binary visions Offline Upload & Sell: Off
|
p.3 #2 · p.3 #2 · Where does Ken Rockwell get his lens sale figures? | |
JohnK007 wrote:
Can you honestly name a Nikon resource, other than MIR, that has more reviews on old Nikon glass than Ken's? I'll bet that you can't. I do agree there are better write-ups on particular items, which I appreciate also, but such authors always have comparatively few articles to offer. Again, no one (other than MIR) has a more complete database of articles, photographs, opinions, and history for each item.
I also disagree with you that Ken's reviews are "full of errors." Of course, there will always be "some" errors on any huge effort or compilation like that, but it's ridiculous to define an effort like that by a few errors. I said you should either step-up, and make the effort to do something better (and "error-free"), or step-back and appreciate the time and dedication it took to create a resource like Ken Rockwell's. I have a particular distaste for "fault-finders" who (while contributing nothing of their own) always look for errors or omissions in the herculean efforts of others.
As for your contention that Ken "doesn't care," nonsense. No way does a man who puts forth that kind of effort "not care." Most likely, he just ignored your trifling criticisms and so this likely soured you on him. Also, there was a member on the previous page that said Ken personally contacted him to find out everything he could about his equipment. Maybe this fellow approached Ken differently.
From my own experience, I know for a fact that Ken's review of the Nikon Ai-S 15mm f/3.5 fit my lens to a T. The lens was quality-made, looked and felt wonderful, but in the end it had way too much flare, ghosting, which made it difficult to use and it just didn't deliver. (He said, "As you can see, I wasn't that impressed for my uses and sold it,") My experience was identical: I wanted to like this lens, but in the end every single limitation KR described prompted me to sell mine also. His other remarks of the other Nikkor lenses I own, and still have, are spot-on as well.
So I don't think he's as far off as you try to make it seem, and he certainly isn't a detriment. Detriment to what? I would bet a thousand dollars to a penny, there isn't a Nikon user alive, connected to the internet, who hasn't read, used and *profited* from many of his write-ups. I know I have. Honestly, the only "detriment" I see is what you're trying to do by badmouthing someone over a distaste for his style.
If you really look (even at the one link I posted), there is a lot of good material there (with multiple images and links to still more information), again on just that one article. From where I sit, I see a man who took a lot of time and effort to put together that one page, alone, and when I multiply that effort times the hundreds of articles he's written, it shows me an individual with more dedication than what any "fault-finder" has ever displayed.
The one who "doesn't care enough" is the man who sits there, criticizes, but who ultimately does nothing.
It sure isn't the man who spent decades creating a resource like that.
So let's just agree to disagree ......Show more →
First off, your whole premise is ridiculous. Not having personally cultivated a large Nikon site doesn't mean someone is not entitled to their own opinion about Ken Rockwell.
Second, here's my problem with Ken: you know the phrase, "a few bad apples spoils the barrel"? My issue with him is that, as M635_Guy found, he has a not-insignificant amount of objectively incorrect information on his site that he doesn't seem to be inclined to fix or care about. He also has a good chunk of total speculation that is presented with enough authority and firmness to where it could be interpreted as being meaningful.
When you present yourself as an authority, yet demonstrate that you're completely willing to ignore facts, refuse to recant when you're provably wrong, push narratives that are incompletely presented and badly reasoned, and engage in wild speculation that is presented right alongside your reviews as if they had some kind of basis in reality... you've rather significantly hurt your credibility. If my GPS took me to Omaha, Nebraska one out of every ten times I jumped in the car, I'd cease to trust it, even though it's a dramatic minority of the time.
I admire his ability to make a living off his website. I don't hate him. I just think his site and his opinion needs to be taken with enough salt that it's not really worth referencing or looking at.
|