Under Influence (DPReview is gone...)

[danielm]

 

Following the closure of the DPReview website (April 2023), many regret the successive disparitions over the years of "emblematic" photographic gear review sources in consideration of the general social tendency to avoid more critical points of view and choose to be comforted in their consumers habits.

 With the departure in the recent years of many photographic gear reviewers over the media planet (Web or written ones), the question about the pertinence of all these influencing people (that was before the now anticipated coming of the Artificial Intelligence invasion) has been partially addressed. In effect, marketing advertising in its many different faces have supplanted most of the more critical and informative ressources. People are better looking for web or social media sites that will "confirm" their initial consumers choices. Tastes of the month are simply more popular than reasonable approaches (and beware for the ones who will defy these fanatic and addicted product people).

It seems also that even the old saying of "Nobody is perfect" never apply in our actual society scheme. Don't listen to others, you are the best judge in any case to pick the right thing. But in fact it demonstrates that we are really and unquestionably under influence especially in this attitude which defend basically any self-critiques. And that under-influence is getting stronger than ever today (which may respond to a profound social insecurity) by adopting a pseudo religious state of mind that will solve all of our material life questioning. 

All camera manufacturers have correctly understood this "evolution" of our consumer habits and are now privileging a direct marketing approach by using every media strings that are including the photographic gear review sites (YouTube or not), the "good news ambassadors" that will demonstrate how to use and getting successful with their equipment, and the "ordinary" people that will reassure you and will be pleased to share their according thought. Some "personal" photographic gear review sites (or YouTube channels) are even very funny in their self-promoting behavior by looking for your (money?!) approbation and support.

Are we really helping people by not saying some of our concerns and doubts about gear or anything else? I am not sure. Are you? There are not definitive certainties in this world and to be curious might be what differentiate us from other animal forms, but is it always true today? At the end we are "under influence" more than we can suspect in those days of overwhelming media presence. 

 

Photo Daniel M: Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III / M.Zuiko ED 14-150mm F4-5.6 II 

 

 

 

[crowecg]

Nowadays there is so much choice and most mainstream gear is “good enough” for most users.  
 

Given the reliance on microchips and the past couple of decades of rapid growth in the chip market, anything that uses them has gotten caught up in the same growth cycle.  Do we really need new phones, cameras and computers every year or two?  Unfortunately manufacturers are caught up in that cycle and as chip growth slows, they are going to have a challenge to keep up their turnover, never mind profitability, as people realise a three year old phone, a four year old computer or a five year old camera are “good enough”!

[Dallas]

23 hours ago, crowecg said:

Nowadays there is so much choice and most mainstream gear is “good enough” for most users.  
 

Given the reliance on microchips and the past couple of decades of rapid growth in the chip market, anything that uses them has gotten caught up in the same growth cycle.  Do we really need new phones, cameras and computers every year or two?  Unfortunately manufacturers are caught up in that cycle and as chip growth slows, they are going to have a challenge to keep up their turnover, never mind profitability, as people realise a three year old phone, a four year old computer or a five year old camera are “good enough”!

 

I stepped off the upgrade treadmill a while ago. Still using a 2010 Mac Mini daily, along with a 2012 MacBook Pro and a 2017 iPhone 7P (which I recently had to have the screen replaced on). 

 

I do believe I will have to invest in a Silicon powered Mac soon as I am already seeing some creaking with Lightroom lately on my 2018 Mac Mini, the last of the Intel ones. It irritates me more than anything, but such is life under the tech scams we have allowed to rule our worlds. 

[danielm]

On 15/04/2023 at 01:03, crowecg said:

Nowadays there is so much choice and most mainstream gear is “good enough” for most users.  
 

Given the reliance on microchips and the past couple of decades of rapid growth in the chip market, anything that uses them has gotten caught up in the same growth cycle.  Do we really need new phones, cameras and computers every year or two?  Unfortunately manufacturers are caught up in that cycle and as chip growth slows, they are going to have a challenge to keep up their turnover, never mind profitability, as people realise a three year old phone, a four year old computer or a five year old camera are “good enough”!

For the uses we need I fully agree with you that almost if not all the different devices we are using now are largely enough. In fact we may are using them only for a fraction of their potential especially in photography. 
But there is this another perspective that we may called consumerism that definite people to their capacity to buy things (not really to own) and proclaim to others what last material things they have acquired. People want to be in the socio-material trend and not to be part of the "left-over". They want to feel smart if not smarter than their fellows (neighborhood, colleagues, friends, family, etc).
So the debate is may elsewhere in our capacity to relate with others in doing things or discussing subjects with different values, different feelings. In fact having a more philosophical approach and be able to have dreams of a better future.

 

Good Day to you Chris

[danielm]

9 hours ago, Dallas said:

"... It irritates me more than anything, but such is life under the tech scams we have allowed to rule our worlds. "

We have became a high-tech dependent society especially for the ones who can afford it, the others are now simply "tech-out" and destituted by the economic system owners. It is not far from the George Orwell's 1984 nightmare book or the Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 novel. Being dependent allows the global industrial elite to control their market base like us to increase their mega enrichment. My only hoping dream is that our cultural and geographical differentiations may one day not only compete with them but put them obsolete.

 

All my best for you Dallas and your family!

[Dallas]

Thanks Daniel, and same to you. 

 

I love technology, but honestly of late it has become so tiresome to me that I often find myself longing for the days when I could simply press play and listen to music on a CD or watch a DVD. All this streaming and the resultant angst it places in my life when it goes wrong is making me angry on a daily basis. Now apparently I have to “invest” in a nest wifi system if I want to watch a TV show on my supposedly “smart tv” upstairs (which is too far away from the router to play without buffering - we’re talking about maybe 15m here). Why? 

 

And now there is also this threat of AI powered this or that. Dear Lord, if you ever hear me extolling the virtues of AI please put a stop to me immediately!

[Alan7140]

Meanwhile, my current favourite camera is this one - no microprocessors, no program modes, no AF, no AE and fully dependent on 100% hands-on user input.

Plus it cost nothing to buy as it came from a garbage tip, but did take quite a while to restore 😉. 

 

[Dallas]

Unless my eyes are deceiving me it seems that the forums on Dpreview are still operating and accepting new posts. This may have been the biggest con job in the history of the internet! 

[Anthony]

https://www.dpreview.com/news/0507902613/dpreview-closure-an-update