Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/03/24
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Bruce Feldman wrote: > As a former magazine editor for various consumer publications, I must tell > you that the main reason I left the field after a number of years was the > appalling lack of honesty in the selection, setting up, and conducting of > new product testing and reporting. Bruce, Your post is both informative and insightful. I would add only one caveat/comment - while there is no question that venality has an impact on what's reviewed and how the reviews read, I think there is another factor at play - the publication's understanding of its readers needs and interests. Just as Consumer Reports seems to believe that the best car is a comfortable sedan with a lot of leg room, and everything is judged against that, so I would guess that Pop Photo, for one, believes that its readers thing that that camera is best which has the most bells, whistles, and ease of use. Therefore a Leica M isn't judged against other Leicas, or other rangefinders, but against an F5 or an EOS. And that has to effect the outcome of the "tests." B. D.