Photo Magazines

Hi,
I was having tires installed today, and while in the waiting room I
happened upon a couple issues of Popular Photography. Now, I used to
read this rag religiously when it was still mostly about film-based
imaging. What surprised me is how much I enjoyed reading it again, even
though it's now mostly digital. Is this still one of the best out
there? Any others you would recommend?

While I mostly use a Panasonic p&s these days, I still enjoy pulling out
my Nikon SP once in awhile and actually exposing film in it.

Thanks for any insights.

At least Pop Photo pretends to objective testing, pretend being the
operative word. Real world samples of lenses, like the ones you can actually
buy, may or may not function in any way resembling the Pop Photo tests.
Camera tests are more reliable as there is less variability between samples
so manufacturers need not cherry pick samples for testing. These caveats
apply to all media where the lenses tested are supplied by the manufacturer.
However if you take their lens tests with a grain of skeptic salt Pop Photo
is worth reading.
Shutterbug, on the other hand, is just a bunch of old guys hanging out
getting handed sample cameras and lenses and fronting for the manufacturers,
who just happen to be their major advertisers. There is no pretense to
objective testing. Digital topics range from all Mac all the time to press
releases for programs and PS plug ins disguised as articles. Most of the
latter do not work on the Mac, reflecting the real world market as opposed
to the preferences of the SB editorial staff.
Digitally oriented American magazines seem to be entry level and aimed
mainly at pushing sales.
If you have a chance to take a look at some British camera magazines you
should see major editorial differences. Unfortunately these tend to be quite
pricey in American stores.

flambe wrote:
> At least Pop Photo pretends to objective testing, pretend being the
> operative word. Real world samples of lenses, like the ones you can
> actually buy, may or may not function in any way resembling the Pop
> Photo tests. Camera tests are more reliable as there is less
> variability between samples so manufacturers need not cherry pick
> samples for testing. These caveats apply to all media where the
> lenses tested are supplied by the manufacturer. However if you take
> their lens tests with a grain of skeptic salt Pop Photo is worth
> reading.
> Shutterbug, on the other hand, is just a bunch of old guys hanging out
> getting handed sample cameras and lenses and fronting for the
> manufacturers, who just happen to be their major advertisers. There
> is no pretense to objective testing. Digital topics range from all
> Mac all the time to press releases for programs and PS plug ins
> disguised as articles. Most of the latter do not work on the Mac,
> reflecting the real world market as opposed to the preferences of the
> SB editorial staff.
> Digitally oriented American magazines seem to be entry level and aimed
> mainly at pushing sales.
> If you have a chance to take a look at some British camera magazines
> you should see major editorial differences. Unfortunately these tend
> to be quite pricey in American stores.

Of the British photo publications, Digital Camera Magazine is about the
best, with superb CD content in every issue. Price in UK £3.99.

DP

"Richard DeLuca" <odyssey@nospamstny.rr.com> wrote in message
newsdyssey-D85DFE.20201416112007@johnf2.biosci.ohio-state.edu...
> Hi,
> I was having tires installed today, and while in the waiting room I
> happened upon a couple issues of Popular Photography. Now, I used to
> read this rag religiously when it was still mostly about film-based
> imaging. What surprised me is how much I enjoyed reading it again, even
> though it's now mostly digital. Is this still one of the best out
> there? Any others you would recommend?
>
> While I mostly use a Panasonic p&s these days, I still enjoy pulling out
> my Nikon SP once in awhile and actually exposing film in it.
>
> Thanks for any insights.

Pop Photo is one of few who say they don't like something or ask why some
feature is missing in their review instead of surgar coating everything.
Sometimes you have to read between the lines.

I don't care for the modern layout of the 'zine. Too many short articles on
pointless topics; probably designed for the attention span of today's
reader. I liked the older layout when key aticles would span several pages
and get more depth.

I think they need more reviews of equipment and acessories. Point and shoot
reviews are lacking.

On Fri, 16 Nov 2007 20:20:19 -0500, Richard DeLuca wrote:

> Hi,
> I was having tires installed today, and while in the waiting room I
> happened upon a couple issues of Popular Photography. Now, I used to
> read this rag religiously when it was still mostly about film-based
> imaging. What surprised me is how much I enjoyed reading it again, even
> though it's now mostly digital. Is this still one of the best out
> there? Any others you would recommend?

I like 'Shutterbug'.


>
> While I mostly use a Panasonic p&s these days, I still enjoy pulling out
> my Nikon SP once in awhile and actually exposing film in it.
>
> Thanks for any insights.

In article
<odyssey-D85DFE.20201416112007@johnf2.biosci.ohio-state.edu>,
Richard DeLuca <odyssey@nospamstny.rr.com> wrote:

> Hi,
> I was having tires installed today, and while in the waiting room I
> happened upon a couple issues of Popular Photography. Now, I used to
> read this rag religiously when it was still mostly about film-based
> imaging. What surprised me is how much I enjoyed reading it again, even
> though it's now mostly digital. Is this still one of the best out
> there? Any others you would recommend?
>
> While I mostly use a Panasonic p&s these days, I still enjoy pulling out
> my Nikon SP once in awhile and actually exposing film in it.
>
> Thanks for any insights.



Thanks for the replies! A couple of you mentioned Shutter Bug as well,
and I used to read that mag, too. I think I'll pick up the next couple
of issues of Popular Photography at the local Barnes & Noble- and even
try an issue of Digital Camera if it's not too expensive and B&N carries
it. Then we'll see if I'm interested enough to subscribe.......:-)

JohnR66 wrote:
> "Richard DeLuca" <odyssey@nospamstny.rr.com> wrote in message
> newsdyssey-D85DFE.20201416112007@johnf2.biosci.ohio-state.edu...
>> Hi,
>> I was having tires installed today, and while in the waiting room I
>> happened upon a couple issues of Popular Photography. Now, I used to
>> read this rag religiously when it was still mostly about film-based
>> imaging. What surprised me is how much I enjoyed reading it again, even
>> though it's now mostly digital. Is this still one of the best out
>> there? Any others you would recommend?
>>
>> While I mostly use a Panasonic p&s these days, I still enjoy pulling out
>> my Nikon SP once in awhile and actually exposing film in it.
>>
>> Thanks for any insights.
>
> Pop Photo is one of few who say they don't like something or ask why some
> feature is missing in their review instead of surgar coating everything.
> Sometimes you have to read between the lines.
>
> I don't care for the modern layout of the 'zine. Too many short articles on
> pointless topics; probably designed for the attention span of today's
> reader. I liked the older layout when key aticles would span several pages
> and get more depth.
>
> I think they need more reviews of equipment and acessories. Point and shoot
> reviews are lacking.
>
>
I first started reading PopPhoto in 1943 and kept it up for several
decades. I let my subscription lapse when its content failed to tell me
much, but in the past few years it seems to have gotten some of its old
zest back. Those issues back in the mid-1940s had lots of
make-it-yourself articles when there was little photo equipment to be
found on the market, thanks to the war. For a long time (at least 20
years) they published an annual which contained some interesting work.
There were some other interesting mags back then, especially The Camera
and American Photography, both of which were eventually bought be
PopPhoto. Then there was US Camera and Modern Photography, which
disappeared. I think that Modern was also bought by PopPhoto, but I'm
not sure. I haven't checked lately, but is PopPhoto still in the
Ziff-Davis stable? that group had some interesting mags--Radio News
(later R&TVNews) an audio mag, Flying, Popular Aviation to name a few.
They really hit it big in the PC era, with PC Magazine and several
specialized business/industrial pubs related to computers. They had a
knack for the pulse of the magazine-buying public.
Allen

Richard DeLuca wrote:
> Hi,
> I was having tires installed today, and while in the waiting room I
> happened upon a couple issues of Popular Photography. Now, I used to
> read this rag religiously when it was still mostly about film-based
> imaging. What surprised me is how much I enjoyed reading it again, even
> though it's now mostly digital. Is this still one of the best out
> there? Any others you would recommend?
>
> While I mostly use a Panasonic p&s these days, I still enjoy pulling out
> my Nikon SP once in awhile and actually exposing film in it.
>
> Thanks for any insights.

Hi,

The German FotoMagazin is superb, and their testing is real, scientific
testing. Although reading German is helpful, the test charts and numbers
are readily understood by anyone. It isn't cheap, especially with the
weak U.S. dollar vis a vis the Euro.

Morton Linder