overrated equipment

[warden]

to be honest I am not one of those people who cares about the whole influencers racket .. like you said its been going on forever. but I gotta give it to their internet friends and influencers, they are pretty excited about using film, like they should be ! film is fun and its fun that can last a lifetime.
still people are funny they actually think that perfume or pants or shirts or cameras sold to them by a Movistar or internet movie star / influencer / ticktocked is going to change who they are. oh well. I think people's expectations are kind of over inflated by gear sold to them via video by some talkster ..

I'm still waiting for my gold bars ... so I can buy a gigantic camera this guy sold me, most definitely ...


I’m contacting because I want to be your friend and confide in you because I have in my possession now 92 Kilograms of Gold Bars, Quality: 23 carat, purity 96% that I inherited from my late mother which I want to ship to your country and sell for investment in your country because I want to leave XXXXX and relocate to your country to continue my education in your country. I want you to stand by me as my tutor and ship this Gold Bars to your country and sell for investment in your country. Note that I am writing you this email purely on the ground of trust because I don’t know you and we have not met before. I found you here and my mind convinced me that I can trust you.
Waiting to hear from you.

Great video haha

 

[faberryman]

Random Youtube guy? No, of course not. Trusted expert on Youtube? Well yes, of course their opinion matters. You have to do your homework, and Youtube is one of many places to do it.

I guess I don’t know who the trusted experts are on YouTube or how to find out who they may be. Who would be a trusted expert on YouTube say with respect to 35mm film cameras, and how did you determine he was an expert?

 

[Nicholas Lindan]

Random Youtube guy? No, of course not.

I make pretty snap judgements. When a video opens with a hand-held iPhone selfie and the the words "Hi everybody,.." I promptly exit it and continue on to the next one. If in doubt I fast forward to the middle of the video and take another sample. You can indeed judge a book by its cover, you might miss some good ones but you will miss many, many more bad ones.

If the camera is on a tripod, the lighting and sound are good and the video is scripted (really important) then there is a good chance the video's content is going to be high quality.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

Virtually all cameras are over-rated. All you NEED to make images is a box with a pinhole and your imagination. Anything beyond that is conveniences.

 

[removed account4]

Does anyone actually buy equipment based on a review by some random guy on YouTube?

why not?
I changed mechanics based by the suggestion of a random stranger in the waiting room at the car dealer when they were writing up an estimate to shellac me. LOL
he said "I know a guy" ... and I was the new mechanic's customer for IDK 8 years ( until he retired ). honest, competent and nice. plus he could spin a good yarn.
my favorite kind of you tube videos are the ones where.
someone is unboxing something and they have no idea how to use whatever it is they have unboxed. they set it up wrong and use it wrong and I'm not sure
if its an act or real. and all the fast cuts make me laugh too. because I look at as infotainment like everything else seems to be.
the thing is if the person doing the review is entertaining and cool I have no regrets that I bought whatever it was he ( or she ) was selling.

Great video haha

 

[NB23]

Here is the best leica reviewer.

 

[faberryman]

Here is the best leica reviewer.

Hilarious. How did he get a $9000 lens to review?

I also exited out of Thorston Overgaard review of the same lens after about 2:00 minutes because he hadn’t said anything yet. Maybe he got around to saying something later on. He is some famous guy I think.

 

[NB23]

Overfart, the funniest of’em all.

Sells 3$ chinese hoods for 200$, offered (and finally backed) crocodile (elephant?) skin camera bags...

The guy desperately hooks himself on the Leica brand and does anything he can to surf on that company’s image.

 

[Sirius Glass]

This statement is just wrong. If Pete is using a tray to develop his film by inspection, that offers the ultimate in control and consistency.

I know how my developers work so there is no need for midprocessing inspection.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I've been waiting for the Canon owners to post "Nikon" and the Nikon owners to post "Canon" to this thread.
And then to have both of them post "Leica".

I can break any camera by not following the instructions. Send your cameras to me and I will break them one at a time.

 

[Pioneer]

Good thread John. Lots of enjoyable responses.

However, I find it a bit amusing and more than a little disturbing. How any of the marvelous, metal, mechanical, manual cameras that were manufactured in the 60s and 70s could ever be considered "over rated". Obviously some were inexpensively made by the standards of the day, But even those were amazing cameras. Especially so if they have lasted this long and are still properly exposing film.

As for the price being asked today, do any of you have the foggiest idea how much that camera would cost if it were built in that same manner today? Think Leica expensive and more. And yet you complain that it costs over $100???

Wow! This is mind boggling. The majority of the cameras that are being roasted as over rated in this thread are at least 50 years old, some even older. Most of what is being made today will be in the waste pile in 25 years. And what may still be working will not be repairable.

To each his own I guess.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

Here is the best leica reviewer.

He can't even keep his specifications straight from one sentence to the next. "APO means professional". HAHAHAHAHAHA. " And "This helps you to refine focus when you auto-focus, because this lens is very sharp". BWAHAHAHAHAHA. ON A LEICA M. BWAHAHAHAHAHA.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Photographic Definitions:

• Overrated ==> You cannot afford it
• Underrated ==> This is what you have
• Too expensive ==> You will never have one, even in your dreams
• Crappy box camera ==> No one will give you one of those beauties
• Those cameras do not focus well ==> No one will let me touch those cameras
• Only dentists own one ==> you are just a cheap bastard

 

[NB23]

He can't even keep his specifications straight from one sentence to the next. "APO means professional". HAHAHAHAHAHA. " And "This helps you to refine focus when you auto-focus, because this lens is very sharp". BWAHAHAHAHAHA. ON A LEICA M. BWAHAHAHAHAHA.

I believe that from 2 to 16 is the British Imperial system, while 2 to 50 is the metric system.

All in all, a great zoom. In and out from 2 to 50.

 

[Mike Lopez]

I know how my developers work so there is no need for midprocessing inspection.

LOL.

 

[M-88]

I guess we have to think about whether we actually want a self timer. (I have them on a few cameras and never use them.) Or a depth of field preview. (ditto.) etc.

Paying less for more features might be appealing to some and less appealing to others. I just checked eBay - K1000s and KX cameras both appear to sell below $200 with a lens included, which is a great deal imo. There was a K1000 for $175 that included three lenses. It's hard to go wrong with these simple old cameras.

That is why I specifically pointed out "a few years ago" part. Now they both cost roughly the same, but 100$ for K1000 and 50$ for KX back in 2017 were ridiculous and a classic example of selling less features for more money. I agree that "Paying less for more features might be appealing to some and less appealing to others", but if I pay the money, I'd much rather pay a rational amount and not something that's been inflated just because of an argument similar to "this camera is perfect for beginners".

 

[ronwhit]

Back to the original subject.....
Possibly blasphemous, but I nominate the Canon T-90 as somewhat overrated based on personal experience. I have owned two, both at the same time, and one had twice experienced the dreaded "EEE" error. After the second trip to my repair guy, and within his guarantee window, out of frustration he traded me an A-1 for it. Thus, I never trusted the second one, and always worried that it too would suddenly fail. It didn't but I used it very carefully and infrequently.

 

[Helge]

Back to the original subject.....
Possibly blasphemous, but I nominate the Canon T-90 as somewhat overrated based on personal experience. I have owned two, both at the same time, and one had twice experienced the dreaded "EEE" error. After the second trip to my repair guy, and within his guarantee window, out of frustration he traded me an A-1 for it. Thus, I never trusted the second one, and always worried that it too would suddenly fail. It didn't but I used it very carefully and infrequently.

T-70 is the real last and best F-Mount IMO.
FTb, A-1, F-1 are very good too. But the weight,
reliability, design, metering, modes etc. totally makes up for lack of double exposure and stop down.

 

[tokam]

T-70 is the real last and best F-Mount IMO.
FTb, A-1, F-1 are very good too. But the weight,
reliability, design, metering, modes etc. totally makes up for lack of double exposure and stop down.

My T90, owned from new since 1987, has had one service by Canon Aust. and is still running perfectly. Its multi metering patterns and accurate TTL flash are the main reason I would use it over my other FD bodies. The F1N and EF are my favourite users. I have a mint A-1 owned since 1984, (maybe the best one still in captivity), but it doesn't get a lot of use. When the T90 dies then c'est la vie...

The T70 is butt ugly but it does have average and partial metering modes and they are not well known and thus very cheap even here in Australia. Also vertical running metal shutter for reasonable flash sync speed. Haven't heard about their reliability electronics wise.

I'm over the CDS metering of the FTb and similar cameras and their reliance on 1.35V cells. My F1-N and EF will get the job done for some time to come as they have both been serviced, use currently available batteries and in a pinch will still operate without batteries (may have to fall back on to my Gossen Profisix for metering for a few days - Silicon photocell metering once again!).

 

[Chan Tran]

Photographic Definitions:

• Overrated ==> You cannot afford it
• Underrated ==> This is what you have
• Too expensive ==> You will never have one, even in your dreams
• Crappy box camera ==> No one will give you one of those beauties
• Those cameras do not focus well ==> No one will let me touch those cameras
• Only dentists own one ==> you are just a cheap bastard

So I said the Pentax K1000 is overrated means I cannot afford it? I have 2 for free and still I think they are overrrated.

 

[Helge]

My T90, owned from new since 1987, has had one service by Canon Aust. and is still running perfectly. Its multi metering patterns and accurate TTL flash are the main reason I would use it over my other FD bodies. The F1N and EF are my favourite users. I have a mint A-1 owned since 1984, (maybe the best one still in captivity), but it doesn't get a lot of use. When the T90 dies then c'est la vie...

The T70 is butt ugly but it does have average and partial metering modes and they are not well known and thus very cheap even here in Australia. Also vertical running metal shutter for reasonable flash sync speed. Haven't heard about their reliability electronics wise.

I'm over the CDS metering of the FTb and similar cameras and their reliance on 1.35V cells. My F1-N and EF will get the job done for some time to come as they have both been serviced, use currently available batteries and in a pinch will still operate without batteries (may have to fall back on to my Gossen Profisix for metering for a few days - Silicon photocell metering once again!).

For every unreliable POS you will always find some lucky person who swears up and down by that particular piece of equipment. And they will either downplay the service they needed or claim none was needed.
Look on the web. The T-90 is virtually unserviceable now and has had the same basic error since day one.
I and many others think that is the butt ugly camera.
The T-70 has worked flawlessly without service since day one. I haven’t seen one that didn’t work, where the explanation wasn’t obvious. Bumped battery hatch corner or other maltreatment.

The T-70s design is a postmodern riff over the previous bodies.
I like the design a lot. Think Akira, 80s Sony equipment and Italian industrial design from the 80s.
It’s tight, light and playful.

But do a search. We’ve had an overlong discussion of this already recently.

 

[removed account4]

So I said the Pentax K1000 is overrated means I cannot afford it? I have 2 for free and still I think they are overrrated.

why are they over rated ?
when I made the thread the idea I had in my mind is
that there is a lot of hype revolving around certain gear
some that it will make you a better photographer, some has to do with prestige
the K1000 is cheap and a basic camera that functions and often times can take a beating
and still function. why do you think the K1000 is over rated because it is just as good as the camera
that came before it and they shouldn't have changed the name ? is there a certain amount of hype around the camera that
the camera doesn't live up to ? I can't imagine how it is over rated and looking forward to your reply !

 

[Chan Tran]

why are they over rated ?
when I made the thread the idea I had in my mind is
that there is a lot of hype revolving around certain gear
some that it will make you a better photographer, some has to do with prestige
the K1000 is cheap and a basic camera that functions and often times can take a beating
and still function. why do you think the K1000 is over rated because it is just as good as the camera
that came before it and they shouldn't have changed the name ? is there a certain amount of hype around the camera that
the camera doesn't live up to ? I can't imagine how it is over rated and looking forward to your reply !

There are a lot of hype about the K1000. It came about around the turn of the century. Before that it wasn't overrated. They said something like it's the best camera for students. Built like a tank. That caused the price to rise significantly above of those similar and better cameras.

 

[removed account4]

thanks !
huh, I never realized there was any hype around that camera. good to know..

 

[sionnac]

I've been using a K1000 as my main 35mm camera since around
1980. I have a MeSuper, and a L**a too...
and while the Mesuper would be my desert island 35mm,
I'd rather use the K1000 every day ... It was purchased new at a local
department store with a lens for $129,
and
has only gone to the shop once
about 4 years after it jumped out of a hole in my backpack
and the baseplate slammed the sidewalk when I was running for a bus,
I had duct tape on it for a few years while I continued to use it
( that was 30 years ago ).
I don't think any other camera I own / have used would survive slamming the pavement like that ...
for me at least, it is UNDERrated, not OVERrated...
YMMV

I agree... I have a K1000 and love that thing. And I can afford the lenses.