Can You Trust Youtube Camera Reviewers?
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- Опубліковано 23 тра 2024
- I didn't want to make this video but It felt right. What are your thoughts on this topic?
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it always get real when the handheld mic comes out
😆🤣
All industries are like this. I was a golf journalist. Started as a blogger and moved up to work for magazines.
Got invited to a lot of trips with all the brands. On one of these we were shown a "revolutionary" new shoe. I said it was terrible and more like a soccer shoe than golf. Not comfortable. Made huge marks on greens. The concept lived for two years..... And I wasn't invited for another trip with that company in the next 2+ years.
A major brand released a new club. Remaked of an old club, same name. I wrote that golfers could just buy the old one cheaper because the new one didn't bring anything new to the market. Got a nice message sent to me from the brand - "Do you have any idea how much money we spend on ads in your magazine?" They just left that rethorical question hanging. So I took their press release, rewrote it just a little bit and asked if this is something more in line with what they wanted. "YES! This is great". I replied that they'd better like it because it was basically their own article. Didn't hear anything from them after that.
I quit a dream job in the golf industry because I wasn't comfortable with the lies. It's still the same. Total shitshow. No ethics or standards. Only entertainment.
Crazy! In lots of industry’s then. I’ve heard car reviewers say the same thing. And cars are harder to come by and being first out with your car review is so aggressive. If you make that car brand mad 100% you are never getting review units again and it’s much harder to source a new car than it would a camera. So most of the time you’ll see ultra positive reviews from these journalists. It’s tough because if that’s your job and lively hood and you need to fall in line and go with the flow. I get it but it’s a much more serious purchase compared to a camera lol
@@LeeZavitz Having reviewed cars for almost 15 years I can say some brands are pretty petty about criticisms, and it's not the brand per say, but a Director of VP of Comms usually that is prickly. I've had others who told me that they expected criticisms and only respected journalists who were balanced. If I did have a review car that I didn't like, didn't have anything good to say, or there were problems with, I'd talk to the PR person of the company and give them a heads up of what was coming.
@LeeZavitz like you I got burned out and when there is so little difference in mainstream cars it was no longer interesting or fun. Only so many ways and times you can say, it's fine, if this is the flavor you like great, if not, lots of other good choices.
It’s the same in every industry. Hotels are the same. Also applies to most awards especially those linked to magazines. The biggest sponsors throughout the year get the rewards, front covers etc.
You’re the best out there, man. I follow your channel because I think you’re a great photographer. And the vibe, kind and professional way you’re directing the models is really inspiring too. Giving a little insight in what it’s like working with models on a shoot. I don’t enjoy reviews or video tutorials. I rather want to see how someone skilled in their craft is using their tools. Just like you.
And take those burnt out feelings seriously. Find a way forward taking your wellbeing and creativity and goals into mind. I like you 💫
Thanks bro. You’ve been here since almost the beginning of my channel and appreciate you being part of this community 🤘🏼
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Lee. 👍
Yes Lee we want more talking head videos. Good stuff
Lee Zavitz >>>>> Peter McKinnon
think the main issue on YT are people reviewing gear that they actually don't need or use and basically change brands and products every week just for clicks and views. Anyone reviewing products (especially cameras) should have a real use for it and know how to film first.
Personally for example I only review stuff I either need for a specific project or that would complement my kit in a genuine way for my documentary work.
I say no to 95% of requests I get and I always make sure to say what I like but also what I don't like and what doesn't work, regardless of the company or product.
I started watching you when you had like 30k followers. Still look forward to your videos and am it’s just awesome that you can make a decent living out of UA-cam now!
Hey Lee, i always like your reviews. You point out both sides of the spectrum, from the positive to the more negative points. I understand that this is based on your subjective opinion and your specific needs but it gives me a general idea how that gear would work for me. Thank you and keep it up!
Refreshing to be open and honest. I’ve always been curious about how least things are done. Thanks for opening up about how you feel about this and being transparent love the channel. I mostly follow you for the creative work you do for whatever it’s worth.
you’ve always been honest and videos like these makes me appreciate you even more. There was just a time where you where really into Sony cameras + loving Fuji colors and it seemed like you where still on purpose just fanboying Sony even tho your heart was with Fuji…. But at the end of the day everybody is trying to survive and corona was hard
I love all camera brands. Everyone making good stuff now. But Sony is my main system I use
I like this video style! Love your content bro! Appreciate the vid.
Great video, thanks! When I was a reporter and had my radio show I had the same issue and often put on positive interviews that maybe didn't deserve so much.
Now I refused commercial trips but in your position I would have been too excited about being part of Fuji's spécial events and meeting with them in Japan and I sure would have considered it as some kind of achievement at the time.
You're right that's the way it is and we have to make our own decisions based upon our own experience. Still your reviews never felt like biased to.me, only (too) nice at times but nothing dishonest and I trust what you say overall because you're good and know what you're talking about and your videos are fun.
So thanks and keep up with the good work 👍
I watch a lot of UA-cam & different genre's not just photography so have seen a huge shift of how products are sold , marketed & promoted now using UA-cam . Its all about integrity & trust .
I trust you Lee as ive been watching you for many years so If im going to buy something I for sure do value your opinion highly & respect what you say .
Now I do watch other content creators who promote their own brand products now & this is often for me where the lines get mudded .
I stopped watching Peter McKinnon not because I didn't like his content as its often very good & inspiring but I feel its all an advert for him to sell his own products now & for me he has lost his integrity for this . .. that's my 2 cents worth.. keep up the great work Lee
Well thank you I appreciate having you here and watching the content, I wanted to chime in on the stuff you said about UA-camrs or PM selling their products and it kind of turns you off. Honestly that’s the best way to support a UA-camr because most of that goes directly to them. if I had more physical stuff to sell I would rather push that than do sponsored brand deals. but that’s just my thoughts on that.
@@LeeZavitzPeter McKinnon is on another level however, everything he does seems to be a vapid advert. And have you seen his pricing on his merch. $500+ Knife and he would do a whole "inspirational video" just to promote the knife and how BOLD it is, followed by some cowboy indie rock beat and throw in a Truck for good measure 😂 Its all too formulaic and clearly he is just trying to sell a product.
Poor Peter. He looks worn out lately
I am subscribed to your channel not only for the reviews (I own one of the cameras you reviewed and totally agree with your review) but also because your reviews are also inspirational portrait sessions from which I can learn. Thank you for your work Lee !
I appreciate that!
Thanks for being transparent and honest about your reviews and work. These kinds of talking videos help build trust, so I think they’re worth it!
I'm glad Gerald opened up the conversation on this topic. I've gotten way too much bad advice on UA-cam by shills. The problem is mostly the sin of omission.
Great video - needed to be said!
Like this style. Keep on doing these every now and then ❤
Appreciate your sincerity! Like others have said it's media content creators are in some ways the newest version of journalists so its important for everyone in society to understand that this is how it works
I’m a new content creator and already have been approached to do “collaborations” with brands with a lot of conditions. Some even wanted to review the video before publishing. I have said NO to all so far. Right now, I am working on an ethics statement for my website. I would not consider doing any collaborations where I am not free to share my unbiased opinion and have full control over what is published. I have always admired Gerald‘s disclosure where he says something was loaned to him no money changed hands and no one gets to see the video before everyone else and I think that is the correct way to go. I enjoy your channel Lee and I am a subscriber.
Gerald does that disclosure at the start of most videos because he doesn’t want to have to deal with the commenters assuming he is just always paid. I don’t say it but it’s exactly the same for most of us making videos. I just feel like it goes without saying unless mentioned otherwise which we legally have to do. I think it’s good you say no to brands wanting to review it before you post it. I do the same. The only time I send a video for review is if it’s a brand integration and they want to make sure I worded things correctly so no wrong information comes out. Anyway thanks for the comment :)
@4:29, You said press trips vs sponsorships is a gray area because no real money being exchanged, and then go on to discuss the disclosure requirements for sponsorships. It's actually not considered a gray area by the FTC and they have very specific disclosure rules about this. To quote the FTC's guidelines for influencers: (start FTC quote) "Disclose when you have any financial, employment, personal, or family relationship with a brand. Financial relationships aren’t limited to money. Disclose the relationship if you got anything of value to mention a product. If a brand gives you free or discounted products or other perks and then you mention one of its products, make a disclosure even if you weren’t asked to mention that product." (end FTC quote) I watched 13 different S9 UA-cam videos from influencers that went to the S9 press event - only two of them disclosed that Panasonic paid for their trip to Japan. This is a clear violation of the FTC's disclosure rules.
Thanks for sharing!
How many times do I have to say this..."Gear Pimps". I need for you guys to stop saying "there's no money being exchanged"...You got an all expense paid trip to Japan or where ever, you get to "use" a brand new camera and lenses for that camera as long as you want and make content, which translates to views , ads and "link in the description". I love that you work, show us how to use it by taking us along with you. Thanks man!
Yep, lets not forget they get exclusive events, all good paid for and full accomadation. I calculated the recent price Panasonic paid for each influencer on this recent japanese trip and it came up to between $3000-$4000 bucks (Not including additional fees and event costs like the TeaHouse Geishas and such) We would LOVE to go on these trips 3 times a year and play with exclusive tech so the incentive for bias is built right in.
P.S. Lets not forget that if you say anything negative you won't get invited to the next all expenses paid for trip!
The best review for me is just watching someone talented like you use the product. Keep at it!
Hi Lee. I really love your stuff. I like the laid back and understated way you present your reviews. I also have learned a lot about how to work well with models from watching you. Such a nice friendly approach it's inspiring. Keep doing the same please.
Great video Lee!
More like these please!
Its not only "dangerous" when you get paid directly. Even if they just pay you a trip where you have some exiting stuff, they are in your head. And every human feels bad if you dont to them a favor when they are so "nice" to you. Psychology. Simple.
Exactly. The Cialdini principle persuasion "reciprocity"
My question is if you watched Lee’s first look at the camera (not a review) did he mislead you?
Great video about this whole issue. As you said you give an opinion as reviewer, it is the viewer to make their decision.
One of the reason I trust your reviews is that your photos looks amazing. I cant watch reviewers that talks about gear all the time but there is no their work to back it up, or if there is it sucks.
Good stuff! Tons of respect! Appreciate the honesty. Lots of truth here! Also…sorry for messing with you at NAB and flipping your hat up….felt like a jerk for that even though I was just messing around early in the morning. ✌️
The latest Panasonic release showed us that more than half of UA-cam reviewers are sell outs
I completely agree. But we have to remember, It’s still a business at the end of the day.
@@marcgilles4520 you can lead a business with transparency and ethics otherwise you are setting yourself up for failure with your audience
Yup, and I'm in the processor of cleaning out my subscription list accordingly.
@@Bo_HazemI’m also in the process of cleaning out my subscriptions.
@@villegas24I hope your comment gets more likes. It’s important to stand on principles.
I started watching UA-cam camera reviews some years ago, and I remember feeling I should definitely get a Sony A5100 because of the enthusiasm that such a nice guy as Ted Forbes of The Art of Photography showed for it and the title of his review, "Is the Sony A5100 the best deal in photography?.
With time, I got to realize Ted was very enthusiastic about quite a lot of gear, and it is just the way he is. There is really nothing wrong with it; the world is full of people with different personalities, and that gets through even the most objectively intended review. Humans after all. And they are hunting for views and likes. Peter McKinnon, with the amazing quality of his work, became a master of the clickbait title. How many times has he dropped dramatic titles like "This is my last video" or "I'm leaving this?" It has worked for him, hasn't it? Of course, this is really offputting for those who found themselves caught with said bait, but it is what it is.
Nowadays, I tend to apply the same useful rule I made for myself in the very useful career-forming days of Flickr: I'll give value to the opinions of the people actually doing better quality work. Some UA-camrs can be incredibly tech-savvy and know every detail of the equipment, but if, at the end of the day, they are not using the tools to do scrollstop-savy work, whats the point?
So the opinions of people who actually do great photos, like Lee or Cam, get the most credibility from me, at least. And I still watch the other videos for entertainment because of the likeability of the UA-camrs. After all, UA-cam is not dominated by highly trained professional specialized journalists; it is mainly regular people, hobbyists, opinionists, good conversationalists, etc.
Just like in the real world, you choose whom's opinion you're going to give more credit to. You filter, like in life.
The best way to counter the "review even pre-release" stuff is to invite the people to the event, then give them an embargo of like 2 weeks at least, let everyone craft a proper review without a rush, and then have them post it after the embargo.
I think my biggest issue is I don't trust a lot of reviewers anymore because even though they are often not paid to do a nice video, their income depends on them getting lenses for review, and if they are harsh in their critique they won't get a sample next time. So whenever they say "I have received this for free, but am not paid", I'll assume the guy isn't honest in his review.
The whole point of YT reviews was always "we cannot trust big media sources so this dude next door on YT surely gonna give his honest opinion as he's not paid", but it all falls apart if reviewers depend on companies sending them free stuff and invite them to press events or whatever to get their monthly revenue, they then become the same as magazines, TV channels etc. So I always look out for the guys that are mainly professionals in their field and only do YT as a side gig and often you can tell really quickly.
In the end photography YT is in a unique position anyway because there are usually two types of reviews. One is the technical charts and I can look at them on mute and don't need the reviewers' opinion, so that's pretty straight forward, and then there's the more creative side which I appreciate your channel for, which shows how a lens or gear can be used. I can then make my own mind off of that impression, it isn't really critical what the reviewers says, it's more about what he objectively shows
Always stay tuned
Lee you’re one of my favs brother. Excited to see what you got cookin.
I think the "press trip reviews" should be renamed to "first impressions" since the time you have with the product is so short.
This isn’t a knock on you, but the amount of these photography channels putting out this exact video with the exact same time is just funny in the wider scope of the last few weeks.
I wish more YTers would just sit down and explain who they are, what their ethos is, etc. it’s easy to suss out the real ones when they do.
Love you brother, hope you feel better.
Excellent, genuine, and rare feedback
Feeding your cat is very important. Thanks for the integrity and the cat support. I let an ad play completely, just for you.
At the moment, I have a small number of UA-cam content creators that I trust for camera/lens reviews, etc. I still look at other channels when researching cameras to get a variety of experiences.
But, the problem with camera (or any product) reviews, is that many creators portray themselves as experts or that their opinions are factual. What the viewer doesn't know, is if the creator actually knows what they're talking about, or if they have fully tested all of the features of said product. Plus, I don't give much weight to a review when someone says what the product is "missing" or has a "shortcoming". For myself, I look at what features the product ACTUALLY has, and decide if I can work with those features. Whether or not a product SHOULD have specific features is pure opinion. If a product feature doesn't work well or as advertised, that's a valid point to investigate.
I also wish creators would stop putting "...an honest review of [insert product] ". It should be a given that reviews are based on honesty and not manufactured information. I even saw a video title that said, "The Most Honest Review Of [insert product here]". I can't take someone like that seriously.
I'm also not a fan of, "I Was So Wrong About [product]". This not only tells me that they were critical of the product before they actually took the time to use the camera/lens, etc. Plus, the title suggests a kind of fake humility. Because it's like, "Oh, I am so humble I'm correcting myself". Part of that I think comes from the need to get their video out as soon as possible. Which is also fake because your video will more likely get views if it is of good quality. Not on how quickly you release it.
There have been a lot of videos triggered by the fake controversy around the Lumix S9. Which to me, is another case of people being overly critical of a product they've only used for a few days. Some suggesting that the S9 is a toy camera. I can tell you as someone who shot a feature film with the GH5 - and not using the headphone jack - that I can shoot a feature film with the S9 just as easily. What has spawned from the release of the S9, has lead to a lot of creators losing credibility with me.
Before hitting ENTER, I looked at your channel and decided to Subscribe. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Please keep it up, I value your perspective.
So much drama it's getting silly. I've culled so many channels from my list now. I seriously don't know why some people even do this? I'm personally sick of talking head reviewers just sitting there spewing specs anyways. I want to see photographers use the gear. So now I only follow a handful of creators. You, Cammackey, Irene, Anita and maybe a couple more are all I watch now. (I'm not admitting to watching Camera Conspiracies. Unhinged fun.) All are awesome and seeing what they can do with the gear is way more informative than reading a spec sheet. Most importantly, I trust the hell out of you guys.
Appreciate it. Thanks for watching. Cam, Irene and Anita are also my good friends. Super talented and real.
@@LeeZavitz then I have good taste. Lol
Your content is the best.
appreciate it thank you
Last thing i'll say, go check out Peter Mckinnon and the fact he nEVER discloses his paid sponsorships. His description is 100% affiliate links and zero disclaimer in there.
Well said 👏👏👏
Bro, I encourage you to do more passion projects!!! I get that people need to make ends meet. But, please, don’t lose your passion for profits.
I believe you will find that balance. Stay true to yourself and stay honest. Best of luck. 👍🙂
It is true of all employees that, whoever pays your bills, controls you. Full stop. Whether they are a kind master or a rough master doesn't matter in the end. Take it, or leave it. I assume you came to UA-cam for a measure of control, but now you work for the algorithm or camera company A, B, C. In a better world you would be fairly compensated for your IP and effort, and not financially harmed for irritating one of Google's advertisers (remember, most internet companies are basically lifestyle magazines or newspapers at this point, without the pesky regulations). The camera companies are outsourcing their marketing, and it is simply more obvious on some channels than others.
That said I am still learning a lot from you, and you inspire me to get out there and shoot more. I love your photographic style, and the way you work with others to get the shots. Since you can take bangers with a cell phone, I assume my lighting and technique are far, far more important than the camera in my hand. So I am spending as little as I can putting together my camera kit and doing my best to ignore the hype. When the real innovations drop, I assume it will be pretty obvious to all of us (not to mention, unaffordable)!
Unless you’re paying some camera UA-camr to make an objective review for your particular needs, or unless you buy all your gear through someone’s affiliate link, then I think we need to understand that they need to find other revenue models. Maybe someone should offer a 100% subscription service so that there is zero need to rely on the manufacturers for support.
No we can't. Those are rather paid ADS not reviews.
Some not all
I am in the same boat, I want to just shoot something creative with the camera and do that with Henrys. We have to touch base Lee. I am going to bring this up when we look to hire out creators for Henrys.
Just be Lee man, that's why we're all here! I always liked (and still like) your creative approach to gear.
🙏🏼
The biggest problem with the camera community is that they are reactive to whatever gets attention, in this case "Are camera reviewers honest" this will go on until the next trend arrives.
Exactly!
I don't know why anyone would be surprised about this. Consumers have been exposed to the marketing of all kinds of products forever. In my opinion, regardless of the product, consumers have to take the time to do research and make informed purchases. You said something that everyone really needs to remember. You are showing what the piece of gear can do "in your hands". You are a professional with lots of years of experience. So, the average joe out there needs to remember that. But, again, that comes down to consumer responsibility and common sense. Photographers like you who have YT channels say this all the time. The camera you purchase isn't as important as the work it takes to develop the skills you guys have. Everyone wants a magic pill for everything, then when it isn't so magical for them they want to complain about it. LOL! My favorite of your videos are when you do shoots. I still love that shoot you did with the model in that classic car, also the "Road Trip Review" video. The shots in that van were so cool. Have a great weekend Lee! Keep rockin'!
Long term loaners that you don't have to give back, LOL. Just a work around to give you a camera without having to declare it sponsored content.
HERE’S the problem ….the YT audience wants to believe UA-camr’s aren’t infected or influenced by the system. This is true in some cases, but naive in others.
But that’s what’s happening … this was all obvious to many who understand capitalism and marketing.
But for other viewers, it’s like realizing they are not only on The Truman Show but have been participating in the sham.
Who knows. Maybe this is some kind of turning point. Where to, I have no idea!
Hi!
Yoooo
It might not be fair to hold all creators to such a high standard. A lot of people watch UA-cam to be entertained. They don’t expect people to be completely unbiased (which is almost impossible even for the most dedicated journalist/reviewers).
If I want as close to unbiased reviews I’ll look at Gordon’s CameraLab videos (for example). But honestly, sometimes it’s not fun to look at DR charts and watching Cam Mackey say every new product is a great vibe (in videos he beautifully shoots, by the way) suits that purpose. One is not better than the other and we should remember ultimately this is all intended to be entertainment.
Canada guy what’s up👋🏽 cool reviews. Became a follower when you reviewed the zyhun smoothq back in the day.
Hey! You’ve been here a long time
@@LeeZavitz true 🤣 still trying to get up my channel up but something got in the way called life.
All of these videos just confirm that this whole UA-cam platform is a giant ad platform. People don’t need to be rude or mean in comments but just unsubscribe and don’t watch. So easy.
Wow, just after Geralds Undone video we get another one about camera reviewers:D I guess he really started something here :)))
had he been invited to japan, would he still have made that video? not to invalidate gerald's points, but i doubt he would have put out that video if he was still liked by panasonic.
When you get a free trip and hotel that is a form of monetary exchange for tax purposes. I’m pretty sure you need to have W9’s exchanged.
**PRODUCT PIMPS** - ‘creatives’ have always required patrons (of myriad sorts) to essentially free them up economically so that they can create at all. There’s nothing shameful whatsoever about basically being ‘used’ for selling product. It’s an age-old accepted business relationship.
BTW: no one talks about how UA-cam itself is (at its core) a ‘creator closed club’.
Of course you can trust them as long as they ethically and legally transparently disclose the relationship with the company in the video at the start. Like Terry and Benj, say Panasonic paid for the plane ticket, hotel, meals, you get the camera as a loaner or for free and you get showered with gifts. At least you'll be doing the right thing and we can trust you. Obviously this doesn't rectify the conflict of interest and the fact they're being used by brands for advertising purposes.
Almost every single thing we buy has marketing and advertising behind it. It’s honestly no different. I think the thing that makes this seem different is that we aren’t celebrities, we aren’t billboards, we aren’t afternoon tv commercials. So some how because we are part of marketing as normal people some how viewers see us as sell outs or disingenuous which isn’t true. Most of us have more integrity and honesty vs a billboard or radio ad.
@@LeeZavitz appreciate you! 👍
Lee: “I’m using the Lumix S5 2x right now as my talking head camera…”
Me: No wonder the autofocus in this video was constantly hunting his eyes/face.
Yeah I should update the firmware. It hasn’t been a massive issue it’s as good as my old camera I was using a6100. I wanted to upgrade it to something else so I thought I would give the s5iiX a try. Once I update the firmware I will decide if I want to keep it or if I wanna send it back to them.
No not at all, most do not even show their work or what they have ever actually Done. Perfect example is that Matt Hoep guy, no website or anything he has ever done. He just hopped on the Peter train in the beginning. There are only a handful of guys I can even watch these days.
All these Content Creators (not filmmakers) about to bandwagon off the Gerald Undone video and try to make themselves act like they weren't originally contributing to the problem.
That guy with mac reviews started it first with the ai gadgets he put down. Now it’s Gerald. That Panasonic must be a stinker
Sony is so good with criticism that they release a new camera for each influencers idea :D sony a7sIII... can you give us S-log and to make it feel more like a video camera... fx3.... can you make it smaller ZV-E1 ... vs Canon... can you make a good camera? what uh.... r5? 4 years and it still rocks :D
Sony has every segment covered for every situation. You have lots of choice lol
The people wake up and know that their reviewers should be called marketing specialist
Just go and look at the positive reviews of some of the dogs that have come out - GH5ii, ZV-1f. The ZV1 stuff is flagrant seeing them all drop the same buzz words together - “vlogging camera” bla bla bla
Can you trust UA-cam or pretty much any other sponsored reviews? The obvious answer is no. It’s a business. It’s how these channels/pages are monetised. Yet knowing this, we all still watch and make purchasing decisions based on these ‘reviews’. That won’t change
Many UA-camrs said they had fun with the camera. Of course they had fun with the camera. It could have been any camera and they still would have had fun. We all love cameras and gear and to be out on a trip with your peers of course you'll have fun. So yes many of the reviews were bias.
Btw did you shoot this video at studio atelier?
No, this is my UA-cam set. I did a whole studio tour video showing the setup :) I wanted to do something different from what most people do
@@LeeZavitz dope just watched it. Lol love the cat photo in the studio set
It's probably more accurate to call these Previews rather than Reviews. Reviews are the best over a long period of time or after a few shoots- of actually using it. You guys actually test it and use it. There are Reddit-rants from people who never even rented the product but have many opinions, and those are sometimes valid too. At least you all show us what you used it for. As for how legit your review seem or not: Most cameras aren't trash these days, so, "Cool, I'd buy one", or "Cool, but not for me, maybe for you", is going to be the default preview. Now, if there's five more videos on this from all the usual suspect reviewers, then maybe there's a problem, but not about the cameras. Until then, you have the ability to do so enjoy it. If you don't enjoy it, don't do the companies any favors. You can always review what you when whenever you want to.
I hate it when the embargo ends and my entire feed is just photographers all with the same camera and not one will be honest and they all just give glowing reviews pleasing whoever is paying them
I can see how the embargo launch days would be annoying and I think I might stop trying to hit that release time and chill back a few days later. There’s no big conspiracy that it all comes out at once it’s just a day and time the that brand says we can finally talk about it. So you just get a big rush of videos out all at once.
Some people you follow for their story telling skills/personality, the other because of the camera they use... I believe that answers the question :)
Youvare the best and my fav ❤❤❤
You can't fully trust ANY kind of reviewer on the web. There are exceptions, but that's the rule.
First is Insta and now Panasonic...interesting
The problem all camera review youtubers are going to face is credibility. The root issue as I see it is that youtubers who sell independent reviews are pressured by camera companies to be positive or omit the cons. So viewers are being sold “independent reviews” but it’s not. It’s just a press release ad. And it can be the case that some reviews are legit and others are not by the same reviewers and there is no way for viewers to know and no journalistic standards. So over time people are going to think it’s just BS. That ultimately will hurt all youtubers in this space.
I know folks who are unsubscribing from camera reviewers.
One idea is to create an independent consortium and buy gear to make long term reviews and share that gear among consortium members.
NO!
If you have contacts at Fuji please tell them fw 6.0 for the x-h2s broke the AF for face/eye priority mode.
Broken or just not working as well as you remember before the update? I can shoot them a msg to look into it but who knows if they will
@@LeeZavitz I had 5.03 before the update and it worked flawless for me, did what it said. After 6.0 it started hunting for no reason or would focus on my hands even if I barely touch my chin even though it's supposed to stick to the eye and face. Look on my channel, I got a short video on it and many fuji users have reported the same thing. I'm curious if Fuji is aware of the situation and if they have a fix on the way.
@@LeeZavitz yes! If you could that would be amazing! If you see videos on the 6.0 Update it made the AF much worse than it was before
As much as this new panny is junk I hooe they continue to work hard with the FF lineup of lenses. The Panasonic S5ii is awesome but i could use some more lenses.
How is it hard to find that the camera S9 does not have 2 card slots? How is it hard to find out that the camera S9 does not have mechanical shutter? How is it hard to find out that the camera S9 does not have a hotshoe? How is it hard to find out that the camera S9 does not have a viewfinder? How is it hard to find out that the camera S9 does not have a grip, when Condor Blue already did produce an attached grip for it? :D And still say that the camera is awesome and this is a GAME CHANGER??? and that the camera is the "NEW KING"? :D
Just from this comment I already know that camera wasn’t made for you which is fine. I think the issue is how they marketed it and who they chose to bring out to Japan to cover it. And the price is too high. They would have probably done better by doing paid deals with TikTokers and food/travel bloggers which is the market they really made this for. With that said the camera has a lot of weird choices I won’t defend it. But I’m sure there’s a market for it otherwise it wouldn’t exist.
There is only one guy that has the technical knowledge of lenses...the Angry photographer Ken
His channel I trust his reviews
Never gets sponsored
Buys his own gear
Guy knows his stuff
Is he still reviewing stuff? Last time I think I saw his channel it was all about magnetism. I use to watch his stuff when I was getting into Fuji in the early days
I've only seen a few videos of yours and never took issue with them, however I do take issue with this one. Starting 3:41 going to 5:00 is pure moral nihilism.
That most people would create a review to please the company making the product is an indictment of most people and not an excuse for you to do it. That journalists deviate from reality when presenting things is why we are currently in the mess we are politically. That doctors were lousy when it comes to pharmaceutical companies is why we have a massive opioid crisis.
People watch reviews because they are under the impression that they are getting someone's sincere opinion on something, its a level of trust. Companies give you money, yes if they bought the plane tickets and the hotel and set up other fun stuff to do that is them paying you, and they would stop if they thought your review would lower their sales. There also isn't much of a difference to me between someone giving you money knowing full well you will make a video that will help their marketing as opposed to them making you sign a contract that you will produce a video that helps them in return for the perks. They are giving you stuff to make you think more positively about the product in order to take advantage of your audience.
Stuff like this is why the same group of journalists show up at press conferences for a President or a Queen, the threat to withdraw access is a threat to any career, and its why there is so much bs you see on the front pages of so much media. The only consolation you have is not that its not wrong, but that cameras in the scheme of things just aren't that important.
I would also add that there was a time where journalistic institutions created a wall between journalists and commercial enterprises, outright banning the acceptance of any kind of perk. I don't know what the solution is now given how instead of having one large news institution facing off against another large commercial institution we have a bunch of little "creators" who can very easily be manipulated and picked off individually by a large commercial institution, but it doesn't change that this is a problem that you are a part of.
You have way too much time on your hands
All points are clear, poignant, appreciated and good thoughts.
I trust very few reviewers...mainly the OG ones. There's a new crop of youtubers that review camera and gear and work together...absolutely horrible. I do not trust their reviews.
www.youtube.com/@theartofphotography + www.youtube.com/@PetaPixel (that's it). I trust no one else.
No
Lee, i think you're an honest person, as most people reviewing gear, bit i also understand how these things work, and you need to also make sure you dont get black balled by manufacturers. Seriously i think all the people butt hurt on the youtube comments and calling people out for being shills are just jealous they aren't the ones in that position. I think people underestimate the amount of work all of these videos take and that people deserve to be compensated (and disclose it accordingly). Sure people need to maybe be a bit more positive or temper their negative comments, but thats the name of the game to get access; camera reviewers aren't gajillionaires that can buy everything they review out of the goodness of their heart to provide a review for the rest of us. I dont think its really possible to not be biased, even if its just because you have an emotional attachment to a given brand (like the folks shouting about shills in the comments) or you feel threatened whenever someone makes you feel bad with your brand choice. Save the shill talk for the people who actually deserve it, not just for the people you're jealous of and threaten your fragile egos
You pretty much nailed all of it. Sometimes I almost can’t even pay my rent. So I’m not over here raking in millions sitting on piles of cameras lol
@@LeeZavitz I really like your model shots btw when you test out cameras and phones with a model - I'd take that over test shots of brick walls and iso tests any day of the week 👍
Imagine having a whole pro kit in your arsenal but yet complaining about the specs on a entry level camera that's geared towards beginners.. Thats what majority of the people are doing on the Lumix S9
I think it might have been marketed wrong. Maybe they invited the wrong people out. Maybe if they had pushed it harder on TikTok or foodie/travel bloggers that audience might appreciate it more? It sure stirred up a lot of questions, comments, thoughts this week that’s for sure.
To be fair Lee could shoot with a raw potato and produce some of the best photo and video you've ever seen.
no
Too much hand wringing. Caveat Emptor (let the buyer beware) has literally been around for thousands of years. It’s been true haggling over livestock in the Fertile Crescent at the beginning of civilization, and it’s no less true now, though with today’s production values and sheer volume of information, evaluating a product and its seller can take a lot of energy. But in the end Lee, everyone in this issue is taking themselves way too seriously. Do consumers every now and then need a quick reminder that UA-cam videos aren’t the whole story? That’s a reasonable thing to do. But there’s nothing life or death going on here. Let’s get this angst dump out of the collective psyche done quickly, lighten up, and get back to developing wonderful content!
No !!! I think some youtubers make too positive reviews of many crap products. Also I want to see reviews separated, so that reviews of still photography and video not reviews not is in the same video, many youtubers do a lot of video work, so there is too much focus on video functions, I NEVER do video and I never will ! There are many more still photographers that never do video, than those who partly or always do video ! Some youtubers are given the products for free and some gets paid to review products, so it can be difficult to know if it is true what you see/hear from some reviewers. Only few reviewers do long time test of gear. I sold my Sony 200-600mm 5.6-6.3 G Lens last year because used on Sony A7RIV and Sony A7RIVA the Cameras cannot always figure out how to reduce shake, so the stabilizer in the Lens and in the Camera do not always work proper together which gives blurred images, that problem is only described of a couple of reviewers/owners of that combo, but that would have been nice to know before buying that Lens ! About criticism from youtubers to the companies, I see it as a BIG problem, because most youtubers do a lot of video and therefore focus too much on video functions, because of that too many cameras today have video functions that the majority of users do not need ! There is not enough Cameras today with only still photography functions !!! "Hybrid" cameras should be able to shut off ALL video functions and hide them in the menu !
I think there’s a lot of focus on video in more of these new cameras because it’s the area that needs continuous innovation. As I mentioned in this video peak camera is the Sony a7iii and if I wasn’t doing UA-cam I would probably still be using that camera as it offers so much for the price. I try my best to cover more of the photo side of things because as you said most people focus on the video side. It’s just tough because I want to cover as much as I can on a camera but there’s just so many features now it gets to be a lot. So I have a legit question for you. Would you prefer I make two videos when doing reviews? 1 video just on photo stuff and 1 video just on video stuff? Could be an option I guess
@@LeeZavitz If I can choose, then I will prefer two reviews, one for still photography and one for video (I will not watch the video review ). Some reviewers divide their reviews in sections, so I can jump to the section that is relevant for me, that is also a options. I always watch the whole videos when the reviewers only review a camera or Lens for only still photography, so I have my favorite reviewers, you are one of the better reviewers, thank you.
So camera design decisions are basically being made by UA-cam muppets who never managed to create a single exceptional photograph in their entire life but instead spend the majority of their time talking to themselves after they got something to play with for a couple of hours. Now I understand why all current camera models feel more like PlayStations than a photography tool…
lol no, but Sony created the ZV line based around what UA-cam and other social media people were asking for. And apparently sales are good on that stuff because it’s more affordable and offers the features for that segment and Better prices
@@LeeZavitz So why is this still true for everything else then? Why is every single current camera basically the same? What you can choose from currently is the brand name and maybe a dial or two, in the best case. Why do you think is that? The only thing people are talking about on social media is how the AF of one brand is still 0.0001s slower than that on another, or that it still lacks the latest feature, while literally none of those who are complaining have a single image that would be worth showing up in a portfolio. People are forced by influencers to believe that they can’t take a single photo without a buttload of computational aids anymore and that manufactures have to solve that issue for them instead of them improving their skills and that’s what manufacturers are forced to adapt to. How could the mantality have gone so bad? That’s what you get from UA-cam, because barely any of the influencers there would have a single photograph that would be worth talking about so they have to campare spec sheets instead to get views. And unfortunately people also think that having a popular YT channel is more valuable than creating exceptional photography. This is what the camera industry is trying to adapt to currently. Some time ago I used to make jokes about the insane pricing of Leica’s M system but eventually I was literally forced to invest a fortune into it just to get exactly that undisturbed experience of creating something by myself instead of pressing a single button and hoping for all the computers inside the camera to get it right, or forcing myself to ignore all that garbage that had to be put inside to make “reviewers” happy that is completely unnecessary to get the desired result and that only uses up recources and compromises image quality and user experience for no reason. Fujifilm initially had some potential to fill that gap and to become a close competitor to Leica in that regard but that didn’t last very long. Because “reviewers” would simply destroy it for not having the latest feature, no matter how stupid and useless it is. If you’re enjoying the process of creating something instead of expecting to put the least amount of effort into your “photography” and become a star overnight with a single button press then you’re lost, or you better be rich. I hope at least Leica will stick to their philosophy for a while with the M system and won’t get too impressed by UA-cam anytime soon. I would love to have at least one alternative but it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen…
no! absolutely not lol
So u actually have to pay these models to shoot them? Looks like they are just happy to collaborate but I don’t know what happens behind the scenes
Pay the model, makeup artist, bts, styling sometimes studio rental if im shooing in studio
Models Mua should be paid for helping with content