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I’m fairly active in the moderation queues at Photo-SE; I also have fairly strong opinions on this topic. Where can I buy this particular camera? Is this particular model a good camera? Is this ...
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#2: Post edited
- I’m fairly active in the moderation queues at Photo-SE; I also have fairly strong opinions on this topic.
- >1. Where can I buy this particular camera?
- >2. Is this particular model a good camera?
- >3. Is this camera at this price a good deal?
- These should absolutely be off-topic. These questions are too specific to time, location, and/or market conditions. These are solid _chaff_.
>4. Is this camera selling company reputable or am I going to end up being scammed?- This should be off-topic, IMO. Essentially, the answer is “Your mileage may vary”, too subject to anecdote.
>5. Should I buy camera X or camera Y?- Off-topic, but workable into a better question. These questions belie at least a minimal amount of research and/or selection criteria. Usually, the asker hasn’t made their criteria explicit, but sometimes the asker responds to comments requesting more information, in order to make the question better.
>6. These are the features I am looking for and this is my budget, can you recommend a camera for me?- On-topic. Pretty good, although I’m personally inclined to recommend a general class or groups of products rather than a _specific_ product (unless the asker has already pre-decided a specific brand for whatever reason).
>7. I am selling this type of camera, how much is it worth and where should I sell it?- Off-topic. “Worth” is highly variable. Furthermore, this question usually is from people who are either getting out of photography, or from people who inherited/acquired old equipment looking to unload it. In those cases, this question is the opposite of encouraging the practice and community of photography.
- ----
- >What features should I look for in a camera?
- This seems like a perfect FAQ question, or set of FAQs (“... for hiking?”, “... for astrophotography?”, etc.)
- ----
- What are the ideal recommendation questions? I think @mattdm’s [answer to this site’s proposal subject in Meta-CD](https://meta.codidact.com/a/74831/74837) covers it pretty well:
- > There is no "best", but "What camera is best?" is the default question. We need a way to guide people into asking "**What camera is best for _me_ for _this particular situation_ given _these constraints_?**"
- I’m fairly active in the moderation queues at Photo-SE; I also have fairly strong opinions on this topic.
- >1. Where can I buy this particular camera?
- >2. Is this particular model a good camera?
- >3. Is this camera at this price a good deal?
- These should absolutely be off-topic. These questions are too specific to time, location, and/or market conditions. These are solid _chaff_.
- >Is this camera selling company reputable or am I going to end up being scammed?
- This should be off-topic, IMO. Essentially, the answer is “Your mileage may vary”, too subject to anecdote.
- >Should I buy camera X or camera Y?
- Off-topic, but workable into a better question. These questions belie at least a minimal amount of research and/or selection criteria. Usually, the asker hasn’t made their criteria explicit, but sometimes the asker responds to comments requesting more information, in order to make the question better.
- >These are the features I am looking for and this is my budget, can you recommend a camera for me?
- On-topic. Pretty good, although I’m personally inclined to recommend a general class or groups of products rather than a _specific_ product (unless the asker has already pre-decided a specific brand for whatever reason).
- >I am selling this type of camera, how much is it worth and where should I sell it?
- Off-topic. “Worth” is highly variable. Furthermore, this question usually is from people who are either getting out of photography, or from people who inherited/acquired old equipment looking to unload it. In those cases, this question is the opposite of encouraging the practice and community of photography.
- ----
- >What features should I look for in a camera?
- This seems like a perfect FAQ question, or set of FAQs (“... for hiking?”, “... for astrophotography?”, etc.)
- ----
- What are the ideal recommendation questions? I think @mattdm’s [answer to this site’s proposal subject in Meta-CD](https://meta.codidact.com/a/74831/74837) covers it pretty well:
- > There is no "best", but "What camera is best?" is the default question. We need a way to guide people into asking "**What camera is best for _me_ for _this particular situation_ given _these constraints_?**"
#1: Initial revision
I’m fairly active in the moderation queues at Photo-SE; I also have fairly strong opinions on this topic. >1. Where can I buy this particular camera? >2. Is this particular model a good camera? >3. Is this camera at this price a good deal? These should absolutely be off-topic. These questions are too specific to time, location, and/or market conditions. These are solid _chaff_. >4. Is this camera selling company reputable or am I going to end up being scammed? This should be off-topic, IMO. Essentially, the answer is “Your mileage may vary”, too subject to anecdote. >5. Should I buy camera X or camera Y? Off-topic, but workable into a better question. These questions belie at least a minimal amount of research and/or selection criteria. Usually, the asker hasn’t made their criteria explicit, but sometimes the asker responds to comments requesting more information, in order to make the question better. >6. These are the features I am looking for and this is my budget, can you recommend a camera for me? On-topic. Pretty good, although I’m personally inclined to recommend a general class or groups of products rather than a _specific_ product (unless the asker has already pre-decided a specific brand for whatever reason). >7. I am selling this type of camera, how much is it worth and where should I sell it? Off-topic. “Worth” is highly variable. Furthermore, this question usually is from people who are either getting out of photography, or from people who inherited/acquired old equipment looking to unload it. In those cases, this question is the opposite of encouraging the practice and community of photography. ---- >What features should I look for in a camera? This seems like a perfect FAQ question, or set of FAQs (“... for hiking?”, “... for astrophotography?”, etc.) ---- What are the ideal recommendation questions? I think @mattdm’s [answer to this site’s proposal subject in Meta-CD](https://meta.codidact.com/a/74831/74837) covers it pretty well: > There is no "best", but "What camera is best?" is the default question. We need a way to guide people into asking "**What camera is best for _me_ for _this particular situation_ given _these constraints_?**"