Ken Rockwell's recommendation

[george671]

Ken Rockwell is so FOS that it's not even funny. I started out reading his stuff and quickly noticed that his comments are inconsistent. He praises the 14-24 like there's no tomorrow, swearing that there's nothing better out there, then goes on to criticize it in his 17-35 review. His 'reviews' are there to generate money when people fall into his gimmick of believing that the lens he's reviewing is sooo good, and they buy it from an online retailer he has an affiliate account with.

Here is the 17-35 review.. http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/1735.htm .Care to show us where he is wrong??? or "FOS" as you say???? And here is his review of the 14-24...again, care to point out the "s#$%" in it as you put it???.... http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/14-24mm.htm And for the record, He has one of the largest readerships for a "photo/equip" web site on the planet!!! I only wish I could make the internet work as well for me to collect $$$$$...More power to him!

Cheers

 

[pansbulcem]

yeah, so go ahead and start your own blog or website....it might be fun..... Advertising can be very profitable now days i guese....

Cheers

 

[spree86]

Here is the 17-35 review.. http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/1735.htm .Care to show us where he is wrong??? or "FOS" as you say???? And here is his review of the 14-24...again, care to point out the "s#$%" in it as you put it???.... http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/14-24mm.htm And for the record, He has one of the largest readerships for a "photo/equip" web site on the planet!!! I only wish I could make the internet work as well for me to collect $$$$$...More power to him!

Cheers

The reviews are just fill with info that you can find on the Nikon website. I wouldn't call that a review but rather just a reiteration of the technical specs of the lenses. Not much reviewing going on here if you ask me, just a lot of words such as "impressive", "amazing" and "excellent" getting thrown around. Minimal if not zero negative feedbacks were given for the lenses where other more trusted review sites have pointed out some flaws in the lenses and the sites all agree with each other. No one said he's not successful on the internet, in fact, he's so successful that many newbies actually believed that his reviews can be trusted.

 

[NigelSeah77]

Well everyone has a right to an opinion. Kenrockwell has his, and so do we. On a personal note, I do find his reviews/guides very helpful and rather comprehensive. He has in no way made any subconscious inferences to send subliminal obligations to get readers to "feed" him financially. I appreciate his efforts and thank him for it. Although i'll never Make a donation haha ! But he does have his quirks, like how he loves the d40 is beyond me. He seems to get amazing iso performance from it but I have never been pampered with such a luxury when I tried a d40 a few years ago.

 

[NigelSeah77]

Oh and just to add, I love my d7000 + 35 1.8 combo. It's a very comfortable setup for me and my daily escapades.

 

[zaren]

Here is the 17-35 review.. http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/1735.htm .Care to show us where he is wrong??? or "FOS" as you say???? And here is his review of the 14-24...again, care to point out the "s#$%" in it as you put it???.... http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/14-24mm.htm And for the record, He has one of the largest readerships for a "photo/equip" web site on the planet!!! I only wish I could make the internet work as well for me to collect $$$$$...More power to him!

Cheers

precisely, sometimes i wonder if these "critics" of KRW actually bother to read and digest his reviews, apart from just hopping onto the "slam KRW" bandwagon.

 

[zaren]

Oh and just to add, I love my d7000 + 35 1.8 combo. It's a very comfortable setup for me and my daily escapades.

i'm shooting not with d7000 but d5100 + 35/1.8, and it's a great combo too.

 

[FrozenRiver]

He "reviews" many things he does not own,,,He says they are items that folks have let him" borrow" etc... Not sure of what gear he has "reviewed" that was not out on the market yet???? Can you point us in that direction??? I'd say again, He is no better or worse than most of the rest of us, opinions included...:bsmilie:

Cheers

I remember clearly that he was reviewing 50 f/1.8G and 40 f/2.8G Micro DX before they actually hit the market. He was making statements such as "this lens should be very sharp" or sth like that.

 

[spree86]

I remember clearly that he was reviewing 50 f/1.8G and 40 f/2.8G Micro DX before they actually hit the market. He was making statements such as "this lens should be very sharp" or sth like that.

Haha sometimes he say funny stuff. He once also say Nikon is ripping off consumers when they make G versions of the old D models. He said that they are charging more for the removal of the aperture ring and why should consumers pay more to get a model with a missing component. He didn't even think of the new technology, faster focusing, glass with new coatings to improve IQ etc etc...

 

[FrozenRiver]

Haha sometimes he say funny stuff. He once also say Nikon is ripping off consumers when they make G versions of the old D models. He said that they are charging more for the removal of the aperture ring and why should consumers pay more to get a model with a missing component. He didn't even think of the new technology, faster focusing, glass with new coatings to improve IQ etc etc...

Yes... And I can fully understand why he does all these funny things. He lives off his website. So he needs some way to excite the readers (aka us), to attract more eyes... He does previews of lenses so that people will buy them via links on his website.

He didn't think much of the consequences. This kind of preview will harm the trustworthiness of his reviews in the long term...

 

[blurboiboi]

I personally feel this kenrockwell reviews base on practicability/usability of the lenses and not base on how sharp or how high a resolution lenses can resolve... which I feel is more important for serious hobbyist like most of us...

 

[pasay]

so do the 35/1.8g have a motor inside the lens, if it is mount to d3100 does it mean it cant autofocus?

the 35 f1.8G is an AF-S lens so yes, it will auto-focus on the D3100

meanwhile the AF 50mm f1.8D is an AF lens so that one will not autofocus on say a D3100

 

[NigelSeah77]

I remember clearly that he was reviewing 50 f/1.8G and 40 f/2.8G Micro DX before they actually hit the market. He was making statements such as "this lens should be very sharp" or sth like that.

Note the prudence and ambiguity in his previews. He will usually give a more precise review after it is released. Well i ain't a KRW promoter anyway. But just sticking it out there, that the fact is. He ain't dimwitted and overzealous. Hmmmm MAyBe he has some secret contract with Nikon, potentially allowing him to "toy" with the lenses prior to their release.

 

[Cheesecake]

All the new Nikon camera bodies control the aperture via the body, since Nikon F5 no longer need aperture ring, so all the new design lenses are G lenses now.

Either you embrace new generation G lenses or stick with existing D lenses.

i chose to get rid of all my afs lenses n keep to afd ones.

best choice ive made in purchasing nikon stuff.

 

[Cheesecake]

if ts wanna stay with dx format n is nt keen to shell out for the f1.4, then the f1.8 is best buy.

if ts has plans to upgrade to fx, nt surprising as nikon wil push forth fx v sn, and is nt keen to shell out for the f1.4, then the f2 is the most logical purchase. it is an excellent lens for the price.

nw, if the ts has the dough, simply shell it all out on the f1.4. u wun ever get wrong but be warned. its a huge lens.

krw is the king. he is entitled to his say but as someone who unfortunately read his review of a vapourware bk then, i can only say, he is indeed king of csb.

cheers n happy national day!

 

[george671]

Yeah, I have always thought that lenses with no motors in them will invariable last longer than ones with motors inside.....My MF and D lenses have stood the test of time and also heavy use.......But I do enjoy my 35 f1.8G and I like the 50 as well....(I like them because they are dirt cheap, and small in size.)

Cheers

 

[FrozenRiver]

if ts wanna stay with dx format n is nt keen to shell out for the f1.4, then the f1.8 is best buy.

if ts has plans to upgrade to fx, nt surprising as nikon wil push forth fx v sn, and is nt keen to shell out for the f1.4, then the f2 is the most logical purchase. it is an excellent lens for the price.

nw, if the ts has the dough, simply shell it all out on the f1.4. u wun ever get wrong but be warned. its a huge lens.

krw is the king. he is entitled to his say but as someone who unfortunately read his review of a vapourware bk then, i can only say, he is indeed king of csb.

cheers n happy national day!

man, you are the king of abbreviations.

 

[Cheesecake]

man, you are the king of abbreviations.

was typing on clubsnap app on mobile phone la. paiseh ah!

 

[s1221ljc]

More power to KR. He's very American in that he speak what's on his mind & what he feels & everyone is free to agree or disagree. I find his writing perhaps a bit brash, in your face, even irreverant , quirky at times as is atypical of some Americans/Texans but I believe he is honest & he just enjoy what he does & share. We can take it or leave it, simple as that. At the least I dont find his writings overly technical, boring or arrogant unlike some comments here which are like they are from a better person or one who knows best.

I observe some people are quick to dismiss or condemn him but the irony is that these people's recommendations or views dont differ much from his in the end, except the style & approach. What has these people to offer us that is more accurate, interesting or enlightening, other than to just trash someone who cant defend himself here? I feel many people, especially newbies, have benefited from what he posted & the trove of information available on his site through his passion & effort. Of course we dont follow blindly or believe everything he or anyone says, even by the so called gurus here. The final judgement & decision still rest with us. Appears to me many KR haters are those who are too caught up with reviews like they are the gospel truth to be defended, or attacked.

As to making money what is wrong if it is done upfront & upright? We earn our living in different ways, for most of us its just a non paying hobby, his is, thats all... Just my personal opinion & viewpoint.

TS, sorry for this OT. Your queries have been well answered by many here so I have nothing to add.

 

[daredevil123]

The best way to read Ken Rockwell, is to know that what works for him may not work for you. It is as simple as that. He has some preferences that may or may not be in line with yours.

Whatever you read, it is important to figure out what works for yourself and what does not. Then you can take the info and make informed decisions. The more information you have, the better you will be able to make that decision. So don't just read Ken Rockwell, he just saying stuff that works for him and fit his style of shooting. May not work for you. Read more, like Photozone, Lenstip, Thom Hogan, etc...

I like this article of his especially. every time I read it, I get a good laugh. It is probably accurate for him and his style of shooting. But not mine. And in many situations, I need to shoot in RAW. He is a jpeg (basic) man. I know someone else who is a RAW person, I like him too... Jared Polin - Mr FroknowsFoto... ;P