What’s Wrong With This Ad?
Published on 4 Mar 2006 at 5:21 pm.
4 Comments.
Filed under Thoughts & Ramblings.
OK, every month I get the Orion Telescopes catalog in the mail and think to myself “I really need to point this out…” but then I forget. NOT THIS TIME!! 
I tore it out to scan and post here but since they have the same thing in the online version I will just supply a link.
So tell me… what’s wrong with this ad?
Orion Telescopes and Binoculars - Variable Polarizing Filters
Phil Plait on 5 Mar 2006 at 2:25 pm: 1
If your concern is with the phase of the Moon shown, I think they are trying to correlate which amount of polarization you want versus the phase. For the more full phases, the filter is shown darker, which makes sense.
Rob on 5 Mar 2006 at 3:06 pm: 2
Ah, yes that does make sense now. Perhaps instead of “Rotate the Variable Polarizing Filter’s cell to vary the light transmission from 1% to 40% ”
The caption should say something like:
Rotate the Variable Polarizing Filter’s cell to vary the light transmission from 1% to 40% based on your observing conditions.
It seems as if Orion is primarily trying to sell to the beginner/intermediate demographic. My concern is like the stunning images on the telescope box — that you will NEVER attain with the instrument inside — it seems a bit misleading to me.
Matt on 5 Mar 2006 at 11:00 pm: 3
I thought it was the caption “Father’s Day 2004″
Rob on 7 Mar 2006 at 2:39 pm: 4
LOL, good catch. I’d actually not even studied the online version other than to verify the same Moon phase graphic.