Yes, but they are primarily interesting only to you. That is the point you don’t seem to get and will probably never get. These huge threads that go on forever hold very little interest or value for almost everyone else regularly posting here. They are your own personal threads. The last poster just indicated that your behavior reminds him of forum trolls. Don’t you wonder why he would say that? Even though I am currently the most vocal poster, I am far from the only one here who finds your threads self-serving.
From that point of view, you are correct. Many of them were my questions, and concerns, and so on. Many (most?) were my replies to other people. So yes, you are right.
When people posted things I didn’t understand, I asked.
From what I remember, I got my answers, as did many other people. If it was a classroom, I’d have been raising my hand.
Most of the replies made sense.
Some sounded silly.
Some sounded more than silly.
Some we agreed on, and for others, there was never any agreement.
Different points of view, even for what I though were “obvious”.
The only person I deliberately tried to copy, was @Joanna.
Her explanations and replies eventually made sense, even if I was a slow learner.
You still don’t understand. It was a classroom but the only student in it was you! Rarely a few other “students” would momentarily pop in and out of your classroom with a question or two. and then leave.
You created a dedicated classroom for yourself with one student, 20 instructors and 4500 posts reviewing mostly repetitive concepts and based mostly on the images you posted. That is why I have referred to it as the Mike Myers show and that is why it has very limited appeal or usefulness for anyone else. If you had truly created the thread you claim to have, few of us would have had any real problem with it. That is the point you just don’t seem to get!
Hehehe. I totally agree. Darktable is for people that have entirely too much free time and enjoy pain 
Darktable probably is at the top of the heap when it involves doing certain things in a very granular way but it takes an inordinate amount of concentrated, stubborn dedication to learn how to use it effectively. Results can range from awesome to just ordinary, depending upon the particular image and the person doing the processing. I tried it for a while but just don’t think it’s worth the effort.
I prefer DxO and RawTherapee mostly, and occasionally Ansel.
Methinks you are being a bit too abusive. Mike isn’t trying to arouse controversy, it’s just that a number of people are tired of his frequent posts. I don’t understand why they don’t just leave him alone if they don’t like what he posts!
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Apparently, the world has been changing over the years. The first version of PhotoLab I bought was PL3, and I found several glowing reviews. It didn’t take long to meet @Joanna, and thanks to her, and others, PhotoLab began to make sense.
A few minutes ago, I got curious as to what the photography world now thinks about PhotoLab. We’re almost non-existent. I found myself on the BH Photo page, and searched for image editing software, and found this:
I couldn’t find PhotoLab on their list, so I searched other places. If I didn’t already know how well PhotoLab works for me, I would probably follow most of my friends, and go back to Lightroom.
For two or three years, I watched all of PhotoJoseph’s Webinars, but they seem to be a thing of the past.
Are my forum posts self-serving? Obviously. But it’s obviously difficult to learn PhotoLab, or maybe it’s just that I am a very slow learner. With PhotoJoseph, I watched his videos in my browser, then repeated what he did until I got the hang of it. Self-serving or not, those off-topic posts helped me (and likely others) learn more about PhotoLab.
Yeah, we can delete them, and not allow that type of discussion to continue, but in today’s world, why do people even buy PhotoLab? If new users stop coming, and if we actively discourage these discussions, what will the end result be. …of all the people I suggested PhotoLab to, only one person actually bought a license, and he is now back to using Lightroom. Instead of discouraging topics like the ones I created, we should be actively encouraging them, and providing good, easy to understand, and useful, information. Just my opinion, again.
Mark, maybe I don’t “get it”, or maybe you “don’t get it”.
Regardless, I don’t want all my eggs in one basket, so to speak.
I want either Lightroom and/or Darktable for backup software.
I’m no longer sure what “it” is.
And the new thread on PhotoLab licensing scares me.
That’ll be because DxO only sell directly, not through retail channels.
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My mistake. That would explain it, but with so many others listed, maybe DxO could find a way to get onto that list.
Just now I found more lists including DxO, such as this one from TechRadar:
Best photo editors of 2024 | TechRadar
best lens correction options.
Maybe my memory is worse than ever, but last time I looked around, DxO was highly recommended. This is from before I met you, and wanted to get away from Adobe. Back then, PhotoJoseph was still promoting PhotoLab.
Whatever happened to PhotoJoseph? Did he quit DxO or vice versa?
Why would a French company with a potentially massive world market outside of the USA, worry about a camera store in New York, who use that list to promote retail products, try to get B&H to promote a product that isn’t available through retail outlets? And why would B&H want to promote a product that they wouldn’t make a profit on?
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For what it’s worth @Joanna , B&H photo in New York City, is a camera and electronic superstore and is the largest and most influential camera retailer in the US., not that that changes anything with regard to PhotoLab.
You would be more likely to find hard to get camera gear and accessories there than just about anywhere else in this country. When Nikon introduces new gear, B&H is usually the first dealership in the United States to have it in stock. They have a large block long 2 story retail store in Midtown Manhattan and multiple warehouses . They are the major online camera retailer in the states. The brick and mortar store is almost overwhelming. Virtually everyone that works there has expert knowledge of the gear they recommend and sell.
Mark
I intended to address your point(s) directly.
This forum is sponsored by DxO for users to exchange information with regards to DxO products. DxO pays the bills for this forum out of our license fees.
I, and I suspect most folks, come here to learn about and help others with DxO product questions. This can certainly include help with photos and applying DxO product tools.
DxO’s forum does not include categories for general photography help, “do you like my photo questions”, how to use my camera help, or photo philosophy. There are many photography forums which includes these topics.
There are lots of photography forums that also support “free-for-all discussions” as well as photo challenges and reviews. Many folks enjoy these forums and build on-line “friends” (or enemies). That fine too. I participate in some photo challenges on other forums.
But the question here is whether or not the DxO forum is the “right place” for such topics. DxO has given us participants lots of freedom without moderation, but that doesn’t we should mold it to a “free-for-all”. We should respect their intent.
For me, keep it DxO-related, honest, and respectful.
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Yes, but not long ago appeared a new category “DxO Pure RAW”, so what you stated is not carved in stone. The technical possibility to add another category is there.
Although I mostly shake my head at most of Mike Myers’ posts and agree with Mark’s comments that he doesn’t get most of the responses, I have to admit that there is a market for this type of communication and subject. And as many forum members come here for a long time and are also of a certain age as well as long time paying customers – why not install a kind of “common room” ? Anybody not interested in chitchat or general questions is never forced to participate. But in some forums these are the more vivid parts. It would also be a very nice way for DxO to set apart from C1 forum, which is just an ugly place to be. And if Adobe has a forum (I don’t know), I guess it would be rather impersonal due to the number of clients.
Plus, have you ever noticed any kind of moderation from DxO here? I mean, both threads stand out in pure post numbers. Somebody at DxO should have noticed and also take measures, hand out warnings or blocking the user causing this mammoth threads. What happened? Nothing. Members tell each other what this forum is in their opinion, but the host probably enjoys the “old farts chatter” in a remote room, happy they keep themselves occupied instead of asking for more features. I would not rely on regulations coming from of DxO. Also, I don’t consider DxO to be a very agile software company, development is slow and compared to some new companies rather minor. Why would they bother to drive old customers away?
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Indeed. And I have bought from them before, until I found that Calumet in Germany were much more competitive on price in Europe, especially since there are no import duties between European Union countries. I saved 25% on my D850 over buying it here in France, which was a similar price to buying it from B&H, when you take shipping and taxes from the US into account.
No doubt, but DxO is Europe-based and the EU population is around 1.6x that of the US.
Having said that, the only reason I can see for, basically, advertising downloadable software, is that B&H get a commission - something that would push up the price DxO’s products.
“PhotoJoseph” never worked for DxO. He promotes himself as a paid trainer for all sorts of different photo stuff, including hardware, which he blogs about.
Since I doubt he gets paid to promote DxO, that might explain why he has stopped making any further material.
As @swmurray and @JoJu both intimate, these fora are intended for support of DxO’s products and it is only by their good grace (or perhaps lack of interest in monitoring) that we are allowed to diverge from that goal.
Maybe it’s just me but, if I want help on taking photos or how a camera works, my first port of call is Google, where I can usually find what I want in a few clicks. I definitely don’t limit myself to only those folks who use DxO software.
I think your only nonsolvable problem is that left hand which looks like it in the middle of a warptimeframe.
Is looking like a ghosthand.
It draws my attention a bit.
Im in my car so can’t edit but maybe same b&w but larger crop?
A vertical crop?
Keep the fence and the bottle in it and the legs, aldoh it was better if the feet where in it also 
, zoom out a bit so that moving hand is les visible.
I have three day’s of carshows in movieclip and rawfiles.
Have to cull, edit all types and makingdate’s of the shot cars into my xmp file iptc. Béfore i open photolab and start editing.
The horror: day’s of hard labor…
(my son just say use the oocjpeg and share. Arghhhh patient my trend, good curry is two day’s old…)
I need to retire because i haven’t got the time anymore to engage in my hobby’s…
Or stop renovating a house or respond to the never ending task list of my wife, kids and house animals.
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…and its customer service and support is unmatched, anywhere! They give you the same courteous, outstanding service whether you are spending $100 or $100,000.
Highly recommended.
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My son is using my old fz200 and IF he’s continuing his photograpic interrest i am eyeballing the fz2500. Last in secondhand market 500 euro, almost new two battery’s and a travelbag. Almost bought it.
I am asking him would he liked that camera? Should he invest some money in it?
Too soon for his idea i am afraid. So the ship sailed. By by camera…
Leaving me in a “damn that wás a very good deal!” Kind of mood.
But i suspect i am in for a new dmc g90 as new first camera. 20Mp m43 smaller then the great G9.
Or not. My G80 does stil what i need. (nothing to do with what i want…
)
I’m not sure that you totally understand what I’m trying to say. I’m not a particularly good writer and sometimes don’t clearly express what I’m thinking so I’ll try again.
I’m proposing a section where people can just let their hair down and have fun. The DxO forums are already filled with threads dealing with the mechanics of how to process an image… this section would be more about the actual experience – and sometimes adventure – of making it. I don’t see why anyone would object, but if they do, just don’t read it. It doesn’t hurt anyone by just being there!
It could be a short story about what happened before, during, or after a photographic “outing”, as I call it. It could ramble into a short description about the journey to an inaccessible area, about an interesting incident that happened on the way, about little known history and geography of the area, about new insights they gained on a photographic technique, how they overcame problems with equipment or how they tried to deal with crappy lighting or fog, requests for critiques on cropping or processing techniques of the final image, and so on. It’s about the experience of photography with more of a human twist.
Something along the lines of this very popular thread in the darktable forum:
If the writer is gifted like many here are, it can be a fascinating read.
There already are many of these kinds of posts scattered through the DxO forums; I’m proposing a place that would be an easy-to-find home for them.
I understand. You suggest forum category(s) for “free-for-all” discussions, photo challenges, and whatever a user want’s to post. You want this category separated from the other categories such as Photolab, PureRaw, Nik, etc.
That’s not what DxO has chosen so far. They pay the bills, and probably look for this forum to help users learn and use their products so that they sell more licenses. This is a win-win for users too as a quality forum for learning about their product helps sell more licenses thus lowering per license costs.
A category for users to post general “fix-the-photo” questions would seem both helpful and interesting as a way of learning/sharing DxO Photolab techniques. There are several posters here who could really help others as they do in this thread
Feel free to request DxO create these other categories. The fact that these threads are so long might be a reason for DxO to consider doing so.
Since these non-DxO type discussions are available elsewhere I see no use to re-invent them here. (search and ye shall find)
Ed - I am posting my response from DxO.
I have written back that I would like a week to discuss this in the forum, and reply to their questions.
We (or you) can document our thoughts, and I will include them in my reply later this week.
Dear Mr. Myers,
Thank you for your insightful suggestion regarding the creation of a new forum section. As we move forward with this idea, we would appreciate your input on some additional points.
Firstly, do you think it would be more effective to create this new section for each DxO product separately, or would a single, unified section suffice for all products?
Secondly, we are considering various names for this new section and would love to hear your thoughts. Do you have any suggestions for what the new section should be called? Your input will help us create a welcoming and engaging space for our users.
Thank you for your continued support and cooperation.
Best regards,
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A social daytime activitie for older users.
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