Stewardship of GetDPI: A New Chapter

[Paul Spinnler]

Guys this is all too complicated ...

If the forum server costs + xenforo license costs 1k USD one referred CFV100c already pays for that.

You'll have 10 people paying 10 bucks - run the math, lol.

In return you get a dead site. Seems like a bad move. Just think this through.

The margin on an IQ5, if sold at 50k is more than 10k. That's were the money is, not in asking a fee to see someone's Arca lens shade or to be able to sell an old 72 Digitar lens for 1500.

...

 

[rdeloe]

@vieri suggestion for a minimum number of meaningful posts was something I thought of too.

But stepping back, as Paul is asking us to do, what problem are we solving by either charging a small fee to people who want to sell something or requiring them to make meaningful posts? One could argue that it's beneficial to regular members to have people with rare equipment that is valued on the forum show up, sell the item, and then leave -- never to be seen again.

I presume the site owners have the data to figure this one out.

 

[Geoff]

One of the thorniest questions is about manufacturers and their reps. I wish there was a way that CI could maintain its position, but that DT would be welcomed back - not nec. as a sponsor, but something more than an individual posting. I realize this is tough, and tricky, but DT offered some different insights, and I personally miss their presence. Of course, it's easier to talk about this than execute it, but wanted to put it on the table.

Other than that, love the low key aspects of the forums - very good. Don't change a thing!

Also +1 for the better search or cross-forum connections.... Like others, use the MF section to find more idea discussion - it works, but there is info in other forums that isn't easy to find.

Still, the favorite photo site, and the go-to one first.
Geoff

 

[Paul Spinnler]

Yes minimum number of posts and tenure for sales ads would take care of 90% of the spammers, needs to not be onerous though, maybe 30 days sicne account creation and 10 posts or so. If you are a scammer and realize you need to play a sharade of being a legit forum member a ltitle it may put off a lot given the "work" involved.

Most, not all, scammers want "quick money", although we've seen also more complex identity theft scams where people faked over time sell-down messaging of listed items to evoke trust and it was then a bit more "intricate" operation. But some basic ad posting time limitations will dampen scam ads for sure.

 

[cunim]

What are we trying to accomplish with GetDPI? Clearly, it is not to make a profit from the forum itself. The sponsor feels they gain benefits sufficient to justify the costs and (more importantly) the effort of maintaining this forum. So monetization is not very relevant, escept as a way of limiting spam.

What distinguishes this forum is that members tend to treat photography as a process. What gear, what movements, what lighting, what thoughts did I have when I shot this. It is the provision of those types of data, and the acceptance that gear and skill set have a beauty of their own that make DPI special. Sure, many of us post photos with minimal data and some of those photos are very good. However, there are lots of sites displaying good photos and I don't spend time there. I will skim over photos unless you tell me about the process, because I am trying to learn from your work.

So, my suggestion for improving the site is to create a simple set of guidlines for what should be posted with any photo. Voluntary, of course, but we should be encouraged to include as much as possible about camera and lens settings (including movements, stacking etc), any special lighting considerations, why we like this photo enough to post it, and what we were trying accomplish when we took it. More BTS. I hope providing more background would help to attract new members, anyone trying to understand how other photographers work. We absolutely need those new members.

 

[diggles]

is GetDPI actually unsustainable

I hope not

or is it already a very good deal for its owner

my assumption is that it is a good business decision, but it will take a significant amount of work, that is guaranteed

They did try it and it became a ghost town. The FS section died and after a few months it went back to open without fees.

interesting fact, good to know

a minimum number of posts to access it

this solution would be reasonable

One could argue that it's beneficial to regular members to have people with rare equipment that is valued on the forum show up, sell the item, and then leave -- never to be seen again.

yeah, this is a good point. having first right of refusal for rare equipment is beneficial for forum members for sure. i hadn't thought about it in that way.

So, my suggestion for improving the site is to create a simple set of guidlines for what should be posted with any photo. Voluntary, of course, but we should be encouraged to include as much as possible about camera and lens settings (including movements, stacking etc), any special lighting considerations, why we like this photo enough to post it, and what we were trying accomplish when we took it.

this is a good idea. XenForo does provide functionality for including fixed fields that could be added to photo sharing threads. fields could include something like:

• Photo 1 upload (or link insertion)
• Camera (text field)
• Lens (text field)
• Shift and Tilt (text field)
• Photo Description (free form)
• Background/Process (free form)

The fields wouldn't be required, you could just enter everything in the free form fields if you want, but including a template would introduce consistency on the shared images forums.

 

[rdeloe]

So, my suggestion for improving the site is to create a simple set of guidlines for what should be posted with any photo. Voluntary, of course, but we should be encouraged to include as much as possible about camera and lens settings (including movements, stacking etc), any special lighting considerations, why we like this photo enough to post it, and what we were trying accomplish when we took it. More BTS. I hope providing more background would help to attract new members, anyone trying to understand how other photographers work. We absolutely need those new members.

I like this idea a lot because it gets to the heart of one important issue.

Many of us share a desire to keep technical cameras going as a viable way of practising photography. A challenge is that the vast majority of people out there, including capable photographers, don't know what they don't know. It's hard to get someone interested in technical cameras if they can't begin to conceive what it is they do that cannot be done with "regular" cameras and software.

I like behind the scenes posts that talk through the problem solving behind the photograph. What problem were you trying to solve, and how did you solve it using a technical camera? More posts in that vein (especially if they're grouped together and easy to find) are a nice way to share learning. I think of this as the "show don't tell" approach, which can be much more effective than a theoretical explanation.

 

[diggles]

An additional benefit of including fields is that they can be used to improve searchability.

Custom Field Filtering
XenForo's core software doesn't include custom field filtering by default, but it's fully supported through third-party add-ons like "Thread Filter by AddonsLab." This functionality allows users to filter forum posts by custom field values - essentially turning a forum section into a searchable database.

Practical Example:
In an "Images to Share" section, a user interested in seeing images shot with a specific setup could filter by:

• Camera = Arca Swiss RM3di
• Lens = Schneider APO-Digitar 35mm XL

The forum would display only posts matching both criteria. Users can add or remove filters dynamically, and active filters are displayed as clickable tags that can be removed to broaden the search.

This could significantly improve the ability to find specific content without requiring any major reorganization of the forum structure.

 

[SrMphoto]

It would be nice if we could engage members more in a positive way instead of arguing whether Hasselblad is Swedish or criticizing the usage of the term exposure triangle. (I am to blame for the second one)
Sharing images and sharing critique (what we like and what we don't like). Having a weekly to monthly image thread helps reset any discussion.
We may want to add subgroups for image sharing like travel, man-made landscapes, portraits, etc. What can be done to encourage members to share more?

 

[AreBee]

Re creating a more inclusive and engaging environment, the answer depends on who you ask.

Some members are comfortable in a way others are not with what could be described as... robust debate. For example, "a dumb idea" is a critique of an idea, not the person who conveyed it, hence is not a personal attack. For this reason, a debate forum would consider this acceptable whereas GetDPI would in my experience tend at best to disapprove of the language and at worst to consider it unacceptable.

The more diverse the membership, the richer will be GetDPI, albeit invariably at the cost of an increase in friction between different personality types. I accept the latter as a price to be paid for the former on the basis that (a) good luck finding someone who has never not clashed with another, and (b) the alternative is a site that tends toward an echo chamber.

There have been occasions where I considered OTT the premature ending of a conversation. Conversely, I have zero doubt the relative high level of civility here is a reflection of the moderation, whether administered officially or otherwise. In other words, there's a balance to be struck. You are dealing with irrational humans for which a one-size-fits-all forum is a goal to aspire to and work toward, all the while knowing it can never be attained.

 

[Paul Spinnler]

The beauty of this forum is the diverse range of characters, which like to discuss vividly, but in the end, it is like a nice, sometimes a bit choatic, loud and noisy living room where everyone at the end of the night can say goodbye to each other and "have a good night". It would be boring to just go to a quiet library every day.

 

[SrMphoto]

I am all for robust debate and diversity of opinions. I always believe that there is something to learn when arguing with opposing point of views. I agree that it would be boring if we would only be singing Kumbaya.
However, the arguing should not be the only reason to participate in this forum and should not be the only type of our contribution to this forum.

BTW, I believe that the level of civility in this forum is mainly caused by the kind of forum members who participate here.

 

[SrMphoto]

Another feature that I like in another forum is a post-processing "competition" where members post-process an image. The winner, determined by the image's author, is the next week's image author and judge.

 

[Godfrey]

Hmm. As I said before, I'm not very creative with regard to things like "new forum features" and "enhancements to existing forum capabilities" ... I also kind of like the forum just as it is. I've never used the buy and sell portion of any dedicated photo forum (the potential audience of Ebay is thousands of times larger if you're looking to sell something, and many of my equipment sales over the past five-six years have been to dealers directly).

To me, this forum is all about the conversation on doing photography (telling stories, asking questions, sharing techniques, etc), showing some photos now and then, and following the work of the various wonderful photographers who hang out here. I'm not creative about thinking of ways to monetize that, nor am a huge fan of strict moderator interactions as I believe that a civil community should be, and is, self-policing.

Just me ...

G

 

[Dave Gallagher]

First let me say that this singular thread is a great representation of the depth and the insight of discussion that happens on GetDPI that is weak at other forums. Differing opinions are met with thoughtful an detailed responses rather than knee jerk insults and it is important for CI to continue to promote this same decorum. Integrity and honesty is a bedrock of my company and I think that is one of the reasons that we have always integrated so well here along with the quality of our team, illustrated so well by Steve Hendrix’s patience and tact.

Steve has represented us so well here that our other team members have not contributed as much but we promise to share more support, technical representation, and our own experience as you might have read in other posts up to now.

I have enjoyed reading this thread with the diverse opinions and I orginally asked all of the questions because I truly wanted to understand our members better. My promise is that we will not make any big changes to this community except for one that matters to me personally. When it comes to blatant patent copyright infringement, those posts will be flagged and deleted. As a business owner, a photographer, and a partner to our manufacturers, this one area is important to me and I will moderate this topic and any abuse.

In the area of funding or commercialization, it IS possible that two opposing opinions can be correct at the same time. Paul is accurate about the annual costs of this forum. It is in the high range of his estimate without personnel or staffing costs. However, this is the cost without upgrades, with features being broken, and without daily moderation or extensive maintenance. The labor costs are yet to be defined and I am not sure if we will be able to clearly understand them yet. The hope today and always has been, is that the content, experience, and knowledge shared will be enough to contact our company when a member has a buying decision happen. So in turn, our effort and economic support is both “good will” and marketing of our strengths.

One big promise is that we will not veer from our years of background support, and now that we own the platform, commercialize or add fees. But I have to share the following statistic with you as I have tried to wrap my head around this since pulling it out of the website. And this explains why ownership of GetDPI was not ideal for Olaf and OLI publishing.

Here are two graphics and numbers pulled from the website. The first shows that member threads on selling products outnumber the next highest forum area at a rate of 4 to 1. Of course, engagement is lower with those as it is sold and done.



The next graph was shocking. And I am wondering how this could be true. It shows me that only a single donation was received through the website over the last 5 years. I have run multiple reports and can still only find a single donation. Regardless, one point that it clear is that Warren was correct that getDPI is a free platform for selling.



Your thoughts?

 

[Paul Spinnler]

Thanks Dave for sharing this.

Two thoughts:

+ Most of the time when I see people online on the right I can see they are checking FS and WTB. I suspect it is because people hope to find a great deal, ie an old photographer selling a 60 XL for 4k although it goes for 10k on eBay or more in China. Ie they want to find a good deal, but also possibly something rare like a special lens or so and they're afraid to miss out. Typical rare items are Rodie or SK lenses at good peer-to-peer prices or a digital back below dealer or CPO used pricing - essentially people want to save money and get access to good gear, e.g., but that IQ4 for 15k USD while its still at 20k+ at dealers - that's the main draw, in my view, cheaper lenses and backs vs. ebay, CPO or dealers. I also know a lot of members who stopped selling here, or try less, because of the perceived lowballing, but that's another story

+ Donations - besides people not having the money, my main explanation is that for someone to donate, they need to know exactly for what and why and after Olaf bought it and sponsorship via CI came in, with product ads, etc. maybe people felt the site is not really in need given it is run by businesses who might benefit from the community. This said, I DID multiple times buy suscriptions for the MF mag and figured that this in turn comes back to Olaf's willingness to pay the server bills, so to say. So maybe the chart would look different if you could see Donate + MF Mag subscriptions as a donation with benefits of sorts

I think the FS section and peer-to-peer trading of used tech cam gear, especially lenses and backs is dear to many here and somewhat represents one of core aspects of getDPI as sometimes people are able to buy gear they would not have been able to acquire as even CPO and used dealer pricing is way higher.

Case in point is the IQ3 100 back. I helped an upcoming photographer by pointing him to a forum member who had one he wanted to sell and he was able to acquire it for 8k USD, while CPO pricing was way higher and not an option at all.

If the FS section would be touched, a big traffic or lead magnet would be removed, I feel.

 

[tenmangu81]

Many thanks Dave for your thoughts. When you hope that "the content, experience, and knowledge shared will be enough to contact our company when a member has a buying decision happen" (that I fully acknowledge), this is true mostly for US participants. For European ones (I don't think there are many Asian ones), it won't work.
I participate in a French forum named as "Summilux" devoted to Leica products (I owned a Leica for years), and besides the large majority of participants, there is a sort of association (The Friends of Summilux) with a small subscription fee (15 € per year) which gives members some advantages. As the number of FS and WTB threads is huge when compared to MF ones, I would suggest that people wanting to sell or buy gear pay a very small (5 $ ?) fee to be able to do it. As far as I am concerned, I'd agree to pay a small fee even if I didn't ever sell or buy any gear, as the information I get from the forum is very valuable to me. This is the reason why I donated a contribution to the forum some months ago. I'd be ready to do it again, even periodically.
My 2 cents....

 

[darr]

Dave,

Thank you for taking the time to engage so thoughtfully with the community and for explaining your perspective and intentions so clearly. It’s reassuring to hear the emphasis on integrity, decorum, and maintaining the spirit that has long set GetDPI apart from many other forums.

I did want to clarify one point mentioned in the discussion around donations. The statement that only a single donation was received through the website over the past five years doesn’t reflect my experience. I personally donate every December via PayPal, so I’m not sure whether all contributions are being captured in those reports.

That said, I want to be clear that I’m not opposed to financially supporting the forum. In fact, I would be willing to pay a membership fee if it helped preserve what many of us value most here—particularly keeping politics off the platform. The Large Format Photography Forum has managed to do this successfully, and I believe that kind of focus is a big reason members stay engaged and feel welcome.

As for content, I appreciate the wide range of suggestions being offered and am supportive of whatever direction the community ultimately prefers. My own interests are fairly straightforward: I enjoy looking at strong images and reading about gear. I’d love to see ideas like occasional or weekly posts from manufacturers discussing what they make and why it’s useful, or features where photographers talk about a single successful image—where the inspiration came from, what they were responding to visually, and the tools they enjoy using, whether digital or film.

I understand that many members want technical details like f-stop or lens choice, and that information can certainly be helpful. Personally, I’m less interested in long, technical justifications involving post-processing workflows or MTF charts explaining why an image is “better.” What matters more to me is the presentation of the image itself and the visual conversation it creates.

I appreciate the openness of this discussion and your willingness to listen. My hope is that GetDPI continues to be a place centered on photography—images, ideas, and respectful exchange—without the divisiveness that politics inevitably brings. Even when political discussions are well-intentioned, they tend to fracture communities, discourage participation from members who simply want to focus on photography, and quietly drive away thoughtful contributors who would rather not engage in conflict or ideology at all.

Photography forums thrive when people feel welcome, inspired, and safe to share work without worrying about unrelated tensions. Politics, by nature, shifts attention away from images and ideas and toward disagreement and identity. Over time, that erodes trust, narrows participation, and changes the tone of the space—even for members who never click into those threads. A clear boundary helps keep the forum focused, inclusive, and sustainable for the long term.

Looking ahead, I’m hopeful and optimistic about the future of GetDPI and appreciate the openness of this conversation. Thank you for listening and for taking the time to engage so thoughtfully with the community.

 

[Godfrey]

First let me say that this singular thread is a great representation of the depth and the insight of discussion that happens on GetDPI that is weak at other forums. Differing opinions are met with thoughtful an detailed responses rather than knee jerk insults and it is important for CI to continue to promote this same decorum. Integrity and honesty is a bedrock of my company and I think that is one of the reasons that we have always integrated so well here along with the quality of our team, illustrated so well by Steve Hendrix’s patience and tact.

Steve has represented us so well here that our other team members have not contributed as much but we promise to share more support, technical representation, and our own experience as you might have read in other posts up to now.

I have enjoyed reading this thread with the diverse opinions and I orginally asked all of the questions because I truly wanted to understand our members better. My promise is that we will not make any big changes to this community except for one that matters to me personally. When it comes to blatant patent copyright infringement, those posts will be flagged and deleted. As a business owner, a photographer, and a partner to our manufacturers, this one area is important to me and I will moderate this topic and any abuse.

In the area of funding or commercialization, it IS possible that two opposing opinions can be correct at the same time. Paul is accurate about the annual costs of this forum. It is in the high range of his estimate without personnel or staffing costs. However, this is the cost without upgrades, with features being broken, and without daily moderation or extensive maintenance. The labor costs are yet to be defined and I am not sure if we will be able to clearly understand them yet. The hope today and always has been, is that the content, experience, and knowledge shared will be enough to contact our company when a member has a buying decision happen. So in turn, our effort and economic support is both “good will” and marketing of our strengths.

One big promise is that we will not veer from our years of background support, and now that we own the platform, commercialize or add fees. But I have to share the following statistic with you as I have tried to wrap my head around this since pulling it out of the website. And this explains why ownership of GetDPI was not ideal for Olaf and OLI publishing.

Here are two graphics and numbers pulled from the website. The first shows that member threads on selling products outnumber the next highest forum area at a rate of 4 to 1. Of course, engagement is lower with those as it is sold and done.

View attachment 226903

The next graph was shocking. And I am wondering how this could be true. It shows me that only a single donation was received through the website over the last 5 years. I have run multiple reports and can still only find a single donation. Regardless, one point that it clear is that Warren was correct that getDPI is a free platform for selling.

View attachment 226904

Your thoughts?

Hi Dave,

Just two small thoughts:

- The second graph showing just one donation from 2020 on makes no sense. I happen to know that both I and Darr made donations quite close to each other around about 08 January this year. My record of that donation shows recipient OLI Publishing, it was made through PayPal.com. And I've made similar donations at about six month intervals going backwards to 2020 or so. So something in the donation accounting provided by whatever website mechanism you used to pull out that data is wonky (a technical term... ).

- I've been running (and helping to run) three email lists since the early 1990s. Two of them are photo related (I created one, I assist with the other) and one of them is motorcycle related (created by a friend of mine, I took over administration and management about thirty years ago). Email lists require far less effort and maintenance to manage than a complex website like GetDPI ... but, that said, they do require a small infusion of money now and then. I've always taken the tack of saying "The email list is free for all to enjoy, but please listen and donate when asked as expenses arise. And please, there's only one rule: be good to each other... I don't like to delete noisome posts or ban people... thank you." I don't recall a tiff now in over 20 years on three lists of 250-300 subscribers. Every once in a rare time that I've put out a note that one of the mailing lists needed a little money to do something (like update the server or create a presence at some event, etc), a substantial body of the participants donated about 10x what I was really hoping for. It's been an amazing experience managing three large bodies of mostly friends and fun acquaintances...

A website like GetDPI needs more staff, work, and money at more regular intervals that my email lists ever could, so that casual a financial mechanism isn't really appropriate. However, I don't think it would be a negative if GetDPI requested a modest annual fee from all regular users (not people who stop in to browse once in a blue moon but don't generally participate in anything) and made an effort to put a call out for donations from those to whom it might matter for various things on a more regular basis. A small donation to use a Buy and Sell forum would make sense for those who use Buy and Sell frequently, similar donations to add requested features or support ongoing new expenses as they arise would likely work well too.

Having you, the administrator, and your staff participate actively and personally is, in my experience, a good way to keep people's focus on the community nature of the forum. It's the "yes, we are all in this together" thing ... People generally like to support the other people they spend their time getting to know and converse with.

I've rambled on too long already, but those two thoughts I hope give you some ideas to think about.

onwards, G

 

[diggles]

Hey Dave,

Compared to many members here, I'm pretty new. However, to support the forum I have been subscribed to Medium Format magazine ever since I learned it was a thing. Since the magazine is now separate from GetDPI, I'd be happy to join as a paying member. While keeping everything the same sounds great, the reality is that things either have to move forward or they move backward. They never stay the same.

A Potential Approach: Free and Paid Tiers
One possibility for the forum could be offering a free tier and a paid tier that gets full access. This could balance sustainability with accessibility while showing the additional value of paid membership. Here's how that might work:

General Forum Sections (Medium Format, Leica, Processing, etc.):

• Remain completely free and open to everyone
• This preserves the community knowledge base and discussion that makes GetDPI valuable

Buy/Sell Section:

• Free users can browse listings and see original posts (the items for sale)
• Paid members can view and participate in comments/discussion, if comments are allowed by the OP
• Preserves organic traffic and visibility while creating membership value

Proposed Vendor Section:

• Free users can view vendor educational posts and announcements
• Paid members can view comments, ask questions, and engage directly with vendors in the thread
• Gives vendors access to engaged audience, free users access to information

Other possible free/paid distinctions:

• Private messaging - Paid members get full PM access
• Advanced search/filtering - If custom field filtering is implemented, paid members get access to advanced filtering capabilities
• Signature links - Paid members can include links in signatures
• Attachment limits - Free users can view all images but may have limits on upload size, paid members get increased upload resolution options
• Early access - Paid members see new vendor posts or workshop announcements 24-48 hours before they go public
• Etc.

This approach maintains GetDPI's role as an authority while creating a clear value proposition for paid membership. The technical implementation is possible through XenForo add-ons.

I think I'm up to at least 4 cents now.

Warren