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08-14-2011, 08:23 AM   #61
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QuoteOriginally posted by twitch Quote
Interesting that the K-r got a "best buy" recommendation.
Price is super important to CR. I'm sure that if the K-5 was $200 cheaper it would have moved up in the rankings.

08-16-2011, 05:11 PM   #62
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QuoteOriginally posted by Biro Quote
I can tell you personally that the handling was fine - even excellent for an economy car of the day, along the lines of a Honda Civic or Volkswagen Rabbit.
And now I question your judgement - there is no chance in h.e. double hockey sticks that an Omni comes anywhere near a Rabbit in handling. Heck, VW was doing things so much better at the time that Chrysler bought 1.7 liter Rabbit engines to put in the Omni, only they couldn't deal with the fuel injection, so they put puny carbs on them.

There is a reason that the original Rabbit is still a popular autocross car today. I don't remember the last time I saw an Omni, outside of the junkyard.
08-16-2011, 10:47 PM   #63
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I am a long-time member of Consumer Union (Consumer Reports) and trust their reviews for what they are...an indication of value for consumer products. As such their ratings reflect consumer taste and consumer needs.
Simply put...For a non-enthusiast, the K-5 represents poor value.
  • Expensive
  • Limited choice of consumer grade lenses
  • Limited video feature
  • No coffee maker or GPS



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(Frequently cites the CR figures for dSLR reliability...dismal to be sure with 3-6% failure rate for the industry overall, but with Pentax at the good end of the scale...)
08-16-2011, 10:56 PM   #64
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QuoteOriginally posted by Steve Beswick Quote
And now I question your judgement - there is no chance in h.e. double hockey sticks that an Omni comes anywhere near a Rabbit in handling. Heck, VW was doing things so much better at the time that Chrysler bought 1.7 liter Rabbit engines to put in the Omni, only they couldn't deal with the fuel injection, so they put puny carbs on them.

There is a reason that the original Rabbit is still a popular autocross car today. I don't remember the last time I saw an Omni, outside of the junkyard.
I owned a Horizon (Plymouth version of Omni) because the VW dealers wanted a fortune for their cars. The coachwork was so-so, the shift linkage sucked, and the engine was Ok. Handling was not too bad once I put decent tires on the car. Its real strong point was interior space. It was larger overall than the Rabbit and comfortable even in the back seat. We took the Horizon on several long road trips filled with camping gear and it met our needs like a champ.

We kept the Horizon for four years and eventually sold it to a young couple for a song. They were thrilled to get it and I was thrilled to get the Mazda 626 Touring Sedan that took its place. The Mazda was quite a car...lost it in the divorce...


Steve

08-16-2011, 11:56 PM   #65
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QuoteOriginally posted by gp1806 Quote
Price is super important to CR. I'm sure that if the K-5 was $200 cheaper it would have moved up in the rankings.
If it were $200 cheaper, it would be priced just about right, in my opinion...

(not because I am holding out to buy one, just think it has always been overpriced versus the niggles associated with this model)

Jason
08-17-2011, 10:22 AM   #66
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Well, if a camera is dissed by CR, I can't really be bothered. I do not know them, but I do know similar organisations. What does annoy me alot is if a camera magazine (or so thesay they are) gives a camera very low points when all the other reviews rave about it.

In Holland there is a magzine chip foto&video which in the last issue reviews the 645D. And let me say, this a basicly a magazine for people with P&S cameras or DSLR set to P or scene modes.
They had the nerve to give the 645S a 7 (just) out of 10. They did explain that it was bla bla because of the price, easy of use, only 1.2FPS etc. And in their scoring system it does not then look good. but it is a good camera for some. COme on, that is like an offroad magazine testing a Ferrari under their conditions and then give it a low score cause it isn't a good car under their conditions.
I am still doubting if to send them a letter or not actually.
08-18-2011, 04:27 PM   #67
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QuoteOriginally posted by Macario Quote
Well, if a camera is dissed by CR, I can't really be bothered. I do not know them, but I do know similar organisations. What does annoy me alot is if a camera magazine (or so thesay they are) gives a camera very low points when all the other reviews rave about it.

In Holland there is a magzine chip foto&video which in the last issue reviews the 645D. And let me say, this a basicly a magazine for people with P&S cameras or DSLR set to P or scene modes.
They had the nerve to give the 645S a 7 (just) out of 10. They did explain that it was bla bla because of the price, easy of use, only 1.2FPS etc. And in their scoring system it does not then look good. but it is a good camera for some. COme on, that is like an offroad magazine testing a Ferrari under their conditions and then give it a low score cause it isn't a good car under their conditions.
I am still doubting if to send them a letter or not actually.
treat them with what they deserve...Ignore them. They are just another opinion amongst millions on the Net.

IMO it's always best to disregard the very worst and very best ( sycophants ( opinions and get an average of what lies within the standard deviation.

08-18-2011, 06:21 PM   #68
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CR is an opinion group . You have to use your brain and understand your needs . It's not different from any opinion from Pentax forum members, some are good ,some are really bad
08-25-2011, 11:11 AM   #69
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Consumer Reports is a great source, except when they write about cameras or audio equipment.
08-25-2011, 11:19 AM   #70
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QuoteOriginally posted by connollymk Quote
I have been a car nut for 50 yrs and many, many years ago, I and every one of my car nut friends, quit paying any attention to Consumer Reports automobile analysis, because, quite simply, it was unbelievably incompetent.

The same is true of their camera reviews. I remember a few years ago when they rated the number 1 point and shoot super zoom (a Panasonic if I recall, rated number 1 by every professional camera reviewer's rating at the time) as last place in their review. The specs were wrong, the testing wrong, everything was useless. It was simply ludicrous.

My suggestion, at least for cars or cameras, is to look at professional reviews done by magazines that specialize in them and then go test drive the ones that appeal to you and make up your own mind. But just completely ignore CR reviews.

I've found CR an excellent source of automobile info. I bought a 1979 Dodge Colt hatchback based on their test and kept it 20 years. I bought a 1999 Mazda Protégé es based on their test and had it 12 years until my daughter needed reliable transportation. In both cases, once i replaced tires, the cars handled great.
10-08-2011, 02:41 PM   #71
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From what I've seen, Consumers Reports takes the cost of what they review into account when doing their ratings on most everything, except cars. I think this can greatly skew the ratings for items that perform very well, and then get a lower rating because of their price. And maybe even with the higher cost, they are a better value for the buck, with the features and performance they offer, over the cameras they give higher ratings to.
I remember shortly after I bought me K20, I wondered who was responsible for that rating, let alone their qualifications or personal equipment preferences. I know what I go through every time I have to explain my use of a Mac over a PC.
Their description of the features of the K20, didn't match the camera I had bought. Number of focus points, number of adjustments, etc. were all wrong. I sent an email to try and correct their errors, but the rating remained the same. I began to wonder if they if they even purchased one and/or tested it. Given that there is a specs page in the owners manual, how could they get it wrong when they wrote about them on the page that gives more details of a product?
How does a T3i rate so much higher than a K-5? Maybe, a lot of the testers use Canons.
It's also weird that everything from an entry level to pro camera is put into the same category.
Are they using the latest firmware version when testing? I'll bet they make sure software is updated on the computers they test.

Last edited by lens_focus; 10-18-2011 at 06:52 AM. Reason: new thoughts on subject
11-13-2011, 08:37 PM   #72
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It just some ones opinion, CR.
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