> > From your email, I take it that an opinion isn't
> > worth listening to, so why
> > bother having this list?
I think there's a bit of difference where you can have
a back and forth discussion, and learn a bit more
about someone's criteria and background. But to be
honest, I don't generally make buying decisions based
primarily on the opinions offered in this list. The
list is a very valuable source of information on
things EOS, even
without making lens/quality judgements based on
postings.
>
> > 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.
In this I'll agree, and perhaps I came on a bit too
strong. But let me give you a couple of examples of
why I feel the way I do.
Example 1: The list concensus has always been that
the 100-300 USM zoom is much, much better than the
various 70-300 range zooms, including the IS lens.
But actual puclished lens tests turn out not to
support this. And I always got good (not 'L' quality,
but good) results from my 75-300 IS lens. Later, I
shot with a 100-300, and didn't find the IMAGE quality
to be any better.
I think that people are easily influenced by the
mechanical qualities of the 100-300, and honestly
believe it's optically better. But I'll bet not many
have actually used both lenses, and not more than a
few ever made direct comparisons of image quality from
the two. But do a search of the archives, and you'll
be absolutely convinced the 100-300 lens is "better."
Example 2: There's a member of this list who has very
exacting standards. He shoots 'L' glass alsmots
exclusively, and doesn't hesitate to state that he
finds particular lenses (including at least 1 'L'
lens) to be soft and low in contrast. I respect his
opinion greatly, even if I don't always agree with it
for my needs. So take lens 'x': This person says
it's quite soft, particularly at the long end. Twenty
five other people say it's great.
Were this just a web review page, my inclination would
be to say "Hey, 25 to 1, there's something wrong with
this guy's review." Knowing his background, however,
I would give it weight probably equal to the other 25
put together. Now I can relate his standards against
mine, and against published reviews, and make my
decision. On a plain review site, I would have
probably ignored his opinion completely.
=====
Bob Meyer
I wish I knew what I know now, when I was younger...
http:\\www.meyerweb.net\epson
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