November's Consumer reports

[DrPizza]

I only had a moment to glance at the articles yesterday. They ranked consumer cameras two ways - one without much criteria, and the second way based on "it has to fit in your shirt or pocket."

They also ranked the DSLR's. This is what I was most interested in. This is what they apparently based their opinions on: weight (just a few ounces of difference in most cases), effective flash distance (12.1 feet is better than 11.2 feet), a couple other (to me, nearly meaningless) categories, plus picture quality. But, I didn't see any mention of what lens was used with any of the cameras...

Anyone care to comment on their test criteria? (and hopefully, someone has access to the whole article - I just had a minute to glance at it.) Sure, they provided some good information, but it seems that there are other categories that are a bit more meaningful that they completely overlooked.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Ehhh... I don't have a subscription but I've read their past camera reviews. Yeah, they're pretty much meaningless. The DSLRs are probably tested using the kit lens that comes with the camera. These guys are not photographers. I think their recommendations are best just for general consumers.

 

[Jawo]

I've never been impressed with Consumer Reports methodology. As they saying goes "Jack of all trades and master of none." Once again they used meaningless methodology that the comon consumer bases their impulse buy habits on. Why else would cameras come in multiple colors and just increasing MP? MP is like processor speed....totally meaningless in todays age. PQ in a 10MP will be much worse than in a P&S, but how many people actually understand what PQ is? :frown:

I would be interested to see how they ranked the 5D's flash output

Edited for the failure of the disgust emoticon working.

 

[soydios]

/sigh

Yeah, they're just catering to consumers. How well does this body work with its kit lens, etc.
Real photographers, from amateur to professional, know that they are buying into a *system* of lenses, flashes, bodies, and all kinds of other accessories. Take my Nikon D50: a decent camera with kit lens, but with the 4 lenses I have now and an SB-800, it's niiice.

 

[soydios]

oops, double post. t3h forumz told me I had an error the first time

 

[corkyg]

Originally posted by: Jawo
I would be interested to see how they ranked the 5D's flash output

ROTFL!

Agree with the CR criticisms - they tend to be money oriented rather than performance. Like Fuzzy said - they are not photographers.

 

[GTaudiophile]

TOP 10 P&S "Compact" Digicams: (Highest total score to lowest)

Canon PowerShot A640
Canon PowerShot A710 IS
Canon PowerShot A630 (CR Best Buy) (Highest score on print quality)
Canon PowerShot S3 IS
Olympus SP-510 UZ
Fujifilm FinePix E900 (Highest score on print quality)
Nikon Coolpix S10
Fujifilm F31fd (CR Best Buy)
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 (Highest score on ease of use)
Canon PowerShot G7

TOP 10 P&S "Sub-Compact" Digicams: (Highest total score to lowest)

Sony Cybershot DSC-N2 (Highest score print quality)
Sony Cybershot DSC-W80 (Highest score print quality)
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX30
Sony Cybershot DSC-T50
Canon PowerShot SD800 IS Elph
Canon PowerShot 900 Elph
Samsung L77 (CR Best Buy)
Casio Exilim Card EX-S770
Samsung NV10
Casio Exilim EX-V7

TOP "SLR-Like" P&S Models: (Highest total score to lowest)

Fujifilm FinePix S6000fd (Highest score print quality)
Leica V-Lux 1 (Highest score ease of use)
Fujifilm FinePix S9100 (Highest score ease of use)

TOP DSLR Models: (Highest total score to lowest)

Canon EOS-30D
Nikon D80
Sony alpha DSLR-A100K
Nikon D200 (Best score for image quality)
Canon Digital Rebel Xti
Nikon D40
Pentax K10D
Pentax K100D

P&S Brand Repair History (from fewest to most):

Panasonic (3%)
Sony (5%)
Olympus
Kodak
Canon
Samsung (6%)
Fujifilm
HP
Nikon
Casio
Pentax (7%)
Vivitar

DSLR Brand Repair History:

Olympus (4%)
Canon
Fujifilm (5%)
Nikon (7%)