What's the best lens review site?

[snerkler]

As the title, what sites do you recommend to assess lenses as I find that they can vary quite a lot? For example, until Jim and Twist advised me otherwise I was considering the Panny 14mm f2.5 and I saw one review that gave it 2.5/5 (photozone.de) and one that gave it 4.5/5 (photography blog). Now that's quite a difference, and very confusing for people like myself that aren't familiar with all the lenses out there.

So is there one place to go that gives reliable results?

Cheers.

 

[twist]

I like digital picture BUT it doesnt have all manufacturers lenses, for mirrorless stuff cameralabs is pretty good. DPReview is also good especially the comparometer.

 

[Ugg10]

I tend to take a consensus across

DP review
The Digital Picture (canon and nikon compatibles only really)
Ephotozine
Photozone
Cameralabs
Ken Rockwell (canon and nikon compatibles only really)
Occasionally whatdigitalcamera, slrgear, lenstip

Sorry, long list but if you take an average of the above it seems to give a good idea and on most occasions they all pick up the same major +/- points.

 

[FlyingShrapnel]

I tend to take a consensus across

DP review
The Digital Picture (canon and nikon compatibles only really)
Ephotozine
Photozone
Cameralabs
Ken Rockwell (canon and nikon compatibles only really)
Occasionally whatdigitalcamera, slrgear, lenstip

Sorry, long list but if you take an average of the above it seems to give a good idea and on most occasions they all pick up the same major +/- points.

You have named them all!

 

[Ugg10]

You have named them all!

Yep, I don't think one is more definative than another therefore the only solution is to read them all and then work out the consensus view.

 

[snerkler]

Yep, I don't think one is more definative than another therefore the only solution is to read them all and then work out the consensus view.

But that's the trouble. As you'll see from my first post there's quite some variation from the sites and so how do I know which one's to go by lol? If there's a 1:9 split or something then that's fine, but when it's 50/50 I guess I'm best to avoid

 

[godsakes]

While I do enjoy photozone reviews, take their reviews with a pinch of salt as they can be overly brutal. For example they give very harsh scores for the tamron 28-75mm 2.8 and sigma 50mm 1.4 which I know to be very good lenses, they clearly place a heavy weighting on stuff I don't notice/care about.

For sony stuff you can't beat the huge review database on dyxum

 

[FlyingShrapnel]

Agree with the consensus for reviews, best to read about it from multiple sources

Not much for lens review, but i did pixelpeep myself when looking for a new body a short while ago

 

[Tinywerz]

The best review sites are Flickr and 500px.

I couldnt give a crap about seeing charts, graphs and numbers with regards to performance.

Review sites are potentially financially biased by manufacturers and do not reflect real world use.

For example looking at corner sharpness at f1.4...whats the point? Don't get hung up on reviews, I've several friends who spend hours and hours looking at reviews when it actually will in no way will improve their photography.

Just buy something that you want at a price you are happy with and spend the hours you wouls have spent reading reviews using the gear you have bought.

When I do read though I generally go for SteveHuff as what get are representitive of actual use.

 

[snerkler]

The best review sites are Flickr and 500px.

I couldnt give a crap about seeing charts, graphs and numbers with regards to performance.

Review sites are potentially financially biased by manufacturers and do not reflect real world use.

For example looking at corner sharpness at f1.4...whats the point? Don't get hung up on reviews, I've several friends who spend hours and hours looking at reviews when it actually will in no way will improve their photography.

Just buy something that you want at a price you are happy with and spend the hours you wouls have spent reading reviews using the gear you have bought.

When I do read though I generally go for SteveHuff as what get are representitive of actual use.

I was talked out of Flickr for comparing lenses as you never know how much PP's done. I do want real world reviews rather than test chart reviews etc. Steve Huff does this then? Any others?

 

[godsakes]

I was talked out of Flickr for comparing lenses as you never know how much PP's done. I do want real world reviews rather than test chart reviews etc. Steve Huff does this then? Any others?

From what I can tell the 14mm f2.5 is a ok lens but not exceptional. It's real world value (or at least it would be for me) is it's a pancake lens so you can potentially have a (coat) pocketable camera. If that's the angle your going for then get it otherwise there's better IQ lenses albeit more expensive & larger