Response to the Future of NikonGear.net/.com/.org

[pluton]

Hello, the question is why are they dying? And where are the young members and newcomers? What has changed?

In 2023, DP Review was temporarily dead, as Amazon had dumped it. It was soon picked up by another owner and has continued to function as before.  Lula  had also slowed down, but as of 2025 remains active.

[pluton]

It may be that younger people do not favour these traditional internet fora. Is it just fashion? Or, as Michael suggested, are we witnessing the end of an era?

Both.  The age of the users of DP Review now skews older, based on my reading of the posts in their Nikon forums.  The teenagers /young adults are somewhere else.  Social media photo groups?  It may be that "old fashioned" still photography is less interesting to them, as they have been surrounded by easy automated digital photos most/all of their lives.

[KarlMera]

It may also be that "old fashioned" still photography is less interesting to them,

We should try to rejuvenate this photography and making the ngf more attractive. Photography should not be old-fashioned.

[ARTUROARTISTA]

It's not about whether photography is older or more modern, classic or contemporary, I think this forum is about two things, first the photos and then the comments, and the forum doesn't respond to the comments, it's usually as if the photos don't suggest anything, and maybe that's why the number of members doesn't increase. Not at first, but over time it gets frustrating and people lose motivation.

[KarlMera]

It's not about whether photography is older or more modern, classic or contemporary,

I agree, only the quality is important

[The_Traveler]

I think we are seeing a long distance view of a generational change.

The newer generations who have bought the millions of dslrs and phones with cameras, are in whose numbers swamp the relatively few of us that are actually really interested in the effort of learning and practicing.

Newer generations, on the whole, don't seem to want to be put the real effort needed to learn the intricacies and they see editing or post-processing as generally slapping on a 'filter'.  The most disappointing segment is those who think that street photography is all shadows and angles or pictures taken of nothing.

That being said, the willingness of people to buy software has encouraged some amazing advances in post-processing software.

This image below is perhaps an attorney or a fortune teller in a marketplace near Bien Hoa, Vietnam, taken in 1967 and scanned from a fading color slide.

The original was a shot I would have discarded as being poorly exposed and so OOF as to be unusable.
Some work in LR and some extra focus recovering of the subject using Topaz AI made this, if not perfect, viewable.

[KarlMera]

In my opinion we(the forum) need new or old supporting members, and of course generally more new and young members.
The ngf must get a magnet for photographers.

[Bruno Schroder]

Remembering Birna's comment on the long term financial viability of NG, we indeed need new (paying) members. The main difficulty I see with young members is the zero discoverability of NG on the platforms they use. Unless we do post something there with a link here, I don't think they will find their way to NG.

I don't know how to do that effectively.  On Twitter, despite having only 79 followers, I'm getting 200 or 300 views and 10% of that in reactions (likes, reposts or comments), but that's through hashtags, same on BlueSky, and hashtags don't point to links. Getting them to click on a link will not be easy.

That said, what's unique here is the knowledge available and how easily it is to get a very well informed answer to problems you may have. You don't get that on the other platforms. If we could advertise that ...

Sorry, ramblings

[Hugh_3170]

Bruno, agreed.

However we may need to face the reality that the "New" NG forum has been running for many years now, and there has been no fee increases in that time, so maybe now is the time to review fees.

Yes, no one likes fee increases and it can be argued that they may be a deterrent to new members joining. 

However I would like to point out that many of us (me included) have acquired new cameras and/or lenses over the last year and it hardly needs to be pointed out that the price of a new cell/mobile phone can be as much as a basic new mirror less camera and kit lens, so even the cell/mobile phone brigade can hardly cry poor!  An Apple iPhone 16 Max Pro with 1TB memory is around $A3k here in Australia. 

My point is that for a few Euros extra, ongoing subscription to this site seems like bloody good value to me! 

Stop being mean folks, sometimes wallets need to be unzipped!

Remembering Birna's comment on the long term financial viability of NG, we indeed need new (paying) members. ...............

............................................

[Ian Watson]

However we may need to face the reality that the "New" NG forum has been running for many years now, and there has been no fee increases in that time, so maybe now is the time to review fees.

Even Adobe is raising their fees, so there is precedent 

My point is that for a few Euros extra, ongoing subscription to this site seems like bloody good value to me! 

And how! For reference, a year ago Photography Life stopped allowing all adverts and asked people to pay for memberships. The regular site is still free (assuming there are enough paying members!) but members enjoy extra perks. It was a sink-or-swim choice on their part and enough people stepped up to make it viable. I pay $7 per month quite happily.

NikonGear is more valuable to me!

Stop being mean folks, sometimes wallets need to be unzipped!

To be fair, the main impediment is Birna's reluctance to raise the fees. Perhaps we could try accepting donations from those willing to pay extra?

[pluton]

I am not in a high-income bracket, not even middle class by American standards.  €20 is cheap.  It could be raised to, say, €30.  Others here may have other ideas?

[Akira]

I am not in a high-income bracket, not even middle class by American standards.  €20 is cheap.  It could be raised to, say, €30.  Others here may have other ideas?

The same here.  And I made the same proposal on another thread, despite JPY is way too weak...

[Jürgen Pfeiffer]

I am not in a high-income bracket, not even middle class by American standards.  €20 is cheap.  It could be raised to, say, €30.  Others here may have other ideas?

€30 would be very o.k. for me too. This would virtually raise member count to 140

[Bruno Schroder]

30€ is less than any photo trinket I bought last year, mem card, battery or a CPL. It is on par with the entrance fee to Elliott Erwitt's expo, train ticket included, and here, I get live comments from the photographer

[KarlMera]

The main difficulty I see with young members is the zero discoverability of NG on the platforms they use. Unless we do post something there with a link here, I don't think they will find their way to NG.

500 visitors per day, not bad, and 2500(?) members have found the ngf. And only 100 members finance it, or 120? I do not know the exact numbers.