The Wit and Wisdom of Herbert Keppler

On the changing makeup of SLR bodies:

"More and more camera makers will switch to hybrid camera body construction...This involves bonding an all-metal focal-plane plate to a glass-fiber reinforced polycarbonate body, cutting manufacturing costs down considerably."

(Modern Photography, March 1986)

On gray goods:

"How long did it take for gray market batteries to get here? What were the storage conditions on the boat? How many months of life do they have? Nobody knows. Your best bet is to look for and buy Duracells made in the U.S. and marked in English."

(Modern Photography, March 1986)

On buying equipment:

"Your decisions on whether to buy, when to buy and what to buy should depend on careful consideration of your needs primarily, with a little of your wants thrown in for enjoyment, After all photography is a hobby, even for pros."

(Modern Photography, April 1986)

On zoom lenses:

"I am fed up to the ears with all the guff about 35-70mm zoom lenses. I don't think they're great, I think they will assure you of fairly ordinary pictures and are apt to stunt your growth as a photographer."

(Popular Photography, March 1988)

On lugging gear:

"The older I get, the less inclined I am to overload by camera bag and then stagger out to take pictures. I try to pick and choose equipment thoughtfully, with a view to low bulkiness and light weight. The last type of case I think of using is a giant hold-everything bag."

(Popular Photography, May 1988)

On the market for zooms:

"New zoom lenses too often resemble optical junk food more than solid fare for better pictures. 'Give us wider ratios; faster, more compact, and light zooms at better prices' is the clamor from the marketplace..."

(Popular Photography, August 1988)

On poorly translated instruction manuals:

"The writer had forgotten that in English, objects are not referred to by gender. I was instructed to 'grab her crank' to advance the film and wind the shutter. Further genderized instructions became too personal for me to relate in a family magazine."

(Popular Photography, September 1988)

On improvements in autofocus:

"Am I trying to get you to buy a new AF SLR? No. If you have iron resistance and resolve, good for you. I'm just trying to ease the pain of those who will inevitably succumb."

(Popular Photography, December 1988)

On embracing new technology:

"If you are the proud owner of an older, heavy, metal SLR camera and lens outfit, more power to you. If you have opted for one of the newfangled autofocus SLR systems, heave-ho with a light heart and camera bag, knowing you have gained much and missed little."

(Popular Photography, January 1990)

On lenses:

"Perhaps we should demand two grades of optics-one optimized for tiny size and tiny price, the other for maximum image quality and versatility with less regard to price. Sadly, if we all buy supercompact, gutless optical wonders, we will inevitably wind up using the types of lenses we justly deserve."

(Popular Photography, March 1990)

"If you trot home with a $2,500 Nikon F4S camera, you will be praised and envied even if you had to scrape the bottom of the financial barrel to buy it. Enter with a $3,000, 5-1/2-pound, 9-3/4-inch-long 300mm f/2.8 Nikon ED lens for it, and everyone will question your sanity."

(Popular Photography, July 1990)