Photography facts and fallacies.

[I @ M]

Anyone who spends any time reading through the maze of photography related forums and web sites will invariably come across many "facts" regarding cameras, lenses and techniques that are simply wrong yet they are repeated and quoted in almost parrot like fashion until people start to believe them.

What is your favourite "fact" that you see repeated on the 'net or anywhere for that matter that is wrong?

My favourite is that only aperture openings determine exposure levels when using flash / strobe equipment where there is no intruding ambient light.

[ameerat42]

-ly, the mix-up between actual focal length and resulting image size, and the glossed over equivalent for crop sensor cameras.
It is often eagerly expressed something like:

"Ohh! That's the same as having an f=1000mm lens"

(There are some others but I can't think of them just now.)

[ricktas]

"I am going to buy a better camera, cause the one I have is not taking very good photos" (or similar)

"I want recommendations on a really good lens, I want to take great macro photos, my budget is $100"

"I got a camera for my birthday from (husband/wife/partner), and I have already booked my first wedding, it is next month, can someone give me tips and ideas"

Brand wars

[Kym]

A few from the net...

• Photography documents reality
• There is one correct exposure
• A "Normal" lens is 50mm (32mm in APS-C)
• Place the Subject at a 1/3 Point
• I would take better pictures if only I had a better camera
• Expensive equipment is require to take Great Pictures
• Horizons must be horizontal - only sometimes
• I'm not going out to shoot today because the light is bad
• I shoot 1,000 frames in a day so that I increase my chances of having a lot of keepers!
• I can’t shoot, I forgot my tripod
• I'm in a creative rut, I need to go to an exotic location to get out of it (tell the Mrs )
• Being a photographer is a glamorous job
• Autofocus works by measuring the distance to the subject
• Tele-photo lenses have a shallow DOF
• The singular of lenses is lense (learn English ya mug )
• Hyperfocal Shooting Makes Everything In Focus
• Dark and Light Scenes Fool/Trick the Meter
• Raising the ISO Makes the Sensor More Sensitive (no, the signal is amplified and thus we get noise)
• You Should Put a Filter on Your Lens for Protection (this is a great sales pitch)
• You Should Learn Composition With a Fixed Focal Length Lens
• An Image Straight Out of the Camera is Authentic and Post-Processing is cheating
• Wide-aperture Lenses Allow More Light to Reach the AF Sensor
• You HAVE to shoot in RAW for quality results
• Asking a professional what kind of camera they use or how much their camera cost is a compliment
• Getting lots of compliments means it’s time to turn professional
• A verbal agreements and handshakes are suitable contracts
• Enjoy photography? Then you’ll love being a professional photographer

[Kym]

Canon is better than Nikon for <insert genre> (when the truth is Rocks! )

Brand wars

[ricktas]

Canon is better than Nikon for <insert genre> (when the truth is Rocks! )

Brand wars

oi!

[Kym]

oi!

It is a fallacy to say C > N

[MissionMan]

Fallacy

1. Things that Ken Rockwell say should be taken as gospel
2. Being a moderator at Ausphotography makes you a good photographer
3. If you can't afford a Nikon, you should buy a Pentax. In reality, if you can't afford a Nikon, then you should buy a Canon, if you can't afford a Canon, then you should buy an Olympus, if you can't afford an Olympus, you should buy a Pentax

Fact

1. Pentax make a good weight tool for tripods they call a DSLR. Putting a number of them in a canvas bag can be useful for holding down your tripod in windy conditions while you mount a real camera (Nikon or Canon) on the tripod.

[ameerat42]

Fallacy

...2. Being a moderator at Ausphotography makes you a good photographer...
...

Being on AP makes you a good photographer... and if you stay long enough you'll be a great photographer.

Secondly, KR is always right!!! Don't you read his stuff? He tells you so.

[mudman]

Fallacy

1. Things that Ken Rockwell say should be taken as gospel
2. Being a moderator at Ausphotography makes you a good photographer
3. If you can't afford a Nikon, you should buy a Pentax. In reality, if you can't afford a Nikon, then you should buy a Canon, if you can't afford a Canon, then you should buy an Olympus, if you can't afford an Olympus, you should buy a Pentax

Fact

1. Pentax make a good weight tool for tripods they call a DSLR. Putting a number of them in a canvas bag can be useful for holding down your tripod in windy conditions while you mount a real camera (Nikon or Canon) on the tripod.

Will the mods please censor missionman for his confrontational behaviour

[WhoDo]

Will the mods please censor missionman for his confrontational behaviour

Why, when he's right!

- - - Updated - - -

Oh, wait! You said "censor" not "censure"!

[arthurking83]

My favourite fallacy is the one about spending your upgrade money on a lens 'cause it'll last you for years, where we now know that it most likely wont.

.....

Fact

1. Pentax make a good weight tool for tripods they call a DSLR. Putting a number of them in a canvas bag can be useful for holding down your tripod in windy conditions while you mount a real camera (Nikon or Canon) on the tripod.

Strangely enough Pentax do make the best DSLR currently on the market.
You just need a minimum of $10K to get into this system.

[MissionMan]

Will the mods please censor missionman for his confrontational behaviour

My deepest and humblest apologies. I'll remove the comment about ken Rockwell

[WhoDo]

My deepest and humblest apologies. I'll remove the comment about ken Rockwell

Again, why ... when you're right!

[MissionMan]

Again, why ... when you're right!

Sorry, i thought it was Ken who made the complaint

[ricktas]

Missionman, consider yourself sensored.

[Kym]

Fact

1. Pentax make a good weight tool for tripods they call a DSLR. Putting a number of them in a canvas bag can be useful for holding down your tripod in windy conditions while you mount a real camera (Nikon or Canon) on the tripod.

Four character response... 645z

[Kym]

All Ken Rockwell references should be removed as they are notoriously unreliable.
Refer http://www.kenrockwell.com/about.htm quote:

This website is my way of giving back to our community. It is a work of fiction, entirely the product of my own imagination. This website is my personal opinion. To use words of Ansel Adams on page 193 of his autobiography, this site is my "aggressive personal opinion," and not a "logical presentation of fact."

Seriously, he is downright dangerous as noobs think he is being sensible and they get led down the proverbial garden path.

[Kym]

Strangely enough Pentax do make the best DSLR currently on the market.
You just need a minimum of $10K to get into this system.

More like $15k as you will need a couple of lenses at $2k - $3k each
http://www.us.ricoh-imaging.com/645z/lens.html

[ameerat42]

Missionman, consider yourself sensored.

Add a severe crop-factor to that