It has been brought to our attention that we may have been a little one sided in our reporting on the Nikon Blogger Outreach Program. Perhaps we overreacted to Joe Jaffe's stated "quid-pro-quo reciprocity" that he admits is inherent in MWW's campaign. In retrospect, our "whore" accusation may have been accurate but... a bit strong.

That said, we recognize there are always two sides to a story. In the interest of accuracy and fairness, we've reached out to uber blogger and self-described PR expert BL Ochman. As a blogola recipient, the outspoken Ms. Ochman certainly sheds light on the debate. BL contends that she is participating in a limited and sophisticated test; one that she's demonstratively completed.

What follows directly is: a brief description of BL's domain knowledge, i.e. why she is uniquely qualified to test the camera; her subsequent product review of the Nikon D80; and a few select photographs BL was able to capture with the camera.

OCHMAN'S BACKGROUND IN PHOTOGRAPHY

According to BL's website, photography's a "hobby". She did actually study it as part of an undergraduate degree (took a course apparently). And if it weren't for the allergies... who knows. BL: "I used to print my black and white pix until I became wildly allergic to the chemicals and had to stop going into dark little rooms."

Undeterred, BL says she later "went to the Maine Photographic Workshop" and also claims to have taken a few courses at the International Center for Photography. Note: although no specifics were provided, we do understand BL met some nice people there.

Lastly, one source has it that Ms. Ochman has been seen prowling the photography section of Barnes and Nobel a few times. And the book, Ansel Adams' "The Making of 40 Photographs," is proudly displayed on her coffee table in her living room.

So, unlike the majority of the other bloggers in the blogola program, BL has a considerable amount of depth in this area.

PRODUCT REVIEW

If there's one thing that surely quells the critics that want to characterize MWW's campaign as a simple bribe for positive coverage... it would be a substantive technical review. BL does just that.

Since receiving her 1-year "loaner" a few weeks ago, BL has provided a review that has even the experts in awe. She's written and published a product comparison pitting her cheapie 3-year-old, Canon PowerShot A85 pocket consumer camera up against the almost 4-times-as-expensive new professional SLR, the Nikon D80. Here in its entirety:

"I've been wanting to compare the Nikon D80 I am testing as part of the Nikon Blogger Outreach Program to my trusty Canon A85, which I love because it is small, portable and can make some very nice photographs and videos under the right circumstances. The Nikon is big, heavy, and bogged down with fancy features. But it sure can make some beautiful, rich, clear photographs. There's a trade off, and it's very nice to have both. I took this photo of Benny Bix and his buddy Sophie this morning in Central Park with the Nikon D80. Because the camera has a built in motor-drive, I can get clear shots of my hyper puppy in motion. I took this shot in the Ramble in Central Park with my Canon A85. Its shutter speed is annoyingly slow, resulting in blurry photos like this when your subject is moving. Either that happens or you can't get the nice blur when you want it. Here's another shot with the Nikon D80, with both Benny and his best pal Billy moving fast. I like that you can get the sense of movement and a bit of blur, even with the camera on automatic. This is a very decent shot I took with my Canon. It's light, it's portable, and it's simple to use. I think I will always want a small camera to run around with because you do get nice shots. But I'd like to upgrade to a faster small camera."

Note: To ensure the relative accuracy of the comparison, both cameras were on automatic for the test. Also note, where Benny is a labradoodle, both Sophie and Billy are of undetermined dog breeds which may have slightly skewed the photo results.

PICTURE THIS!

The following are a few select shots that not only clearly demonstrate BL's expertise and artistry, but also more importantly, show off the true capabilities of the Nikon D80. (Click on the image for a larger view.)

CONCLUSION

What more can be said.  BL's test and review have certainly been comprehensive.  As ethical as she is, we suspect BL will be returning the loot directly.

EDITOR'S NOTE

As you can probably imagine, "Two boys on a stick" has been quite viral especially among the mostly ambiguously male members of the PR blog community. As last count, that photo alone has had some 231,917 downloads. Now that's PR 2.0!  You just can't buy that kind of credible endorsement and market reach.