burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

As a Systems Project Manager from 1987 to 1997, my role included some IT projects. Managing a small team of database developers who were also a help desk of sorts was enlightening. We learned to start with:

Is it plugged in?

Check the back of each device. Are the cables tight?

Did you try shutting everything down, powering it off completely, then rebooting it?

One of my staff spent two days troubleshooting a modem problem... the serial cable was loose at the back of the thing. Some of the pins were connecting, so some of the lights on the front were working, but the two pins we most needed to move data were not connected. GRRRRRR!!!

One lady tried to use a mouse as a foot pedal during training (it was 1993, and she had never seen a computer mouse). It was REEEEEaly hard not to laugh at that one. But the class giggled. Fortunately, that lady was a good sport!

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

One of the many hats that I wore in our business was training our sales staff. I started by asking them, "Why do people buy and why would they buy from YOU?" I told them that people buy for THEIR reasons, not for yours.

I told them that people buy a product or service for what they believe it will do for them and emotions play a large part in the decision to buy it. People want power, authority, control, respect, admiration, the sense of "I have arrived", being the "first in the neighborhood", I have wealth and this is how I can express it to others.

I would typically follow this up with the question, "If you were a tool salesman, why would someone want to buy one of your higher priced drills?" Of course, they would tell me that theirs is better than the competition, it has more features, it will last longer, and on and on. I would write each of their answers on the white-board so there would be no repeated reasons.

When they all gave me their reason, I gave them my answer which was, "People buy a drill, not because they want a drill but because they want a HOLE."

People buy a camera because they want the picture and it is the "feeling" benefit that the picture provides. BurkPhoto is spot-on, just because a person can afford the most technically advanced camera does not mean that they will be capable of getting it to perform any better than the one they may presently use. AND...yes, read the User Manual which is so often on line BEFORE you buy it. You can thank me later.

greenwork Loc: Southwest Florida

Responsibility is out of fashion. Still. I enjoyer the rant!

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

That’s not the only reason they don’t include a paper manual. With modern mirrorless cameras the manuals can push upwards of 1000 pages. Not only would a manual of that size be unwieldy, but not only would there be the expense of printing, it would create logistical issues and really increase shipping costs. And are you going to carry a 1000 page manual in your camera bag? I always have the manual when I need it, on my phone or tablet.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Your rant was too long to read in detail, too long too for even a cursory scan ....

47greyfox Loc: on the edge of the Colorado front range

Your statement rang a bell with me. I use the same approach with car and camera manuals. First read is geared toward “what do I need to get this thing working?” Subsequent reads are with a particular task/need in mind. How do I do something? Most manuals IMHO fail miserably because they do a decent job telling you “how” to do something, but rarely describe the circumstances or why that got you to that page in the first place. Nor do they describe the impact of a setting. “If you do this then you can’t do that.” How many times have we set something in a camera and later find another setting greyed out, then wonder why. It simply shouldn’t be that painful. I own a number of Canons and the Canon manual for each is on my iPad. Camera operation questions usually start with the manual for simple tasks where a quick answer will do. But…if I have a scenario question, I usually go to a camera ebook by EOS mag’s Nina Bailey or David Busch. Reading a 700+ page manual with no thought of “why” or context is a painful waste of time.

dustie Loc: Nose to the grindstone

Do the ones who have learned to write clearly -- use spelling, grammar and punctuation correctly -- know the when, why and how of the camera functions? If they were assigned to a customer helpline station, could they fluently, efficiently provide any help to the frustrated, stumped customer?

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

Back in the day when I was still in school I had a job as a night computer operator for a company that dealt with medical office management software. We wrote the software and built hardware systems for it, (80386 processors and EGA graphics were state-of-the-art). We also ran the software on in house mini computers and when costumers would sign up we would send them a terminal and a modem. Some of the terminals were the old school type with no pedestal, they would just get wider at the base. One night I got a call from a doctor trying to set his up. He said “there’s no screen”. I’m thinking the screen is black and it’s not turned on. I asked if it was plugged in, I asked if the power switch was turned on, yes to both. I said, “ok, at the bottom on the back there’s a row of 8 little switches, tell me what position they’re in”.
He said, they’re not at the bottom, they’re on top”. Yep, he literally saw no screen. It was sitting face down. 😜🤪🤣😂🤣

Randyfrieder Loc: Long Island, New York

Excellent advice.
I find that in addition to reading the manual, when I first get a new camera, I comprehend a lot more of that information, a week or two later, after I have used the camera, when I reread the manual.
And then a month or two later I will read it again, cover to cover, each time.
Many things will make more sense to me after actually using the camera.

With a camera as sophisticated as my Z9, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to reread the manual a year later.
I might find a feature I forgot about, or something that I wasn’t interested in using earlier, but would be beneficial for a current use.
Ymmv
IMHO
📸 Regards, Randy 📸

Bill_de Loc: US

That might change some over time as almost everything is found on a touch screen ... 2 or three levels deep

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burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Well, it wasn't my intention to insult or demean anyone, but to suggest a little self examination of your learning process might be in order when you get stuck.

We all have different motivations for wanting to be or to do or to learn something, but there is one thing that, if missing, will lead to mediocrity, or what one former coworker called, "40-Watt success." That's a passion for what it is that you are doing. Without a real desire, the good stuff won't happen.

If you want to see a beautiful success story of kids with a passion who committed to "learning, no matter what," at an early age, watch this:

https://youtu.be/EIEcjGZmQ8w?si=DdcWo6-fBJGVYySK …or this: https://youtu.be/s7iQG0ug4HI?si=aR0K-vuF287vW5-N

But watch out, that is a fun ride down a deep rabbit hole!

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

Reminds me of a joke.
A small town guy from the south moved to the big city applied to be a salesman at a big box store that sold just about everything. The manager said “we demand a lot from our salespeople. I’ll give you a shot but we demand results”.
At the end of the first day the manager asked how many sales he had, the guy responded “one”. The manager asked, “what did you sell and how much did we make?” The guy said “well, he was buying a fishhook and the sale was $185,000. I told him you probably want some fishing line and a rod and reel with that and some tackle. I then said to get to the best fishing spots he’d need a boat. Then he needed a way to transport the boat so he’d need a trailer. I knew his little car wouldn’t pull that trailer so I sold him a truck. It all came to $185,000”.
The manager said, “so this guy came in to buy a fishhook and you sold him all that?”
The guy said, “no, he came in to buy tampons, I said hey your weekend’s shot. You might as well go fishing”

DaveyDitzer Loc: Western PA

I can remember the "good old days" when I was able to buy a shop manual for every new car I bought. Yes I read it.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Come on Bill, most every single day here on UHH, we see an age-old truism: Success is the photographer. Failure is the equipment.

The slightest unknown behavior is always met with the immediate assumption: the camera is broken, where do I sent it for a fix?

Personally, I do my best to have already downloaded PDF copies of all the relevant Advanced User's Manuals. A simple text-search nearly always enables a helpful response pointing to the relevant page number(s), sometimes even with annotated screen captures of the page / diagram.

And yet, again tomorrow, will be the same question, based on the same assumption: Success is the photographer. Failure is the equipment.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

If you've never seen a particular type of device before, you'll imprint whatever knowledge you have onto it... UNLESS you read the frickin' manual, or there's an instructor nearby to explain it.

Imagine what people from the year 1800 would think of an iPhone if they were suddenly transported into 2024! The scene would look like the apes examining the black slab in 2001: A Space Odyssey. It would completely warp their minds. The sheer amount of education and training required to help them understand what they would be looking at is staggering.