Thoughts on Ken Rockwell

[bentcountershaft]

I wish there was a guy like Ken for all of my hobbies. He's kind of funny and more importantly reminds me not to take myself too seriously.

 

[Derrel]

Ken Rockwell is like a steady diet composed ENTIRELY OF CHOCOLATE BROWNIES!!! Oh, sure, things are great for the first meal. But then things begin to go south. At the end of a week, you're literally BEGGING people for a taste of wholesome, nutritious food!!

 

[mfo]

I've mostly got time for his commentary/reviews. He often repeats himself several times within an article which I find a bit strange. I can understand inexperienced photographers getting irritated by some of his contradictions. If you're roughly at his level of experience you can take what he says as opinion (sometimes tongue in cheek) rather than gospel. He's entertaining and thought provoking. The photographic web would be more boring without his website. I'd share a couple of beers with the guy for sure!

 

[PhotoWrangler]

Sooooo, which would you rather have to digest? A plate with four balut eggs (developing chicken inside and egg), or four pages of Ken Rockwell writings????

I think I'd probably blow Rockwell before EVER eating half developed animal embryos.....

 

[480sparky]

My thoughts? He's a guy with lots of gear and a website.

 

[PhotoWrangler]

I think bashing KR is infantile.

Not to mention a terrible waste of time... in the time it took for everyone to post their bash, they could have finished editing another clients session.

 

[den9]

My thoughts? He's a guy with lots of gear and a website.

apparently most of his stuff is loaned, rented or bought and returned.

 

[canadyken1]

i read him and like his point of view

 

[Kerbouchard]

My thoughts? He's a guy with lots of gear and a website.

apparently most of his stuff is loaned, rented or bought and returned.

Somewhere on his page, he mentions that for some items that he reviews that he doesn't have access to, he just refers to the manufacturer info and makes up the rest. I thought it used to be on his about me page, but it looks like it has changed since the last time I visited.

 

[Nikon_Josh]

I think in a way KR mocks alot of the gearheads in the world! he has the seven categories of photographer which is highly entertaining if you have seen it...

What draws me back to Ken is his abilty to always push for the underdog lens, he does talk alot of sense about some of the cheaper lenses and makes it clear that they are great tools to make great images with. Instead of saying some four thousand pound lens is what you really need if your serious about photography! He tells everyone that it dosent really matter. Alot of review sites are complete BS, I find DPReview HIGHLY SUSPECT for a start!! They always offer completely middle of the road reviews.

I even heard that when they dared to knock the Canon 50D in ONLY a little way, they got an angry Canon rep on the phone to them. They are clearly paid mouth pieces for the manufacturers!

I think Ken is making a joke of the internet camera review circus and I find it highly entertaining! Gear heads are just plain irritating!

 

[Derrel]

I laughed out loud some years ago when Ken put up his "review" of the Nikkor 45mm f/2.8 P lens; a rare, specialized, modern, computer-aided design of the famous Tessar lens design of the prior century. He never had the lens in his hands when he reviewed it. He criticized it quite soundly in his "phantom review"...turned out the lens was one of the absolute best Tessar designs ever made--due to both Nikon's skill and capability as a lens making company and because the Tessar lens was initially designed in 1902, and Nikon used modern lens coating methods and internal lens baffling and computer-aided design to absolutely maximize the capabilities of this simple four-element design.

Ken took so,so,so much "flak" for his phantom review of the 45-P that he was forced to actually get a sample and try it, rather than look like a fool for reviewing something he had never even SEEN in person!!! That was a classic low point for Kenny. and as Josh alluded to above, YES, there are quite a few people on the web who appear to be paid shills for Canon gear. Many of their users are pretty sensitive about the Canon brand and any shortcomings that **anybody** finds in Canon products.