DPreview Closure Theory )

[Downunder]

Several possible reasons - and all occurring in the past few years which collectively suggest to me DPR had become pointless:

1. The pace of the technological evolution of lenses and sensors is slowing. M4/3 close to physical (optical) limits. APS-C not far behind. That only leaves FF and larger formats - if you are determined. Hence the quantitative tests of lenses and sensors, and comparisons were ceasing to be as relevant as they were in the early days. Axe a sizeable segment of whole DPR website.

2. Phones have killed compact cameras for travel and average consumers. Specialised ones still exist for particular enthusiast/applications (like underwater or rugged). Axe another (arguably now archaic) segment of the gear originally listed on DPR. Likewise I would expect as people buy phones and not cameras the numbers researching gear on DPR would be falling, dramatically, and thats going to show in page hit counts.

3. A major shift in what people use cameras for - YouTube, social Influencers, VLOGgers, drones etc. The vast majority are more about virtue signalling or vanity than photography. You don't need a complex DSLR or exquisite lenses for this, just good image stabilisation.

4. Inclusiveness and remaining basically welcoming and well-mannered to all. DPR lost that, years ago.

5. Page hits plummeting probably spelled its demise, ultimately.

 

[Pete_W]

Several possible reasons - and all occurring in the past few years which collectively suggest to me DPR had become pointless:

1. The pace of the technological evolution of lenses and sensors is slowing. M4/3 close to physical (optical) limits. APS-C not far behind. That only leaves FF and larger formats - if you are determined. Hence the quantitative tests of lenses and sensors, and comparisons were ceasing to be as relevant as they were in the early days. Axe a sizeable segment of whole DPR website.

2. Phones have killed compact cameras for travel and average consumers. Specialised ones still exist for particular enthusiast/applications (like underwater or rugged). Axe another (arguably now archaic) segment of the gear originally listed on DPR. Likewise I would expect as people buy phones and not cameras the numbers researching gear on DPR would be falling, dramatically, and thats going to show in page hit counts.

3. A major shift in what people use cameras for - YouTube, social Influencers, VLOGgers, drones etc. The vast majority are more about virtue signalling or vanity than photography. You don't need a complex DSLR or exquisite lenses for this, just good image stabilisation.

4. Inclusiveness and remaining basically welcoming and well-mannered to all. DPR lost that, years ago.

5. Page hits plummeting probably spelled its demise, ultimately.

I agree with your assessment.

DPR's health necessarily mirrors that of the camera industry which has been through a bruising time in recent years.

I would also add that the demographics were not working in DPR's favour either. Most site users appear to be stills photographers who are predominantly the older generations, and I am in that demographic myself! Older generations are not a growth market.

Camera manufacturers are betting on market growth coming from well-equipped hybrid cameras that have an emphasis on video, i.e. not DPR's primary user base. And in addition to that, younger generations typically don't use Internet forums to obtain information, just like they rarely read newspapers to get news. They use social media platforms with streaming content.

 

[Brian]

DPReview used custom developed software for their site, and I've read that maintenance was ~$3M/year. I suspect that constant maintenance and code development was required to keep up with new browsers, new operating systems, and software attacks. With GDPR, the owner can be sued for loss of information, in this case- the owner is Amazon. With websites such as this, the use of off-the-shelf software simplifies the task Typically one person is required to administer updates and patches.

Photo.net had a major breach which resulted in the loss of Email addresses of their members. Several have been getting "spammed" as a result. It happens.

Cost of maintenance and risk of being sued seems like something a large corporation would consider.

 

[P Alters]

Several possible reasons - and all occurring in the past few years which collectively suggest to me DPR had become pointless:

1. The pace of the technological evolution of lenses and sensors is slowing. M4/3 close to physical (optical) limits. APS-C not far behind. That only leaves FF and larger formats - if you are determined. Hence the quantitative tests of lenses and sensors, and comparisons were ceasing to be as relevant as they were in the early days. Axe a sizeable segment of whole DPR website.

2. Phones have killed compact cameras for travel and average consumers. Specialised ones still exist for particular enthusiast/applications (like underwater or rugged). Axe another (arguably now archaic) segment of the gear originally listed on DPR. Likewise I would expect as people buy phones and not cameras the numbers researching gear on DPR would be falling, dramatically, and thats going to show in page hit counts.

3. A major shift in what people use cameras for - YouTube, social Influencers, VLOGgers, drones etc. The vast majority are more about virtue signalling or vanity than photography. You don't need a complex DSLR or exquisite lenses for this, just good image stabilisation.

4. Inclusiveness and remaining basically welcoming and well-mannered to all. DPR lost that, years ago.

5. Page hits plummeting probably spelled its demise, ultimately.

I am one who sold off all my gear (2 bodies with one being a FF, 6 lenses 2 strobes, all the support gear and now only use my iPhone for photos.

I also spoke in anger about Amazon being the last place I’d look to buy any products. I’ve already failed with that, needed a replacement component for my wine cooler and Amazon was the easiest and quickest place to buy from. I feel ashamed and suspect I’ll be a repeat offender.