Big DOH - didnt see this coming (DP Review shutting down)

In attempting to proffer my comments, DPReview already responds with:
"An error has occurred

The requested thread has reached the maximum number of allowed posts.

Please contact us if you have any questions."

That’s a measure of the importance people attach to this web-site, isn’t it ?

Color me sad. The “old” DPReview was where I learned a lot about photography and equipment. A hell of a lot. I used to pore through the comparisons and sample shots, drooling over all the equipment choices and what was better than what. I suppose I’m talking about the days around 2000-2010 (the Phil Askey days, I suppose). As things became less and less organized and specific, I started losing interest in the site, but in those days, it was of prime interest to me.

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This is going to be his legacy! This is how he is going to be remembered in the photographic community.

+1

I regularly used DPReview for comparing cameras. Not only between new models but also comparing to older ones (what I already have).

They also have (soon it will be “had”) extensive amount of pictures taken at various ISO and various lenses. Without these repositories it would be very hard for a person to decide what to buy. And if some of us are to purchase equipment from Amazon then we will have to return it. Either way - it is a big stain on Amazon’s name.

What Amazon is not realizing is that one can work hard for years to build a good name, to be respected and then ruin it in a matter of days.

Lastly - some of us will simply ditch Amazon when it comes to photo equipment and look towards companies that have bigger respect to the community.

Such a shame, such a loss.

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His former wife MacKenzie Scott appears to be a little more outward-looking than her ex. Maybe someone needs to talk to her about DPR… :slight_smile: Of course, he’s no longer CEO but I’m sure still in the middle of things.

B&H should have made an offer for dpr. Amazon is all about the knock-offs… no wonder…

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If I buy any photo gear from Amazon, it’s always small / generic stuff and usually only because we have some dollars accrued on our credit card (which I want to snag before someone else in my family does! :slight_smile:). Otherwise, I’ll go to B&H.

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Sorry, I am not sure I understand what you are saying.

Do you mean that his camera recommendations or reviews are hoaxes or trolling?

Well, I’d recommend that you take them with a pinch of salt. :slight_smile:
‘trolling his readers’ was probably too strong.

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No problem… I was not into reading his site that much anyway.

My broader point is that I can find plenty of good, in-depth, long-term reviews of any camera online with a bit of searching. For the raw specs, there is DXOmark and similar sites, but I only care about that aspect of contemporary cameras to make sure they are kind of OK. Handling, controls, and lens selection are much more important to me, provided that the sensor is at least decent. But almost all MILCs on the market are OK at this point.

I recently bought a Panasonic GX9, and long-term reviews like this one were the most informative about the choice.

As much as I will miss DP Review, it occupied a kind of middle ground: they spent a little time with each camera, which was understandable given the constraints, and then always emphasized a single aspect. Recently it was tracking AF: for all the cameras (except those from Sony) the conclusion was that tracking AF is not best in class (because that was Sony). I get it, for some kind of photography good tracking AF is essential. But for me that is not in the top 3 key aspects of a camera.

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A bucket of salt :grin: Mixing truth with fiction is what made so many people take him seriously I think. In the end he seems like he was just having fun.

PS: That “Volunteering” pic on his about page is gold :rofl:

imaging-resource.com is a nice site. They provide ‘field tests’, as well as comparison galleries, raw files. At one point, they even started developing a method to test weather-resistance claims (not important for me, but something other sites never really tried to test in a systematic way - see https://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2020/03/13/how-to-really-weather-seal-a-camera-olympus-behind-the-scenes, https://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2019/02/26/challenges-of-weather-testing-cameras-ir-weather-testing-version-1).

They almost got shut down in 2019 – and asked readers to donate. Interestingly, no one donated anything! Eventually, they were acquired by Madavor Media in March 2020. They don’t do many reviews nowadays (see the dates under ‘Latest Camera Reviews’ on Camera Reviews: Over 500 digital camera reviews - Imaging Resource), though they seem to have quite a few underway.

https://mirrorlesscomparison.com/ is also an interesting, independent site. They regularly go back and re-test cameras after firmware updates, and, despite the name, do full reviews as well, not just comparisons.

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I agree. I received far more knowledge and help on unfamiliar topics than my limited knowledge could offer in kind.
I deleted my account at DP Review out of spite. perhaps not the best move on my part, but I’m tired of the commerce ideal "If it ain’t broke, fix it 'til it is. "

:1st_place_medal:

No idea if this will gain traction or work in any way, but there’s an effort (at least of some kind) underway for a replacement.

Time will tell, I guess…

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Finally had a chance to what LTT’s The WAN Show yesterday (over 4 hours; not for everyone), but looky who was on for the first 35 minutes? Great interview with the Chris and Drake. Thought I would share. :slight_smile:

Always sad to see institutions go.

My fellow Canadians will survive!

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RIP DPreview.
What I will miss most will be their handy camera comparison page :no_mouth:

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I think what I’ll miss the most is the ability to look up almost any camera from the last 25 years and instantly find a (usually) balanced overview and review… not perfect but a very useful source of info.

I’m really hoping the archiving goes to plan and completes in time.

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Excellent news

Full news from Chris on pal2tech youtu.be channel.

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