Reid Reviews is an online magazine about photography. This simple description captures the essence of what ReidReviews.com is all about and at the same time squarely misses what sets it apart from many other online publications out there today: the breath and depth of insight and information this site provides, its independent point of view, its conscientious approach. In an era in which self-publishing has achieved mass phenomenon proportions... as this very weblog attests!... few autonomous voices really offer valuable and unbiased information about photographic tools and techniques. I believe Reid Reviews does.
The fact is that Sean Reid, editor and host of the RR, has been a professional photographer for many years, since obtaining his degree in photography at Bard College, in New York state (his portfolio can be seen at his photography web site). This is not a unique trait in the Internet writers landscape, but Sean combines his photographic skills, experience, and talents with a keen talent for writing and a rigorous analytical method that reveals both passion as well as a technical bent. Some of his stances are definitely outside of the current common places in photography (read for example his articles about small sensor cameras...), but this only makes his views refreshingly original.
I must confess that am particularly partial to Sean's approach and often in agreement with his recommendations, as my own personal shooting style seems very similar to Sean's. In fact I have used his articles and reviews many time to make decisions about equipment choices.
As of today, the Reid Review has some 40 articles online, ranging from reviews of the very latest digital cameras, like the Ricoh Caplio GX100 and Leica M8; lenses, as the M-mount Voigtlander 25/4.0 P; essays, as the recent "Photographing People we Know"; as well as articles on the theory and practice of photography. Most of the technical reviews are centered on digital equipment, but some articles on film photography do appear from time to time. It is my personal experience that most reviews are worth reading regardless of the specific interest in the topic covered, as the insights they offer present angles that are very valuable as background information on modern photo technology and technique.
Reid Reviews is a subscription-based site, but its annual subscription is very reasonable and completely justified by the total lack of advertising or corporate sponsorships.
My personal experience with the RR has been so far by and large very positive: the articles are great (a free example can be found at the Luminous-Landscape) with new ones being published every month (some times multiple times a month); the writing is rigorous but very enjoyable; and the topics are relevant to anyone who's seriously involved in photography today. Also Sean is quite responsive to queries and requests from his readers. The few areas of improvement I would note for the site are all centered around the Flash-based approach around which the site is developed: the site is well designed, but some functionality like inline text searching is not allowed, somewhat limiting the usability of the material published.
Overall this is a great online resource very well worth the modest cost of the subscription. Anyone seriously involved in photography today should definitely consider a subscription to the RR.
(Disclaimer - I have no affiliation with Sean or the Reid Reviews, but as a happy subscriber I have no hesitations recommending this magazine to anyone who is serious and independent-minded about photography.)
Below some recent images from the Reid Review, courtesy of Sean Reid (© Reid Reviews & Sean Reid, 2007)
Voigtlander 25/4.0P at F/4.0 - Cropping from File at 100% Size
Comparison of two 50mm/f1.4 lenses on Nikon D200 (ISO 200 F8 @ 1/160, converted from RAW)
Leica M8 with CV 25/4.0P No Filter - ISO 1250 - 1/90 sec - Tunbridge World's Fair, 2007
