anand@utastro.UUCP (05/08/84)
As far as I know, almost all the photographic monthlies review equipment almost to the point of destroying their samples. However, they are not the best judges of long term soundness of equipment, as they always test 'new' samples (even though they 'torture' their subjects) I think it is much better to stroll into your local camera repair shop and get to talking with the repair folks. They will give you a very good idea of what is dependable and what breaks down after 10 rolls go through it. They see it all, and they have strong opinions (based on experience, I hope) about what is 'a hunk of junk' and what is a reliable machine. I was quite surprised at the contempt with which they regard many (but not all) of the newer cameras. As far as exact specs on lenses - levels of flare, resolving power in centre vs. edge, etc, the camera monthlies are dependable, but you can often take your camera body into a camera shop and shoot (remember to use a tripod and cable release for test shots!) a test roll through a couple of lenses, and inspect results yourself. Remember, though, that an unhooded lens has huge amounts of flare compared to a lens which has a lens hood in place.