Novices

[Kirk Gittings]

"Ok guys I spoke too soon. But for gosh sakes in the past few days there was a post about getting a screw out and a reply was to put the Sinar in the oven! "

Would you use the same kind of oven for a Sinar as you would for a Linhof?

or to roast the turkey

[Frank Petronio]

A better search function would make it easier for everybody, especially novices.

You could just have canned answers ready to cut and paste too, I haven't written anything new in years.

[Kevin Crisp]

1. I was wondering how to convert a Symmar lens, do you use the single element on the front or the back? One guy told me.......

2. I found that my lens won't install flat on the lens board. There is this little tiny screw.....

3. Do any of you use Jobo drums?

4. Can I use a DSLR as a light meter?

I think I've got the top four questions covered.

[Ari]

We were all noobs, and as someone pointed out, many of us are still learning, myself included.
I'd be up a tree (LF-wise) were it not for the kindness of people on this forum.

That said, it wouldn't be such a bad thing if people learned to use the search function more often.

[Jay DeFehr]

I don't think any of us are required to respond to any posts, so what's the big deal? If you see a question you don't feel like responding to, then don't. How difficult is that? Most questions asked here fall into that category for me, and it doesn't detract from my enjoyment of the forum. Occasionally someone wants to personalize this community to suit his tastes-- no talk of politics, religion, digital, pyro, various formats, workflows, etc., and when the owners are sufficiently moved by the arguments, or the arguers, changes are made that narrow the scope of permissible topics. Given the relatively small number of active participants, I think this is a self defeating strategy, but I see both sides of the issue, most of the time. Segregating "novices", however is a terrible idea, and an unworkable one, and it only takes the slightest mental effort to see why. Who decides who is a novice, and on what basis? That alone should be sufficient to dissuade anyone from the idea, and following that thread of inquiry leads to a multiplicity of problems.

Tolerance, patience, and simply passing over what doesn't interest is a far better strategy.

[ic-racer]

1. I was wondering how to convert a Symmar lens, do you use the single element on the front or the back? One guy told me.......

2. I found that my lens won't install flat on the lens board. There is this little tiny screw.....

3. Do any of you use Jobo drums?

4. Can I use a DSLR as a light meter?

I think I've got the top four questions covered.

My top ones are:

"Noob question about exposure..."

"Noob question about focus..."

"Noob question about sharpness...."

"Noob question about fungus/separation of lens..."

"Noob question about aperture scale on shutter..."

"Noob question, what size lensboard hole for X shutter..."

"Noob question, lens in front of me, how big is front element..."

"Noob question, lens in front of me, how much does it weight..."

"Noob question, camera in front of me, how much extension/rise/swing/tilt..."

"Noob question, camera in front of me, minimum extension..."

"Noob question, is LF better than digital..."

"Noob question, spots on prints when I scan..."

"Noob question, uneven development with..."

"Noob question, printing time too short..."

"Noob question, printing time too long..."

"Noob question, can I use my 50mm lens for enlarging 4x5 on my xxx6x9 enlarger..."

"Noob question, plug on enlarger won't fit wall socket..."

"Noob, 'I'm just starting LF...'"

"Noob, 'I'm giving up LF...'"

However, it you got rid of all those posts, there would be nothing to post about. Plus, the search engine on these forums is terrible.

[BrianShaw]

I often draw the line at responding if I see a post count < 5. Those tend to be folks who pop in to get and answer and often pop out without even saying thanks. That in my mind is way worse that any question from a noob who really wants to learn and participate.

[Frank Petronio]

Lately I've been telling them to just get the damn Ebony, the XL lenses, and that their pictures will suck unless they get a $1000 tripod.

[BrianShaw]

"How much is xyz worth?"

"How much should I pay for xyz?"

[Kirk Gittings]

I think Bob had it right. Many of us are experts in some areas and total novices in others. That is certainly true for me. Seriously, who would make that kind of distinction and have the inclination to enforce it? I've been doing this 40 years and can't imagine making those kind of distinctions in terms of moderation.

We could possibly make a Newbie sub-forum, but it would have to be totally a voluntary place to post. So whats the point?

Novice what?
I frequently get questions from highly experienced large format photographers who are complete novices when it comes to an Imagon or a large format macro lens or a large format digital lens and the differences between the types of digital lenses.
Or the differences in controls between an analog view camera and a digital view camera.

So you want to take a large format worker with dozens of years of LF experience and put him in a novice group because he is looking at a different type of lens or camera?

Chances are pretty good that everyone here can qualify as a novice in one area of photography or equipment once they get out of their comfort and familiarty zone.