Request for future reviews: 35mm equiv. and overview table

[shshsh]

Jeff,

first of all, thank you very much for your great work. I really enjoy reading your reviews. This site is one of very few on the web (one other being your partner site dpreview.com) that provides honest reviews with a profound technical background. Most other sites simply reprint camera makers' press statements and put "review" somewhere to get Google hits.

But there are two improvement requests I have:


Please include the 35mm equivalent of lenses (of non-DSLR cameras, of course) somewhere in the intro section. "5x zoom lens" or the like doesn't really mean much to most readers; "35-120 equiv." does. If a camera doesn't cover the zoom range (in particular, wide angle) I need, I don't need to bother about anything else.


An overview table like you did with the Canon G10 or Canon SD880 IS review would be very, very nice to have for every review. It doesn't need to include all similar models; even if it has just one column it would help to get an initial idea what kind of camera it is.

[Beowulff]

This site is one of very few on the web (one other being your partner site dpreview.com).....

What the...?

:confused:

[erichlund]

Yes, I sincerely doubt DCRP is "partnered" with Amazon's DPReview.

We all do know that Amazon bought that site and that Phil Askey runs it. I suspect he retained some ownership percentage in order to stay on.

[shshsh]

I thought I had read an article over at dpreview.com that there was some kind of partnership or at least mutual agreement which site would review which camera. I can't find it in the news archives on either sites, though.

Or am I completely mistaken here? Maybe Jeff would like to comment on this?

[TheWengler]

I'm not sure if every review is like this, but if you click the link in the first sentence that's the name of the camera it takes you to the cameras spec sheet. Maybe Jeff could make that more clear by separating the link from the text and calling it specs.

[Jeff Keller]

Jeff,
But there are two improvement requests I have:


Please include the 35mm equivalent of lenses (of non-DSLR cameras, of course) somewhere in the intro section. "5x zoom lens" or the like doesn't really mean much to most readers; "35-120 equiv." does. If a camera doesn't cover the zoom range (in particular, wide angle) I need, I don't need to bother about anything else.


An overview table like you did with the Canon G10 or Canon SD880 IS review would be very, very nice to have for every review. It doesn't need to include all similar models; even if it has just one column it would help to get an initial idea what kind of camera it is.


Which review in particular are you referring to? And what cameras should I have compared in that review?

I thought I had read an article over at dpreview.com that there was some kind of partnership or at least mutual agreement which site would review which camera. I can't find it in the news archives on either sites, though.

Or am I completely mistaken here? Maybe Jeff would like to comment on this?

Nope, there's no official partnership between this site and DPR (though Phil is a friend of mine). A few years ago this site, DP Review, and Imaging Resource did come up with standard definitions of "preview" and "review", and that's more-or-less still being followed today.

[shshsh]

Which review in particular are you referring to? And what cameras should I have compared in that review?

For example, the Nikon P6000 review, or the Panasonic LX3 review.

In cases where there is a predecessor model, a comparison table makes great sense. But even if there is none, I'd welcome a table summarizing key data, such as focal length equivalent, megapixels, LCD size and resolution, presence of an image stabilizer, weight.

Yes, all those data are present somewhere in the review. But having such a table near the top of a review would help to get a quick overview at a glance.

No clue if it's just me, but I am kind of an impatient guy. ;) When I start reading a review, I find myself hunting for those key specs, scrolling up and down several times, so I can get an initial impression about that camera.

I find that I am not much interested to learn "what's in the box", battery life, provided software etc. before I know those key data. That's very much like telling your kids to neatly straighten out the wrapping paper of that Christmas gift and to watch out to not damage it while opening the package. ;)

Nope, there's no official partnership between this site and DPR (though Phil is a friend of mine). A few years ago this site, DP Review, and Imaging Resource did come up with standard definitions of "preview" and "review", and that's more-or-less still being followed today.

Thanks for the clarification -- and sorry for the disturbance!

[GoneTomorrow]

Jeff,

first of all, thank you very much for your great work. I really enjoy reading your reviews. This site is one of very few on the web (one other being your partner site dpreview.com) that provides honest reviews with a profound technical background. Most other sites simply reprint camera makers' press statements and put "review" somewhere to get Google hits.

But there are two improvement requests I have:


Please include the 35mm equivalent of lenses (of non-DSLR cameras, of course) somewhere in the intro section. "5x zoom lens" or the like doesn't really mean much to most readers; "35-120 equiv." does. If a camera doesn't cover the zoom range (in particular, wide angle) I need, I don't need to bother about anything else.


An overview table like you did with the Canon G10 or Canon SD880 IS review would be very, very nice to have for every review. It doesn't need to include all similar models; even if it has just one column it would help to get an initial idea what kind of camera it is.


Click the link at the top of this page that says "Reviews and Info." What do you see there? A table with exactly the information you seek - 35mm focal equivalent, image stabilization, etc. and the list being arranged alphabetically, you can usually see a previous model listed next to it.

[Beowulff]

This info is also already there for all cameras reviewed — at the very top of its review page:

.....I'd welcome a table summarizing key data, such as focal length equivalent, megapixels, LCD size and resolution, presence of an image stabilizer, weight.....

But having such a table near the top of a review would help to get a quick overview at a glance.....

If you click on the hot link to the camera's name (immediately preceding its price, in brackets) you'll be presented with a page detailing all the relevant technical specs in an overview format.

Hope this helps. :)