Dikdik Loc: Winnipeg, Canada

I use Arial almost exclusively... it's almost an international font (and I think public domain font) and is available almost anywhere. I find it easy to read... maybe decades of use.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Arial is not bad if used in short line lengths, with generous line leading, and without right-hand justification. But set a paragraph of Arial Regular, 10/11 (ten points leaded one point), with an 8-inch column width, fully justified, and that can be a problem. The lines run together, and the eye has a hard time finding the start of each line after reading the previous one.

There is a good reason newspapers use serif fonts for article text, and most book publishers use serif fonts, too. In controlled tests, it is faster to read serif fonts than sans-serif fonts. It is also possible to use smaller serif fonts with the same readability as larger sans-serif fonts.

Dikdik Loc: Winnipeg, Canada

I've done 100 page reports in Arial... I really don't like right hand justification, no matter what the font... the little serifs don't help me at all... I like 12 point... eyes are wonky a bit... but 11 point is OK... nothing smaller, though.

Hip Coyote

I am the original offender on the all caps thing.

A few things since this is now just a friendly discussion.

I disagree that all caps in legal papers will not be read. In my consultancy I often read tens of thousands of pages of legal work gained through discovery. If an attorney wants to hide something they often provide more info in discovery than what was requested. But I assure you that everything is read.

In my real profession before retirement my staff and I prepared reports, responded to auditors, Department if Justice, etc. There was little room for error. My business practice, and one that has worked well and is accepted by my clients now, is we used all caps for a reason. Red fonts, italicized fonts, blinkers etc can be changed with a simple click in a report. Dangerous should a dissenting comment make it into a final draft that ended up in court, etc. Caps have to be attended to, draw the eye and require a bit of manipulation to change. At a glance one can tell that the doc is not ready to go or questions not answered because the Caps are still there. It was part of my business culture.

In my case I was just doing what I had years of experience doing. To some success. It was well intentioned. On occasion I have seen some thing here that has caused me to contact people privately. I do not assume the worst, such as some did in this case. I had high regard for a few folks which is now lost. Over a font.

So, go forth and do photography. Best regards.

Dikdik Loc: Winnipeg, Canada

sorry if I've upset anyone... didn't intend to.

Dik

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

Yes! The serif helps with eye movement.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Exactly. It guides our eyes across the virtual line it creates.

anotherview Loc: California

Thanks for the listing of techniques to obfuscate the written word. Interesting.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

LOL. Reminds me of D. Huff's famous 1954 "How to Lie with Statistics" Intended as a primer on spotting a bad statistic, but often used more consistent with his tongue in cheek title.

By the way, if you have never read it, it is awesome. Back when I was in that game, I had stacks of copies that I gave to newly elected novice office holders.

anotherview Loc: California

Thanks for reminder. I need to get and read that book.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Back in the 1970's I had a Geography Prof who taught a research and materials production class (make your own classroom audio visual etc) for students getting a teaching credential who gave us the Cliff's Notes version of that book. He stressed that the results of polls and other stat collections forms could be pretty much guaranteed if you controlled what questions were asked and how they were worded. Then he demonstrated it to us.

Over my 34 years of teaching I would often dispute polls and stats the district presented by using the knowledge from that class. Some of the other teachers thought I was nuts or a fanatic but consistently about 1/3 of them did some checking and said "He's right."

Hamltnblue Loc: Springfield PA

Hi Gary
If you want to see what your camera and lenses are capable of try this
1. Set your camera to Av mode, and ISO 100
2. Zoom into something in the center of the zoom range of the lens.
3. Set the timer to 5 seconds
4. Place the camera on a tripod or something steady.
5. Focus on a non moving object. No wind if outside.
6. Press the shutter and stand away. The 5 seconds will make sure there is no movement from pushing the button.

The resulting pic should be about best case for sharpness.
Repeat using the other lens.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

At page 6, I'll remind the community of an important statistic: ZERO example images from the OP demonstrating any issues of unclear / problematic images.