Ridiculous to make ‘em pay
I count my blessings on reader emails, as I have been fortunate to rarely receive negative comments or “drive by shooting” emails. The feedback I do receive that is both substantive and constructive I take very seriously, because there is always room for improvement.
Once in a long while I get something like this missive (only the 2nd such email in 3 years):
I just thought I’d let you know, as I’m sure countless others have, how ridiculous it is to try to make people pay $23.95 for a comparative review of 2 cameras. It’s ridiculous.
Well, anyone is free to purchase (or not) my Pro Reviews, just as one is free to subscribe to Outdoor Photography or buy a Big Mac® at McDonald’s. We all decide what’s worth our money and make choices accordingly. Quality writing offers value, timeliness offers value, and solid analysis in today’s world of rehashed marketing specs offers value. My offerings are a win-win proposition. I can’t afford to do it for free—it’s not just my time and effort but very large expenses simply to obtain the equipment involved. So thank you for your support if you’ve purchased one or more of my efforts.
The ironic fact is that the only $23.95 comparative review on this site has been free for the last nine months (D200 vs D2x)! I guess the emailer was angry that I dared to have charged for it at one time (or was so hasty in emailing so as to not even realize that it was free!).
So what is good value? Well-written information that provides answers, tips, analysis and insights so that you can save time or money in your purchasing decisions or photographic endeavors. All my reviews address that as a core principle.
