Info New Reviews Section. Your input is needed!

Marcel

Marcel

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Marcel
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Following on from a thread by Gary/GHP here, I've opened up a reviews section that we set up a while ago.
It was something that's been in the pipeline for a while, so after Gary's request it seems now would be a great time to get it underway.

We used to have a fairly decent reviews section before we switched to XenForo, but the software running it was crap.

Anyway, we need your input to help shape it and decide how best to proceed with the structure.

My proposed structure was something like this (With categories and sub categories).

  • Equipment
    • Cameras
      • Canon
        • Type A
        • Type B
      • Nikon
        • Type A
        • Type B
    • Lenses
      • Canon
        • Prime
        • Zoom
        • Other
      • Nikon
        • Prime
        • etc
    • Accessories
      • Tripods

Maybe something along those lines?
We could change it the other way and have the equipment split up by type, then instead of the subsection being split by manufacturer, we could split it by equipment type. Like this :

  • Equipment
    • Cameras
      • Type A
        • Canon
        • Nikon
        • etc
      • Type B
        • Canon
        • Nikon
        • etc
    • Lenses
      • Prime
        • Canon
        • Nikon
        • etc
      • Zoom
        • Canon
        • Nikon
        • etc
      • Other
        • Canon
        • etc
    • Accessories
      • Tripods
Obviously there will be more manufacturers, the 'etc' is just indicative of that.
It also has a tagging system, so we could potentially do away with some of the subcategories and instead use a manufacturer tag perhaps?
 
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Software reviews?
 
Various triggers. Water drops. Sound. Noise. Movement. Lots of questions on these especially in winter months.
 
Yep, there'll definitely be place for Software reviews, and things like triggers :)
 
With just three reviews offered, and those significantly 'empty' I don't think you need worry very much about dividing content into categories too much, just yet!

Flesh out the template, give us an 'example', and maybe some will add reviews of kit they own & use, and others then comment on how they find it in different situations.

Want one on my Sigma 4.5 fish? Or maybe the Nkon 35 & 50 primes I got for the daughter? Could get the ball rolling, but, from what's there ATM I wouldn't know where to even begin, sorry.

I actually looked at section a few days ago, 'cos I was having one of those (usually fatally expensive!) 'ideas' looking at a folder of old film 'photo's named just 'Anglesey 1995' and thinking "Err.. that looks more like Llangollen!" and thinking Hmmmmm I wonder whether one of these GPS taggig wotsits might be useful to save such mysteries in the future... and went looking to see how they worked!
 
Question - how are you handling the libel issue ? I used to mod the reviews section of WAB and i remember that being a total PITA to resolve - ie how you/TP/slack don't wind up liable when someone writes a bad review that a manufacturer thinks is unfair (if i recall correctly we had a disclaimer that reviews were only the opinion of the poster and not necesaarly of etc)

Also I presume you'll be having a rule about only reviewing stuff you own/have used rather than recycling b*****ks from the internet ? ( I also recall that being a thorny issue)
 
I'd favour the second approach - filed under type initially rather than make - easier to compare stuff?
GlennW said:
Photobook reviews?
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Do you mean books from publishers, or the other kind? The only really meaningful reviews of published photographic work would have to include a number of page samplings if not a video flip-through.
 
droj said:
I'd favour the second approach - filed under type initially rather than make - easier to compare stuff?

Do you mean books from publishers, or the other kind? The only really meaningful reviews of published photographic work would have to include a number of page samplings if not a video flip-through.
Click to expand...

Published books, sorry, should have been clearer :)
 
MWHCVT said:
Didn't we do all this when we were on vBull? I'm certain I remember filling out reviews on there only for the section to vanish a few months later
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Marcel said:
We used to have a fairly decent reviews section before we switched to XenForo, but the software running it was crap.
Click to expand...

do try to keep up matticles ;)
 
The first structure will make specific items easier to find: Tool, then make, then type, then item.
 
There is a bunch of reviews already in the F&C section on a selection of random film-related stuff. If you wanted to integrate that, the number of manufacturers goes up, a lot.

I use the user review database in PentaxForum a lot. It's reasonably well structured, and tends to collect a lot of common information on each camera and lens. The 3rd party lenses are particularly valuable, but it's a bit annoying that one can't invert the structure. As an example, I'm interested in all 20mm focal length PK fit lenses, but I have to look first at the Pentax lenses, then choose K, M, F etc, then prime vs zoom, then go back to the 3rd party lenses, choose each brand and find the 20mm lens if they have one. I'd like to be able to turn that up the other way, so I could maybe choose full frame vs crop coverage, then all the 20s in the database. Now I guess with only a few reviews this is not a problem you have yet!

One thing it does point up is that 3rd party lenses are a complication in any structure, as they may well be children (as it were) of several camera parents, or vice versa if you turn it up the other way (easier, in that case, I think).

That all looks as clear as mud, sorry!
 
I'd prefer going by type eg crop sensor and listing all equipment under that. Each manufacturer would have a tag so if you wanted all canon crop sensor reviews, it would be easier. This is often how people buy: they look at the same format from different manufacturers so a way of reading all relevant reviews is important.

A multiple tagging system would help so you could find all reviews with the tags 20mm and PK, as per Chris' example.
 
Just as long as we get away from classifying anything that's not Canon or Nikon as "Other"
 
Alastair said:
Just as long as we get away from classifying anything that's not Canon or Nikon as "Other"
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"not Canon or Nikon" ? I dont understand :thinking:

On a serious note,following from "Omens" suggestion I'm not sure splitting between Crop and FF would be needed but I think a separate section for mirrorless and/or topend compacts would be good. Not by manufacturer maybe but just as a section by itself.
The thinking being that with DSLRs the majority are either Canon or Nikon and to a degree Sony (apologies to others but its just a fact, dont blame me). However mirrorless and top end compacts are much more diverse (Fuji,Panasonic,Olympus,Sony etc etc) and many Canon/Nikon/Sony DSLR shooters often own/invest in these systems as well.
 
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Alastair said:
The sheep never do...
;)
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its because when you tell the girl in the camera shop that you're looking for some of the other you get a restraining order...
 
Can i also suggest a section for wildlife photography accessories ... gloves, hats, camo sets, hides, scrim netting, ghillie suits etc (prompted by the gloves thread)

Also am I being thick or can members not submit reviews yet ?
 
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