I'm considering writing a digital camera review, but the reviews I've read get super bogged down in technicals. This is great for those camera junkies who want to know that stuff. But what place is there for more casual-user oriented reviews? I can make a solid review from a casual standpoint, but will it be downgraded if it doesn't have all the technospeak that other reviews have?

Hi jkafer,

In electronics we like to provide consumers with two kinds of reviews. Technical reviews from those with product expertise and reviews from average users. Taken together, researchers will leave epinions with well-rounded and comprehensive product information. To be rated very helpful, both types of reviews should be rich in user experience.

1. Discuss the camera’s performance, it isn’t necessary to use technical jargon, and describe your use of the camera and it’s major features and your take on how well it does the job it was designed to do. Not only will this approach add more to your review but you will also become more familiar with your camera.

2. Did you print pictures (what size) or view your images on a monitor?

3. Image Quality (this is the most important single element in digital camera reviews) - is the color hue accurate or does red look orange, does yellow have a pinkish cast, or do some colors shift slightly. Is color neutral (natural) or highly saturated (enhanced). Was there any visible distortion? Are noise levels high, medium, or low?

4. Shutter lag is also very important. You’ll need to discuss whether the pause between when you push the shutter button and when the camera actually takes the picture long enough to cause you to miss the Kodak moment?

5. Ergonomics – Is the camera comfortable in your hands and is it easy to use? Are the controls logically placed, etc.? Did you need to refer to the user’s manual often?

6. Build quality – Does the camera feel flimsy or are there any parts that look or feel like they will break easily? Does the camera seem durable?

7. What sort of pictures do you take - family snapshots, indoors, action, macro, etc. and how did your camera handle these varied chores?

8. Battery life and Memory media. Power management is very important. Is the camera (with a fully charged battery) up to a full day outing, or did you run out of juice often enough to require the purchase or use of a back-up battery? Memory media is important to most purchasers, since many folks already have memory cards and they want to buy a device that will allow them to use their stock of on hand cards, rather than start from scratch with a new memory media format.

9. Is LCD screen bright, clear, and sharp? Is it easily viewed, even in bright sunlight?

10. How good was the included software (if you used it -- many don't use included software) if you did use it, was it easy to load and logical in use.

Finally, discuss whether the camera lived up to the manufacturer’s claims? Did you experience any problems; do you have specific likes or dislikes?

If I can be of any further assistance, feel free to e-mail me

Howard

Thanks Howard, With that info, I think I'll give it a shot (so to speak) since I did pretty well with my LCD TV review from a less-technical consumer perspective.

its not always about the hyper technicalities, a lot of times real world usage is just as if not more important and/or useful

I think many epinions digital camera reviews do their readers a great disservice by not providing more information on long-term (say, more than six months)reliability and environmental resistance. Long-term owners know the dirty little secrets.

Back in the day, a few brave publications actually tore down cameras to determine build quality. That's ancient history, though it was very useful (and quite a motivator to manufacturers). These days, it's too much to ask. But it would be great to get away from the 'pendulum' tendency of new review vs. ones done 12 months later:

"My brand new Cybo-XXXX is PERFECT, I love it"

(Then, months later, after warranty expires):

"My Cybo-XXX is no good, I'll never buy another"

Build quality of all new consumer digitals has taken a definite back seat to pixel count, screen size and lens zoom size. But a good review ought to indicate water resistance in terms of presence of gasketing and seals, and whether the camera seems to survive ordinary handling (say, accidentally turning the zoom on when lens-down on a countertop) and an occasional drop (something most older 35mm cameras could do with ease, with a few glaring P&S exceptions).

And I get really tired of hearing from people who got a light misting on their digital cameras or carried them in a damp pocket for an hour and ended up with blank screens or dead cameras, none of which is covered by warranty. Asking the manufacturer for information on gasketing and water resistance seems a small extra step to take in a consumer-oriented review, and a way to exert influence on more mass market manufacturers who are currently disinclined to improve their product in this area.

Also helpful is any knowledge on known defects and official or semi-secret free out-of-warranty repairs. This is important, as many manufacturers have greatly restricted or eliminated most independent repairs by eliminating training, parts and manual availability to most shops.

The question is, do epinions reviews remain at the level of basic camera operation and spec rehashing? If so, one can get that from Pop Photo or Shutterbug. I think that's an irresponsible way to review mass-produced electronic merchandise.

bump