viscountdriver Loc: East Kent UK

Why do so many folk dislike Ken Rockwell? I find all his articles informative and very helpful. Everything he has written has turned out to be correct in my place.

Robin Ashfield Loc: Hampshire, England

Probably they're just jealous! For my part, I agree with you, he appears to be very knowledgeable and informative.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Boy, it's been a long time since we had a discussion about Ken. I relied on Ken's advice to buy my first DSLR, a D90.

I think the problem people have with Ken is based on things he says - light, cheap cameras are all you need, never use a tripod, camera A is the world's best, camera A stinks - camera B is the way to go, etc.

On the other hand, he does have experience with lots of equipment, so his opinion is at least worth reading.

davefales Loc: Virginia

I think lots of people can be much better photographers just following his advice. He helped a lot when I was starting in DSLR land.

canadiaman Loc: Tallahassee, FL

I really enjoy Ken Rockwell. His articles often present a very different point of view than you will hear elsewhere. I'm thinking of his recommendation to shoot all JPEGs or his recommendation to buy a film camera rather than a digital and scan images to the computer. Anytime you present a different point of view you make enemies.

juicesqueezer Loc: Okeechobee, Florida

I too like Ken and believe that he gives his honest opinion on his reviews. I think he alienates most photographers by speaking the unheard word of jpeg instead of RAW.
Oh, and I'm a big fan of Jarod Polin, "Fro Knows Photo". He gave a rant one day on Ken and I sent him a nasty letter back! If you can't say nothing good about someone, then don't say nothing at all!

Searcher Loc: Kent, England

Rockwell expresses opinions rather than compiles tables from lab tests. His articles are more a blog about his antics, successes and failures than a scientific analysis; Rockwell obtains camera and lenses free of charge from suppliers to write about. He asks for donations on almost every page of his writings. He does not usually mince words and is sometimes inconsistent - one year he might say something bad about a piece of equipment and another year change his mind.

Rockwell is a professional human, and from what I have seen and read from those who dislike him and his articles, many people hold humans in disdain.

When I try out a new camera, the first place I go is to Ken Rockwell's site and emulate his "settings" for the camera. I have always been able to get some good shots straight off using them, and can tweak them to my liking later. I have always read his articles before buying lenses, usually finding what he has to say is fairly accurate.

I don't follow his teachings religiously, his policy of laying on the road to get a shot just does not work for me, but his humour certainly does.

Jealously, envy and a touch of "Why did I not do that" all come into the equation.

As his income is generated by donation from his articles, he must have a decent following; many amateurs don't know the names of famous photographers but more do know the name of Ken Rockwell.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I walked past Jared at the NYC photo show. He looks just the same in person - not very tall, except for his hair. :D

juicesqueezer Loc: Okeechobee, Florida

Jerry; that hair has made him famous for sure! He has some great articles, but his rants turn me off sometimes and he does a lot of them. The one on Ken was uncalled for!

Jakebrake Loc: Broomfield, Colorado

I'm not too sure Ken is my enemy, I just disagree with some of his opinions. Others I have found very helpful. Just take what he says with a grain of salt.

lighthouse Loc: No Fixed Abode

The mistake that many make is in thinking that the "Ken bashers" are jealous in any way.

I have never seen anyone whatsoever rant on Ken out of jealousy.

Every complaint that I have seen has been based on fact.

In contrast, the Ken supporters who like to bash the Ken bashers can quite often be irrational and juvenile and spiteful.

My problem with Ken is that he does give incorrect advice.
He does review cameras and lenses that he has not had in his hand.
He does give contrasting opposite opinions on the one piece of equipment.
He is like a flag waving in the breeze.
And he does state on his own site, about himself, that you shouldn't believe everything that you read there, as he often jokes and tells BS just for the hell of it.

And then on top of all of that, he has some wonderful advice on his site. (his article on how to use UWA lenses is simple and brilliant)

There are many knowledgeable unbiased people who have noted the inconsistencies on his site.
You can choose to listen to those people if you like.
Or you can choose to ignore them and swallow everything Ken says as gospel.
I am not going to argue with anyone about it, or elaborate further. I have been down that path and it bores me.

FredB Loc: A little below the Mason-Dixon line.

I do not believe this is accurate, from what I've read on Ken's site. He may occasionally get sample items from a low-level retail dealer, but I don't think he accepts stuff directly from the manufacturers.

anotherview Loc: California

KR voices strong opinions, typically in no uncertain terms. Doing so gives the impression of pushiness, or being opinionated, and even arrogant. Those easily offended individuals who come in contact with his view may recoil from it.

I say man up. KR offers informative and useful essays and reviews regarding photography and photographic gear. He exercises independence of thought.

Turn elsewhere if you wish to consume that mushy, approving outlook that parrots the sales-talk and the news releases of the manufacturers, with scarcely a word of true critique.

KR as a rule says what needs saying, and does so mostly with objectivity. He offers a rich and wide perspective of the subject with plenty of practical verbiage issuing from his personal experience in photography going back to the film era. He pulls few punches.

All that said, I do disagree with some of his comment, but find that taking his view into account improves mine.

Db7423 Loc: Pittsburgh, PA

Agreed. :thumbup: :thumbup:

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

Ken's style is big, brassy, and loud...just like that uncle that comes to visit every once in a while and you can't wait for him to leave.

That's why people dislike him. He's not wishy-washy...if he loves something he says it in no uncertain terms and he's dogmatic.

He's also said point blank to take what he says with a grain of salt because he sometimes says things to get folks riled up...and he does.

So...I do like the guy...he's entertaining and if you can gain intel from him...by all means....please do.

Now we continue on with our 240 page thread-to-be... :)