2023-03-23
A couple of days ago, DPReview (Digital Photography Review) announced that after nearly 25 years online, they would be closing in three weeks. DPReview is a casualty of the cuts announced this week by their parent company, Amazon.
On April 10th, the site will be locked, and then “will be available in read-only mode for a limited period afterwards,” after which it will presumably disappear from the internet.
For so many years, DPReview has been the source for detailed, methodical reviews of digital cameras. Their reviews were of a caliber that’s increasingly rare on the internet these days—pages and pages of analysis of the camera design, interface, dimensions, test images, and so much more. I have fond memories of poring over their reviews when first researching DSLRs as a teenager, and again when getting into the world of mirrorless cameras a few years later.
Amazon’s decision to kill off DPReview feels very callous and indifferent to the community. Obviously they don’t care, but I wish they did. I can understand reducing headcount, but I can’t imagine it would have cost them much to least keep the site up for posterity.
It seems like the site is still up and running, with new content going up regularly, but no definite information as to whether it’s still on borrowed time or if Amazon has decided to keep supporting it. The latest update posted May 11th says:
We know you have questions about the status of DPReview since our last communication, and while there is nothing to share right now, we will continue to keep you informed as there are updates to share. In the meantime, we continue to publish news and features … Our forums also remain open and continue to be supported.