Letter to Mr Rockwell in regards to his 5Dmkiii review

[@!ex]

I sent this to him.  This guy seriously bugs me.  How can you write a review on something you don't even read the manual or check all the options on?  Crazy that he gets mentioned so often on forums all over the interwebs.

Here is a link to the comparison chart in his d800 review that I reference....

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d800.htm

Mr. Rockwell,
I have read both your reviews of the 5Dmkiii and the D800.

I just would like to inform you that some of your major concerns with the 5d that you harp on a LOT in the review are not in fact a reality.  These so called problems are echoed with big red no's on the comparison chart that you made at the bottom of the d800 review.

1) problem: AF marks hide subject.  Truth: it is fully customizable, in the 5th AF menu second item down "AF point display during focus", you can have the box on at all times, you can have all the AF boxes on all the time, you can have the AF box disappear once focus is achieved (best case scenario), or you can have it always gone.

2) problem: no one touch ability to switch between commonly used AF modes.  Truth:  Fully customizable.  I set the DOF button to switch to AI servo, so when I'm shooting in single shot mode, if I wanna quick switch to servo without taking my eye off the subject I just hold the DOF button and then it goes AI servo until I let go and then it's right back to single shot.  You can also set other buttons to perform this as well (if you actually use the DOF preview that much), IMHO it's actually much better than a physical toggle like on the older nikons and pentax because I would accidentally hit it and be in servo or vice versus all the time.

3) problem: no ability to select various AF points without multiple button presses.  Truth:  Can easily set this.  Again, under button customization, if you go to the the options for the multi selector (the joystick) the other option beside default is direct AF point selection.  If you set it this way you don't even need to hold the joystick down, just select away, no need to push the AF selector button first then hit the joystick (not that that is really hard, and I imagine they have this as the default so you don't accidentally move you AF point).

Just a thought, might be a good idea to read the manual and or check all the menus before writing a review on the web that tries to act informed, and sway people's purchasing opinions.

[wickidwombat]

wow you went pretty easy on him, I was expecting both barrels...

[neuroanatomist]

Heinlein summed it up: "Never try to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and it annoys the pig."

[EvilTed]

I bet he sings better than he takes pictures

+5 VIVID !!!!!

ET

[jrista]

I think you went rather softball on him. He is a classic Nikonist...he knows Nikon cameras like the back of his hand, and shows little interest in fully learning Canon cameras just as well, and that bias shows through very well in his reviews. The guy generally ticks me off for his blatant and rather constant bias.

[dturano]

I'm so angry i already opened and used my 5dmk3, i would have never got my camera if i saw this:

"World's best DSLR: 36MP FX, 4 FPS"

[wickidwombat]

The guy generally ticks me off for his blatant and rather constant bias.

not to mention him stating many things as absolute fact that are just plain wrong

[RunAndGun]

I wonder if he will actually change/update his review of the camera if he reads @!ex's letter about the focus system?  I have seen him update reviews many times before.

[jrista]

The guy generally ticks me off for his blatant and rather constant bias.

not to mention him stating many things as absolute fact that are just plain wrong

Yup. That too. I guess I kind of roll all that into "bias". "Bias and Lies, the fate of Ken Rockwell."

[drjlo]

2) problem: no one touch ability to switch between commonly used AF modes.  Truth:  Fully customizable.  I set the DOF button to switch to AI servo, so when I'm shooting in single shot mode, if I wanna quick switch to servo without taking my eye off the subject I just hold the DOF button and then it goes AI servo until I let go and then it's right back to single shot. 

Great minds think alike!  Few days ago, I configured the DOF button to assign AI servo for those exact reasons.  Kind of exhilerating to follow a moving object, hold down DOF (AI Servo) and squeeze off High Speed Burst.  That's how I got this shot the other day:


DZ3C0198A by drjlo1, on Flickr

[@!ex]

2) problem: no one touch ability to switch between commonly used AF modes.  Truth:  Fully customizable.  I set the DOF button to switch to AI servo, so when I'm shooting in single shot mode, if I wanna quick switch to servo without taking my eye off the subject I just hold the DOF button and then it goes AI servo until I let go and then it's right back to single shot. 

Great minds think alike!  Few days ago, I configured the DOF button to assign AI servo for those exact reasons.  Kind of exhilerating to follow a moving object, hold down DOF (AI Servo) and squeeze off High Speed Burst.  That's how I got this shot the other day:


DZ3C0198A by drjlo1, on Flickr

Great capture

[D.Sim]

Heinlein summed it up: "Never try to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and it annoys the pig."

Heh. nice quote... will have to remember that....

Only this time, the pig might sing later on and claim it invented singing...

to the OP: Well pointed out, and geeee you're civil....

[Orion]

Crazy that he gets mentioned so often on forums all over the interwebs.

Oh, I don't think it's crazy at all that he gets mentioned since people like to give credence and attention where it is least deserving. . . for the sole reason that they cannot remain quiet about that little spec opf dust they notice on the window, for example. . . . they just need to talk and mention it . . just like you and your letter can;t resist the urge to give confirmation and loend SOME credence to this "reviewer." SOciety is blinded by certain veils that force them to waste thier time on frivilous things and make big deals about them when there is no need, since, as in this case we already know, there are many more factual and souond reviews, etc, on the net.

So, please don't mention how crazy all this is that he gets mentioned. . . . it's society gone ape S___ and is itself acting frivilous and becomes wasteful just as wasteful as that which they cannot stand.

(not a knock on you, although it may sound like that. . . . just want to say what I see on the net and how society is shaping up . . or down, as the case may be)

I think you went rather softball on him. He is a classic Nikonist...he knows Nikon cameras like the back of his hand, and shows little interest in fully learning Canon cameras just as well, and that bias shows through very well in his reviews. The guy generally ticks me off for his blatant and rather constant bias.

By all means, then, let's keep on going over there and seeing what his next bias is . . . I think we know many, if not all, by now. . . . I hop somebody manages to save the world from him. That must be it!

[Bosman]

2) problem: no one touch ability to switch between commonly used AF modes.  Truth:  Fully customizable.  I set the DOF button to switch to AI servo, so when I'm shooting in single shot mode, if I wanna quick switch to servo without taking my eye off the subject I just hold the DOF button and then it goes AI servo until I let go and then it's right back to single shot. 

Great minds think alike!  Few days ago, I configured the DOF button to assign AI servo for those exact reasons.  Kind of exhilerating to follow a moving object, hold down DOF (AI Servo) and squeeze off High Speed Burst.  That's how I got this shot the other day:


DZ3C0198A by drjlo1, on Flickr

I like that idea.

[dr croubie]

Sometimes i wonder whether to feed the troll or not.
Any publicity he gets is just going to result in more hits to his site, more ad revenue, link-click-purchases and whatnot.
Sometimes I wonder if he's like a radio shock-jock, the ones who spout such inflammatory (generally ignorant, sexist, and racist, whatever, we've got one in Australia called Kyle, there's a Brit called Russel, although they're far from the worst), the public get offended, create an uproar, the shock-jock apologises and backpedals, but all that happens is that he gets more exposure and ratings and listeners and ad revenue.
I see a lot of parallels between that and the site-marketing techniques of mr rockhammer.

But then, I did read that entire review end to end. Maybe it's the way I read it, but it doesn't sound like the camera comes off sounding bad. He, on the other hand, does. Half of that long review could have been replaced with the text "I didn't bother to read even a quarter of the manual, or spend more than 5 minutes trying, so i'm going to blame the camera, the sooner I get this review out the sooner i get my ad revenue so this is all you get."


Still, it's not the worst i've read. I read an article from a Medium Format Film shooter, trying out digital for the first time, there was a line like "I tried zooming and you have to press a button on the back and it's hard to get precisely where you want it". Uh, yeah, compare manual-focus 6x6 film and prime-lenses to a crappy P&S digital. Didn't put me off wanting an MF film setup, but if anything i just lost a bit of respect for the reviewer...