K-5 dissed by Consumer Reports...

**dcmsox2004** · 07-06-2011, 07:11 AM

..just received my latest Consumer Reports..... their review of a range of digital cameras, from p+s to dslr(s).....
although i take these reviews with more than a grain of salt.... was not happy to see the K-5 way down on the list..... i'm glad that i don't make my dslr choices based upon their (imho, cursory) review(s)......
the vast majority of the dslr reviews were with supplied kit lenses.... 18-55's were the mainstay..... yeah, like i'd review the K-5 with the we 18-55.. NOT !!!
i'll stick with consumer reports when deciding on what laundry detergent to use or analyzing potential auto purchases... at least they don't take advert dollars to bias their reviews......
dave m

**Rondec** · 07-06-2011, 07:13 AM

Does anyone still read Consumer Reports? I certainly wouldn't trust their analysis of SLRs.

atupdate · 07-06-2011, 07:25 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by dcmsox2004

i'll stick with consumer reports when deciding on what laundry detergent to use or analyzing potential auto purchases... at least they don't take advert dollars to bias their reviews...

You don't trust their reviews on cameras but you do with automobiles?

Tim

**manishved** · 07-06-2011, 07:26 AM

I wonder who tests DSLRs at Consumer Reports

johnmflores · 07-06-2011, 07:40 AM

Say what you will, but Consumer Reports still wields enormous influence in the minds of consumers on all products great and small....

Emacs · 07-06-2011, 07:46 AM

Pentax stuff has huge amoun of QC issues, so it's not amazing at all it was put down. The 13% sales drop is consequence of this.

**blackcloudbrew** · 07-06-2011, 07:49 AM

I'll have to read their review now...however, it's been my experience that CR does a reasonable job for things that don't change anywhere near as fast as electronics (and have long user histories) much less, digital cameras. I've seen that with their reviews of P&S cameras where they are typically two model cycles behind etc. I think we are not the target audience for CR on digital cameras and get our reviews, no, we expect our reviews early and often but by our set of trusted (or distrusted) sources.

CR does a good job but photography is not their expertise, IMHO.

RonHendriks1966 · 07-06-2011, 07:51 AM

Well maybe it is time to put that lens into retirement to avoid such things. I think a 16-45mm/f4 WR would be a nice new kitlens for such a camera.

**dcmsox2004** · 07-06-2011, 07:59 AM

Originally posted by atupdate

You don't trust their reviews on cameras but you do with automobiles?

Tim

i've been a big fan of cr concerning auto reviews for decades... their testing (unlike with dslrs) is exhaustive (no pun intended) in a pragmatic consumer oriented manner... sure, they don't post skid pad performance like motor trend and other autophile technical stats, but that's not their aim... safety, ergonomics, quality and mainstream performance are..... additionally, their historic reader furnished survey results are a benchmark in the industry for assessing overall quality....
so, like any other review based periodical, cr has it pluses and minuses... dave m

Cambo · 07-06-2011, 08:23 AM

Originally posted by dcmsox2004

..just received my latest Consumer Reports..... their review of a range of digital cameras, from p+s to dslr(s).....
although i take these reviews with more than a grain of salt.... was not happy to see the K-5 way down on the list..... i'm glad that i don't make my dslr choices based upon their (imho, cursory) review(s)......
the vast majority of the dslr reviews were with supplied kit lenses.... 18-55's were the mainstay..... yeah, like i'd review the K-5 with the we 18-55.. NOT !!!
i'll stick with consumer reports when deciding on what laundry detergent to use or analyzing potential auto purchases... at least they don't take advert dollars to bias their reviews......
dave m

what didn't they like about it? Link?

Cheers,
Cameron

robgo2 · 07-06-2011, 08:29 AM

Originally posted by dcmsox2004

..just received my latest Consumer Reports..... their review of a range of digital cameras, from p+s to dslr(s).....
although i take these reviews with more than a grain of salt.... was not happy to see the K-5 way down on the list..... i'm glad that i don't make my dslr choices based upon their (imho, cursory) review(s)......
the vast majority of the dslr reviews were with supplied kit lenses.... 18-55's were the mainstay..... yeah, like i'd review the K-5 with the we 18-55.. NOT !!!
i'll stick with consumer reports when deciding on what laundry detergent to use or analyzing potential auto purchases... at least they don't take advert dollars to bias their reviews......
dave m

How can any single organization have expertise in evaluating everything from toothpaste to toilet tissue to lawnmowers to DVRs? I think that you have your answer when the enthusiast sites rate a product much differently than the so-called impartial experts. I have largely ignored Consumer Reports for years. When I want information on a particular product category, I trust the opinions of people who think about it all the time, including intelligent, thoughtful users.

Rob

**dcmsox2004** · 07-06-2011, 08:31 AM

Originally posted by Cambo

what didn't they like about it? Link?

Cheers,
Cameron

that's the problem with their reviews... nothing specifically stated... (i'm going to scan that page and post later).... but the 'circle' for image quality was just average... always wondered about the ability of their 'testers'... i.e., their technical photographic acumen... fwiw... if i'm going to buy a digital camera, i have never used cr for decision making... there are so many internet reviews for such decisions... regards, dave m

Blue · 07-06-2011, 08:32 AM

Originally posted by johnmflores

Say what you will, but Consumer Reports still wields enormous influence in the minds of consumers on all products great and small....

Good, Bad or Indifferent, that is certainly true.

eddie1960 · 07-06-2011, 08:34 AM

Originally posted by RonHendriks1966

Well maybe it is time to put that lens into retirement to avoid such things. I think a 16-45mm/f4 WR would be a nice new kitlens for such a camera.

I have to agree Ron, the 18-55 makes no sense as a kit on the K5 (or the K7 for that matter)
the 16-45 in a WR skin or the 18-135WR that already exists both make more sense (the 16-45 though would be the ideal kit)

DogLover · 07-06-2011, 10:35 AM

Many moons ago I managed a consumer electronics store. Camcorders were, of course, a mainstay of our business. This was when VHS was still king (but after the 2-piece units) and 8mm was beginning to make some inroads. There were only a handful of manufacturers, but three or four times that many brand names. I remember CR coming out with reviews of a Panasonic model and another brand that escapes me at the moment. They loved the Panasonic and buried the other. Thing is, of course, they were exactly the same unit. Panasonic (Matsushita) had made them both, and, in this case, the other brand hadn't even bothered to change any of the button locations, functions, or anything. It was literally just a re-badged Panasonic. That was an eye-opening moment for all of us in the store. Luckily for us, the Panasonic had a higher price (and higher margin), so we used that review to sell the crap out of 'em, even though we knew you could buy the same unit for less. Sorry if that offends some people, but that is reality when you have salespeople trying to make a living. Besides, we weren't steering them to buy an inferior product, and they were happy to pay the premium to get one that CR had recommended.

The moral of the story is to take ALL reviews with a grain of salt. Not saying that there aren't some good ones, but don't take any one of them as gospel.

07-06-2011, 07:11 AM	#1
dcmsox2004 Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: rhode island Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 7,522	K-5 dissed by Consumer Reports... ..just received my latest Consumer Reports..... their review of a range of digital cameras, from p+s to dslr(s)..... although i take these reviews with more than a grain of salt.... was not happy to see the K-5 way down on the list..... i'm glad that i don't make my dslr choices based upon their (imho, cursory) review(s)...... the vast majority of the dslr reviews were with supplied kit lenses.... 18-55's were the mainstay..... yeah, like i'd review the K-5 with the we 18-55.. NOT !!! i'll stick with consumer reports when deciding on what laundry detergent to use or analyzing potential auto purchases... at least they don't take advert dollars to bias their reviews...... dave m

07-06-2011, 08:23 AM	#10
Cambo Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Vancouver, BC Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,016	So..... Originally posted by dcmsox2004 ..just received my latest Consumer Reports..... their review of a range of digital cameras, from p+s to dslr(s)..... although i take these reviews with more than a grain of salt.... was not happy to see the K-5 way down on the list..... i'm glad that i don't make my dslr choices based upon their (imho, cursory) review(s)...... the vast majority of the dslr reviews were with supplied kit lenses.... 18-55's were the mainstay..... yeah, like i'd review the K-5 with the we 18-55.. NOT !!! i'll stick with consumer reports when deciding on what laundry detergent to use or analyzing potential auto purchases... at least they don't take advert dollars to bias their reviews...... dave m what didn't they like about it? Link? Cheers, Cameron

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07-06-2011, 07:13 AM	#2
Rondec Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Gladys, Virginia Photos: Gallery Posts: 27,653	Does anyone still read Consumer Reports? I certainly wouldn't trust their analysis of SLRs.

07-06-2011, 07:25 AM - 1 Like	#3
atupdate Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Dayton, OH Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,724	Originally posted by dcmsox2004 i'll stick with consumer reports when deciding on what laundry detergent to use or analyzing potential auto purchases... at least they don't take advert dollars to bias their reviews... You don't trust their reviews on cameras but you do with automobiles? Tim

07-06-2011, 07:26 AM	#4
manishved Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: N. Calif Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,651	I wonder who tests DSLRs at Consumer Reports

07-06-2011, 07:40 AM	#5
johnmflores Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Somerville, NJ Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,361	Say what you will, but Consumer Reports still wields enormous influence in the minds of consumers on all products great and small....

07-06-2011, 07:46 AM	#6
Emacs Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Moscow Posts: 1,223	Pentax stuff has huge amoun of QC issues, so it's not amazing at all it was put down. The 13% sales drop is consequence of this.

07-06-2011, 07:49 AM	#7
blackcloudbrew Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Cotati, California USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,460	I'll have to read their review now...however, it's been my experience that CR does a reasonable job for things that don't change anywhere near as fast as electronics (and have long user histories) much less, digital cameras. I've seen that with their reviews of P&S cameras where they are typically two model cycles behind etc. I think we are not the target audience for CR on digital cameras and get our reviews, no, we expect our reviews early and often but by our set of trusted (or distrusted) sources. CR does a good job but photography is not their expertise, IMHO.

07-06-2011, 07:51 AM	#8
RonHendriks1966 Banned Join Date: Jan 2009 Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,675	Well maybe it is time to put that lens into retirement to avoid such things. I think a 16-45mm/f4 WR would be a nice new kitlens for such a camera.

07-06-2011, 07:59 AM	#9
dcmsox2004 Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: rhode island Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 7,522 Original Poster	Originally posted by atupdate You don't trust their reviews on cameras but you do with automobiles? Tim i've been a big fan of cr concerning auto reviews for decades... their testing (unlike with dslrs) is exhaustive (no pun intended) in a pragmatic consumer oriented manner... sure, they don't post skid pad performance like motor trend and other autophile technical stats, but that's not their aim... safety, ergonomics, quality and mainstream performance are..... additionally, their historic reader furnished survey results are a benchmark in the industry for assessing overall quality.... so, like any other review based periodical, cr has it pluses and minuses... dave m

07-06-2011, 08:29 AM	#11
robgo2 Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: New Mexico Photos: Albums Posts: 1,125	Originally posted by dcmsox2004 ..just received my latest Consumer Reports..... their review of a range of digital cameras, from p+s to dslr(s)..... although i take these reviews with more than a grain of salt.... was not happy to see the K-5 way down on the list..... i'm glad that i don't make my dslr choices based upon their (imho, cursory) review(s)...... the vast majority of the dslr reviews were with supplied kit lenses.... 18-55's were the mainstay..... yeah, like i'd review the K-5 with the we 18-55.. NOT !!! i'll stick with consumer reports when deciding on what laundry detergent to use or analyzing potential auto purchases... at least they don't take advert dollars to bias their reviews...... dave m How can any single organization have expertise in evaluating everything from toothpaste to toilet tissue to lawnmowers to DVRs? I think that you have your answer when the enthusiast sites rate a product much differently than the so-called impartial experts. I have largely ignored Consumer Reports for years. When I want information on a particular product category, I trust the opinions of people who think about it all the time, including intelligent, thoughtful users. Rob

07-06-2011, 08:31 AM	#12
dcmsox2004 Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: rhode island Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 7,522 Original Poster	Originally posted by Cambo what didn't they like about it? Link? Cheers, Cameron that's the problem with their reviews... nothing specifically stated... (i'm going to scan that page and post later).... but the 'circle' for image quality was just average... always wondered about the ability of their 'testers'... i.e., their technical photographic acumen... fwiw... if i'm going to buy a digital camera, i have never used cr for decision making... there are so many internet reviews for such decisions... regards, dave m

07-06-2011, 08:32 AM	#13
Blue Moderator Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Florida Hill Country Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 17,377	Originally posted by johnmflores Say what you will, but Consumer Reports still wields enormous influence in the minds of consumers on all products great and small.... Good, Bad or Indifferent, that is certainly true.

07-06-2011, 08:34 AM	#14
eddie1960 Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Toronto Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 13,666	Originally posted by RonHendriks1966 Well maybe it is time to put that lens into retirement to avoid such things. I think a 16-45mm/f4 WR would be a nice new kitlens for such a camera. I have to agree Ron, the 18-55 makes no sense as a kit on the K5 (or the K7 for that matter) the 16-45 in a WR skin or the 18-135WR that already exists both make more sense (the 16-45 though would be the ideal kit)

07-06-2011, 10:35 AM	#15
DogLover Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Tennessee Posts: 2,054	Many moons ago I managed a consumer electronics store. Camcorders were, of course, a mainstay of our business. This was when VHS was still king (but after the 2-piece units) and 8mm was beginning to make some inroads. There were only a handful of manufacturers, but three or four times that many brand names. I remember CR coming out with reviews of a Panasonic model and another brand that escapes me at the moment. They loved the Panasonic and buried the other. Thing is, of course, they were exactly the same unit. Panasonic (Matsushita) had made them both, and, in this case, the other brand hadn't even bothered to change any of the button locations, functions, or anything. It was literally just a re-badged Panasonic. That was an eye-opening moment for all of us in the store. Luckily for us, the Panasonic had a higher price (and higher margin), so we used that review to sell the crap out of 'em, even though we knew you could buy the same unit for less. Sorry if that offends some people, but that is reality when you have salespeople trying to make a living. Besides, we weren't steering them to buy an inferior product, and they were happy to pay the premium to get one that CR had recommended. The moral of the story is to take ALL reviews with a grain of salt. Not saying that there aren't some good ones, but don't take any one of them as gospel.