Bob Meyer wrote:
"The problem with user review sites is that there's
absolutely no objective criteria applied. What is the
user comparing his lens' performance to, a Nikon F5 or
the disposable camera he used last week? What are the
using to evaluate the lens, 4x6 prints or
transparencies blown up 30x? Is a reviewer likely to
inflate his ratings to make his "chosen" brand seem
better than the competition, or deflate his ratings
because he hates some other aspect of the camera, and
wants to "punish" the manufacturer. On top of all
that, since the sample is totally self-selected,
there's no statistical validity anyway. =====
Bob Meyer"
==============
Okay, Bob, go look at your MTF graphs and see what they tell you about
handling, weight, usability, speed, manufacturing defects, color rendition, and
lots of other things that you CAN'T get anywhere else. It is merely another
resource that gives other people's opinions on the product besides magazines
(that probably give better ratings due to manufacturers advertising money) or a
marketing group.
>From your email, I take it that an opinion isn't worth listening to, so why
bother having this list? Statistical validity? Are you going to get better
statistical validity by walking up to a Nikon user or someone that's never used
a camera and asking what they think about a Canon product?
This site mentions the person's experience (i.e., "Semi-pro, 10-years
experience in landscape . . ."). You can usually tell if the person knows what
they are talking about or not. AND generally if most of the comments are
favorable, you're going to do alright. Also, the site lists "other equipment
used" so they DO in fact have objective criteria in most cases. Not to
mention, I don't think too many folks are going to go write a review on an SLR
lens having only used disposable cameras. I find most of the people have a
reasonable amount of experience to justify their opinions.
All said and done, I was just giving another resource for forming ones own
opinion on a product based on the experience of other users.
Stepping off my soapbox now.
--Ian
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