What I found odd or humorous was that these were the 2 of 3 one--star reviews (on the page I purchased from), there being 68 reviews in total, with 46 one-star ratings.
Of course I take everything I read with a grain of salt and try to determine the validity of the reviewers points. In this case I devalued the two reviews because of the almost universal praise the product receives for its ergonomics and image quality. Both reviewers obviously had an axe to grind. Reviewer 1: I bought the Sony because both of my good cameras were in the shop. Me: Any # of responses possible to that. The most annoying aspect of the camera was the useless video capability. If I want a video camera (I don't), I'll buy one or use thre one that I have. Me: Surely he knew video capability was built-in pre-purchase. Just because he wouldn't use it doesn't make it "useless". I likely won't use it either, but it will still be useful if I do. Whenever I tried to take a picture, the camera was busily taking video of the sky, my leg, or the ground. By the time I got the video turned off, the shot I wanted to take was gone. sigh. . . Me: That just sounds pathetic. Even if the button is misplaced... really this happens every time? . If I did manage to take a picture, the quality was substandard, apparently due to the poor lens quality. Me: Blame the lens for the inability to get a good shot. I had the NEX-5 before this, likely with the same lens he got in a kit. The camera felt cheap and tinny. Too light and insubstantial. Me: OK, Light and insubstantial is the raison d'etre for the NEX line. The comments are drastically at odds with the mainstream opinion. The two programmable knobs were unnecessary and useless. Me: Obviously not a manual reader and he simply wanted a P&S. I finally gave the camera to my daughter, hoping that she might use it, but she had the good sense to leave it alone. Me: Simply pathetic. That statement has nothing to do with the quality of the product. Reviewer 2: Having purchased a Sony NEX 3 with a Sony telescopic lens and finding out that the automatic focus would not work I din't want to make the same expensive mistake again. Me: Hmm. I called the Sony help line and first was told that the camera had not been launched... I asked him if he know about the camera or had ever used it. He proceeded to tell me no. Me: See a disconnect there? If the camera had not been put on the market yet, why he was looking for first-hand experience from someone answering the phone in a call center? From the date of the review it appears the camera had been launched, maybe still in short supply. Bottom line; if I can't get information about the camera before I purchase it what kind of service will one gets after it is bought?? Me: Even in March of this year there were numerous exhaustive reviews available. Tom C. On Fri, Aug 24, 2012 at 12:12 PM, Tom C <[email protected]> wrote: >> Owner reviews are far from useless (as some have opined here). >> However, there is no getting around the fact that they can be written >> by idiots or by knowledgable people (or by people who fall just about >> anywhere along that bell curve). The trick is to weight them, as you >> read, to determine whether a reviewer's point is legitimate or the >> result of someone who never cracks a manual (etc). >> >> Regarding the particular issue your quoted reviewers raised... it is a >> fairly widely reported complaint with the camera and if you have yet >> to handle it your conclusion that it is NO problem, even if eventually >> proves correct in your case, is a bit premature. (Just google NEX-7 >> and accident or accidentally or accidental and videos. It is also >> called an automatic video issue.). That would seem to indicate an >> error in ergonomic design (at least as it applies to still >> photographer's desired ergonomics. People buying it more to shoot >> video with would probably regard it as a feature). Certainly it is >> possible to learn new behaviors, but for those who don't wish to learn >> new behavoirs and have the camera react naturally in your hands I >> would say it is not an insigificant issue. The other potential error >> in dismissing such complaints as being written by idiots is that you >> are assuming that everyone's hands are the same size. A hand-related >> ergonomic issue for a 6' 5" 295 lb male may be no problem for a 5'7" >> woman or (in general). One size does not fit all (and if the reviewers >> neglected to mention that as a possible issue in their case that is an >> oversight on their part). >> >> Luminous Landscape (I believe a generally well-respected site) has a >> whole article on it entitled "The Big Problem with the NEX 7". In it >> he proposes a "red-neck fix". >> http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/the_sony_nex_7_redneck_edition.shtml >> >> It is a mistake to conclude that just because something is not an >> issue for me, personally, then it shouldn't be an issue for anybody. >> It is also arrogant to jump to the conclusion that the best >> explanation for the problem is a lack of intelligence on the part of >> the user (even though, as people in I.T. know, that often eventually >> does prove to be the case.) >> : ) >> >> This thread is sort of a case in point (people on all sides of the >> issue weighing in) >> http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1042&thread=41551682&page=1 >> -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
