Camera database

[digitalgee]

I'm a long time pBase user, but I've been away for quite a while. Now that I'm back, I'm trying to add the Sony a6000 to my camera database, but I don't see it listed (either is the Sony a6300 or a6500 either).

Is this feature dead?

[richo]

I'm a long time pBase user, but I've been away for quite a while. Now that I'm back, I'm trying to add the Sony a6000 to my camera database, but I don't see it listed (either is the Sony a6300 or a6500 either).

Is this feature dead?

I don't remember being able to add a camera to the master database, but you should be able to add it to a specific image. The master camera database has not been updated for sometime now.

[akmc_in_au]

I'm a long time pBase user, but I've been away for quite a while. Now that I'm back, I'm trying to add the Sony a6000 to my camera database, but I don't see it listed (either is the Sony a6300 or a6500 either).

Is this feature dead?

I don't remember being able to add a camera to the master database, but you should be able to add it to a specific image. The master camera database has not been updated for sometime now.

In theory additions to the camera database need to be requested by the users who have that camera or lens: http://www.pbase.com/help/faq&id=477

The last time I had to add one was when the Olympus 40-150 was released about a year and a half ago; it was added within a couple of weeks. I know that others have had less success though.

[dahlstetphoto]

The fuji X Pro 2 and X T2 have both been out for some time and are not listed. I wonder if anyone is paying any attention to what is going on with the photo world? If you are going to have a camera data base where folks can look fort he photos taken by a make/model of camera then is there no obligation to keep that data base at least somewhat current? Anybody home?

[dw_thomas]

The fuji X Pro 2 and X T2 have both been out for some time and are not listed. I wonder if anyone is paying any attention to what is going on with the photo world? If you are going to have a camera data base where folks can look fort he photos taken by a make/model of camera then is there no obligation to keep that data base at least somewhat current? Anybody home?

With the constant flurry of upgrades and new models in the photo world, I think it's unrealistic to expect PBase to automagically find and record everything, but it would be nice if they responded when they received requests from PBase users who have had the good fortune to acquire some new gear. Back a few years I managed to get a Canon G15 listed, but it took more than one email to cameras@pbase.com plus a number of weeks before it happened. Since that time it appears the situation has worsened.

And I agree it is interesting and useful to see what people are accomplishing with various cameras, searching by camera -- and even lens.

DaveT

[dahlstetphoto]

If you are going to run and take money for a site to host photos then your audience is going to be photographers, don't you suppose. Then it seems to me that unless all you are going to attempt to do is keep servers going you should be devoting considerable time to keeping abreast of what is going on with regard to cameras and lenses and those things which are of great interest to your audience. I do think that there is some obligation to make an attempt to keep the camera and lens database up to date. I am less sure that the historical parts are of much value. Perhaps if a camera has no photos to represent it and has been out of production for years maybe it could be eliminated.

[akmc_in_au]

If you are going to run and take money for a site to host photos then your audience is going to be photographers, don't you suppose. Then it seems to me that unless all you are going to attempt to do is keep servers going you should be devoting considerable time to keeping abreast of what is going on with regard to cameras and lenses and those things which are of great interest to your audience. I do think that there is some obligation to make an attempt to keep the camera and lens database up to date.

Eeeeehhh... I'm not so sure that I buy that one. Not totally, anyway.

Back when I was a Canonista I knew all of the ranges; the 10 series, the hundred series, the 5 series, the 1 series. I look at the range now and I have no idea where half of the Canons sit in terms of frame size, lens mount and performance. But the key thing is... I don't really care. I don't have unlimited resources to spend on cameras so I'm really only interested in what I have now or am likely to buy which isn't presently Canon.

For paying my money each year I do expect two things in this regard:
(a) That I be able to tag my photos quickly and easily with the gear that I'm using to shoot; and
(b) That I be able to search easily for examples which other PBasers have shot with any cameras or lenses that I may be thinking about buying assuming, of course, that PBasers do have that gear. Which, with our diminishing numbers, isn't always a certainty, at least not for less mainstream cameras.

While you can do a custom description for a camera or lens to meet requirement (a), doing that makes the image unsearchable in the camera database which means that requirement (b) isn't met.

So I do agree with you up to that point; PBase needs to be responsive to requests to have new gear added to the database so that both of the above requirements can be met. But I don't think that there is anything to be gained by them pre-emptively adding each and every (for example) Samsung release regardless of whether there are any members currently shooting with it. It's just burning time to the benefit of nobody.

My point? Yes, there is still someone out there listening.... in the fullness of time anyway. A few weeks ago I asked for the OMD E-M1 Mk II to be added to the camera database. Mine is still in the store waiting for a sale to occur, but knowing that such a sale will indeed occur at some point in the near future I decided to be proactive and ask for the camera to be added even before I had it in my hot little hands. In that way when I have it, the tag will already be available. (Aside from which I know that at least one of my favourites already has it and will now be able to start using the database tag instead of a custom (unsearchable) one.) It took just under 4 weeks and one reminder e-mail to get it in, but it's there now.

So if you have something that isn't in there... definitely raise a request. You may need to follow up, but it'll get there in the end.