Well played sir........... well playedGreat thread. I’m taking notes with my ink pen.
A prime lens is one with a fixed focal length vs a zoom lens. I believe the term comes from the motion picture industry.
But aren't all pens "ink pens" - so why not just "pen"? ;-)Great thread. I’m taking notes with my ink pen.
If 'prime' upsets you, wait until you stumble on those tattooed youtube photography influencers overusing the term 'BOKEH'
The mathematics student in me cringes whenever I hear the term. I'm always tempted to retort back - "as in Fibonacci prime?"
I worked selling cameras up until the early 1980s, and I don't ever recall that usage back then. I would guess it was in the early 2000s that I first became aware of it.
Of all the slang terms in photography, it seems one of the least helpful.
But aren't all pens "ink pens" - so why not just "pen"? ;-)
I question the reason for the very existence of the so-called-tie in any of its variations! Although sometimes - when I want to create the appearance of high-brow sophistication - I wear an ascot (actually, my wife's silk pajamas wrapped around my neck).Words can be weird! Bow tie, for instance, denotes a form factor. Necktie denotes a wearing location. A bow tie is worn at the neck but is never called a necktie. Why not just “tie”… for both?
You could teach a "Cultural Geography" class.The <Wikipedia article> suggests that before the word "prime" was used to mean "not-zoom" (in the context of motion picture cameras), it was first used to distinguish between the "primary" lens and an "accessory" lens, such as a closeup lens or teleconverter. But - if true - that was then, and this is now. Today, I think it is fairly safe to assume that "prime" means "fixed focal length" - but that is an assumption.
Because use defines language, and because usage varies from group-to-group, and from region-to-region, and from time-to-time - is impossible to precisely define many of the words we use.
The commonly used acronym "MF" means whatever the writer intended, and if the reader is unable to divine the exact meaning from context, then confusion can and will result. Is that the fault of the writer for being too lazy to spell out precisely what they are talking about? Or is it the fault of the reader for lacking the intuition to guess the meaning from context? Over on the FujiX-Forum "MF" is much more likely to mean "manual focus" - but on this forum, "medium format" is more common.
It seems like the practitioners of every skill and craft soon lapse into jargon when speaking among themselves. When talking to another photographer, it is easy to assume the listener has learned the same jargon, but that is certainly not always true, especially on a forum like this one, which is both international and intergenerational (tho maybe not so much that last one).
I do wish more members would provide specific information about where they are located. Sometimes it is helpful to have a clue about how much culture and language we might share when trying to communicate.
You are absolutely right, the trouble is how to solve this?
An internet search, a conversation with an young aspiring photographer, sales announcements, the designation 'MF' is confusing.
Only a few old beggars like us...
But aren't all pens "ink pens" - so why not just "pen"? ;-)
I question the reason for the very existence of the so-called-tie in any of its variations! Although sometimes - when I want to create the appearance of high-brow sophistication - I wear an ascot (actually, my wife's silk pajamas wrapped around my neck).
But aren't all pens "ink pens" - so why not just "pen"? ;-)
Use context to disambiguate.
The current slang term that really throws me, is the usage of "MF" to mean Manual Focus, I have always used the abbreviation MF to define, Medium Format.
Manual focus is a given, and, if it is an autofocus camera, the abbreviation almost universally used, is, AF.
It also means Mick, someone who has sexual relations with his mother, although I don't know how it fits in with photography.
I thought it was 'video recording'...
You are absolutely right, the trouble is how to solve this?
An internet search, a conversation with an young aspiring photographer, sales announcements, the designation 'MF' is confusing.
Only a few old beggars like us...
If 'prime' upsets you, wait until you stumble on those tattooed youtube photography influencers overusing the term 'BOKEH'
I know what you mean Eli, if I see the expression "nifty fifty lenses" again on an internet forum, I will inflict serious injury on someone or something.Which too many do no understand completely.
When did MF for medium format become traditional? Not a single photographer I ever worked with or knew ever referred to medium format that way, nor have I seen it in books. I never came across that designation until I saw it on internet blogs and forums.The solution is simple, leave the traditional "MF", for "medium format" and continual to refer to the confusional "manual focus" as simply "manual", which is what it has been since the first autofocusing, "auto focus" lenses/cameras.
An alternative abbreviation for lenses/cameras focused by hand and eye, no electronic automation might be had with "manually composed" or "mc"
IMO
When did MF for medium format become traditional? Not a single photographer I ever worked with or knew ever referred to medium format that way, nor have I seen it in books. I never came across that designation until I saw it on internet blogs and forums.
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