Consumer Reports camera review..

I wouldnt base my DSLR purchase on a CR report for some of the reasons mentioned above. But we are informed consumers seeking features to match a skill set. If the average newbie came in here seeking the most value for features I bet 90% of us would recommend the 60D and I think thats where CR was going.

gonzogolf wrote in post #12718574
I wouldnt base my DSLR purchase on a CR report for some of the reasons mentioned above. But we are informed consumers seeking features to match a skill set. If the average newbie came in here seeking the most value for features I bet 90% of us would recommend the 60D and I think thats where CR was going.

No most of us would tell the newbie to buy a 40D or 50D and spend money on lenses

Or best "value for features" would likely be a 5D Classic...

CR means to make recommendations to the general population. With Vacuums as an example, it is not an item that many people are willing to spend a lot of money on. For these people, a Dyson might be the top of their budget, and more expensive vacuums should be penalized for price. The problem with reviewing SLR's is that everyone doesn't really need an SLR. For 90% or more of the population a Powershot is enough (heck, it might be too much as all they really need is an 8MP phone camera). For those who want a little more, a G series might be perfect. An SLR of any brand is really only for those who want to get the full potential of the wonder that is single lens reflex.

The problem is that everyone wants to buy an SLR and have the best "toy." Most of these people will never buy a second lens, will probably never do post-processing, and will probably never end up here. With all this in mind, I am actually supprized that the Rebels and Nikon equivalents didn't do better, but considering that a 60D is not that much more than a T3i I guess the "newest" rebels don't have as much of a price advantage as they used to.

Read CR when you don't know anything, and when you don't want to learn. Otherwise you can always make a better decision for you than they will.

KenjiS wrote in post #12721441
No most of us would tell the newbie to buy a 40D or 50D and spend money on lenses

Or best "value for features" would likely be a 5D Classic...

Sure if you are recommending used cameras, but thats not the CR's mission.

I'd trust a publication that actually tests products it recommends, preferably by the experts. That's not what CR is doing. They ask their subscribers. Their subscribers tend to buy what CR recommends. Then they in turn recommend it to CR. It's a self-sustaining circle. Whenever I read their reviews of any subject I am even remotely familiar with, I find them downright funny - not in a good way. They are not always wrong, but their reviews are very superficial and based on stated specs or implied reliability, not actual testing data.

Amamba wrote in post #12725097
I'd trust a publication that actually tests products it recommends, preferably by the experts. That's not what CR is doing. They ask their subscribers. Their subscribers tend to buy what CR recommends. Then they in turn recommend it to CR. It's a self-sustaining circle. Whenever I read their reviews of any subject I am even remotely familiar with, I find them downright funny - not in a good way. They are not always wrong, but their reviews are very superficial and based on stated specs or implied reliability, not actual testing data.

CR does actually test the products and makes recommendations based on those tests. From their "How we test electronics" page:

I think the surveys you're referring to are how they measure reliability. For that, they survey subscribers and ask whether you've had any problems with your car/camera/etc. But for reviews they really do test the devices in house.

Amamba wrote in post #12725097
I'd trust a publication that actually tests products it recommends, preferably by the experts. That's not what CR is doing.....

Afty wrote in post #12725180
CR does actually test the products and makes recommendations based on those tests. From their "How we test electronics" page:


I think the surveys you're referring to are how they measure reliability. For that, they survey subscribers and ask whether you've had any problems with your car/camera/etc. But for reviews they really do test the devices in house.

What Amamba said has been said several times in this thread, and it is incorrect. Afty's reply is correct.

I've never subscribed to CR, but I would only rely on their ratings for ordinary consumer goods (e.g. appliances, televisions, etc.).

I would never rely on their ratings for enthusiast items of any kind (e.g. DSLRs, high performance cars, etc.). The reason is that they do not test items with the enthusiast in mind, but with the ordinary consumer in mind. So, should an ordinary consumer buy a Lotus sports car? No, and their review says why. Car enthusiasts rely on tests by people like Car and Driver, not CR. Likewise, photography enthusiasts should pretty much ignore how or why CR rates DSLRs.

KenjiS wrote in post #12710701
....
We finally decided "Well, We spent $600 on a Dyson, lets go look at a vacuum dealer" And well, Yes, theres a big difference, for instance, variable suction controls and other things that none of the others had...We ended up buying a Riccar canister vacuum that was on special for around $500 (our original budget) the difference is..well very VERY large, the thing is built VERY well (the powerhead is metal with a wood beaterbar) and it came with more tools than you can shake a stick at (Horsehair brushes and that) Its also...very quiet we found out... Sure, $500 is more than most people spend on a vacuum, But we also think this ones going to last about 20 years because of its build quality...

I was reading some local reports how good Dyson is. Our five old VC from Wall-mart went out of order one day.
We purchased the Dyson one. Way too heavy and too small canister. And expensive for no reason.
So, we fixed our old 55USD VC and run the test. We cleaned the carpet with Dyson first.
And we run our old cheap VC over the same spot. It was picking up a lot.

I guess 60D is on top because it has best functions-price-performance at this camera class.

kf095 wrote in post #12725329
I was reading some local reports how good Dyson is. Our five old VC from Wall-mart went out of order one day.
We purchased the Dyson one. Way too heavy and too small canister. And expensive for no reason.
So, we fixed our old 55USD VC and run the test. We cleaned the carpet with Dyson first.
And we run our old cheap VC over the same spot. It was picking up a lot.

I guess 60D is on top because it has best functions-price-performance at this camera class.

I think people think that Dyson is great because they spent so much on it that they want to believe it is amazing, so they swear by them. In my experience they are OK, and for the price, completely not worth it. I currently have an LG with the Kompressor technology - that vacuum is really good.

Keyan wrote in post #12725929
I think people think that Dyson is great because ....

I think they're great because of that guy's cool British accent...

Keyan wrote in post #12725929
I think people think that Dyson is great because they spent so much on it that they want to believe it is amazing, so they swear by them. In my experience they are OK, and for the price, completely not worth it. I currently have an LG with the Kompressor technology - that vacuum is really good.

Agreed, the LG Kompressor we had really didnt work bad, but had the same annoying tendency to suck the rug up into itself and get stuck in the carpet...

They're also cheaper...

The Dysons MIGHT be good if you have a home carpeted entirely in berber or short pile carpeting, but if you have a thicker carpet, forget it, they just get stuck, Even their top of the line model with all its fancy gadgets just gets stuck and cant clean...

Wait a minute, if I had any faith in CR I would not spent time to sign up for this forum...
I could have just followed their intelligent recommendations, right...
Wrong...They don't have a clue on half the crap that they push onto consumers.
The wise consumer does his own research.
Want to learn about Camera's listen to people that own and use them.
Want to purchase a vacuum as a janitor what he uses at his home.

RTPVid wrote in post #12725231
What Amamba said has been said several times in this thread, and it is incorrect. Afty's reply is correct.

I've never subscribed to CR, but I would only rely on their ratings for ordinary consumer goods (e.g. appliances, televisions, etc.).

I would never rely on their ratings for enthusiast items of any kind (e.g. DSLRs, high performance cars, etc.). The reason is that they do not test items with the enthusiast in mind, but with the ordinary consumer in mind. So, should an ordinary consumer buy a Lotus sports car? No, and their review says why. Car enthusiasts rely on tests by people like Car and Driver, not CR. Likewise, photography enthusiasts should pretty much ignore how or why CR rates DSLRs.

I stand corrected then, I was indeed thinking about car reliability reports that CS provides, which our Statistics professor used as a perfect example of a flawed research.