Amazon is shutting down DP review, the trusted and comprehensive camera review website, as part of the 18,000 layoffs it announced in January. According to an announcement on the sitethe DP review team will continue to publish reviews and other content until April 10, after which “the site will be locked and no further updates will be made.”
Started in 1998, the site has become a cornerstone of camera journalism through thorough and thoughtful reviews. If you’ve ever researched a mirrorless DSLR camera (or lenses), you’ve almost certainly come across its contents. Personally, I spent hours reviewing point-of-sale charts, image previews, and autofocus performance notes before purchasing my first large camera, a Nikon D500.
Unfortunately, it looks like the nearly 25 years of content may only be available for a short time. The announcement says the site will “remain available in read-only mode for a limited period of time after that,” making it sound like the entire site could be taken down after that, erasing a significant portion of the internet’s modern camera history. We’ve reached out to Amazon to see if this really means all articles and reviews on the site are disappearing, and we’ll let you know if we hear anything.
The DPReview YouTube channel, a legendary institution in its own right, is also coming to an end. Again, we’ve asked Amazon if those videos will still be available in the future. Jordan Drake, one of the hosts for DPReview TV, say that he and co-host Chris Niccolls will continue to make YouTube videos, although almost certainly on a new channel.
Speaking of the forums, the company’s announcement on Tuesday says you have until April 6 to “request a download of any photos and text you’ve uploaded to the site.”
DP review is one of the many cutbacks Amazon is making. In January, the company’s CEO Andy Jassy announced sweeping cuts to cut costs, and 9,000 additional layoffs have since been announced. The most recent round will affect employees at Twitch and AWS, as well as the company’s advertising and human resources departments.
According to DP review“S”About us” page, there are currently 11 contributors to the site.
