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droj

droj

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droj
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I don't think of myself as a pedant, but there's a certain accuracy that helps communication between people. I could instance the term 'world music' - as if there could be any music that wasn't world music ....

However to keep within the photographic realm, I find much misuse of the term 'rangefinder', used in connection with cameras that patently don't have one! What's going on?
 
Smileys are LOW CULTURE. I'm not sure that you have a place in this discussion.
 
I suspect it's simply that 35mm cameras are either SLRs or they're not; and the most obvious "not" are those like the Leica. Hence, "rangefinder" has come to mean "not an SLR". Personally, I'm not too bothered by that. Someone who buys a rangefinder camera only to discover that it doesn't have a rangefinder will soon find out if it isn't, because it will have no means of determining the subject distance. And they may then twig that a rangefinder is used for this. I'm more concerned about describing all long focal length lenses as "telephoto" which refers to a particular type of optical design; and if a lens is a telephoto, it has repercusions in a number of ways that aren't good.
 
StephenM said:
I suspect it's simply that 35mm cameras are either SLRs or they're not; and the most obvious "not" are those like the Leica. Hence, "rangefinder" has come to mean "not an SLR". Personally, I'm not too bothered by that. Someone who buys a rangefinder camera only to discover that it doesn't have a rangefinder will soon find out if it isn't, because it will have no means of determining the subject distance. And they may then twig that a rangefinder is used for this. I'm more concerned about describing all long focal length lenses as "telephoto" which refers to a particular type of optical design; and if a lens is a telephoto, it has repercusions in a number of ways that aren't good.
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I have a 12mm wide-angle telephoto at work.
 
I could add to this with the misuse of the word bokeh but I feel we are getting too concerned about nothing. As long as somebody is understood I.e 'that telephoto lens has ace bokeh', then that's what communication is all about. Words evolve and their meanings change, after all have you ever dysoned a carpet? I bet you've hoovered one!
 
Given that the prime purpose of a telephoto design is to enable the lens to sit nearer to the focal plane than its focal length would normally allow, your lens must be attached to something very interesting!
 
Brazo said:
I could add to this with the misuse of the word bokeh but I feel we are getting too concerned about nothing. As long as somebody is understood I.e 'that telephoto lens has ace bokeh', then that's what communication is all about. Words evolve and their meanings change, after all have you ever dysoned a carpet? I bet you've hoovered one!
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The problem with my bete noir (telephoto) is that there is a world of difference in practical use between a 300mm lens and a 300mm telephoto lens when you're using a large format camera. It's very important to know what the design is is you don't want to find unwanted complications (or even find that you can't use the lens).
 
StephenM said:
The problem with my bete noir (telephoto) is that there is a world of difference in practical use between a 300mm lens and a 300mm telephoto lens when you're using a large format camera. It's very important to know what the design is is you don't want to find unwanted complications (or even find that you can't use the lens).
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I know what your saying I just don't think it's a big enough concern, large format gets very little discussion in this forum and when it does I can't recall a telephoto confusion.
 
StephenM said:
Given that the prime purpose of a telephoto design is to enable the lens to sit nearer to the focal plane than its focal length would normally allow, your lens must be attached to something very interesting!
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It's a lens that is physically smaller than its focal length by using a telephoto group in the light train.
 
droj said:
I don't think of myself as a pedant, but there's a certain accuracy that helps communication between people. I could instance the term 'world music' - as if there could be any music that wasn't world music ....

However to keep within the photographic realm, I find much misuse of the term 'rangefinder', used in connection with cameras that patently don't have one! What's going on?
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Don't worry, you'll no doubt be using incorrect terminology for something you know little about, and that will be annoying other people as much as misused photography terminology annoys you :)
 
They ain't rangefinder cameras, they are "Point n shoot" cameras gaddammit! Yeehaw!
 
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Just like everybody has a 'Hoover' in the house.:coat:
 
It's what is known in philosophical circles as a category error. Some words categorise things in terms of appearance, others in terms of how they work. People who don't understand how things work have no choice but to misuse functional terms as appearance terms because they can't tell the difference. If there are enough of them this misuse will become popular. People who prefer to avoid understanding will prefer this popular misuse. And people who think pedantry impolite frown on the mention of misuse. Thus language evolves, or degenerates, depending on your choice of linguistic pedantry.

It's sometimes thought that the pedantry of correcting a popular misuse is something that comes with age. That is the same category error. It comes with understanding. Understanding takes time to acquire. Therefore it's most often found in older people. But a late starter can be old in calendar age but a novice in a particular area. And a young fast learner can easily outdistance an old fool.
 
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That's me then, a pedantic old fool :cool:
 
Pookeyhead said:
Don't worry, you'll no doubt be using incorrect terminology for something you know little about, and that will be annoying other people as much as misused photography terminology annoys you :)
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Of course. It happens.
 
st599 said:
It's a lens that is physically smaller than its focal length by using a telephoto group in the light train.
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Quite - although that is making an assumption. I prefer my description as being more general. But my interest was in what on earth used a 1/2" lens and needed that lens to be even closer than that to the recording surface? Some sort of endoscope?
 
droj said:
I don't think of myself as a pedant, but there's a certain accuracy that helps communication between people. I could instance the term 'world music' - as if there could be any music that wasn't world music ....

However to keep within the photographic realm, I find much misuse of the term 'rangefinder', used in connection with cameras that patently don't have one! What's going on?
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Totally depends on how you take the phrase "world music" it is a long standing and perfectly acceptable, not least internationally recognise category of music. ;)

So yes I do think of you as a pendant in that context :thumbs:

A rangefinder is a bit different, and misuse of that term is much easier to agree.

Further more, I think it is polite and appropriate to make some cultural and command of language allowances. I mean, if you know what they mean then it isn't a problem, and if you aren't certain why not ask and clarify.
 
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