All About Pocket Knives

Sharpnshinyknives wrote: I do think a picture or two beside a ruler is helpful. Although I include that in every knife I sell or post for that matter, it’s amazing how many times I am asked about the OAL from a buyer. The usual reply is “sorry I didn’t look at all the photos.”
SSk

People are not observant or don't take the time to be observant which is my lead in to get in my own little dig. You're right. Folks don't look at all the pictures and right here on AAPK, folks don't read. They will skip over any number of posts and ask a question or make the same comment that was covered in a previous post. Looks like they just jumped to the end and started typing.

Boys & girls, there ain't no changing other people. Hey, there doesn't seem to be a way of changing myself because I'm just as guilty of doing what I'm whining about. It still annoys me and yet I do the very same thing.

Reflective knife surfaces can be a challenge to photograph and lenses can often distort the subject no matter what angles are used. That said straight on photos do give the best perspective possible and I always do my best to shoot straight on and supply the pictures I like to see in order to evaluate the condition of a knife. I often find it hard to tell blade and overall lengths using a ruler in a picture. Again the lens distortion and angles can skew things to the point that the ruler might not give an accurate measurement. I prefer to have lengths given in actual accurate measurement but in descriptions like this I often enough find that sellers make typo mistakes or can't accurately measure. A ruler with accurate measurements is great.

Well cropped pictures without bare feet in them are a plus.

I find it interesting that some sellers like to present a puzzle of pictures with no picture of the entire knife. Leaving the viewer to try and assemble all the bits and pieces photographed to make a whole knife. Small detailed pictures are good but only after pictures of the entire knife are given straight on.

I am far from a professional at taking knife pictures but I do know what I like to see in order to evaluate a knife that is not in hand.

Here are the minimum pictures I like to see on folding knives. The closer and higher the resolution the better.

Mark side all blades open.
Mark side all blades closed.
Pile side all blades open.
Top photo of blades closed in the well.

This might not be the most appropriate thread for this post... I want to solicit opinions with regard to whether these 3 photos were made with a real camera or whether they were made with mobile phone. I know the answer

I would guess a camera but these days some new cell phone cameras are better than some cameras (at least the point and shoot cameras) .. I can never get a closeup of the tang stamp so clear with my phone (2 years old) though 99% of my photos are with a camera and only resort to the phone camera if absolutely no choice..

I can't quite duplicate the clear focus of your shots with my phone Jerry but that could be my fault and not the phone.

A rule in a photo does not tell me the length of a knife. A sixteenth of an inch is important and you will never get that in a photo.
Providing the seller can use a rule or caliper I'd like so see the measurement in writing.
Oh, and I'd like to see the tips of the blades also.
Oh, and I hate to see the knife held in the hand.
Oh, and if you do lay the knife down to photograph it, the less cluttered background the better.
That way the camera will probably focus on the knife.

FRJ wrote:A rule in a photo does not tell me the length of a knife. A sixteenth of an inch is important and you will never get that in a photo.
Oh, and if you do lay the knife down to photograph it, the less cluttered background the better.
That way the camera will probably focus on the knife.

Joe, very good points. Picking on Greg's photo of the Buck 301, the camera took a picture of the dimpled black background and the knife just happened to be in the picture. This can be determined by the slight fuzziness of the Buck 301 stamp and in focus-ness of some of the black dimples. Another side effect of complex backgrounds is that image size will be much larger due to the digital detail needed to represent the texture of the background. Images of knives made with a goal of knife evaluation will turn out better with a smooth, single color background then all of the camera's focus (pun) is on the knife (aka subject).

RalphAlsip wrote:whether these 3 photos were made with a real camera or whether they were made with mobile phone.

I don't want to keep folks in suspense any longer. Plus I need to quit messing around with knives and pictures to work on my taxes

The pictures were made with mobile phone. Lighting has the biggest impact on photo quality - in my experience. Any Apple phone since the iPhone 7 and newer Android phones will be capable of producing high quality images.

Here is a side by side camera to phone comparison where lighting conditions are equivalent for a mid-level DSLR camera (not a pro camera by any stretch) and a high end mobile phone. The camera is a Canon 70D with a decent macro lens. The phone is an Apple iPhone XS. The camera did a better job of capturing color. To my eye there is no significant difference in the ability to evaluate the knife between the camera photo and the phone photo. Resolution detail for magnification is an area where cameras will surpass phones for the foreseeable future. The images below are of the nail nick. The detail captured by the camera is superior to the detail captured by the phone.

For anyone who hasn't considered it, cell phone cameras have come a long way and in my opinion, they're pretty darned good but they have one glaring fault. The lens is easy to smudge (at least it is on my phone). Keep the lens clean and don't clean it with paper products of any kind. Paper is a mild abrasive and over time will cloud the lens. I use the micro cloths like Scott sometimes sends out with his shipments.

A little side story. We had a boot camp reunion at MCRD San Diego in 2010. One of the attendees had a brand new iPhone (they had only been out three years). Being interested in technology, I asked him, "Gill. What do you think of that iPhone?" and Gill says, "It's a hell of a camera."

jerryd6818 wrote:For anyone who hasn't considered it, cell phone cameras have come a long way and in my opinion, they're pretty darned good but they have one glaring fault. The lens is easy to smudge (at least it is on my phone). Keep the lens clean and don't clean it with paper products of any kind. Paper is a mild abrasive and over time will cloud the lens. I use the micro cloths like Scott sometimes sends out with his shipments.

A little side story. We had a boot camp reunion at MCRD San Diego in 2010. One of the attendees had a brand new iPhone (they had only been out three years). Being interested in technology, I asked him, "Gill. What do you think of that iPhone?" and Gill says, "It's a hell of a camera."

Jerry, That doesn’t surprise me that he would say that about the camera. Most folks haven’t read Apple’s annual reports, but they mention the fact that they are selling a camera w/ a lot of other features. Apple has spent billions, with a (B), on camera technology. Making a phone that can call is easy and it’s been done by a lot of companies, but making one that takes great pictures is where the money is. Apple had that figured out many years ago.
By the way, all my knife photos are done w/ an Apple phone as well.
Mark