DSLR Assignment

Research assignments should challenge you.  Where as workshops and in-class exercises are done with the assistance of peers and under the direction of your teacher the research assignment is a test of your ability to address a specific brief, find relevant information and demonstrate your understanding of the topic.  They require you to be active learners as opposed to passive learners where everything is delivered on a plate.  In this assignment you were required to research 2 medium level DSLR camera bodies and 2 medium range zoom lenses (some chose medium format bodies worth $40,000 and prime as opposed to zoom lenses).  The assignment asked for a discussion and comparison of the equipment with specific reference to items listed in the brief, 21 in all.  A draft was requested and some took advantage of that by submitting completed assignments (the ideal actually), others submitted 1-2 pages, mostly tabled specs while half the class didn't submit a draft at all.  When completing assignments it is your responsibility to ensure that you understand what is required and to ask questions.  There were some common omissions or mistakes in the assignments that have been returned to you for resubmission.  Below is a list of the parts of the assignment that you had to include with an explanation of what should have been addressed and the common mistakes people made.

INTRODUCTION 

Should have been a short indication of the equipment to be compared, this was generally OK but some people can waffle on a bit.

TABLES OF CAMERA BODY and LENS SPECS

Obviously this has to be taken from brochures and/or web sites.  Everyone included these but some thought this WAS the assignment and went no further.  A check of the factors to examine in the brief would have ensured that at least each item was included in the table.

DISCUSSION AND COMPARISONS OF THE TABLED INFO (with of course reference to the specific items in the brief)  Many people did not discuss or compare the specs.  A discussion assumes an understanding of the specification and from this discussion a comparison and informed recommendation can be made.  Many simply restated the specs twice without any explanation to show that they understood the relevance of the specs.  For example, when comparing sensor type and size, it's not just about size, you need to research sensor types and sizes and all the factors that affect a final image capture and therefore quality.  Saying one sensor is bigger than another is NOT a worthwhile comparison, the specs already tell us that. 

AT LEAST TWO PRICES FOR EACH ITEM

No problems with this section.

SUMMARY OF ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF EACH ITEM OF EQUIPMENT

Many handled this section well enough but as many again simply restated the specs from the tabled info drawn from brochures or web-sites.  Without thorough research of the items and the discussion and comparison you are not able to properly summarise advantages and disadvantages, you are left to make uninformed assumptions or to restate manufacturer's marketing info.

CONSIDERED RECOMMENDATION

Again without an understanding of the specs you cannot make a recommendation.

REFERENCES

Not referencing quotes or other info is effectively plagiarism and is grounds for expulsion.  Even a paraphrasing of source material must also be referenced.  Changing 2 words in a 30 word  sentence IS still plagiarism. 

To recap:

Introduction

Table of camera specs.

Discussion of the camera body specs (with reference to specific items in brief to show their relevance and therefore your understanding)

Comparison of the camera body specs (again to show your understanding)

Table of lens specs.

Discussion of the lens specs (with reference to specific items in brief to show their relevance and therefore your understanding)

Comparison of the lens specs (again to show your understanding)

Prices

Summary of ADV/DISADV. (based on your discussion and comparison)

Recommendation 

References/bibliography