DPReview Shutdown Thread

Kind of sad, but this shutdown mirrors my own experience with cameras.

In the past couple years, I basically use my cellphone for travel photography. I realized I enjoy my vacations and trips a lot more when I interact with my family members, instead of going off by myself to take photos. In addition, during the trip, we review photos taken during day; share and post photos instantly. It is a breeze on smart phone. That just adds more to the social aspect of photography.

Nowadays, I only break out my camera couple times a year for the family and pet portrait.

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Blog https://jimmy1photo.wixsite.com/blog
Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/jimmyk-photo/

AcquiredTaste said:

In order to prevent a dozen similar threads, this thread will act as the thread to discuss DPR closing its doors. Other threads will be locked. General thoughts also welcome, but hopefully community members can discuss other forum options moving forward.

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Years ago, I approached DPR and gave some kind and honed advice as someone who has worked in media sales for some of the world's most successful media brands generating many billions in revenue every year.

I still believe that:

• Marketing
• Advertising Sales
• Sponsorship
• Media Brand Synergies
• Multiplex Media Platform Synergies
• Tentpole Event Participation
• AWS Synergies
• Amazon Synergies

All of the 8 above could have made DPR an extremely profitable entity and allowed for multiple revenue streams to DPR, Amazon and all the associated business partners.

Of all the websites, newspapers, tv networks (OTA,OTT,Cable Nets) & Magazines Ive helped build, I see such great potential that no one at Amazon has identified.

I hope the brand is bought by a cable or ott broadcaster or even a print entity that wants entry into the markets.

Thanks for all the years of being able to get advice and share with my fellow photographers. DPR has put down a roadmap for someone to be very successful in the media industry,in this space.



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Fashion, Fashion BTS, Fashion Editorial, Sports, Athlete Portrature, Editorial and Creative Portraits are my world. Shoot Canon, Nikon & Fuji. https://www.kissmykite.com/nyfw-photographers-tony-filson

and I cut my photographic teeth on DRP forums. Lots of great information on gear, techniques, and the art of photography. .

...and especially to the friends who have come and gone over the years.... I will truly miss you all.

Thanks for the memories and to all who have contributed and worked so hard to try make this a success.

It's a damn shame that you have to close.

Godspeed to you all.

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Don

I first joined in 2014. Not a big poster, just a reader for the most part.

Lately, I visit the forums each night for about 45 minutes. Going to be tough to "fill that time" with dpreview gone.

When do the forums close?
Midnight on April 9, or 10?
I would imagine folks will be posting their "sign offs"...

Unclear whether the forum/site will be archived someplace (perhaps for a future buyer?)... or just "disappear into the ether."

I'm also wondering if at least some of the site might still remain as an archive created by "the Wayback Machine"...

I'll miss the place.

Sad news. I’m surprised DP is not changing ownership. If the entire site along with years of content and forum are deleted it will be a big loss. I do a lot of purchase decisions by basing them off feedback from others on this forum.

With the traffic this site generates, it could be ad revenue operated and just having the forum enabled. Look at Watchuseek forum for watches for example, or Rcgroups for RC vehicles. Just a forum would be fine.

I would pay too!

Do they even have a current discussion forum ? If so, migrating there would be easy. If not, it seems to me it would be easy enough to start one up ? And maybe beneficial for them ? (I mean, I understand it would have to be)

I might see if I can send a suggestion to their management. I’m open to suggestions. Obviously it would help if they could get a few hundred, or few thousand requests…..

I think B&H is pretty well respected ?

Plus, I can imagine it being a good place for a “photography gear” forum. I go to different places for most of straight “photography” discussions and photo stuff….

InkedMarie said:

Rexgig0 said:

I would pay to maintain a subscription to an enduring DPR forum.

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As would I.

Marie

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I don't know what I'd do, and find it hard to believe that Amazon isn't making a lot of money from this site, as it's currently structured.

It's the largest photography site in the world, and it seems that even some kid with a YouTube background could make millions from it.

We're looking at either poor management or a company that can't be bothered with this type of business.

Maybe DPR has become so bloated or miss managed, itself, that Amazon is sick of dealing with it. Some weird things go on in Seattle.

We'll never know the real reason behind the decision, but there's always a possibility the site could be sold and that it could morph in to a pay site.

Sell out your successful passion project to a soulless corporate money making machine, and they will eventually kill it.

Overall it's sad, but, I'm not going to miss the 'whats wrong with this image" from brand new members or 'what camera should I buy' after reading buy this, buy that, they usually disappear into oblivion! How about give me C&C - the original Poster again disappears and those that stay the course end up saying - It's my image, I'll do what I like! ~~ Then of course you have the members that decry all & any cameras/lenses they don't own! Leica's are for those rich layabouts! - let's not forget the 'my camera is 10years old' photographer who says - I love it and wouldn't use anything else! -- Yes we are all different, have different views on photography with very different views on gear.. But, that's ok.. That's why we logged into DPR.. Sadly very soon to be no more..


Peace & Love To All....

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If you understand everything, you must be misinformed...

I am 61, when I started looking at this site in 2002 or 2001, both of my parents were still alive. My mother died in April 2003, my father in November 2009. And there were other events in my personal life.

I think before anything else I would like to express my gratitude to everyone associated with the site, the people that ran it, and also forum members, for enriching my life. The last 21 years have had their ups and downs, but this site was clearly an "up". Not always, and not entirely, but more often than not, and on average ... most certainly a good thing for me. Thanks !

.

I am really shocked!

In haven't used much for a while, but, love its reports. Don't like te TV much though.

Thankyou staff!

Karl Reed

DPR was/is my most trusted source for gear reviews and photography information. This is a sad day for the DPR community. I hope/wish the staff is able to find a way to start a new DPR like site. Hope you didn't sign any NDA/non compete agreements.

On the other hand, this is what happens when you are acquired by ginormous companies with performance standards that emphasize the bottom line, see e.g., Nik Software and Google (lucky DxO stepped in non that one).

As one would expect, hundreds of posts lamenting this. I too am sad. But in truth, not as sad as I might have been had this site been shut down a decade or two ago. Back then I looked forward to coming here, and reading lots of interesting threads by experienced and intelligent people. In recent times I've visited much less often, and many times I look through my usual forums and find little or nothing I want to read. There are still one or two whose opinions I value but there just isn't the depth of knowledge nor the range of interesting characters any more.

Let me cite one example. Someone who described himself/herself as Sabrina, with an emoji of Audrey Hepburn, was one of the most talented contributors in relation to processing of images, and s/he had quite a following up until a few years ago. For a year or two the very first thing I always did was look up his/her posts. S/he left after people accused him/her of processing other people's images without permission. Whether that was fair enough is debatable, and there's no point in re-opening that debate, but that person's gone now, and one very important reason that I used to come here is gone too.

Nowadays there are a lot of pretty puerile discussions ("What lenses should I take to Mongolia?" etc), including a few who seem to enjoy getting hot under the collar over the same trivial technicalities, and almost every time I visit I go away having not clicked on any threads. And the stuff on the home page rarely captures my attention. I've watched maybe one or two videos since they were given a try, and found them pretty tedious.

I'm prepared to accept that my declining interest may be partly due to a personal ennui too!

In the last few months I've mentioned some of the above in a couple of posts but they've been swiftly removed. I'm hoping that this one won't be.

But I'm sad too. Over the 21 years I've been a member, I've received lots of useful advice from forum members and excellent in-depth reviews, and I'll miss that.

--
www.grahammeale.info

Shocking news. The memories we all made here over the years.

Why doesn't Amazon just offer it to those managing it currently since killing it dead won't make Amazon any money anyway. Or maybe web guys can turn it into OpenDPreview.

I wonder if Chris and Jordan will return to CameraStoreTV!

Graham Meale said:

As one would expect, hundreds of posts lamenting this. I too am sad. But in truth, not as sad as I might have been had this site been shut down a decade or two ago. Back then I looked forward to coming here, and reading lots of interesting threads by experienced and intelligent people. In recent times I've visited much less often, and many times I look through my usual forums and find little or nothing I want to read. There are still one or two whose opinions I value but there just isn't the depth of knowledge nor the range of interesting characters any more.

Let me cite one example. Someone who described himself/herself as Sabrina, with an emoji of Audrey Hepburn, was one of the most talented contributors in relation to processing of images, and s/he had quite a following up until a few years ago. For a year or two I the first thing I always did was look up his/her posts. S/he left after people accused him/her of processing other people's images without permission. Whether that was fair enough is debatable, and there's no point in re-opening that debate, but that person's gone now, and one very important reason that I used to come here is gone too.

Nowadays there are a lot of pretty puerile discussions ("What lenses should I take to Mongolia?" etc), including a few who seem to enjoy getting hot under the collar over the same trivial technicalities, and almost every time I visit I go away having not clicked on any threads. And the stuff on the home page rarely captures my attention. I've watched maybe one or two videos since they were given a try, and found them pretty tedious.

In the last few months I've mentioned some of the above in a couple of posts but they've been swiftly removed. I'm hoping that this one won't be.

But I'm sad too. Over the 21 years I've been a member, I've received lots of useful advice from forum members and excellent in-depth reviews, and I'll miss that.

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I think that's the general experience from many of us old timers... --By the way, I'm off to my local dump, which lens should I take? Take Care L


If you understand everything, you must be misinformed...

I just realized the studio camera comparison tool will be gone forever! I would spend what would seem hours on it doing comparison across brands.

Well I was banned from a forum a few weeks ago for wandering off topic.

Now I now why my apologetic's email have not been returned.

Really too bad, This site was one of my favorite resources for Photography

From Ars Technica today:

"Former site editor Gannon Burgett said on Twitter that the decision to lay off the staff was announced in January and that "Amazon hasn't yet come up with an archival plan" for the site."