Is the Forum a repository or a community?

[Tin Can]

The Day the Image Only Thread Died.

http://www.largeformatphotography.in...-by-image-only

Please discuss. In writing.

Purposes can change.

"There's massive blah, blah, blah in the world. Not talking for a while might be a good thing. " You're welcome to give that a try.

[Jac@stafford.net]

[...] Not talking for a while might be a good thing.

Greg Hindy had the right idea.

[Tin Can]

Greg Hindy had the right idea.

He didn't talk but did write brief notes, just like we do here to communicate.

We can imagine photographers communicating only with images.

Can we...

[Jody_S]

I just come for the pretty pictures.

[vinny]

what tripod should I get for 4x5?
where can I buy film?

[pdh]

what tripod should I get for 4x5?
where can I buy film?

1. The best one
2. You can't, they stopped making it years ago

[koh303]

You are absolutely right, within the confines of me thinking of a "noob question" and already knowing the answer, thus "finding" that answer easily.

If I was not already quite familiar with LF gear and various terms, that would not hold true. Just search for example "fuji 300mm lens for 8x10" and you will find nearly 200,000 results. This does nothing to help our supposed noob who has no idea what the A, C, CM, CM-W, W, S, etc. nomenclature means or implies, what IC is needed for 8x10 or indeed what "image circle" even is. Then his head starts to spin when finding info stating "this lens covers 42 degrees" as if that means anything to most. Let's also not forget that terms and understanding can vary greatly between generations. Many young newbies entering LF did not learn the same vocabulary in photography having grown up in the digital age or are simply not well versed in it. I am reminded of questions about "telephoto lenses" for LF which as we all know means one thing but most young folks simply mean "longer than normal" lenses when they say that. It is complete folly to think that all questions have been answered and you can just Google anything and find your answer.

Some questions though, yes. If you want to know about a lens that you have in your hand, and are already well-versed in terminology, just Google the exact name of the lens and you'll find tons of info. A thread asking for opinions on a "Symmar-S 210mm f/5.6" lens for example might be responded to with "Google it." If they are a brand-new poster perhaps a helpful reply asking what they'd like to know would be better.

Just beets and diggles, i typed Fuji 300mm for 8X10 (which is not a question, but whatever), into google, and low and behold, the first three links:
photo.net
LFPF
Thellamns page
discuss every single and possible aspect of the statment "fuji 300mm for 8X10",
in fact, these links discuss way more including all the stuff you mentioned, because as this and other forums tend to be, repetitive when someone asks a google question.

If someone really wants to know something, and asks google, then gets an answer with parts he does not understand, that can only lead to another google search, for those questions too, have been asked and answered.

[Oren Grad]

I've moved the "repository vs community" discussion to its own thread, both so as not to derail Kirk's useful "Forum growth" thread and because this is an important topic in its own right.

The answer is "both". Although the LF Home Page still refers to this as the "Questions & Answers Forum", the social interaction helps build and strengthen our community of shared interest and is valued in its own right. The challenge is to maintain a reasonable balance between the two functions. Certain constraints are placed on the social function - for example, a few extremely divisive off-topics are not allowed; the Lounge is provided for non-LF discussion; and most recently, limits have been placed on tangential discussion in the FS and WTB sections. The purpose of these is to assure that chat does not unreasonably dilute or overwhelm the value and usability of the Forum as a reference, interfere with Forum operations, or make Forum management unsustainable for volunteer moderators.

[Tin Can]

Do you suggest the forum close and remain an image of historical methods with no possibility of change, evolution or improvement in Large Format Photograghy?

Our job is done. Let's go home?

Just beets and diggles, i typed Fuji 300mm for 8X10 (which is not a question, but whatever), into google, and low and behold, the first three links:
photo.net
LFPF
Thellamns page
discuss every single and possible aspect of the statment "fuji 300mm for 8X10",
in fact, these links discuss way more including all the stuff you mentioned, because as this and other forums tend to be, repetitive when someone asks a google question.

If someone really wants to know something, and asks google, then gets an answer with parts he does not understand, that can only lead to another google search, for those questions too, have been asked and answered.

[Oren Grad]

There's a big dilemma here because yes this website as a whole is that resource and knowledge base but outside the actual forum there's little updating being done to the rest of the website to update or add new articles, resources etc. There's huge potential to dramatically improve the website, many of the current articles would benefit enormously ly from the addition of images, diagrams etc or just being updated with more current information. There are issues though because the text of the articles are the copyright of the original writers, sometimes there's multiple contributors.

I think it was Brian Wallen who actually wrote some sample pages of what the site resources could look like, this was a few years ago.

So at the moment there's a disconnection between the Resources and the Forum and maybe that's what needs discussion.

The Forum and the Home Page are managed separately. Renovations of the Home Page would require people who are willing and able to put in the necessary volunteer effort, and who can negotiate and coordinate any proposed changes with Tuan.