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[Deleted member 36320]

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[RichardC]

I can not help but noticing how much more interest is there in not yet announced gear (say Oly 8-25) than in any photography-oriented discussion I found so far. What does that say about us?

The clue is in the URL.

 

[retiredfromlife]

I can not help but noticing how much more interest is there in not yet announced gear (say Oly 8-25) than in any photography-oriented discussion I found so far. What does that say about us?

It's a forum full of mostly enthusiasts, and just like car enthusiasts camera gear and bags in equal measure are what the enthusiasts seem to like talking about. That's what hobbies are for.

Plus it is a safer form of discussion for some.

But it would be nice to see some more discussion photography-oriented in general.

 

[Hoffelijk]

Such a car photographer has developed a feeling for composition through his enthusiasm for images and Micro Four Thirds gear.
I struggle a lot with cars and I regularly look at the car photos and see from which position is shot and what works best of course.
It is also useful to know which lens the photographer chooses and why.
I find a lot of interesting information here

 

[RichardC]

To expand on my earlier tongue-in-cheek comment, surely the site name is inextricably linked with gear, leading to discussions on practical use of M43 gear rather than art?

Fortunately, once here, there are many other avenues to explore and use of M43 is definitely not compulsory.

I suspect that the gear aspect is what draws many people in, but the photography/post processing/technique related discussions keep people here.

 

[The Grumpy Snapper]

You don't come to a photo forum for photography. You come to laugh at all the photo forum "experts"

 

[LucDeSchepper]

I can not help but noticing how much more interest is there in not yet announced gear (say Oly 8-25) than in any photography-oriented discussion I found so far. What does that say about us?

Haha, that most of us are tech/gear lovers. Photography is a relatively cheap hobby to get involved in high-end tech. I would love to own a classic Porsche 356 but photographic gear is more within my financial reach. However, lusting over gear is nice but nothing can beat experiences. So I'm very happy my wife surprised me yesterday with tickets for a trip to the Abu Dhabi Formula 1 race in December.

 

[retiredfromlife]

I originally came here when looking to buy my first real camera since the film days. After scouring the web for what was available for the money I had Mu-43 seemed to fit the bill. Where better to come to, to find out more about the system. And since I just don't seem to gel with the menu's I still need a lot of help.

If this was a professional forum it would be different. There are some pro's and very serious enthusiasts here who we lean on for advice, but by and large I think a lot of people here are hobby enthusiasts. [meant in a good way] The people that actually keep the industry going buying gear we really may not need. Like where would the bag manufacturers be without us

On a personal note if I was honest I don't really have anything to add to any discussion about serious technique, or the art side. Wish I did but alas I don't.

 

[Danny_SWE]

Personally, I really like gear. And like to talk about it also. But have very little interest about talking photography techniques and/or post processing.
I do like post processing very very much, but feel no need to discuss it :/ the photography aspect is my weakest side though and maybe that is why I don't like to discuss it either just don't have the gift, but like to take photos anyway. You also must have something to post-process after all

/edit: One thing should be added. Besides the discussion about them. I like looking at other photos and posting own photos.

 

[richardp]

Pavel,

New gear is coming out all the time so there is always plenty to talk about on a forum like this.

I'm not sure what you mean by photography oriented discussion? There are many threads based on landscape photography, bird photography, sport photography, macro photography, street photography etc etc etc.

Are you looking for a discussion about composition perhaps, or maybe "fine art photography"?

Richard

 

[RAH]

New gear is coming out all the time so there is always plenty to talk about on a forum like this.

This is exactly correct, I think. Without something new, there really isn't much to drive discussion after a while. For example, I was also a member of a recorder (musical instrument) forum, and in that case, there was very little gear coming out, and after a while there was not much to talk about. You'd think that for an instrument that had its heyday in the 18th century, with more available music than you can shake a flute at, and the MOST prolific composers who ever lived (Telemann, Vivaldi) that there'd be plenty of things to discuss. Nope.

I have even noticed it on this forum sometimes. Conversation dries up until something new comes along. I don't find this worrisome or a bad thing. But that's because I'm not a "real photographer" I guess.

 

[Mike Wingate]

Sounds about right. Plenty of views, good tips, alternative choices. Why not. Must go out with the tripod and my uwa lens and take some photos of ferns that I saw last night.

 

[retiredfromlife]

Sounds about right. Plenty of views, good tips, alternative choices. Why not. Must go out with the tripod and my uwa lens and take some photos of ferns that I saw last night.

You sure your in the right place ?

 

[PeteS]

What does that say about us?

As a newcomer here I hope this doesn't come off as flippant, but...

I think it probably says that we are a "Friendly Micro Four Thirds forum" and as such tend to discuss micro four thirds stuff. That is what it says we are at the top of the root page after all.

I know that while I enjoy all the various aspects of photographic discussion here what brought me here were the parts that were new to me. I studied photography decades ago and was pretty avid. I grew up in a house with a darkroom, worked at photography part time, did an internship with a well know pro, and so on. I got out of it at some point when life got in the way and was a casual only photographer for decades. So when I got interested in new to me M43 and more generally digital photography and post processing this forum has proved to be a good place to look for clues on how to choose and use the tools.

I can see where it can become more about having stuff than using stuff. For some folks that is what it is about. I see that in other interests I have and I try to guard against it. I have friends who have things just to have them (guns, tools, bicycles, boats, cars, whatever). I try to avoid that, I bicycled coast to coast a couple times, and generally rode my bicycle hundreds of thousands of miles and generally use all my stuff.

 

[RAH]

Now wait a minute, @PeteS . Seems to me you need a NEW bike - check out all the latest models and dive deep into the specs! You'll LOVE it!!

 

[John M Flores]

This site is great for getting feedback about gear that I'm thinking about buying. And participating in the themed photo thread is fun. But serious and deep discussions about photography - not just technical and not just compositional but about themes and purpose and workshopping projects and discussions about photography within the larger social context - not as much.

I used to get together with a group of pros and serious amateurs to review and critique personal projects. It was very engaging and fulfilling and, to be honest, I've yet to find an online forum or group that enables those deeper discussions sufficiently, as there are limitations to this media.

If I see an interesting photography story that touches upon these things, I will post it here. And it does get some feedback. I encourage all to do the same. After all, this forum is what we make it.

 

[Quadna71]

The clue is in the URL.

Agreed. This isn't www.strictlyphotosandnotequipment.com but rather www.mu-43.com and seems that it is loosely based upon a specific type of photography "equipment". I personally don't seem why they have to be mutually exclusive. Seems no different than finding a mechanic's forum and seeing how they talk about the tools of their trade as much as the work they perform.

 

[PeteS]

Agreed. This isn't www.strictlyphotosandnotequipment.com but rather www.mu-43.com and seems that it is loosely based upon a specific type of photography "equipment". I personally don't seem why they have to be mutually exclusive. Seems no different than finding a mechanic's forum and seeing how they talk about the tools of their trade as much as the work they perform.

Yes, I think we can and should discuss more than just the tools we use here and I think we do. The fact that there is an emphasis on the tools is inevitable though. Making MU-43 the topic does narrow the focus considerably. It does NOT rule out other discussion, but it does tend to emphasize equipment. Still there is room for non equipment centric discussion.

Personally I think that the mix here is fine since you can seek out the topics that interest you. If there is a shortage of material in one area, maybe encourage it by asking or sharing about it (I assume that is what this thread is about). That or if all else fails go elsewhere for a fix on that topic.

 

[Armoured]

I can not help but noticing how much more interest is there in not yet announced gear (say Oly 8-25) than in any photography-oriented discussion I found so far. What does that say about us?

A lot more interest in photo equipment than photography?

Or more interest in talking about photo equipment than talking about photography?

So this is my brief answer:
1) Your question is underspecified - what do you mean by talking about photography?

2) Depending on your answer to the above: personally, I find quite a lot of what I would call 'talking about photography' extremely boring and tedious. And very hard to discuss - it's a rather subjective thing, and I don't usually discuss shades of blue with strangers on-line either.

Talking about gear (with photography underlying)? I can quite likely learn something, exchange some views, and reasoanbly often have a good sense that we're actually talking about the same thing.

Put differently: if the medium is the message, the message of an online forum is not suited to 'talking about photography,.'

I like dancing, too, but not talking about dancing.

IMO.

 

[PeteS]

Yes, "There are many threads based on landscape photography, bird photography, sport photography, macro photography, street photography etc etc etc." But most are just image posts. At least that is what I noticed - I am here for a short time only.

I think that is probably a fairly accurate observation.

I always found live in person critique sessions valuable when I was studying photography in college, but I am less sure how well they translate into a forum setting. Perhaps a subforum specifically dedicated to that? But it already exists (Comments and Critique). It looks like it has some good content, but not much traffic. Maybe working on building some traffic there would be a good idea.