Phil's unobjective review

[DocH]

I think Phil's review was very fair, objective, and useful to anyone considering purchasing this camera - thanks Phil! I am a happy owner of an E-10, but I understand its strengths and limitations - which apparently the E-20 shares to a great extent. For those who think a "pre-production" Oly will be substantially different than the 10,000th camera off the line, I would have them review any available archives on the E-10 "pre-production" evaluations, and then pick up their present E-10 and see if it doesn't share some (or most) deficiencies of the "pre-production" cams. The E-10 is a great camera - for what it is. So will be the E-20. Looking for an upgrade to my E-10 now; my choices all have a "D" in the name though; no "Es" at all.... My E-10 will make a nice backup, but price point (value for money), performance, and customer support all impact my consideration when looking for a replacement....

Doc H.

I feel that his review is biased and unfair adl I've lost some
respect.

comments?

 

[Jim K53618]

Well put Gonzo!

If your not happy with any of Phil's reviews, all one has to do is visit IR or Steve's, they absolutely LOVE every camera. I prefer to cut to the chase, and be brutally honest. Of the 3, Phil comes the closest to this.

Regards,
Jim K

My own review of the E-10 had just as may cons as pros in it, yet
my impression was highly favorable in the direction of the pros.
Without a conclusion/summary section, that might not have been so
clear. I'm glad Phil has the balls to put his opinions out there
for people to agree with or be offended by. (Excuse the colorful
noun)

Dr G.

I feel that his review is biased and unfair adl I've lost some
respect.

comments?

 

[Mike Tichon]

Ken Huckeba wrote:
You can't put a dress on a pig and make it win a
beauty contest.

I disagree with you Ken, but only to the extent that what I would say about Phil is that he could photograph a pig in a dress and the photo would win a contest! I share the flushing frustration, and it has been mentioned here many times, even with pro's who are using it in a studio.
Mike

 

[JK Jordan]

I feel that his review is biased and unfair adl I've lost some
respect.

I disagree, finding the review to be excellent, and this is why. Although I was disappointed in some of the findings, all of the opinions in the conclusion were backed up with comprehensive tests and solid reasons.

I think an unobjective review (such as might even describe your short "review" above of Phil's review!), is one that makes a statement with no backing. This just makes the statement sound like griping. Perhaps you could explain what elements of the review you found unfair so I can see if I've overlooked something in the E-20 review.

Whether I agree or disagree with a particular conclusion in a review is immaterial. The way I interpret a review is to evaluate the opinions based on the reasons given. This lets me form my own opinions of the product and how it will fit my personal needs. For example, I rarely need to shoot photos in rapid succession, so for me, Phil's opinion here does not detract from the camera. On the other hand, I find the slow image display and maginfication a serious issue.

I would FAR rather read about weaknesses of a product in a comprehensive review like we find here than have to base buying decisions on the manufacturer's hype sheets, or worse, from the shallow, sugar-coated articles that pass for "reviews" in most of the photography magazines.

However, I would NEVER base a major purchase on a single review, regardless of the source. I read everything I can find and listen to people who have experience with the product. I try to get a hands-on demo. And hardest of all, I try to resist the temptation to be the guinea pig with the first one on the block! (This has the added advantage of letting the price stabalize a bit!) I bought my E-10 only after looking: recommendations from a respected friend, reading comments on this forum and elsewhere, and studying every review I could find.

JKJ

 

[Randy44818]

I feel that his review is biased and unfair adl I've lost some
respect.

comments?

I feel Phil is not biased at all and i remember when i first found this site and started reading all his reviews he would come out with and at first i thought he liked Nikon and Sony the best, but as i read each review and even went back to old reviews, i saw how unbiased Phil was and started really enjoying how he told it like it was. I felt like you when i was so high on the Minolta D7 and wanted to defend that camera and now and short after the review, the noise was awful and it's short commings i could not live with. I think Phil calls it like it is and we should all be greatful for his time and effort, where we know going in the good and bad about each and every camera. What i have seen, he is right on, on his reviews. I can see where he has liked most all brands and also i see where he brings up questionable or things that is bad or work arounds in a camera. To me he tells it like it is and i am one that wants to thank him. We all want that perfect digital camera and they seem to keep getting closer but it is not there yet, but it is great digital cameras but not the perfect one. This new camera(E 20) will be great and we can't fault Phil for it not being perfect. It has work arounds, just like all cameras and that goes for the professional digital cameras as well. It is not one that is complete perfection. I know soon you will see how Phil is unbiased and come to appreciate all his reviews and will want to thank him for his efforts and this site. It helps us all make decisions and also listening to others in here and the final decision, is when we actually go and try out the camera itself. Hang in there and enjoy his reviews and the site.
Randy

 

[Red Dawn]

The Canon 30 is only 3 megapixels which is not quite enough for my
needs. Thus it is the E-10 until a better camera becomes available

What is your need, that you find the 3.3 megapixels of the D30 "not quite enough"? wat is your desired print size?

Red Dawn

 

[softtower]

I feel that his review is biased and unfair adl I've lost some
respect.

So... you feel that actual compact flash writing times are twice as shorter and he created that noise from samples using a special-developed PS filter?

;-)

 

[William C]

Hey if your are going say something like that, you
should explain why. Unless you are trolling for
attention!

Bill

I feel that his review is biased and unfair adl I've lost some
respect.

comments?

 

[William C]

Hey Phil Askey

Why do you even answer people like this? If you take
one hundred people in a room there is always a jerk and
goes around a saying stupid things.

The only fact he can come up with in which you can truly
disagree with, if he has an E-20 and has actually taken
photos with it. If he does not have the camera then how
can he back up any statement on the E-20!!!!

Sometimes I think you are the problem.

My two cents!

Bill

 

[Joe Hoddinott]

This is a very shallow statement.

I agree with him on almost every account. My findings were much the same. I had alot of the same gripes and likes. His review was more scientific than mine and he documented everything. What's biased and unfair?

Joe H.

I feel that his review is biased and unfair adl I've lost some
respect.

comments?

 

[Joe Hoddinott]

John......I agree with you 110%

There is no way the E-20 could handle that situation with the slow flush times.

Joe H.

I shoot people weddings portraits ect...the flush time is not much
of a problem.

????

I do weddings and would LOVE to go 100% digital. As a user of the
E-10, it is very clear that the one thing holding it back is the
flush time.

Please let me know how you get photos of the Wedding Party entering
the church, the father walking the bride up front, kissing his
daughter and handing her over to the groom and a few quick shots of
them at the alter and not run into problems with the "flush time"?
I have yet to find a way for the E-10 to accept that many photos in
that short a time frame.
I am looking forward to your answer as to how to do weddings with
an E-10

John

 

[Bill B52317]

Dear R Porter

I've been a keen follower of Phils's reviews, and several forum's, for quite some time.

Don't blame Phil if he doesn't write what you want to hear! A good example is the Dimage 7 - Phil was howled down at the time, yet when it hit the market he was quickly proven correct

I urge you to re-read his conclusion, and look at the breadth of his summary.

Cheers

Bill B

I feel that his review is biased and unfair adl I've lost some
respect.

comments?

 

[Errol Gibbs]

I feel that his review is biased and unfair adl I've lost some
respect.

comments?

we all wanted to hear that this was the best camera on earth! But just because we didn't is not cause to kill the messenger!

Errol

 

[Jukka Jarnberg]

I think you're wrong - it is not biased or unfair; it is critical review, that's all.

What careful reader may see is that it is done in a bit in hasteas there are some omissions of tests of features new E20 has been advertised, for example higher fps rates when using progressive scan are not tested or buffer capacity then ... noise reduction in lowlight scenes when using higher ISO settings (or pictures were mislabeled) ...

But to blame review being biased & unfair are not correct adjectives in my opinion.

Jukka aka jjg

I feel that his review is biased and unfair adl I've lost some
respect.

comments?

 

[Michael F.]

I agree with many of Phil's complaints, but not all of them.

The buffer really IS too small (and that's in my E-10 - the E-20 has got to be worse). The LCD really sucks. Etc., etc.

BUT: given a great viewfinder, why use the LCD most of the time? And the viewfinder vignetting is a non-issue, IMO, plaguing only people who are not used to the camera (I wear really thick glasses and have no problem at all w/ the viewfinder).

Where I disagree is in the importance of a quality lens, which the Sony surely doesn't match (despite the ZEISS on the front), the level of external controls (no G_ D menu-hunting!!), etc., etc.

No camera is perfect, but there is a reason why the Olympus E-10 is used by some pros and the Sony & Minolta either never will or will only in a very limited way.

Presumably, the E-20 is a better camera than the E-10.

Mike

Ken Huckeba wrote:
You can't put a dress on a pig and make it win a
beauty contest.

I disagree with you Ken, but only to the extent that what I would
say about Phil is that he could photograph a pig in a dress and the
photo would win a contest! I share the flushing frustration, and
it has been mentioned here many times, even with pro's who are
using it in a studio.
Mike

 

[rick porter]

john, I use a 645 medium format for part of the wedding, I've been slowley working my way up to 100% e-10 for certian weddings (customers budget).
I recently shot a mexican (kinceatta)? all e10 with lexar compact flash cards
& i didn't have a problem at all with the processional.
shq setting. I can post a sample tomorrow

I have yet to find a way for the E-10 to accept that many photos in

that short a time frame.
I am looking forward to your answer as to how to do weddings with
an E-10

John

 

[tko40462]

Isn't the definition of a troll someone who:

1. posts a deliberately controversial or contradictory claim

2. offers no back up or support

3. fails to responds to any posts or does so repeating items 1-2

I'll leave it up to other people to decide whether this post was trolling.

 

[poster]

Because despite some people's mental picture of me and my working
environment ...

My mental image of you is that of a James Bond type working in a fully equipped stainless steel imaging lab with all the lastest cutting edge technology and equipment ... camera manufacturers clammering at your door giving you their very latest products ... bankers shoving money in your pockets ... and surrounded by the most beautiful women on earth begging your favor. Am I even close?? HA!!