Apart from the Amazon reviewers who answer a listed question "I don't know", the most irritating reviews are those that give 1 star because the product doesn't do something that the description explicitly says it won't do. (Or even implicitly says it won't do - like complaining that the Canon-compatible remote trigger you ordered doesn't work on your Nikon.) You also have to be careful reading any of them, as sometimes the reviews cover a multitude of similar products and it's not always clear which one a particular reviewer is rating.

But as to the original question - yes, I do trust Amazon answers, IF there are enough of them, and IF the 4 and 5 star ratings include some that are from customers who have used the product for more than a day or two, and IF the 1 and 2 star ratings are a small percentage of the total, and IF the lowest ratings are something more than "it was the wrong color" or give enough specifics beyond "it didn't work" to give a feel for how or why it didn't work. In other words, if read and analyzed carefully, I think the reviews can be trusted.

I think that Amazon reviews are helpful if you learn how to read them. There are several ways you can make them work for you.

First, the numbers game. If there are fewer than ten reviews, the average rating means little. If you have 100+ reviews there are enough reviews to neutralize the paid enthusiasts and professional trolls. (Perhaps this is an oxymoron?) Also look at the distribution. If there is a broad consensus with just a few outliers ignore those. (I hate sliced bread.)

Look out for folks who don't get the full picture and go off on a tangent. There are lots of folks who give one star to outstanding products just because they are really unhappy with one minor aspect. For instance, there are folks who gave the Sony A7 III a one-star rating because it does not come with an external battery charger. Okay, it annoyed me too, but it is minor nuisance rather than a major product flaw.

Then there are the short, non-specific reviews. "This lens sucks." "The box arrived damaged." "Don't buy this card." "Awesome product." Unless a justification is offered just ignore. There is a good chance that these reviewers are posting for reasons other than providing a service to potential future users--you.

Then there are folks who give overly enthusiastic reviews. People buy a camera and then become unable so see its shortcomings, as if this would be an admission of a clouded judgement or of a bad investment (which sometimes this is). So they write enthusiastic reviews because they want to emotionally protect their investment. We see a version of this on UHH from the mirrorless haters. They declare mirrorless a passing fad while holding on to their DSLR tanks as if it was a sinking ship. (Well, it is. I just had to say this to make my point.)

So what should you read? Look for reviews that offer specific details for why or why not they like a product. Look for differentiated arguments--folks who talk about the good and the bad. Look for reviews who address the core functioning of a product, not just the color of the box. Look for people who take time to explain things in language you can understand.

Apart from the Amazon reviewers who answer a listed question "I don't know", the most irritating reviews are those that give 1 star because the product doesn't do something that the description explicitly says it won't do. (Or even implicitly says it won't do - like complaining that the Canon-compatible remote trigger you ordered doesn't work on your Nikon.) You also have to be careful reading any of them, as sometimes the reviews cover a multitude of similar products and it's not always clear which one a particular reviewer is rating.

But as to the original question - yes, I do trust Amazon answers, IF there are enough of them, and IF the 4 and 5 star ratings include some that are from customers who have used the product for more than a day or two, and IF the 1 and 2 star ratings are a small percentage of the total, and IF the lowest ratings are something more than "it was the wrong color" or give enough specifics beyond "it didn't work" to give a feel for how or why it didn't work. In other words, if read and analyzed carefully, I think the reviews can be trusted.

I think that Amazon reviews are helpful if you learn how to read them. There are several ways you can make them work for you.

First, the numbers game. If there are fewer than ten reviews, the average rating means little. If you have 100+ reviews there are enough reviews to neutralize the paid enthusiasts and professional trolls. (Perhaps this is an oxymoron?) Also look at the distribution. If there is a broad consensus with just a few outliers ignore those. (I hate sliced bread.)

Look out for folks who don't get the full picture and go off on a tangent. There are lots of folks who give one star to outstanding products just because they are really unhappy with one minor aspect. For instance, there are folks who gave the Sony A7 III a one-star rating because it does not come with an external battery charger. Okay, it annoyed me too, but it is minor nuisance rather than a major product flaw.

Then there are the short, non-specific reviews. "This lens sucks." "The box arrived damaged." "Don't buy this card." "Awesome product." Unless a justification is offered just ignore. There is a good chance that these reviewers are posting for reasons other than providing a service to potential future users--you.

Then there are folks who give overly enthusiastic reviews. People buy a camera and then become unable so see its shortcomings, as if this would be an admission of a clouded judgement or of a bad investment (which sometimes this is). So they write enthusiastic reviews because they want to emotionally protect their investment. We see a version of this on UHH from the mirrorless haters. They declare mirrorless a passing fad while holding on to their DSLR tanks as if it was a sinking ship. (Well, it is. I just had to say this to make my point.)

So what should you read? Look for reviews that offer specific details for why or why not they like a product. Look for differentiated arguments--folks who talk about the good and the bad. Look for reviews who address the core functioning of a product, not just the color of the box. Look for people who take time to explain things in language you can understand.

I need a spare memory card for my Sony a7iii and wanted one large enough for video. Currently, I have a 32 GB Lexar SD II U3 150MB/s. I was considering another Lexar card, but twice the size. EVERY review on EVERY card has a reviewer that says something like, "Don't buy this card" or "It's a fake" or " the card failed in the middle of a shoot". etc. Also, hardly any of them show the back of the card, except for the Transcend card (TS64GSD2U3). Both cards are on the Sony recommended list. What say you?