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08-28-2007, 07:28 PM   #1
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Practical Photography 'Enthusiast D-SLRS' Comparison Test - My Reply

Below is an exact copy of the email message I sent to the UK magazine Practical Photography. It really angers me to see magazines twisting facts and details to fit a particular bias. We can now all see whether they print the letter and how much they edit it to support their own viewpoints - a common practice.


I was very disappointed to see the Pentax K10D was not included in your August 2007 comparison of "Enthusiast D-SLRS." Instead, the unnamed tester simply decided the Pentax wasn't worthy of more than passing mention based on a notion it wasn't unique enough to warrant inclusion. Of course, the same could easily be said about the Fuji and Nikon cameras, but those two were included. The tester then claimed the Samsung was cheaper, making it a better deal. I just checked and amazon.co.uk sells the K10D for £489.29 and the Samsung for £499.99 (both amazon.co.uk, not independent sellers).

Since those don't hold up, one is clearly left to wonder why the Pentax K10D was specifically excluded. Perhaps the tester was concerned the other cameras would not fair well in a head-to-head competition against the K10D. After all, the Pentax K10D has won numerous awards, including "EISA European Camera of the Year 2007-2008" from the European Imaging & Sound Association, "Best DSLR Expert in Europe 2007" from the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA), and "Camera Grand Prix 2007" winner by the Camera Journal Press Club in Japan (CJPC). According to other reviews, the K10D fairs very well in image comparisions between similarly priced cameras. And the Pentax K10D certainly has more features than the camera ultimately chosen by the tester, including built-in shake reduction (IS), multi-stage sensor dust prevention, 22 bit A/D converter, weather-resistant body construction, and much more.

In the end, there was simply no good reason why the Pentax K10D should have been excluded. Not only that, it would have easily won in a truly fair competition.

stewart


Last edited by stewart_photo; 08-28-2007 at 11:18 PM. Reason: spelling mistake in introduction
08-28-2007, 08:06 PM   #2
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Nice letter. I'm really interested in any reply if you get one.
08-28-2007, 10:45 PM   #3
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I wonder if you'll get a reply.

What you need to do is try to email the writer directly if you can dig up his email. Usually if you question someone's work directly you'll get a good response.

Too bad the letter might just be lost in the corporate email bag.
08-28-2007, 11:23 PM   #4
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Sadly, no author is mentioned anywhere, which is why I included the words "unnamed tester."

stewart

08-29-2007, 06:32 AM   #5
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You are complaining because some magazine didn't include Your favorite camera brand in their comparision???!! Are You a Pentax rep or what. Do Pentax pay You for that or you are just wrought-up too much?
I dont't care what do they think about pentax. I have enough with other good reviews, awards and fantastic pictures I get with my fantastic camera.
Get Yourself a beer and calm down
08-29-2007, 06:45 AM   #6
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Geez skaktuss, Maybe you should have 3 beers! I applaud Stewart for taking the time. It's a very good and reasoned letter. These magazines with their Ad based (biased)"testing" reviews need to be taken to task once in a while. The average new consumer reads this stuff and believes the printed word is the gospel. They need to be much more un-biased and fair to Pentax and many other brands.
08-29-2007, 07:49 AM   #7
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I buy the magazine as I like the articles and how to's but it is defiantly biased towards Nikon and Canon just look at the Pentax K100D and K10 camera reviews. If I didn't check out forums like this one and just read this magazine I wouldn't even consider a Pentax camera as it seems only Nikon or Canon cameras are worth buying.
John

08-29-2007, 05:19 PM   #8
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Perhaps the phantom VPN issue scared them off.
08-30-2007, 05:59 AM   #9
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I'll chose to believe that the K10D was not included as an "enthusiast's" camera because it was superior to all of the models cited and clearly belonged in the "professional" category...

(I know thats not really why (obvious Canon & Nikon bias) but magazines like this never give Pentax a fair shake anyway...)

Last edited by MRRiley; 08-30-2007 at 11:44 AM.
08-30-2007, 11:25 AM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by skaktuss Quote
You are complaining because some magazine didn't include Your favorite camera brand in their comparision???!! Are You a Pentax rep or what. Do Pentax pay You for that or you are just wrought-up too much? I dont't care what do they think about pentax. I have enough with other good reviews, awards and fantastic pictures I get with my fantastic camera. Get Yourself a beer and calm down

First, the magazine in question is one of the most popular in the UK. Next, the article seemed to be a direct slam against the K10D. The premise of the article was "...we've lined up four of the best enthusiast level D-SLRs and pitted them against each other..." Now, if the Pentax K10D had not been mentioned, it would be safe to assume it was something other than an "enthusiast level D-SLR." But the K10D was mentioned repeatedly and deemed unworthy of consideration and inclusion in the article.

Further, the article went on to say the Samsung (the camera said to be a better deal then the K10D) was "..aimed more at beginners than advanced users.." and "..wouldn't satisfy semi-professionals or advanced enthusiasts." Now, if the Samsung is a better deal than the K10D, yet is aimed at beginners and won't satisfy more advanced users, where exactly does that leave the K10D? The only conclusion possible is that the K10D isn't even worthy of consideration by rank beginners, much less anyone else.

Since my own opinions about the K10D are so radically different, and I had a few extra minutes that morning, a quick response to the article seemed entirely justified. Of course, you're entirely free to feel otherwise, but the response was mine, not yours.

stewart
08-30-2007, 11:46 AM   #11
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I'll have to go to the book store to check out the article. No way I am paying for such a biased magazine (I bet Canon and Nikon are major shareholders in the magazine).
08-30-2007, 05:24 PM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by jfrejo Quote
I buy the magazine as I like the articles and how to's but it is defiantly biased towards Nikon and Canon (snip)
QuoteOriginally posted by MRRiley Quote
I'll have to go to the book store to check out the article. No way I am paying for such a biased magazine (I bet Canon and Nikon are major shareholders in the magazine).

I like the magazine as well, John. And, like you, routinely buy it for the how to articles. Also like the ads to keep up with new stuff in the UK. But, as Mike says, there is enough of a bias towards Canon and Nikon to almost seem like the two companies are shareholders. I ignore that most of the time, focusing on the rest, but this particular article caught my eye, with the level of bias seemingly extreme even for this magazine.

stewart
08-30-2007, 05:53 PM   #13
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For what it's worth, I think Stewart did the right thing. Interesting to see if the magazine is forthright enough to print the letter...
08-31-2007, 06:37 AM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by PaulAndAPentax Quote
For what it's worth, I think Stewart did the right thing. Interesting to see if the magazine is forthright enough to print the letter...
True Paul... That'll be the "proof of the pudding" as they say... Hope they have the journalistic ethics (and cojones) to publish it. Heck, I doubt he even gets a e-mail reply though. LOL

Last edited by MRRiley; 08-31-2007 at 06:32 PM. Reason: misspelled cojones... LOL
09-02-2007, 12:07 AM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by MRRiley Quote
(snip) Heck, I doubt he even gets a e-mail reply though. LOL

Nothing so far other than an auto-generated email saying mine was received.

stewart
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