"What Camera?" Threads...

City-Exile

Any chance we could get a sub forum, where we could dump all the buyer's advice requests? They really clog up the place.
There would be a lot less of them if people weren't so lazt & read through this forum, before posting or simply read the online review sites, but that's a whole other matter.

10-10-20

I posted one of these and it wasn't out of lazyness...

General purchase advice stales quickly in the land of digital devices, and you generally can't trust anything older than 3 months.
There is a chance that if they are sub-forumed that they won't be responded to by the knowledgable people and it will only serve to isolate new-comers to photography.

440Hz

10-10-20 wrote: »

There is a chance that if they are sub-forumed that they won't be responded to by the knowledgable people and it will only serve to isolate new-comers to photography.

Fair point tbh, I reckon it probably would end up that way.

Could end up being a kind of a case of sweeping it under the carpet and making it the "problem" of a sub-forum that might end up with a lot of questions and not many answers.

Borderfox

To be honest we were all n00bs once I'm just a better googler than most people to find my own answers.

Ghost Train

I don't really think the questions about cameras take away too much from the forum, but sub forum would probably make it easier for users to browse for camera info.

So yeah I think it probably would make sense to seperate camera related info from photography, since the photography forum is quite an active forum with plenty of posts

I'm not just talking about info for new users, but a sub forum for all equipment related topics

Fajitas!

10-10-20 wrote: »

it will only serve to isolate new-comers to photography.

Exactly. There's been a few threads on this kind of thing before - I'm always going to stand by the point that it will only be served by 2-3 regulars at the very most, other people won't bother.

Getting another forum will take it out of the regulars way, but other people want a bit of help - Who better to give that than the regulars - And who knows where it could lead them tbh.

If you want to search back for the other threads, you'll see plenty of points for both sides, but I'm going to be totally against taking them away from the main forum.

*Waits for Oriel* :rolleyes:

City-Exile

Borderfox wrote: »

I'm just a better googler than most people to find my own answers.

I never knew it was a specialist subject.
Might try to make a few bob out of it.

Always reminded of this image...

Fenster

Arbitrary wrist-slapping?

elven

I love it Peadar

As much as I get dismayed at the sight of a page full of 'which camera' and 'which lens should I buy' if we put them in a sub forum, the regulars aren't likely to respond in there so people will post in the main forum anyway.

We just need to post that Bart image in a sticky...

Roen

As long as the 'what camera threads' push the arty stuff of the front page then I'm happy.

But I actually honestly don't see a way out of it at all. Sub Forums/Stickies will be ignored I think. I replied to quite a few over the years, I have to say I've given up now though.

soccerc

City-Exile wrote: »

Any chance we could get a sub forum, where we could dump all the buyer's advice requests? They really clog up the place.
There would be a lot less of them if people weren't so lazt & read through this forum, before posting or simply read the online review sites, but that's a whole other matter.

Who rattled your cot Peadar?

We, you and I and probably many here are in a position where we can seek advice from well qualified pr experienced snappers. Not everyone has that possibility.

I am sure you've picked up many tips from asking around, not necessarily online but in conversations, some I'm sure you initiated, just like I have.

BTW, had a D3 for 2 days for evaluation, couldn't understand half of it and needed advice from someone I know.

It would be unfair not to pass on relevant advice to others who are not in position to call upon the expertise of some of the best pro's around.

There are not many times where I can contribute to a n00bs query but will assist if I can.

440Hz

Roen wrote: »

As long as the 'what camera threads' push the arty stuff of the front page then I'm happy.

hehe!

Roen wrote:

But I actually honestly don't see a way out of it at all. Sub Forums/Stickies will be ignored I think. I replied to quite a few over the years, I have to say I've given up now though.

Yup, same here. Only so many your brain can process or something before it starts to hurt.

Calina

this will be brief.

The issue that I have with the what camera threads is simple: people come on and say they want a camera, recommend something. On a very few odd occasions they might even give us a budget. I have lost count of the number of times I have said "look, there's no point in asking for advice if you don't give us information like what you want to use the camera for". So much so that I've wearied of giving advice on that front.

I sympathise with Peadar's view. Yes it would be nice to hive all those questions off to a subforum but what I would see happening is a load of posts going "I posted in the What camera subforum and no one's answering, so I thought I'd throw it in here". The other problem is most of us have cameras. I have a reasonable fist of what's going on in Canon DSLR but the vast majority of people looking for advice want perfect do it all compact cameras. I have no clue what's available on that market in any brand because it seems to keep changing every 5 minutes. I would be surprised if i was the only one who felt the same way.

It's not that we're all art snobs, it's that we all have cameras and they are not the cameras that the average joe blogs is looking to buy.

In saying that I am not sure what the solution is. You can't post a stickie that goes "look, if you want a camera, go ask Conns because none of us are up to speed on consumer cameras are around seeing as we don't regularly buy cameras like maybe every two years at the most" because that's not nice. But in someways it might be more practical. At least face to face it might be easier to ask the meaningful questions like do you want to take it on safari in Kenya or is it for all the family parties or what. This is a photography forum after all and you should be able to come here for advice. And I like to think we pride ourselves on being open to newbies. I know a lot of new people went to the Waterford trip, for example. I'd like to see that encouraged.

However we organise it though, Christmas is coming so there is going to be a raft of these queries over the next two months. I would say the only way to deal with it is to counterpost lots of other photography related stuff. I like what's been done with the television listings, for example, and dammnit all we could submit a load of C&C for the time being (quiet on that front I feel, lately) so that we can still get learning stuff. We could perhaps do link of the days all that sort of thing. the way I see it, the what camera threads tend to come and go but the rest of us are always here.

sineadw

Is there a mod option to merge similar posts maybe?

Shiny

I would be happy to keep my "what camera thread" up to date
but boards doesn't "allow" me after...what is it 3 days of editing ???

Oriel

Fajitas! wrote: »

I'm always going to stand by the point that it will only be served by 2-3 regulars at the very most

... and? That's a good thing.
Take the crap and get people who are genuinely interested in giving help to people who want it.
The rest will generally try to convert the person to Canon or Nikon.
I fail to see how this is a bad thing.

Shiny

Calina wrote: »

I would see happening is a load of posts going "I posted in the What camera subforum and no one's answering, so I thought I'd throw it in here".

100% agree.
It has already happened a good few times with people posting in the
"what camera thread" and then posting in the main forum.

I am definitely one of those people that would try and convert buyers
to get a canon. Mainly due to the fact that I spent months researching
every single feature, price of future upgrades, quality, etc before I got
my camera.

Thirdfox

Shiny wrote: »

I am definitely one of those people that would try and convert buyers
to get a canon. Mainly due to the fact that I spent months researching
every single feature, price of future upgrades, quality, etc before I got
my camera.

And I'll try to convince them of Nikon

(Canon powershots are great though!)