Re: Photo Technique

[Jim Brick <jim@brick.org>]

At 11:11 AM 11/24/97 -0500, you wrote:
>Eric wrote:
>
><<<<They're idiots is all I can conclude. Or they don't want to rate it
>highly
>when you can't get the motors for it>>>>>
>
>g'day Eric,
>
>If you haven't had the misfortune to read the "Photo Technique" version
>>from across the pond don't feel bad. It absolutely pales to the real "Photo
>Technique" most of us subscribe to.
>
>I wouldn't give any equipment ratings in it the time of day. And to rate
>the R7 over the R8 is just absolutely ridiculous! It either illustrates the
>person doing the testing doesn't know how to get out of bed in the morning
>or hasn't really done their home work and actually put film through both
>cameras for any period of time.
>
>"Photo Techniques" North America version, is one of the better photo
>magazines available with well written and interesting articles.  The quick
>way to compare the "good, bad and ugly" of each magazine is to put them
>side by side. The Brit one is a completely mickey mouse tabloid compared to
>a class informative magazine.
>
>ted

I look at these things a little differently. This is not an optical (lens)
test. A camera test must take into consideration other factors.

My take would be... the R7 is the end of a very long lineage, and probably
is about as bug free an R camera as you can get. They pretty much have
proven themselves as being real workhorses. Ask me. Ask Ted.

The R8, obviously is a fine camera, but introduced ahead of its proper
time. A system, yet, it is not. And there is no history. How will it do
over the long haul? Will the required accessories really ever be available?
I'm betting that it will do just fine. That it will be a stellar performer.
But, because of its incompleteness and no history, it would be difficult to
give it as high (or higher) marks than that of a proven and complete
workhorse.

What I wrote above is what would influence *me* in a camera test. But after
reading Ted's post (above), I might be wrong about the thoughts behind the
Brit's "Photo Techniques" test.

A Mickey Mouse magazine will probably produce Goofy test results.

Jim