The well-known camera website, DPReview.com, is reportedly set to shut down following 25 years of successful operation due to the recent layoffs at Amazon which includes the staff at DPReview.com.
DPReview.com was founded in 1998, and quickly established itself as one of the go-to websites for camera reviews and photography news. The website had more than 6 million visitors per month and over 14 million registered users. It was run by Amazon’s imager-technology subsidiary, Blink, which was established in 2020.
Unfortunately, the staff at DPReview.com has been affected by the layoff of over 500 of Amazon’s employees around the world as part of the company’s ongoing restructuring process. This means that the staff at DPReview.com are now without a job.
While the closure of the website is certainly a loss to the many camera industry professionals and amateurs who have followed the site for years, it is also a great loss to the industry itself. With the closure of DPReview.com, there will be one less source of digital camera information, reviews, and guides. This resource was incredibly valuable to photographers and camera companies, who relied on the website to find out what users thought of different cameras, and to keep up to date with the latest industry developments.
On the bright side, DPReview.com started as a way to help photographers get the best out of their cameras, so it’s likely that its impact in the industry will continue in some form. For example, some contributors to the site may find another platform to share their expertise, or start a new website.
In the end, the closure of DPReview.com is a reminder that times change, and we must adapt to remain competitive. While it’s a sad loss to see the closure of such an important website, its closure will open up opportunities for other websites or platforms to provide camera reviews, advice, tips, and industry news.
