Smartphone Shots Allowed At J Museums?

[Bugyotsuji]

But not serious cameras, although my smartPhone is pretty serious.

 

https://japantoday.com/category/national/feature-Japan-museums-abandoning-no-photos-policy

[TETSUGENDO]

Piers,

 

Good to know, thank you for posting.

 

-regards, StevenK

[AnAmNeSiS]

Piers,  

 

LOL, No doubt. . .When average cell phone megapixels are 15 - 22, that is not serious at all.  

 

But good that we can take pics now.

 

 

Dave

[Ted Tenold]

I just returned from Japan and went to the National Museum while there.  They do allow photos now, but certain items have a "no pictures" sign in front of them, mostly for light sensitivity.  I think basically most institutions are starting to just knuckle under on the policy because the throngs of people that just blatently ignore it and/or feign understanding or seeing the no picture policy signs.  I visited St. Mark's Basilica in Venice a couple of years ago and it was jam packed with people, nearly all of whom were just filming and snapping away despite the numerous signs in various languages that said not to.  The officials and docents were just looking upon all of it with futility written all over their faces.  The guides do their best to avert their groups from doing it, but even they give up after a couple of cursory requests.  If the officials and docents don't care, they why should they?  Slippery slope...

[Henry Wilson]

I think also in Japan the owner of the peice (if from a private collection on loan, as some of the National museum objects are) can request that photos not be taken.

[Bugyotsuji]

OK Dave, ya got me!

 

Perhaps what I should have said was that the camera on my xyz-phone is so much better than the trusty old 'real' Ricoh camera that I have almost completely stopped using the latter. The edit functions are intuitively great too, so that I can edit the latest shots even while walking around.

[AnAmNeSiS]

Piers,

 

HA!  You speak the absolute truth here.  If you set the xyz-phone camera to take a manual picture, you can just about control everything just like a dslr camera.  I am definitely "picking up" what you are "putting down".  

 

I have to admit that if pictures were not allowed. . .  I would probably still take or try and take a picture of the rare piece I was looking at.  Especially if it is of a National Treasure or some art that I would never get a chance to see again.  I know that is horrible of me to admit but I would not be able to help myself.  (I would take the flash off though) 

 

Dave

[Bugyotsuji]

That is true, Dave, but I was meaning that right after shooting a few, I can look at the finished article(s) and then run various quick size/colour/contrast/light tweaks on them, all the while playing innocently on my phone and not on a bulky camera.

 

A couple of years ago I was with my sword teacher in the dark and badly-lit (for sword blades) Tokugawa Art Museum in Nagoya when we were pulled over and warned by a member of staff. (NBTHK members in Japan often carry monoculars and small flashlights to see into blades on display behind glass.)

 

"No flashlights/torches please!" she hissed. After making some puzzled enquiries, we discovered that a member of the public had complained about a light source from another visitor reflected off a blade into his/her eyes, so the board of curators had come up with this easy rule, no lights of any kind.