I’ve noticed recently that selling my lenses have been quite difficult. I keep getting young kids asking all sorts of questions that could be answered if they googled the model number. “Is it autofocus?” “Is this for full frame?” “Will this work on my camera?” “Is it good for real estate?”
It’s like a whole younger generation of photographers don’t know how to research things and get their information from youtube and tiktok where you can’t search model names or technical specs.
No one has mentioned gear complexity and cell phones.
First, gear has been getting more complex over time. For a while there were mostly digital SRL cameras with APS-C sensors, then full-frame cameras came into the mix, then mirrorless, and the number of options continues to multiply. So the abundance of distinct mount systems can be pretty darn confusing for newcomers.
Second, most hobbyists shoot with cell phones these days and so the number of people with sophisticated knowledge of cameras has diminished. Just take a look at the camera industry as a whole. Ever since the cell phone era they’re not selling as many units. As a result, people looking to pick up photography as a hobby probably don’t know where to start.
Thirdly, the further along you get in your career, the more knowledgeable you are, the less patience you have for basic questions and the more you forget what it was like when you were a beginner.
Cell phones for photography? That’s like having a phone to call someone. Damn, we are living in great times. But yeah. There’s no patience for this stuff anymore and it might be for the better.
True, but its not like 1994. Resources abound in the good 'ol dystopian 2023! This is a matter of plain old laziness and the demand for effortless information on-demand plain and simple.
I’m relatively new to photography, but have been into buying/selling/restoring sportbikes for a bit. You can easily change the thread title and subject body of every single post here to '07 GXS600R and it would still be relatable, LOL! Some folk are fuckin lazy is all.