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I'm sure most of you are the same and spend some time perusing Youtube and the likes for random rubbish.... some of which related to shooting.

Having watched a fair few i wondered what peoples thoughts are on formats used and styles.

Do people prefer reviews of kit to be straight forward, factual, nice footage, text on the screens through out with voice overlay.

or the awkward unscripted bumbling reviews.

if anyone has examples of styles they like share the links.

Clear and concise explanations, either verbal or written and clear well lit images or film is my preference. I really cannot be doing with a badly lit out of focus production with someone babbling on by way of an introduction that ends up adding an extra 50% to the production.

I have to admit i really hate badly shot footage.

However i also hate bad production or lack of it!

Ovenpaa wrote:Clear and concise explanations, either verbal or written and clear well lit images or film is my preference. I really cannot be doing with a badly lit out of focus production with someone babbling on by way of an introduction that ends up adding an extra 50% to the production.

here you go Dave get some clear and concise info here

There are some truly terrible British gun/equipment 'review' Youtubers out there and you can really tell they don't know what they're talking about yet somehow they have amassed vast subscription levels.

It can only be assumed its because of lack of alternative and/or the viewership is equally clueless, but at the end of the day unless you're willing to put out better content yourself you can't really complain about it, so i'll shut up!

To answer the question; i'm willing to put up with poorer production values if the person actually knows, or at least, comes across as knowing, what they're talking about. Ideally the video will have good production values AND factual information, but I which of the two is my preference. If he's still going Nutnfancy uses a good review method/video style, i'm just not a fan of the guy on a personality level. Garand Thumb and T-Rex Arms put out excellent info with very good production values.

Not seen the T-Rex ones before, still american but i like the better production and they are confident in what they do

Clear and concise every time for me. Watching 5 minutes of somebody waving his new toy around in front of the camera without even trying to say anything just doesn't do it for me.

I've found short overall length and short introduction works best - I find the ones where they spend five minutes talking about tools you need to do the job and patronising heath and safety issues are a real turn off.

My most successful video was shot on my phone, lasts for about a minute and has had well over 1 million views. (earned about $1,200 in advertising but now deemed unsuitable)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwD5zu7yTeI

Next best at around 200,000 views is: ($400, banned in some countries)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LTanlKuT_4

Gave up on youtube years ago, why it is called a Scottish insult is beyond me.

Life is too short for sifting through sh!te to find the very rare something that might actually be informative.

It is just another data/information capturing device for the likes of giggle and arsebook anyway.

I never click on any youtube link.

It depends on what you're looking for. If I'm looking for a review of a piece of equipment I'm looking to buy, I usually want a brief overview at the beginning describing the features, installation of the device (e.g. scope) and some footage of it in use. Videos ~10 minutes in length is the best amount of time - not too short, but not too long where it feels like it's dragging on. Good lighting and video quality is a must, how can you show off the item if you cannot see it?

Sometimes I watch videos just for fun. For example, Hickok45 is great for watching for a bit of the history of a firearm, some nice closeups, and seeing the firearm being shot. The videos are long, somewhere between 20 mins and 30 mins but that's because he's just having a good time when he's shooting a video which are usually done in one take. Sometimes I'll skip over some parts of the video just to watch the shooting part.

Some examples:

Adjusting trigger on CZ 527. Gets straight to the point, explains what each adjustment screw does and what happens if you over tighten the screws.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqcwFciaVbc

Hikock45 M16 full-auto suppressed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM8xvE5B4yk