I have a direct and forthright manner about me, and I'm also a fairly digital personality (things are black and white, I leave the 50 shades of grey to frustrated housewives)
I have been accused of trolling, an insult I would strongly refute, however I do believe very much in the marketplace of ideas and the discipline, technique, art, practice, enjoyment of photography being a broad church (or mosque or synagog or chapel for that matter)
I need to remind myself that even the best ideas (as mine usually are I'm sure you'll agree) put across in the wrong way (as mine also usually are I'm sure you'll agree) don't win an argument, or the more desirable outcome get folk thinking... winning an argument doesn't always make you the winner. Getting folk to think and test their own opinions (and perhaps even choosing to stand by them) makes the process the winner.
A joke can be lost when typed, without the benefit of intonation, a raised eye brow, a smirk.
I'm here to improve my photography, and if I feel my experience can help somebody else do the same then I'll share. I'll get it wrong. I'll get it right.
But I've been off work this week and out with my camera in some rare scottish sun (in summer time as well - who would have thought) and I didn't think once about the alleged banding on my 7D, or the soft corners on my zoom at 200, proven by a photo of a lens chart, or even much about CR.
I enjoyed my photography. I hope amongst the heated tempers and cross words that folks remember to do that. I may get called a troll for this sign off, but in 100 years time when we are dust, or worm feed or whatever, and folk find our photograph of a since demolished building, of a long forogotton car, of a band who later broke big, of a way of life, do you think they will question the MTFs? the shadow banding? that it wasn't taken on a nikon D800?
Nah of course not. We make images. I'm an amateur. And proud to do it for the love of it.