[lytrytyr]

Having users vote "damn, this review was actually helpful"

Isn't that already an option (at least, without letting readers reproduce your explicit wording)?

[lytrytyr]

I confess I only write lens reviews when I want to rant about them.
Also, most while drunk

Thanks for the tip.

I wondered why writing lens reviews
wasn't giving me the full Hemingway experience.

[jiimaa]

Isn't that already an option (at least, without letting readers reproduce your explicit wording)?

Yeah but that should have more consequences than 'n users found this helpful' - the review should then weigh more than the others.

[macTak]

To me, lens reviews are like a tool--it's all about how you use them. The best thing, I think, is to put little stock that one number, and rather to look at the detailed points made in the reviews. Certainly the ratings do diverge since everyone uses different standards, some rate against their hypothetical, ideal lens, others rate against an ideal lens of that focal length and aperture, others rate against their best lens (often a Limited or * lens), others rate in comparison to similar offerings in the focal length, others rate on price vs. performance, and of course yet others on some combination of these. What I find really helpful are reviews that go into detail about the optical qualities of the lens and the image in produces, particularly with some comparative reference. For seldom-seen lenses, samples are a boon too. There are really some fantastically helpful reviews in the database (an example would be Marc Sabatella's review of the M120), whose detailed descriptions, comparisons, and testing have made a difference to what I've purchased, and I try to write my own reviews to offer such guidance as well. So to me what makes a bad review is not someone who rates lower than others would, or even that notes how the nature of the lens is restrictive to their photography, but rather the person who gives an 8 rating, saying only 'had it for a few days now. Produces good pictures'. Also reviews that exist to try to influence pricing. The length and actual content of reviews betrays their own quality and reliability quite clearly, so I think the current system is fine (which does have a helpful button, and how many users found a review helpful is displayed under the username and user info, although it could certainly be in a more prominent place). For a while, the database did put those helpful reviews at the top, but the objection to this (which I raised) was that it made it very difficult (especially for more popular lenses) to find out when (and read) new reviews had come in.

As to the thought of giving more weight to the rating of helpful-voted reviews, again I think it something of a fool's errand to focus so much on the overall numerical rating. If PF were to do so, what would happen is that people would rate as helpful the reviews that gave the highest scores (so as to boost the rating of these their pet lenses), and therefore it would actually become harder to find truly helpful, informative reviews, not merely ones for which one agreed with the numerical rating.

---

Last edited by macTak; 09-09-2013 at 11:13 AM.

[PPPPPP42]

Fix the colors for the numbers, in most peoples head green is good, yellow is maybe OK but warning you of a problem, and red is bad enough there should be an alarm. Whoever chose those colors for the rating numbers really screwed up because what should be an average score gives you a lovely shade of rotting banana so people assume anything less than about 7 has issues. 5 needs to be healthy green and maybe stick blue in after that with violet a 10.

Also please define what each number means quality wise for each rating and make up a guide to proper reviewing in general that people have to at least click like a legal agreement before they can leave a review.

You would have to archive the whole review section and start over, or just give everything a -3 rating drop to make any changes meaningful though. People could then update their reviews if they cared to.

[Lowell Goudge]

This issue has been beaten to death over the years. Unfortunately the users who think a comment like "on the 10-17 like I love the lens too bad it is a fisheye" have not been beaten to death!

Take the reviews with a grain of salt. You will find even in some of the reviews with the dumbest comments, a little useful data.

[stevebrot]

I take everything with a grain of salt.

Always consider the source. An older review with a low post count often represents an inexperienced user's lack of skill with the camera and lenses in general than any particular problem with the lens. Consider too the language used and the expectations. A complaint that a $15 lens looks and feels cheap is hardly a revelation.


Steve

[stevebrot]

I confess I only write lens reviews when I want to rant about them.
Also, most while drunk

You're THE GUY!!! Take 'em boys!!


Steve

[nater]

I confess I only write lens reviews when I want to rant about them.
Also, most while drunk

So what you're saying is that pentaxforums should distribute USB breathalyzers to it's members so that the 'post' and 'reply' buttons will remain grayed out until a user proves their BAC is low enough? Not a bad idea.

[thornburg]

So what you're saying is that pentaxforums should distribute USB breathalyzers to it's members so that the 'post' and 'reply' buttons will remain grayed out until a user proves their BAC is low enough? Not a bad idea.

I think this would vary by user.

Some users should probably have them grayed out until their BAC reaches a certain minimum...