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01-14-2020, 01:01 PM - 2 Likes   #16
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First, I'd like to say that I highly value the exisiing data base of lens reviews that are archived here on Pentax Forums!

Here the 4-step process that I use when referencing these reviews:

1. I look at the overall lens score.
2. I look at the photos and the individual ratings given on bokeh (the most important lens feature for my type of photography).
3. I read the detailed reviews only on those members who have made the highest number of post here on Pentax Forums.
4. I re-read and "study" any lens review posted by PF members who either practice my type of photography, and/or I highly regard. For example, the PF members who best meets those two criterion for me are teiki arii and les3547.
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Last edited by Fenwoodian; 01-14-2020 at 02:23 PM.
01-14-2020, 02:21 PM - 1 Like   #17
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The lens reviews - and I look mostly at the film-era glass - are generally more instructive of the quality of the photographer than the quality of the lens.
01-14-2020, 02:32 PM   #18
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ALL reviews anywhere are like this, of lenses, movies, books, whatever. It has actually been academically studied -- on a 10 point scale the average is always around 7. So make your own reviews according to your own philosophy, but you'll just have to mentally adjust for this typical human tendency.
01-14-2020, 02:33 PM - 5 Likes   #19
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QuoteOriginally posted by EssJay Quote
But since lens reviews are completely subjective who am I to argue?
Good point, and one person's 10/10 reflects their satisfaction with a lens and nothing more. It is probably enough to notice that rare is the expensive lens that garners a low score. Similarly, it is more often than not that "accessible" lenses are overrated based on relative value more than anything else.

I have done a few dozen reviews on this site and have a current backlog of at least another dozen lenses, bodies, and accessories waiting to be done. There are also a number of reviews that need to be revisited. The reason why there is a backlog is that my reviews tend to be verbose. The reason why some need to be revisited is some insights require time. Having written a few, I will admit to having gathered a small collection of "pet peeves".

Stevebrot's Gear Review Pet Peeves
  • Single poster: Review is the only activity for a new member...ever. Something tells me that someone had something to sell that was lacking positive reviews.
  • Empty review: Yes...bare minimum
  • Almost empty review: "Love this lens!"
  • Listing as Con or whining about the obvious: The most common being, "Not AF"
  • Really bad product shots: This runs the gamut from simply hard to look at (no, that dark red background and intentional underexposure is not working) to zero information (usually, OOF and/or poorly posed) or wrong subject. Unfortunately, the responsibility here falls to whoever created the entry. For entries needing attention, a note to the Site Suggestions forum often helps, particularly if one has a few good images to donate to the cause.
  • Gear assassination: Basically a rant in the form of a review, often posted as one of several in a single session before disappearing forever...
  • Sample photos and more sample photos and yet more sample photos: ...most of which do not serve to highlight features or characteristics of the gear being reviewed. There is a place for a few cool shots just to show the pixie dust is real. There is also a fairly comprehensive example gallery here on PF that is easily linked to. I suggest a middle ground of contributing to or starting a new thread in the example gallery and including a link, along with a couple of really good shots for the review. Lens Sample Photo Archive - PentaxForums.com
  • Panning without explanation: If it sucks, please elaborate (within reason).
  • Lauding without explanation: It is not enough to say that reputation is justified. Tell us how the item fits your needs.
  • No review: Copying marketing content, scanned test charts and nothing else, or linking to an off-site article.
  • Inaccurate or hard to verify claims: ...mine is the CheddaRitz-brand version of this highly regarded Zeiss lens...made in Arkansas to Zeiss specifications...
  • Review without ownership: Usually coupled with a complaint about pricing.
I will admit to being a little picky and to the above being subjective, though I will point out that rating inflation is not on the list.


Steve


Last edited by stevebrot; 01-14-2020 at 02:55 PM.
01-14-2020, 02:50 PM - 1 Like   #20
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QuoteOriginally posted by stevebrot Quote
Stevebrot's Gear Review Pet Peeves
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I will admit to being a little picky and to the above being subjective, though I will point out that rating inflation is not on the list.
Dang, you're a tough crowd all on your own, Steve ... and yet, I think you've nailed it

EDIT: Do we actually have reviews of lenses from folks that don't own them?! I'm stunned...
01-14-2020, 03:07 PM - 1 Like   #21
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QuoteOriginally posted by BigMackCam Quote
Dang, you're a tough crowd all on your own, Steve ... and yet, I think you've nailed it

EDIT: Do we actually have reviews of lenses from folks that don't own them?! I'm stunned...
As I was compiling the list, it occurred to me that I might craft a quick guide to easy product shots. Doing a decent job is not particularly difficult and does not require elaborate lighting or exotic lenses or excessive skill.


Steve

Last edited by stevebrot; 01-14-2020 at 05:18 PM.
01-14-2020, 03:17 PM   #22
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Reading this thread prompted me to do something which I have been intending to do - revisit all the reviews that I have posted.
I did this, and I found the reviews (which I wrote) so appalling and unhelpful that there was no saving them. I decided it was best for me, and the review section, for them to be deleted.
Part of the reason for this, is that I wrote the reviews before I had a really good understanding in photography, and having only had the items a short time. Also I was using words and turns of phrase to make me sound smart - in retrospect they made me sound as clueless as I really was...

01-14-2020, 03:29 PM   #23
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QuoteOriginally posted by bertwert Quote
Reading this thread prompted me to do something which I have been intending to do - revisit all the reviews that I have posted.
I did this, and I found the reviews (which I wrote) so appalling and unhelpful that there was no saving them. I decided it was best for me, and the review section, for them to be deleted.
Part of the reason for this, is that I wrote the reviews before I had a really good understanding in photography, and having only had the items a short time. Also I was using words and turns of phrase to make me sound smart - in retrospect they made me sound as clueless as I really was...
This is the reason why I haven't wrote any review so far.
01-14-2020, 03:36 PM   #24
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QuoteOriginally posted by bertwert Quote
Reading this thread prompted me to do something which I have been intending to do - revisit all the reviews that I have posted.
I did this, and I found the reviews (which I wrote) so appalling and unhelpful that there was no saving them. I decided it was best for me, and the review section, for them to be deleted.
Part of the reason for this, is that I wrote the reviews before I had a really good understanding in photography, and having only had the items a short time. Also I was using words and turns of phrase to make me sound smart - in retrospect they made me sound as clueless as I really was...
Don't sell yourself short, Bert. I look back at the woefully few reviews I've posted, and I'm embarrassed by them. This demonstrates one of several things I mentioned previously... the member's experience But such reviews aren't without value - they just need to be identified, analysed and read in context by the interested party. Often, that's easy... other times, not so. Hence why averaging across multiple member reviews, followed by multiple review sources, is always a good idea...

Last edited by BigMackCam; 01-14-2020 at 03:59 PM.
01-14-2020, 03:46 PM - 2 Likes   #25
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I think we should look a these reviews in the context of typical ratings of anything, especially online ratings. Look at Amazon. I've been looking at new monitors, and I would have serious doubts about anything that didn't get 4 stars out of five. You'd assume, in a vacuum, that 2.5 out of five was perfectly reasonable. But instead 2.5 out of five is awful for almost any product on Amazon. You basically don't buy something with lower than a four-star rating because a large majority of ratings are either five for people who liked it and had no problems, or one-star for people who hated it or got something broken. A 2.5 means roughly half the people thought it was useless junk.

Another example, at work we distribute a kind of survey to the sailors on ships who we interact with during equipment installations. If there's a rating of less than 3.7 or 3.8 out of 4 we assume something went wrong and do a root cause analysis to figure it out. Even if, at first glance, you'd assume between 2.0 and 3.0 was perfectly fine.

Or sports. An average major league baseball mid-first-round draft pick can be expected to have a short and undistinguished career. But if your team's mid-first-rounder plays three decent seasons he's seen as a bitter disappointment. If he's not in the 80th or 90th percentile he's a failure.

Watch an episode of Family Feud tonight. Steve Harvey will ask something in the fast money round like "on a scale of 1 to 10 rate how good looking you are" or "how good of a leader are you" and the best answer from the survey will be 7 or 8. By definition the answer should be five.

That's Pentax lens ratings. They're a kind of Lake Wobegon, where all the kids are above average and a 7 out of 10 is a tragedy.
01-14-2020, 04:03 PM   #26
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QuoteOriginally posted by bertwert Quote
Also I was using words and turns of phrase to make me sound smart - in retrospect they made me sound as clueless as I really was...
I suspect you are sufficiently well-informed at present to do a great job.

QuoteOriginally posted by iheiramo Quote
This is the reason why I haven't wrote any review so far.
From your signature, it would appear you are the resident expert on M-series glass. Time to review at least a few of those more neglected models, eh?


Steve
01-14-2020, 04:13 PM - 1 Like   #27
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QuoteOriginally posted by ThorSanchez Quote
They're a kind of Lake Wobegon, where all the kids are above average and a 7 out of 10 is a tragedy.
I don't buy very many lenses and when I do buy one it isn't on impulse, it is after months of hemming and hawing. In order of weight that I give to all the different sources of information, first comes in depth reviews by Pentaxforums staff, second is user reviews that show the reviewer put time and thought into completing, third is discussion threads related to the lens, fourth is sample photos (like someone else posted, sample photos are a review of the photographer's ability more than the lens' ability), fifth is drive-by user reviews on Pentaxforums, sixth is numerical ratings (whether from in-depth reviews or user reviews, it doesn't matter, you can't give one number to apples and another number to oranges and expect it to mean anything) and dead last is external reviews. I won't waste my time reading reviews composed by people pimping for clicks. So, even if user reviews on this site look like a cheap polyester suit, I won't slam the door in their face.
01-14-2020, 04:24 PM - 1 Like   #28
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QuoteOriginally posted by bertwert Quote
Reading this thread prompted me to do something which I have been intending to do - revisit all the reviews that I have posted.
I did this, and I found the reviews (which I wrote) so appalling and unhelpful that there was no saving them. I decided it was best for me, and the review section, for them to be deleted.
Part of the reason for this, is that I wrote the reviews before I had a really good understanding in photography, and having only had the items a short time. Also I was using words and turns of phrase to make me sound smart - in retrospect they made me sound as clueless as I really was...
I, for one, am sorry to hear you deleted some reviews.

Although some people only value reviews that took a month of labor and an optical bench to create, I see value in even the most cursory rating of a lens. Sure, I'd love to know more from each reviewer. Who wouldn't? But I'd especially hate to know less because some user of the lens did not think their review was thorough enough.

I hope you repost what you deleted.
01-14-2020, 04:29 PM   #29
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QuoteOriginally posted by BigMackCam Quote
Don't sell yourself short, Bert. I look back at the woefully few reviews I've posted, and I'm embarrassed by them. This demonstrates one of several things I mentioned previously... the member's experience But such reviews aren't without value - they just need to be identified, analysed and read in context by the interested party. Often, that's easy... other times, not so. Hence why averaging across multiple member reviews, followed by multiple review sources, is always a good idea...
The thing with that is that I didn't want to lead any interested parties incorrectly, now to you and me, my reviews were clearly not great, but to a complete clueless beginner it may not be so obvious (though, on the flip side, it could be good for a complete clueless beginner to see a complete clueless beginner;s perspective). Also, I would fear that they could see my (relatively high) post count and think that I really knew what I was talking about.
01-14-2020, 04:30 PM   #30
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QuoteOriginally posted by stevebrot Quote
I suspect you are sufficiently well-informed at present to do a great job.
Thanks Steve, I would think that I am now more 'qualified' per se to write a better review. I had intended just to do a few changes to the ones I had written, however as I started to do this, I realised it would be much easier to start again as a whole.
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