Round Up: Change is in the air at DCR

"What's this Round Up thing, anyway?" If you're a regular reader around here, you've probably clicked on this story with that exact question in mind.

The answer: it's the start of something new at DCR, an opportunity to throw a little more commentary into our usual mix of reviews, news, and announcements on a regular basis. It's a place for the staff of DCR tease out trends and sort out issues from the week's news, as well as draw attention to interesting conversations that are going on elsewhere among the worldwide community of photographers on the web.

As always, Round Up is also an opportunity for our readers to talk back via our discussion forums. Conversation is a two-way street, and we're always glad to have you respond to the opinions expressed in our editorial pieces and reviews as well as start your own conversations with other forum users.

(As an aside, forum membership and activity has more than doubled since this time last year, and just this month we passed the 5,000-member mark in our community. There's always conversation going on in the forums, and we welcome photographers of all skill levels to ask questions and share their insights. If you haven't checked it out, or haven't stopped in in awhile, duck in and have a look at what's going on in our online community.)

While the Round Up editorial column will add another dimension to what's happening in the forums and on the homepage, we're also going to continue covering important news bits from camera industry as well as the blogs as we've done in the past. Among the changes that are coming to DCR in the coming months, however, look for our news briefs to get their own space on the site separate from our reviews and other in-depth articles.

In the near term, we'll also be making some changes to the look and feel of the site, with the aim of making the whole experience even better. What's not to like about easier to read, easier to navigate, and nicer to look at on top of all that?

Our Round Up segments, which will run a few times a week on a fairly regular schedule, are just the latest addition to our "regularly scheduled programming" around here. Pilot programs of the Head to Head camera comparisons and DCR Workshop how-to articles have been well received, so look for those to continue on their same schedules (DCR Workshop coming at the beginning of each month, with new Head to Head stories published on or around the 15th).

Amid all of this new content, the site's still called Digital Camera Review, and obviously we'll continue to offer up new in-depth camera reviews on a regular basis, in addition to our detailed looks at camera accessories. Finally, lens reviews are a growing area of interest; expect to see more of these on down the road.

As we add new features and improve the site, if there are cameras or accessories that you'd like to see reviewed, suggestions for making your experience as a DCR reader the best it can be, or questions you'd like answered (that aren't "What camera should I buy?" – that's what the forums are for, after all), my virtual office door is always open: drop me a line at editor@digitalcamerareview.com.