This is a followup to http://meta.photo.stackexchange.com/questions/4655/short-answers-as-comments-please-resist-the-urge?rq=1 and to http://meta.photo.stackexchange.com/questions/4768/removed-comment.

It is often the case that we get questions asking for camera shopping advice, or which are otherwise very obviously likely to be closed — perhaps completely off topic, or perhaps just really, really broad.

I think it's accepted convention that answers to these questions should be discouraged, as they just invite more of the same. However, in the interest of being friendly, it's often awfully tempting to comment something like

_Hey, this question will probably be closed because it's off-topic. But, I just wanted you to know that [some half-answery-thing-here]

I'm pretty convinced on discouraging answers as comments in general, and likewise on discouraging answers to off-topic questions, but what about this case? Do the two situations cancel each other out?

Are there some situations that are okay ("We don't do camera recommendations, but check out this superzoom buying guide from dpreview ...[link]") and others that are definitely bad ("This is off-topic but you should totally buy the Canikon D9000+ it's the best!")?

Basically, what practice do we want to follow and enforce here?

This is a followup to Please put your answers in the answers section, even if they're short and to Removed comment.

It is often the case that we get questions asking for camera shopping advice, or which are otherwise very obviously likely to be closed — perhaps completely off topic, or perhaps just really, really broad.

I think it's accepted convention that answers to these questions should be discouraged, as they just invite more of the same. However, in the interest of being friendly, it's often awfully tempting to comment something like

_Hey, this question will probably be closed because it's off-topic. But, I just wanted you to know that [some half-answery-thing-here]

I'm pretty convinced on discouraging answers as comments in general, and likewise on discouraging answers to off-topic questions, but what about this case? Do the two situations cancel each other out?

Are there some situations that are okay ("We don't do camera recommendations, but check out this superzoom buying guide from dpreview ...[link]") and others that are definitely bad ("This is off-topic but you should totally buy the Canikon D9000+ it's the best!")?

Basically, what practice do we want to follow and enforce here?