Great Time To Review Camera Gear

Note: This piece was not sponsored by anyone...

Nikon Z7, Viltrox 16mm f/1.8 Z

1/500th - f/4 - ISO 100

Paid for myself ;)

As if the weather wasn't a big enough problem, WOW, what a week to express my thoughts on a new lens! People receiving payment (in some form or another) or products, in exchange for favourable reviews, is hardly news. This practice has been going on as long as reviews themselves. In fact, aren't these reviews simply the oldest form of paid advertising available?

Simply put, if you need someone to glorify a product to make you feel better about fulfilling your incessant need to buy shiny things, the YouTube is nothing short of a treasure trove. Simply look at the latest Viltrox lens, with reviews ranging from "Very Good", to outer-worldly. Now, I'm certainly not bagging out the lens, it's great in my opinion, it's simply an example of why you need to take any video on YouTube for it's entertainment value, as much as it's factual content.

It's the same premise that made shows like Top Gear, so popular on television. Simply have an entertaining chap, or three, take a drive of the latest supercar, and suddenly their thoughts are regurgitated verbatim across the globe. Again, not bagging the show, it was always incredibly entertaining. If however, you wanted an in-depth idea on how said car was in "real life", you really did have to drive one, in order to form your own emotional opinion.

It's the same with camera gear. I even preface almost everything I write with, "Purchased myself", and "Thought's to be taken with a grain of salt". The reality of life in 2024 is that you can almost always find a YouTube video (or article), validating your way of thinking, if you look hard enough. I freely admit that I do exactly the same thing, whether I realise it at the time, or not. So I guess the only logical solution is to simply keep that in the back of your mind, next time you go to purchase anything. Now, where is my Coca-Cola, I got from McDonalds, driving my Toyota Hilux?