Reply To: On Camera Monitors

[Sharra]

Well, I have to say I’m disappointed in you, ebi. For you to say I need glasses and an eye exam is rather presumptuous, especially when you don’t know me at all, wouldn’t you say? For the record, eyesight has never been an issue as I’ve had it recently measured at 20/25.

Obviously, you’ve missed the point of the thread. Focus isn’t really the issue. You should know as well as I do that images that look sharp on a 3 inch camera LCD could look like crap when viewed on large monitors while in post. Even with the advances in DSLR auto-focus, there are times when the camera doesn’t get it right. Maybe you should constrict your Photoshop/Lightroom/whatever program use screen to 300 x 200 pixels and try editing at that size for a while.

I have shot tethered and I think it’s great when it works. I’m still not sure why my fully updated Windows 8 laptop with Lightroom 5.2 says my D800 can’t be detected in a bedroom/studio, but my desktop finds it with no problem and I shoot a test shot of my home office. The IT person in me will need to research that a little more, but in the meantime if anyone has any suggestions or solutions, let me know. And don’t say convert to a Mac either.

A tethered solution certainly isn’t ideal in an outside situation when you may be moving around a lot. My intent for a larger screen was to check all the aspects of a photo before committing to settings in a particular shooting location, and doing so without having to resort to zooming and scrolling. I got the idea from someone from who I bought a used walk-around lens that I could use while out and about in city parks or on hikes with my family. I don’t know if he had eyesight issues and it didn’t occur to me to ask and even if I did think to ask, I think it would have insensitive of me to do so. I was simply intrigued by the prospect of seeing larger images in a location where tethering wasn’t a viable option. I had also looked into the Hoodman loupe and may give that a try. I was simply weighing some options and wanted to get some input on the idea.

When you first showed up on YANAP, I and many others thought you were quite obnoxious. I gained new respect for you when you toned things down and began offering advice, although still critical, in a much friendlier manner. I had thought that if and when I felt I was ready to get a critique, I would value input from some more than others. I thought one of those people might be you and another might be CameraClicker. That’s not to say I wouldn’t consider and possibly use the thoughts from everyone who contributes on here because everyone has their own opinions, especially on the artistic side of photography. It would be safe to assume that many readers here would be close in agreement on the technical aspects. But I have to wonder when I see comments from you on eye sight and exams if perhaps you think less of me as you seem to do of others. Was your thought process when I asked to see some of your work that I would burst into tears if you didn’t? As I mentioned before, I’m not here to stroke your ego. You are not God’s gift to photography. That honour belongs to me. 🙂

Yes, I’m kidding about that last statement! I know I have lots to learn, but family and work commitments make getting out to shoot more difficult than I would like it to be. Believe me, if I won the lottery, I would consider hiring a couple full-time teachers to help with my kids’ schooling while going on a worldwide photo trek for a couple years, like those featured in Nikon’s Mentor Series. You and others may think that would be selfish of me to think of my own photographic aspirations before considering my family but I can assure you the whole idea would be nixed if my family wasn’t keen on the idea.

That’s all I have to say. If you feel the need to reply, feel free to do so, as condescending or compassionate as you chose to be. (I’m bracing myself for the former.) To any others reading this, I, like BEG, just need to vent our frustrations once in a while about others wielding a camera who think they know it all. If you think any less of me for doing so, then so be it.