Originally posted by mecrox DPR doesn't generally do lens reviews. A hands-on or brief report (not a full review) is the normal form. But I am sure most people on here know that perfectly well and this isn't the point driving your discussion.
Pentax forums wasn't like this a few years ago. Now, some people don't a good word to say about anything and the same vituperative memes go round and round. Pentax equipment isn't perfect. So what? No one's is or will ever be. Zeiss and Hasselblad aren't perfect either. You either like what you choose or you don't but who on earth cares what the next guy thinks of it? You didn't buy it for him but for you.
Do you actually want to get out there and enjoy life or just sit in here fulminating at the turn you think the world has taken? I simply do not encounter this kind of atmosphere on other forums where photographers gather.
OK - two things (or maybe more):
First, my use of smileys is intended to indicate that the post shouldn't be taken too seriously - I do realise that, like hazard lights on cars, there is no universally accepted use for them, and other people might use or interpret smileys differently
Second, I spend quite a bit of time on DPR Pentax threads trying politely to correct misapprehensions, produce a counter-narrative to hostile comments and encourage positive approaches. Occasionally I let that slip - I'm only human - but the vast majority of my posts are in that vein. I think I'm overwhelmingly positive here as well, giving honest opinions and not looking for or sustaining fights. Now I know you are talking generally, but as you picked my comment as the one on which to hook your observations, Ithink I'm justified in engaging personally.
DPR ARE negative towards Pentax - there are a lot of comments from people on the hands-on review in question with no dog in the fight (if you take them at their word) who commented on this. They are also not averse to snide digs, which should be beneath them. It is a concern to those who want to see Pentax prosper because if unchecked it might put people who might otherwise have bought into the brand off. That's why I, personally, engage there. But yes, people do get over-defensive sometimes - remember though, insulting a brand is insulting the judgement of those who use it - and triumphalism is just as ugly as unjustified attacks.
As far as PF is concerned, my feeling is that the vast majority of users don't want to see hostility and arguments, but there are people who insist in bringing negativity in and raining on other people's parades. I tend not to engage, other than pointing out factual errors on the rare occasions that I know the facts and the poster is simply wrong, and that is my way. Other people have a different way, whether through culture or personality, and sometimes arguments reach a point where the moderators have to step in, other times disagreements flare up and simmer down quickly - but a forum is a place where you should be allowed to express your views. Protracted arguments are, for the most part, the result of an individual refusing to back down from a hostile or negative viewpoint, and that's unfortunate, but life's like that. But really, I think that robust discussion is often the best route to the truth. I really do find that for the most part there is just banter and sharing, as there should be - and I've never yet got close to putting anybody on my ignore list.
[Please note: some of the comments I was responding to have been removed by moderators.]
Last edited by ffking; 08-14-2018 at 07:01 AM.
Reason: Edited quoted post