derrieres, who get their kicks by stomping on anyone who asks, what in their eyes is, a 'noob' question.
 
The obnoxious quotient of p.net is for me counterbalanced by the knowledge and occasional intelligence on offer. It's a bit like what in the UK would be a 6th form common room, some smart people, and some who think rude passes for smart.

Yes, there is one guy who keeps posting photos of his expensive house, which is extremely weird, but at least the photos are always blurred or out of focus.

But one p.netter helped me find a Summicron 35/2 for a bargain price, I picked up an M4 that was in better condition than promised, and a bargain Elmar 50/2.8. The only thing I can complain about is that when I sold the Elmar on p.net, for the price I'd bought it, the new purchaser took much better photos than I ever did, and posts them regularly. grrrrr.
 
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