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jvandegr
About jvandegr
Epinions Most Popular Authors - Top 200
Epinions.com ID: jvandegr
Location: USA
Member Since: Jun 11, 2002
 
Favorite Websites: The Onion
  BBC
  National Geographic

Teacher, photojournalist, earth scientist.  more
Activity Summary
Reviews Written: 182
Member Visits: 6,266
Total Visits: 576,243



jvandegr's Recent Opinions
Date Written Review Title Product / Topic Product Rating Review Rating
Jul 20, 2012 The Sony NP-FM500H is now a field- and time-tested battery. Sony NPFM500H Info-lithium M Battery for Alpha SLR (00027242720268)
in Photography Accessories
  Product Rating: 5.0    Very Helpful
Sep 9, 2011 Like its three-legged cousins, this Induro monopod doesn't disappoint. INDURO AM24 ALU ALLOU 8M 4-SEC MONOPOD (6931747350315)
in Tripods
  Product Rating: 5.0    Very Helpful
Aug 16, 2011 Stability and ergonomics define the Induro AT-313 tripod. Induro Alloy 6M Tripod AT-313 (Black) (6931747350155)
in Tripods
  Product Rating: 5.0    Very Helpful
Aug 14, 2011 The Zeiss 16-80mm f/3.5-4.5 lens is simply not a Zeiss. Sony SAL-1680Z Lens
in Camera Lenses
  Product Rating: 2.0    Very Helpful
Apr 30, 2011 One of the best 3-way tripod heads available: the Manfrotto 229 Super Pro. Bogen Manfrotto 3-way Super Pro Head With RC0 Rapid Connect Plate 030-14 Replaces 3039 #229 Tripod Head (229MANFROTTO)
in Photography Accessories
  Product Rating: 5.0    Very Helpful
 View more opinions by jvandegr

jvandegr's Most Popular Reviews
#238 Overall: University of Phoenix: A glamorized for-profit com ...
#12 in Computer Hardware: Best film scanner in its class: the Nikon Coolscan ...
#351 in Computer Software: Bring out the GIMP! Open source imaging software  ...
#1 in Education: University of Phoenix: A glamorized for-profit com ...
#272 in Electronics: Nikon's 60mm 2.8D AF is a macro marvel, but not wi ...
#834 in News & Magazines: PC Photo Magazine is yet another catalog with very ...
#910 in Sports & Outdoors: Sweet ride for under $1000
 View all 16 popular reviews
jvandegr's Author Popularity
#192 Overall
#451 in Autos & Motorsports
#24 in Computer Hardware
#193 in Computer Software
#5 in Education
#22 in Electronics
#590 in News & Magazines
#259 in Sports & Outdoors
#970 in Travel
#978 in Wellness & Beauty

About jvandegr
Hello! For those interested, here is a little more about me, my reviews, and my experience with the Epinions community.

Most of my reviews: Photography and Outdoor Gear

Most of my reviews are for photography equipment and outdoor gear. As a photojournalist and earth scientist, I spend a lot of time in the field in all conditions, which is why I need quality gear. Accordingly, I research the heck out of my gear before I buy it. Despite the fact that I try to take good care of it, Mother Nature can destroy my stuff pretty easily in the field. So you'll hear both the good and the bad in my reviews of what really makes it in the field. Specs and lab tests are intersting, field data is what counts.

Education and my ratings of other reviews

Having spent a lot of time in academia, and continuing to spend a lot of time in academia, you'll find several reviews of the colleges and universities I have attended as a student or as an instructor. I spend a lot of time rating other reviewer's reviews in the Education category and I have high standards - if you want a rating of "very helpful", your review should be a well-written, comprehensive description of your experience at a college, and it should clearly be useful to others who are trying to make a decision about attending that school. Of course, I'm always happy to re-rate a review after you've updated it - just send me an email with the URL address of your review and I'll take another look.

Why I like the Epinions community

I decided to become a reviewer on this site because I want to share what I've learned about the products (and eduction) that I've purchased. Why? First, it's wasteful to let knowledge be useful for only one person. Second, like most people, I've accidentally purchased poorly-designed, over-priced garbage before - it is upsetting when companies don't care about their products or their customers. Consumers unite! Finally, I've met and been encouraged by some friendly folks here at Epinions and it is these people that work to make this site the best review site on the web.

Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions.
Happy reading...