I just learned Photodo's lens review site. I glanced through the reviews on Sigma 30mm/1.4, 12-24mm zoom, etc. But I found a lot of reader's responsse with opposite observation.
Is Photodo's evaluation methed trustworth? It seems Photodo's reviews are widely quoted. How do you read it, how to extract the facts from it?
I also found that the dpreview is almost 100% biased to favor Canon. usually canon's new, strategic, products get reviewed very quick while other brands are far postponed or not review the most desired model or even missing.
It tihsd a common practice that every photo reviewer or review site has its own prefered brand?
Full Version: Photodo's Lens Review
Hi!
To begin with there are two kinds of tests at Photodo. The original MTF tests by Lars Kjellberg which were done by at the Hasselblad factory, using their equipment. Those test were very reliable.
Regarding the present tests they are using Imatest, a product I also "own". Imatest is very good, indeed, but must be used with a lot of care. Focusing is quite critical in lens testing. To reach optimal sharpness you would do focus bracketing, something you would not do in normal life.
Unfortunately there is a lot of sample to sample variations, so testing your own lens is a very good idea. The lens should have similar sharpness in all corners. Of the 6 lenses I bought recently, I had centering errors on two (both made by Tamron).
Testing says a lot about maximum achievable performance under optimum conditions. It does not tell a lot about other issues:
- Focusing accuracy
- Ghosting
- Flare resistance
Then there are couple of mysterious properties:
- 3D drawing
- Bokeh
- Microcontrast
The reason that Canon dominates the tests may depend on quite a few issues:
- Canon dominates the market (with Nikon on it's heels)
- You don't need to test third party lenses on different bodies
Finally I would say that I sort of prefer http://www.photozone.de . I have nothing against photodo, and the original "Photodo" test by Lars Kjellberg are still my "golden standards" of independent tests.
The tests at http://www.slrgear.com are also very informative. They use DXO.
Best regards
Erik Kaffehr
To begin with there are two kinds of tests at Photodo. The original MTF tests by Lars Kjellberg which were done by at the Hasselblad factory, using their equipment. Those test were very reliable.
Regarding the present tests they are using Imatest, a product I also "own". Imatest is very good, indeed, but must be used with a lot of care. Focusing is quite critical in lens testing. To reach optimal sharpness you would do focus bracketing, something you would not do in normal life.
Unfortunately there is a lot of sample to sample variations, so testing your own lens is a very good idea. The lens should have similar sharpness in all corners. Of the 6 lenses I bought recently, I had centering errors on two (both made by Tamron).
Testing says a lot about maximum achievable performance under optimum conditions. It does not tell a lot about other issues:
- Focusing accuracy
- Ghosting
- Flare resistance
Then there are couple of mysterious properties:
- 3D drawing
- Bokeh
- Microcontrast
The reason that Canon dominates the tests may depend on quite a few issues:
- Canon dominates the market (with Nikon on it's heels)
- You don't need to test third party lenses on different bodies
Finally I would say that I sort of prefer http://www.photozone.de . I have nothing against photodo, and the original "Photodo" test by Lars Kjellberg are still my "golden standards" of independent tests.
The tests at http://www.slrgear.com are also very informative. They use DXO.
Best regards
Erik Kaffehr
QUOTE (abcdefghi_rstuvwxyz @ Dec 8 2007, 08:46 PM)
I just learned Photodo's lens review site. I glanced through the reviews on Sigma 30mm/1.4, 12-24mm zoom, etc. But I found a lot of reader's responsse with opposite observation.
Is Photodo's evaluation methed trustworth? It seems Photodo's reviews are widely quoted. How do you read it, how to extract the facts from it?
I also found that the dpreview is almost 100% biased to favor Canon. usually canon's new, strategic, products get reviewed very quick while other brands are far postponed or not review the most desired model or even missing.
It tihsd a common practice that every photo reviewer or review site has its own prefered brand?
Is Photodo's evaluation methed trustworth? It seems Photodo's reviews are widely quoted. How do you read it, how to extract the facts from it?
I also found that the dpreview is almost 100% biased to favor Canon. usually canon's new, strategic, products get reviewed very quick while other brands are far postponed or not review the most desired model or even missing.
It tihsd a common practice that every photo reviewer or review site has its own prefered brand?
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