Ken Rockwell

S

Skips

Suspended / Banned
Messages
270
Name
Skippy
Edit My Images
Yes
I hear this guy mentioned fairly regularly around here and I can never quite tell whether people are genuinely recommending him as a reliable source of information or are being sarcastic. Help appreciated.
 
He's a bit like Marmite, people love him or hate him.

I personally think he talks a lot of sense IF you already know enough to spot where he's taking the mick and accept that he is generally talking in hyperbola. The issue is that beginners may not spot this and take what he says as the whole truth, rather than just his opinion.
 
I would never recommend him, even though I can be very sarcastic, I would never be 'that' sarcastic. :eek: ;) :lol:

If anyone goes to his site, I would actively tell them to get any 'fact' from his site to get it verified in more reputable places.

He polarises a lot of people, and makes, it seems, a good living doing it. He says some outrageous things to generate traffic, and he's very good at it.

Good luck to him, but I wouldn't go there for accurate information. Unfortunately some people, especially newbies, don't read the small print and because it is a popular well known website and realise what he is doing.
 
Some of what he says is very valid and I have picked up a few things. However, some is complete tosh, but you just need to read through and filter it.
 
If you are the kind of person who takes the stuff he says as truth, then he's writing for you. Honestly, he gives very good and level-headed advice to "your average non-enthusiast photographer" and beginners. For the rest of us, he's entertaining, informative and a load of rubbish, in varying proportions of each.
 
From what I can see he seems to buy a lot of gear (usually very expensive gear) and then use it in no way like you would expect a person would who would buy that sort of camera/lens, who buys a Nikon F6 and uses it in P mode all the time for christs sake? To me its like he has more money than sense.
 
P mode is awesome, it's included on all "professional" cameras for a reason.
 
I thought "P" mode WAS Professional mode as well.
 
I read Ken's stuff on occasions, as stated, some of what he writes needs to be taken with a pinch of salt, but there is some useful information in there if you can be bothered to look.

He introduced me to Wayne Radford's stuff which I personally find inspiring.
 
read his website for a laugh and nothing else

Skips said:
I hear this guy mentioned fairly regularly around here and I can never quite tell whether people are genuinely recommending him as a reliable source of information or are being sarcastic. Help appreciated.
Click to expand...
 
people always assume money that throwing money at something will get them better results, with it being clothing, cameras, or scientology- Ken Rockwell loves to tell everyone how this is not the case at all, and great images can be made on any camera

He is also an advocate of simple cameras that don't get in the way of your photography (as am I)

and he is an advocate of spending more time on composition and less on camera settings (hence the P mode)

I think Ken Rockwell gives out solid advice, but people don't want to hear that they've wasted their money or they're going about something in the wrong way. I guess for many people photography is just a flickr hobby, it's therapeutic, or they just like to look at images from holidays they've forgotten. To create meaningful images that will make you money (consistantly), win competitions, get hung in galleries and blow people away- then Ken Rockwell is a source of great advice
If you want to have the latest camera to talk ISO with your mates at the camera club, then Ken Rockwell is not for you


Ken Rockwell is also pretty entertaining, and a definite guilty pleasure
 
His guide on shooting with UWAs is spot on.
 
From what iv'e read of his comments, 90% makes perfect sense and the other 10% is absolute *******s

Its the latter content that he is noted for, bit like you only hear of problems with products not from the vast majority of satisfied users of the same kit
 
Damn I bought a nikon 70-200mm because he said it was good. ebay here it goes


















Obviously I did more research than that. But possibly only because some stuff seemed out of date
 
I like his site but I do realise that he will make a good deal of money by recommending that you buy the cheaper cameras as you are more likely to spend less money if you think the item is good; then he gets the referral money from the sales - Clever guy.
 
He's a bit sensationalist but I like what he writes. I'm old enough and wise enough in this game to sort the wheat from the chaff, so to speak, when he's doling out his opinions and that sits fine with me. Possibly, a total newcomer could misconstrue his playful style and read it as gospel, but that's one of those things. He certainly puts the information out there to be digested and some of his comparisons are excellent in terms of their real-world application.

The people who moan like hell about him either A) take things too literally, or B) still have a lot to learn....
 
I too think that he talks a lot of sense, but with the volume turned up to 10 :D

I like him and even when I don't agree with him I still find him entertaining and I love the fact that he's passionate and goes on rants and isn't afraid to express an opinion, so many people these days seem incapable of expressing an opinion and when someone does it's like a breath of fresh air.
 
Yardbent said:
:plusone:

his ''DX Dream Team'' can be useful too
Click to expand...

Im actually looking at the 35mm 1.8 :P not because of Ken Rockwell though ;) Like with anything you get balanced opinions from everywhere however as a reviewer of equipment some of his stuff can be quite informative
 
Isn't he the Clarkson or Top Gear of the photo world? Entertaining but you shouldn't base a purchase solely on what you read from him?
 
It's interesting that he's so willing to post pictures of his family... lots of his kids on his site, I can't imagine many British photographers doing the same.
 
He makes a living with his website which, can be quite informative at times. But, you have to waddle through a lot of rubbish to find the good stuff and personally I can't be asked. I have followed the odd link every now and then for entertaining purposes but, that's about as much time as I am willing to dedicate him. Good if you are a beginner with a perch for Nikon stuff (although he does have a soft spot for the 5DMKII), otherwise stay clear.
 
Rockwell is just a bell-end. It beats me why anyone bothers reading his page.
 
IGADIZ said:
Good if you are a beginner with a perch for Nikon stuff (although he does have a soft spot for the 5DMKII), otherwise stay clear.
Click to expand...

He's not a Nikon fanboy though, he loves Canon compacts and Leica's and his latest love seems to be the Fuji X100.
 
When he talks about making pictures he makes a lot of sense. His site contains one of the best pieces of advice for aspiring photographers I have read anywhere.

When he recommends equipment, well, I never take anyone's recommendations as gospel because they aren't me. His list of Nikon lenses is a useful resource.
 
He seems a bit of a Nikon fannie but does like other gear as well. Taken with a grain of salt he can be entertaining and somewhat factual. I'll take Ken any day over Thom Hogan, at least Rockwell lives in the real world (or somewhat real) and recognizes you don't need top of the line gear or a $1000 tripod to get the job done, that less expensive stuff can work well. A point that Hogan doesn't seem to understand.
 
specialman said:
He's a bit sensationalist but I like what he writes. I'm old enough and wise enough in this game to sort the wheat from the chaff, so to speak, when he's doling out his opinions and that sits fine with me. Possibly, a total newcomer could misconstrue his playful style and read it as gospel, but that's one of those things. He certainly puts the information out there to be digested and some of his comparisons are excellent in terms of their real-world application.

The people who moan like hell about him either A) take things too literally, or B) still have a lot to learn....
Click to expand...

Yeah thats the view I take, read his website as a blog or "guide how to take pics like ken rockwell" and its an entertaing and often informative read.

He does clearly talk hyperbolic nonsense sometimes but equally I think alot of the negativity towards him comes from the gearhead community reacting agenst him trying to shoot down often parroted "wisdom".
 
Actually I had a short email correspondence with Thom Hogan a while back discussing equipment, and he took quite a while to explain the pros and cons of different equipment that I would be able to afford to me.

He recommended refurb/second hand and to carry on using a bridge camera I had until I found what I really wanted, due to one thing and another. His advice, at least one on one, seemed pretty down to earth.
 
woof woof said:
He's not a Nikon fanboy though, he loves Canon compacts and Leica's and his latest love seems to be the Fuji X100.
Click to expand...

To be honest I have not read his page for a few years. So, he may have changed his tune.

I can Assure you, the last time I was there, he was a total Nikon head. According to him, the D40 had god like powers... better that any other camera he ever owned! Including the D3

And, so far as the 5DMKII was concerned, only good for landscapes... Period!
Raw shooting you say?... A waste of time and only used by control freaks! Shoot Jpeg for the best quality was his wise advise to the world.
Oh... and those of us who bought pro level 1 series canons were idiots. (o words to that effect).
Not exactly my cup of tea if you get my drift... But good for a laugh. :thumbs:
 
Last edited:
Ken is fickle, that is for sure :D

He spouts some right nonsense at times, however I have always found his specific guides, well written, easy to follow and unlike the manuals they explain what effect changing things will have.

His guide on setting up Nikon off camera flash is a doddle to follow, unlike the manual Nikon provide.
 
IGADIZ said:
To be honest I have not read his page for a few years. So, he may have changed his tune.

I can Assure you, the last time I was there,QUOTE]

If you do have a sneaky look at his site you'll see gushing praise for lots of non Nikon stuff and indeed he also tells people not to buy lots of Nikon stuff too. Hardly the actions of a Nikon fan boy, now, is it?

I think people take him too seriously and feel far to offended by him and I really don't know why.
Click to expand...
 
No Ken Rockwell thread is complete without this (yeah I know it's probably been posted before)

* Ken Rockwell's camera has similar settings to ours, except his are: P[erfect], A[wesome], S[uperlative] M[ajestic]

* Ken Rockwell doesn't color correct. He adjusts your world to match his.

* Sure, Ken Rockwell deletes a bad photo or two. Other people call these Pulitzers.

* Ken Rockwell doesn't adjust his DOF, he changes space-time.

* Ken Rockwell doesn't wait for the light when he shoots a landscape - the light waits for him.

* Ken Rockwell can focus to infinity, and beyond.

* Ken Rockwell never flips his camera in portrait position, he flips the earth

* Ken Rockwell ordered an L-lens from Nikon, and got one.

* Ken Rockwell is the only person to have photographed Jesus; unfortunately he ran out of film and had to use a piece of cloth instead.

* When Ken Rockwell brackets a shot, the three versions of the photo win first place in three different categories

* Before Nikon or Canon releases a camera they go to Ken and they ask him to test them, the best cameras get a Nikon sticker and the less good get a Canon sticker

* Once Ken tested a camera, he said I cant even put Canon on this one, and lo, Pentax was born

* Ken Rockwell hasn't used flash ever since the Nagasaki incident.

* Ken Rockwell wanted something to distract the lesser photographers, and lo, there were ducks.

* Ken Rockwell is the only one who can take self-portraits of you

* Ken Rockwell's nudes were fully clothed at the time of exposure

* Ken Rockwell once designed a zoom lens. You know it as the Hubble SpaceTelescope.

* Rockwell portraits are so lifelike, they have to pay taxes

* On Ken Rockwell's desktop, the Trash Icon is really a link to National Geographic Magazine

* Ken Rockwell spells point-and-shoot "h-a-s-s-e-l-b-l-a-d"

* When Ken Rockwell went digital, National Geographic nearly went out of business because he was no longer physically discarding photos

* For every 10 shots that Ken Rockwell takes, 11 are keepers.

* Ken Rockwell's digital files consist of 0's, 1's AND 2's.

* Ken Rockwell never focus, everything moves into his DoF

* Ken Rockwell's shots are so perfect, Adobe redesigned photoshop for him: all it consists of is a close button.

* The term tripod was coined after his silhouette
 
Love a bit of Ken Rockwell, good equipment reviews. Also quite like the fact that he's managed to troll so many people.
 
woof woof said:
If you do have a sneaky look at his site you'll see gushing praise for lots of non Nikon stuff and indeed he also tells people not to buy lots of Nikon stuff too. Hardly the actions of a Nikon fan boy, now, is it?

I think people take him too seriously and feel far to offended by him and I really don't know why.
Click to expand...

Well, as far as I am concerned, I don't take him seriously, far from it! Also, I don't get offended easily, much less by people who I don't take seriously.
As for the rest... I did say he may have changed his tune.
Now, the question is, why do you take all of this so seriously? :cuckoo:
 
Last edited:
Ken Rockwell is controversial and a bit crazy, but he's entertaining and knowledgeable too, and he doesn't hesitate to have a go at some of the established "wisdom". Why not shoot P mode if you get the photographs you want? No-one else cares what you use. I like him, but I make up my own mind about things.

I can still remember when I first thought about buying a DSLR. I mailed him, asking for his opinion on a couple of things, and got a very friendly, full, reply a few days later with an apology for the delay. I thought that was pretty decent.
 
It's a good site, and he makes the things that ought to be obvious, very obvious...

His critics have a choice - start their own site
 
woof woof said:
It's interesting that he's so willing to post pictures of his family... lots of his kids on his site, I can't imagine many British photographers doing the same.
Click to expand...

why?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top