david_killick Posted April 6, 2002 Share Posted April 6, 2002 Which photomag do you like/dislike the most? There's quite a difference. PopPhoto is an oldie, has a schizophrenic layout that splits stories into three or four parts, finally burying them in the classifieds. Seems to concentrate on the latest gear, has little to say about Leica though it has been critical in the past - lenses were criticised for having "too much curvature of field" - what does this mean? Can you trust their lens tests? However, Herbert Keppler now seems to like the M3. <p> My favourite mag is the British Amateur Photographer. Good mix of old and new gear reviews including Ivor Mantanle's classic camera column; good pix old and new including some historic ones. (Cultural difference? Americans go for the newest and latest of everything; the British and Europeans still value the past? I'm just being provocative here, any bites?) <p> How about the various Leica magazines, inluding the LHSA one? Are they worth subscribing to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay_. Posted April 6, 2002 Share Posted April 6, 2002 IMO the bulk of photo mags are 75% ads and 25% infomercials. They are aimed primarily at the tyro and in fact do them a huge disservice because I've found many errors in them that I spotted easily but a beginner would not, and might ruin lots of film and their enthusiasm for photography. Although Outdoor Photographer has a nauseating amount of infomercials and ads too, they also have columns by people like DeWitt Jones, Len Rue and Galen Rowell that still give me insight and are a pleasure to read. So I suppose I'd have to say that is my favorite commercial mag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_darnton1 Posted April 6, 2002 Share Posted April 6, 2002 Popular Photography, circa 1960, when they actually wrote about photography. It's well worth looking for back issues, and reading them cover to cover. These days, if I'm buying a photo magazine I buy Shutterbug, because the content is equally bad to the rest, but you get more ads for your dollar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spearhead Posted April 6, 2002 Share Posted April 6, 2002 I like <i>Aperture</i>, <i>Doubletake</i>, and <i>La Nueva Luz.</i> The rest hvae little to do with photography, they're just camera magazines, supported by the camera manufacturers, who really don't care if people use their cameras to take photographs or to beat other people over the head (or to wear as neck jewelry.) Music and Portraits Blog: Life in Portugal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosmo_genovese Posted April 6, 2002 Share Posted April 6, 2002 For all photography--NO ads, No talk about equipment, optics, film, technique, process or anything else that detracts from the ultimate, final purpose of the craft/art of photography (i.e., the photograph), try "Zoom International" ["Zoom"] published in Milan and available worldwide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosmo_genovese Posted April 6, 2002 Share Posted April 6, 2002 Check it out at www.zoom-net.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger_michel Posted April 6, 2002 Share Posted April 6, 2002 favorites: amateur photog for news (they always get stuff first) and for the cassic camera coverage; classic camera for the real esoterica; shuterbug for the ads and SHEER BULK; lenswork and B&W; for the photos; view camera for the writing; and photo techniques -- when it's good, it's real good. <p> least favorite: american photo -- gives photography a bad name; photographic -- gives magazines a bad name; and photo techniques -- when it's bad, it's REAL bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger_michel Posted April 6, 2002 Share Posted April 6, 2002 and p.s. herb keppler has been dead for forty years; they just keep recycyling his old columns over and over and over again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emile_de_leon9 Posted April 6, 2002 Share Posted April 6, 2002 Lenswork is the best I think from both a photographic and philosophic point of view.Perhaps consistantly the best I've ever seen.This is not an equipment magazine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nowhereman Posted April 6, 2002 Share Posted April 6, 2002 For B&W photographs, you might want to have a look at Photographers International from Taiwan. Also interesting is Natural Glow from Japan, but I don't know whether it's still around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art waldschmidt Posted April 7, 2002 Share Posted April 7, 2002 I subscribe to BLACK & WHITE MAGAZINE; have every issue they've ever published. I sometimes buy PHOTOVISION from the newstand, and also subscribe to SHUTTERBUG because of the ads. I'd like to subscribe to a really nice european magazine (again) because its nice to get a different perspective beyond the domestic varieties of hype!! As far as what I don't like - I'd better not comment - there's a "sacred cow" of the "fine-art" sort, the merits of which.......no, I'll be nice!!!! <p> Regards, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank_horn Posted April 7, 2002 Share Posted April 7, 2002 It would be difficult to choose one magazine only. THE NATURAL IMAGE, published 4 times a year, by George D. Lepp, is written by a pro and is how a photo journal should be. It is a fine mix of equipment talk as well as demonstration of technique. He does not have ads and, even though he is probably dining at the table of Nikon & Canon, he does tell it like it is. He is also into digital, big time, but in three years of getting this little mag, I have not seen the word LEICA one time. Lepp is primarily a wildlife photographer. <p> SHUTTERBUG is great for ads. <p> POPULAR PHOTOGRAPHY does the best lens tests, ...when they do them (not enough Leica lens tests). <p> LEICA PHOTOGRAPHY is great. You'll get good info on Leica products. <p> If you've ever been to a real full service magazine store, such as Borders, you'll probably see at least 20 magazines devoted to photography. <p> You'll only find info on Lepp's magazine at his site: www.leppphoto.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike dixon Posted April 7, 2002 Share Posted April 7, 2002 I used to subscribe to <i>Photo Techniques</i>, but I've let all my subscriptions lapse. It had a lot of solid content, excellent columnists, and nice design. There was a run of issues that had little of interest to me, but I've heard things are picking up again. <p> The worst was <i>Shutterbug</i> (haven't looked at one in years). It had a few regular contributors who wrote worthwhile material, but most of it was utter crap. A number of articles were just self promotional pieces. I'd constantly cringe at the pathetic level of the writing and editing. And the graphic design and layout was a nightmare--it looked like something a fifth-grader with a new Mac slapped together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy_piper2 Posted April 7, 2002 Share Posted April 7, 2002 My favorite photomag has been gone for 20 years - Camera 35. 8^( <p> Columnists included Bill Pierce (now to be found at digitaljournalist.com) and David Vestal (now in PhotoTechniques). Camera 35 (among other things) gave an entire issue to Gene Smith to publish his Minamata essay (40-plus pages). <p> I try to keep up with all of the following: Black and White Photography, Photo Life (Canada), Pop Photo, PhotoTechniques, Amateur Photographer (UK), Practical Photography (UK), PHOTO (both US and French versions) - and the Communications Arts (CA) Photo Annual (August(?) issue each year). <p> My favorite at the moment is Black and White Photography (not to be confused with the collectors'/gallery owners' magazine B+W Photography). <p> My least favorite - I don't know. I tend to ignore Aperture (they had a political/avant garde 'art' attitude going for a while that drove me away) - Camera Arts - B+W. <p> I pick up Leica Photographie if there's a specific article that interests me. <p> I have been getting hand-me-down LHSA Viewfinders - mostly esoteric research on serial numbers and odd accesories. Some of it is very entertaining - but it's really a historical journal, not an image magazine. <p> I do like the Brits - for reasons similar to David's. Practical Photography did the only head-to-head-to-head-to-head comparison of the Leica-M, Hexar RF, Contax G, and Voigtlander R that I've seen. Plus the Europeans still give precedence to image content - and especially story-telling people pictures. <p> PhotoTechniques has occsioanl useful stuff and keeps me on my processing toes - but it ain't the same without "The 37th Frame." <p> The stand-alone "The 37th Frame" newsletter version is on my must-order list, but I haven't seen an issue yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristian dowling Posted April 7, 2002 Share Posted April 7, 2002 If there were any good magazines available I woldn't be here making this reply post. I hate them all. Just adds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark_lewis2 Posted April 7, 2002 Share Posted April 7, 2002 PDN and CA (Photo District News and Communication Arts). All the rest are merely for equipment collectors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albert knapp md Posted April 7, 2002 Share Posted April 7, 2002 Leica Photographie has improved over the past year under a new Editor and has a few interesting articles on technique and new gear. Erwin writes for them as well. Pop Photo, on the other hand, continues to deteriorate and is really 90% advertisements now. The nature colomn is interesting. The reason they "ignore" Leica is simple: we are a minuscule segment of the market, albeit the top portion. This is a simple BUSINESS decision we will have to live with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicholas_wybolt Posted April 7, 2002 Share Posted April 7, 2002 David, <p> I read CAMERA ARTS, AMERICAN PHOTO, and PHOTO TECHNIQUES. On-line, I read Frank Van Riper's column in the Washington Post's CAMERA WORKS section (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/photo/index.html), Scott Bourne's PHOTOFOCUS MAGAZINE (http://www.photofocus.com/), and Michael Reichmann's LUMINOUS LANDSCAPE (www.luminous-landscape). <p> There are others that I will pick-up on occasion, but these are the ones that I read regularly. <p> The only magazine that I dislike is POPULAR PHOTOGRAPHY, that I used to read religously until the folks from MODERN PHOTOGRAPHY took over. <p> -Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcg Posted April 7, 2002 Share Posted April 7, 2002 PDN, Lenswork, American Photo & CameraArts. CA has a quarterly column by George deWolf that's excellent. Lenswork is occasionally inspirational. PDN hits the pro market & is essential for legal & technical (film/equip) news... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlegaspi Posted April 7, 2002 Share Posted April 7, 2002 i have not decided on my most favorite...but my least favorite is Petersen's Photographic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spearhead Posted April 7, 2002 Share Posted April 7, 2002 <i>If there were any good magazines available I woldn't be here making this reply post. I hate them all. Just adds. </i><p> The ones I named above, along with Lenswork, have little in the way of ads. Your statement seems a bit strong given that you don't appear to have seen all the magazines.<p> <i> PDN and CA (Photo District News and Communication Arts). All the rest are merely for equipment collectors. </i><p> Same kind of statement. Aperture, Doubletake, La Nueva Luz, Lenswork, none of these are for equipment collectors. In fact, the first three, which I regularly read, almost never even mention equipment.<p> What I really don't understand is "reading Shutterbug for the ads." Reading ads seems like a huge waste of time to me. I'd rather watch Sponge Bob Squarepants than spend my time reading ads. Music and Portraits Blog: Life in Portugal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richardvanle Posted April 7, 2002 Share Posted April 7, 2002 In general, I don' t read photography magazines that review & discuss equipment. I second the vote for the magazines mentioned by Mark Lewis (PDN & Comm Arts) and Jeff Spirer (Aperture, DoubleTake, La Nueva Luz, Lenswork). I read all of these regularly and between them you get a nice mixture of the business side of photography, emerging photographers, and great photo essays. All in all, very practical and inspiring stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobtodrick Posted April 7, 2002 Share Posted April 7, 2002 Of the current photo mags I like Camera Arts the most. Few ads, some technical info, and lots of portfolios. Back in the 70's and 80's Camera 35 was great. I let my subscription to Aperture lapse a couple of years ago because they seemed to be concentrating to much on the 'avante garde', which is not my cup o' tea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay_. Posted April 7, 2002 Share Posted April 7, 2002 Roger: I assume you were being sarcastic about Herbert Keppler being dead. AFAIK he is very much alive and well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george_l._doolittle Posted April 7, 2002 Share Posted April 7, 2002 For me, LHSA "VIEWFINDER", a quarterly publication, has no equal. Clearly my favorite. SHUTTERBUG is improving from an almost purely adverttising vehicle. POPULAR PHOTOGRAPHY is at the bottom and OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHY is a six minute read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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