Digital Photography Review

Last updated

Digital Photography Review
DPReview (logo).svg
Type of site
Online digital camera reviews
Available inEnglish
OwnerGear Patrol [1] [2]
Founder(s) Phil Askey [3]
URL www.dpreview.com
LaunchedNovember 1998;25 years ago (1998-11)
Current statusOnline

Digital Photography Review, also known as DPReview, is a website about digital cameras and digital photography, established in November 1998. [4] The website provides comprehensive reviews of digital cameras, [4] lenses and accessories, buying guides, [4] user reviews, [4] and forums for individual cameras, as well as general photography forums. The website also has a database with information about individual digital cameras, lenses, printers and imaging applications. Originally based in London, Digital Photography Review and most of its team relocated to Seattle, Washington, in 2010. [5] It was owned by Amazon from 2007 to 2023. [4] [6]

Contents

On March 21, 2023, DPReview announced that it would soon cease operations [7] and that its website will remain available as an archive. [8] However, the site was acquired by Gear Patrol, which on June 20, 2023, announced that it will continue operating as before. [1] [2]

Main features

DPReview has regularly published thorough, [4] [3] [9] technically orientated camera reviews since the website launched in 1998. [10] [11] The content and scope of the reviews have changed over time, but the basic formula (extensive descriptions of controls and menus, consistent, repeatable studio tests, side-by-side pixel-level comparisons) has remained unchanged since the earliest days. In 2004, a shorter "concise" review format was introduced for compact cameras, [12] and group tests were added in 2008. [13] The website's camera reviews have always offered side-by-side comparison images and test results from competing cameras. [4] In 2010, an interactive comparison widget was introduced that allowed visitors to compare studio results from any camera in the site's database. [14] Later widgets added the ability to compare other test results (such as noise and dynamic range) between cameras. Extensive real-world sample galleries are available for all reviewed (and some unreviewed) cameras and lenses.

Until February 2010, DPReview did not score cameras numerically, but used an often controversial [15] six-level rating system (from best to worst: Highly Recommended, Recommended, Above Average, Average, Below Average, Poor). The site now scores all cameras and lenses using up to 11 categories (which in turn are based on "nearly 60 aspects of camera performance and specification"). [16] Two new discretionary awards ('Gold' and 'Silver') were introduced at the same time as the scoring system.

DPReview introduced lens reviews in 2008. [17]

Although the vast majority of its published reviews are of digital cameras, DPReview also publishes occasional reviews of printers, software, photography books, accessories and mobile imaging devices.

DPReview has a database of digital cameras, lenses, printers and desktop imaging software packages. Camera product pages contain full specifications, product and sample images, user reviews [4] and links to other internal and external resources. The product database offers browse, search and compare features. [18] [19] [20]

DPReview has discussion forums [10] and also commenting [4] (on some, but not all content types), user-created articles and product reviews, photographic challenges and free personal galleries. A simple personal messaging system is available to registered users.

DPReview publishes occasional non-review articles, covering imaging science and technology, [10] [9] photographic techniques, interviews with photographers and industry figures, and buying guides. [4] In 2012, DPReview added a Link Directory that allows registered users to view and subscribe to RSS and Twitter updates from external resources without leaving the site.

Ownership history

Digital Photography Review was founded in December 1998 in the United Kingdom by Philip and Joanna Askey. [4] [11] On May 14, 2007, it was acquired by Amazon. [3] [4] [21] DPReview employs a dedicated editorial team of in-house and freelance writers, and was editorially independent of Amazon. [22]

The original founder, Phil Askey, is no longer involved in the day-to-day running of the site. [23] The company directly employs 14 full-time workers. [23] Askey was followed as general manager by Simon Joinson, who took on the role in 2010. Joinson joined the company in 2004, having previously founded and edited several UK digital photography magazines, including What Digital Camera.

The current manager is Scott Everett who joined DPReview in 2011 as a Product Manager.

In 2007, the site had "in excess of 7 million unique viewers monthly." [11]

On March 21, 2023, DPReview announced that it would cease operations, [7] [24] but that its website would remain available as an archive. [8]

On June 20, 2023, Gear Patrol announced that the site, which finally didn't shut down, will continue to operate under its new ownership. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canon EOS 10D</span> Still camera model

The Canon EOS 10D is a discontinued 6.3-megapixel semi-professional digital SLR camera, initially announced on 27 February 2003. It replaced the EOS D60, which is also a 6.3-megapixel digital SLR camera. It was succeeded by the EOS 20D in August 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canon PowerShot G</span> Series of digital cameras

The Canon PowerShot G is a series of digital cameras introduced by Canon in its PowerShot line in 2000. The G series cameras are Canon's flagship compact models aimed at photography enthusiasts desiring more flexibility than a typical point-and-shoot without the bulk of a digital single-lens reflex camera.

The Leica Digilux 1 is a digital camera developed in partnership with Panasonic, which was released in 2002, roughly the same time as the Canon PowerShot G2 and the Nikon 2000. It is the second of Leica's digital offerings. Where the original Digilux was developed in partnership with Fuji Camera, the Digilux 1 was developed jointly with Panasonic; Leica is responsible for optics, while Panasonic designs the camera electronics. According to Leica, this allows both companies to design cameras that creates a harmonious matching of lens to sensor to produce color and contrast to Leica standards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nikon D1</span> Digital single-lens reflex camera

The Nikon D1 is a digital single-lens reflex camera (DSLR) that was made by Nikon Corporation introduced on June 15, 1999. It features a 2.7-megapixel image sensor, 4.5-frames-per-second continuous shooting, and accepts the full range of Nikon F-mount lenses. The camera body strongly resembles the F5 and has the same general layout of controls, allowing users of Nikon film SLR cameras to quickly become proficient in using the camera. Autofocus speed on the D1 series bodies is extremely fast, even with "screw-driven" AF lenses.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7 is a six megapixel superzoom bridge digital camera that utilizes Panasonic's Venus II Engine. It features a 12× zoom lens and several modes of operation. It was replaced in 2007 by the DMC-FZ8

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leica M mount</span> Lens mount introduced in 1954

The Leica M mount is a camera lens mount introduced in 1954 with the Leica M3, and a range of lenses. It has been used on all the Leica M-series cameras and certain accessories up to the current film Leica M-A and digital Leica M11 cameras.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swivel lens</span>

A swivel lens is a lens that freely rotates while attached to a camera body. They are used on some compact digital and video cameras (camcorders). These lenses make it easy for a photographer to aim a camera without moving around too much. Swivel lenses come in different sizes and shapes. A swivel lens is also known as a swiveling lens, swivelling lens, and rotating lens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8</span> Digital camera model

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 is a 7 megapixel superzoom bridge digital camera made by Panasonic. As with most Panasonic Lumix cameras, it uses a Venus Engine, in this case, the Venus Engine III. It supports the Raw image format and has the same sensor size and zoom level as its predecessor, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nikon D60</span> Digital single-lens reflex camera

The Nikon D60 is a 10.2-megapixel Nikon F-mount digital single-lens reflex camera announced in January 2008. The D60 succeeds the entry-level Nikon D40x. It features the Nikon EXPEED image processor introduced in the higher-end Nikon D3 and D300.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mirrorless camera</span> Compact camera with a user-removable and replaceable lens

A mirrorless camera is a digital camera which, in contrast to DSLRs, does not use a mirror in order to ensure that the image presented to the photographer through the viewfinder is identical to that taken by the camera. They have come to replace DSLRs, which have historically dominated interchangeable lens cameras. Other terms include electronic viewfinder interchangeable lens (EVIL) cameras and compact system cameras (CSCs).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3</span> Camera model

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 is a digital mirrorless interchangeable lens camera adhering to the joint Olympus and Panasonic Micro Four Thirds System (MFT) system design standard. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 is the eighth Panasonic MFT camera introduced under the standard and the thirteenth model MFT camera introduced by either Olympus or Panasonic, as of the G3 product announcement date.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olympus OM-D E-M5</span> Camera model

The Olympus OM-D E-M5, announced in February 2012, is a Micro Four Thirds compact mirrorless interchangeable lens camera. In style and name it references the Olympus OM series of film SLR cameras, but it is not an SLR camera. The successor is the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fujifilm X100</span> Series of digital compact cameras

The Fujifilm X100 is a series of digital compact cameras with a fixed prime lens. Originally part of the FinePix line, then becoming a member of the X series from Fujifilm, the X100 series includes the FinePix X100, X100S, X100T, X100F, X100V, and X100VI. They each have a large image sensor and a 23 mm lens. All six cameras have received generally positive reviews.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sony α7</span> Full-frame mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera

The Sony α7, α7R, α7S and α7C are four closely related families of full-frame mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras. The first two were announced in October 2013, the third in April 2014 and the fourth in September 2020. They are Sony's first full-frame mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras and share the E-mount with the company's smaller sensor NEX series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fujifilm X10</span> Camera model

The Fujifilm X10 is a 2/3 sensor digital compact camera announced by Fujifilm on September 1, 2011. At the time of its release, it competed most closely with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5, Olympus XZ-1, Canon PowerShot G1 X and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100, and was subsequently named a 2013 iF product design award recipient.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ricoh GR digital cameras</span> Series of digital compact cameras

The Ricoh GR is a series of point-and-shoot, or compact, digital cameras made by Ricoh. The GR name was previously used for Ricoh's GR series of film cameras. Like the GR film cameras and Fujifilm X70, the GR digital cameras use metal bodies fitted with bright, permanently-attached prime lenses. In general, the GR digital cameras follow the precedent set by the original GR1 (1996) with lenses that provide a field of view equivalent to a 28 mm wide angle lens on a 35mm film camera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sigma dp0 Quattro</span> Camera model

The Sigma dp0 Quattro is a discontinued fixed-focal length APS-C digital point-and-shoot camera, announced by Sigma on February 10, 2015.

References

  1. 1 2 "DPReview.com looks forward to a new chapter with Gear Patrol". DPReview. Retrieved 2023-06-20.
  2. 1 2 3 "Gear Patrol Acquires DPReview, a Leading Authority and Community for Digital Photography, from Amazon.com". Gear Patrol. 2023-06-20. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
  3. 1 2 3 Becker, David (14 May 2007). "Amazon Buys Camera Authority DPReview". Wired. ISSN   1059-1028 . Retrieved 2019-08-19 via www.wired.com.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Schofield, Jack (16 March 2009). "A quick zoom into digital photography". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2019-08-19 via www.theguardian.com.
  5. "New beginners' guides and Site news: Digital Photography Review". Digital Photography Review. Retrieved 2013-03-27.
  6. Schofield, Jack (5 August 2011). "Wanted: a travellers' compact camera with a long zoom lens". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2019-08-19 via www.theguardian.com.
  7. 1 2 Coldewey, Devin (21 March 2023). "Amazon kills DPReview, the best camera review site on the web". TechCrunch . Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  8. 1 2 Gray, Jeremy (7 April 2023). "DPReview Will Remain Available as an Archive After It Closes". PetaPixel. Retrieved 2023-04-10.
  9. 1 2 "The Digital Photography Review". For Dummies . Retrieved 2019-08-19.
  10. 1 2 3 at 13:07, John Leyden 15 May 2007. "Amazon.com snaps up Dpreview.com". www.theregister.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-08-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. 1 2 3 "Amazon Acquires dpreview.com". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2019-08-19.
  12. "Just posted! HP PhotoSmart R707 review: Digital Photography Review". Digital Photography Review. Retrieved 2013-03-27.
  13. "Budget Compact Camera Group Test: Digital Photography Review". Digital Photography Review. Retrieved 2013-03-27.
  14. "Studio comparison widget". Digital Photography Review.
  15. "DPReview Scoring Method". brainfunkers.co. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  16. Featured articles (2013-01-28). "Camera Scores & Ratings Explained: Digital Photography Review". Digital Photography Review. Retrieved 2013-03-27.
  17. "Dpreview launches lens reviews: Digital Photography Review". Digital Photography Review. Retrieved 2013-03-27.
  18. Schofield, Jack (3 August 2017). "Is there a camera that can produce high-quality still images from videos?". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2019-08-19 via www.theguardian.com.
  19. Schofield, Jack (19 October 2017). "What's the best cheap compact camera with image stabilisation?". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2019-08-19 via www.theguardian.com.
  20. Schofield, Jack (14 November 2013). "Which pocket camera should I buy for holidays?". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2019-08-19 via www.theguardian.com.
  21. Chen, Jason (15 May 2007). "DPreview Bought Out by Amazon: How Does This Affect You?". Gizmodo. Retrieved 2019-08-19.
  22. "About this site: Digital Photography Review".
  23. 1 2 "Digital Photography Review - About Us". Digital Photography Review. 2007-10-30. Retrieved 2013-03-27.
  24. Schneider, Jaron (21 March 2023). "DPReview is Shutting Down". Archived from the original on 21 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023.