Ephotozine Review: Z 100-400/4.5-5.6 S VR

earthbound_ca wrote:

All good points. I'll just add that I'll read reviews as well as look at user comments here (and elsewhere) and form what I would best describe as a consensus opinion.

All good points yourself, and exactly what I do.

I especially pay attention to users who 1) deploy high-end gear and are familiar with "what excellence looks like"; and who 2) can actually take good photographs with their gear, and who 3) do not have an agenda, other than the desire for the best, wherever those chips may fall.

There will always be anomalies but each review adds a data point, useful in particular if you are familiar with the reviewer's (or site's, as the case may be) history. Perfect examples of the peculiarities found among reviews are, as mentioned, ephotozine's use of different sensors of the same mount/ format as well as, for instance, Lenstip's interpretations surrounding the 58mm.

Thank you, and we agree. Even OpticalLimits vilified the 58/G. The only two major sites that gave the 58/G the credit it deserves were Ephotozine and Photography Life, both of whom correctly pointed out its shortcomings — and yet underscored the niche where it shines brightly, outperforming others in the "subtleties" that the other reviewers completely missed. That's huge to me, the ability to notice the subtleties others miss.

OTOH, I find the YouTube increasingly useless: Too many influence peddlers too often offering little more than clickbait. The YT revenue model rewards clicks over content. So be it. When I start posting video reviews there, I'll be less critical!

Wii agree here too. So sick of wasting my time listening to "introductions," accolades, droning on into tests (I would never personally bother with).

I find the review sites I mentioned more valuable than any YouTube video. When I see certain users purchase the equipment I'm interested in, I see how it handles in their hands — which I already know are good. I actually don't think I've ever bought a camera or lens based on a YouTube video; but I've bought many based on my trusted data websites, as well is seeing the information in the hands of people who know what to do with them.