Steve Huff's Reviews - The Anti-Ken Rockwell? :)

[dcsang]

This is just an observation.
Even more so, this is just MY observation - so take it with a grain of salt (or boulder if you will).

In reading Steve's recent review of the new Voigtlander 50mm Nokton f1.5 I found myself thinking, for some strange reason, about Ken Rockwell and his "reviews".

I like the way Steve writes and it makes you feel like you're hanging out with an enthusiastic friend who's into the same "stuff" you're into. With Rockwell, I always get the feeling I'm hanging out with an "acquaintance" who's trying to show off just how much better his "stuff" is than yours.

I know there are folks out there that don't like the way either of these guys write but right now, for me, I see Steve as being the Anti-Ken.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[jsrockit]

Interesting. The are both similar in that they only do a real review when they like a product (or at least think they will).

 

[Turtle]

I'd say Sean Reid is more the anti-Rockwell. Neither Rockwell nor Huff really quantify/objectify anything. Reid does, however.

 

[MikeL]

I'd say Sean Reid is more the anti-Rockwell. Neither Rockwell nor Huff really quantify/objectify anything. Reid does, however.

I'm with Turtle here. I'd go to Sean Reid's site if I want 'real world' data, and I'd go to the others for 'real world' enthusiasm.

 

[YYV_146]

I'm also a subscriber of Reid, but my favorite reviewer (blogger) is Ming Thein. He lives in an incredible city, and is a full-time photographer who seems to know every detail of his job. Reid elaborates more than he does, but for some reason doesn't sound as credible or as sincere.

Of course both of them are much, much more friendly than Mr. Rockwell. Steve Huff is overly enthusiastic at times, but his writing style is good enough for me to keep reading.

 

[kshapero]

I like them all, cause I AM A GEARHEAD.

 

[hteasley]

Rockwell writes like a self-obsessed teen. Huff needs a good editor, but he's much more readable to me. Nothing pace a power outage can improve Rockwell's site.

 

[icebear]

Rockwell writes like a self-obsessed teen. Huff needs a good editor, but he's much more readable to me. Nothing pace a power outage can improve Rockwell's site.

ROFL 😀😀😀

 

[kbg32]

Huff is definitely more likeable, but I always feel, that to get something published on his blog, one has to stroke his, ...er....em.. ego, quite a bit.

 

[GaryLH]

I like them all, cause I AM A GEARHEAD.

Same plus 1.

But u got to take it w/ a grain if salt. They all have their favorite gear (just human nature) that they write about. They all have different perspective of what they like in gear. As a gear head, it is entertaining reading.

For me, I tend to look harder at the negative comments about the gear their writing about. I will try to figure out for myself if this is really a problem for me.

Gary

 

[kshapero]

Same plus 1.

But u got to take it w/ a grain if salt. They all have their favorite gear (just human nature) that they write about. They all have different perspective of what they like in gear. As a gear head, it is entertaining reading.

For me, I tend to look harder at the negative comments about the gear their writing about. I will try to figure out for myself if this is really a problem for me.

Gary

For sure. It really is just entertainment to me.😀

 

[thegman]

I think they're more similar than different, but perhaps prefer Ken Rockwell for his enthusiasm for film. Steve is good, and comes over as a really nice guy however. Only thing with Steve Huff is that he pretty much only covers mirrorless and Leica gear these days, whereas Rockwell will cover everything up to 4x5.

 

[Ranchu]

I like Ken Rockwell! Too many haters.

 

[thegman]

I like Ken Rockwell! Too many haters.

Agree, the guy is a character, certainly, but he has a lot of enthusiasm, and a healthy disdain for the 'newer is better' attitude you see all over the place.

Also, his photography is actually pretty good IMHO.

 

[dcsang]

Quick question for those suggestion Mr Reid. Does he have a single review online which is not behind a paywall? (I only need one review to read - just so I see what I'm going to expect)

I have not looked in quite some time but if there is at least one review to see "what do I get for my money" then I may jump ship and subscribe.

Thanks,
Dave

 

[KenR]

I don't read Steve Huff very often so I can't really make a comparison between the two of them. But I can say that enjoy Rockwell's reviews. While he can be overly enthusiatic about a product (everything he likes is the best ever), at least he is willing to say when and why he doesn't like a product. All too often camera and lens reviews only give the positives and fail to mention the negatives about the product - as we all know, not every camera and lens is great, most are mediocre and some are dogs. All I want is a reviewer to tell me which is which (and why he thinks so) so that I can make sense of the every changing photo landscape.

 

[semilog]

I prefer the conversations about gear here at RFF to any of those sites.

There is more diversity of experience, approach, preference. Vastly more useful.

 

[back alley]

Quick question for those suggestion Mr Reid. Does he have a single review online which is not behind a paywall? (I only need one review to read - just so I see what I'm going to expect)

I have not looked in quite some time but if there is at least one review to see "what do I get for my money" then I may jump ship and subscribe.

Thanks,
Dave

lots on LL...i think that's where he started to write reviews.

 

[hteasley]

While he can be overly enthusiatic about a product (everything he likes is the best ever), at least he is willing to say when and why he doesn't like a product.

The times I've read his site, I've come away with the impression that he has zero memory of what he's written before. Sometimes, he appears to not know what he wrote in the previous paragraph. He'll either repeat himself many times, as if each new paragraph is the first time he made a particular observation, or hate on something that a previous review enthused over. Which, to me, makes him worthless as a reviewer.

 

[cz23]

Quick question for those suggestion Mr Reid. Does he have a single review online which is not behind a paywall? (I only need one review to read - just so I see what I'm going to expect)

I have not looked in quite some time but if there is at least one review to see "what do I get for my money" then I may jump ship and subscribe.

Thanks,
Dave

Sean used to write for Luminous Landscape. Search there on his name. His review style has evolved since then, but you'll get the idea.

Sean's range is fairly narrow and output relatively low, but his article index is available to everyone, so you'll get an idea of what he covers.

I see Steve more as "Ken-lite." All the enthusiasm without the bravado.

I read both but try to filter through the personality. I much prefer sites like Imaging Resource, Photozone, and Photography Blog. They just seem more objective and complete to me.

John