Greetings, DPReview community!
A lot happens across the community every month: lively discussions, feature articles spotlighting community members and their gear, photo events and more, and much of it naturally won’t be seen by everyone. As DPReview’s Community Manager, I want to change that as much as possible. In this “What you missed” roundup, I’ll highlight some of the best community activity from the past month, including some of the things that didn’t make it into articles.
Here’s just a sampling of what happened in May.
What’s in your bag? A community member spotlight
Every week, we spotlight a community member’s unique photographs and gear in our ‘What’s in your bag?’ series. The series tells the story of your trials and tribulations getting that perfect shot, and highlights their favorite camera gear and how they use it. You’ll also get tips and tricks on capturing your own photography.
As with many of our other community initiatives, we often don’t get a chance to cover every detail of a community member’s story, so we’re selecting an additional photo from each of the previous month’s posts that you haven’t seen yet. Check them out below.
 |
|
Feeling artsy |
Roberto De Micheli, who goes by the username roby17269 in the forums, switched from wildlife photography to focus on his passion for fashion. He also dabbles in travel and kids’ photography (mainly family outings). Roberto submitted a wide range of photography on these subjects to us for this article, but we focused on the fashion segment as it’s his most recent work.
“Fashion shoots happen in studios or on location. In my heart, though, I still remember my two safaris in Africa (Kenya and South Africa) most fondly, which can be a magical place. The safaris were during my wildlife ‘phase’. I was absolutely floored by how rich, colorful and amazing nature was in those places.”
Read more about Roberto’s photography
 |
|
The photographer who never stopped chasing the unique shot |
Josh S. Rose has been capturing visceral reactions since the 1970s, when he wandered around a racetrack park as a kid to explore the event. He found himself hanging out at the photo booth and loved to watch a team develop film after each race, calling up the winners to the announcer upstairs, then hearing the crowd wildly react. His career kept him intrigued by those early moments of capturing scenes on film.
“In the beginning, I tried to minimize mistakes. Because I shoot dance and movement a lot, this is exacting work, especially when you’re inside – low light and fast movement is a nightmare for a camera. So, I kind of treated dance as one would sports, reaching first and foremost for clarity, focus and split-second timing. It isn’t all that hard, honestly. It just takes a certain number of reps.”
Read more about Josh’s photography
 |
|
This photographer uses an 800mm lens to lock onto nature’s special moments Photo: Alan Randle (AJRimages) |
Alan Randle, known as AJR Images in the forums, has been capturing striking images for decades, with a particular passion for fast-paced subjects. Originally from the UK and now based in Southern California, he has built a body of work that spans airshows, surfing, wildlife and more. Over the years, his photography has evolved from early film experiments to high-precision digital work with top-tier equipment, allowing him to get in close and capture subjects with remarkable clarity and detail.
“I’ve been taking photographs since the early 1960’s, but more seriously for the last 15 years. I moved to California from the UK in 2000, and am now lucky to have great subject matter and good light. I’ve been fortunate enough to acquire some of the best equipment and now like to get in close to my subjects with the use of long telephotos.”
“I also enjoy shooting zoo animals. I like to take portraits rather than the whole of the animal, making good use of my telephoto lenses. Carrying big equipment around a zoo can be tiring. I’ve been asked by docents if I want to check my ‘luggage’ to make life easier!”
Read more about Alan’s photography
 |
|
How this photographer sets up to capture life at the speed of the streets Photo: Kevin Zhang (fatplanediaries) |
Kevin Zhang, known as fatplanediaries in the wider community, began photographing at a young age under his father’s influence, a dedicated Leica street photographer. What started as a focus on street photography evolved over time, especially after a chance moment in Shanghai, when he experimented with panoramas using only a prime lens. Since then, his work has developed into a distinctive blend of candid street scenes and highly detailed panoramic images, each discipline informing the other.
“I like to shoot candid street subjects, but I’m often pretty shy about approaching people to get the right shot. The best alternative is to get hired for events instead; everyone’s vying to have you shoot them in those kinds of situations. I’ve had a lot of good practice at my friends’ parties before getting to events as a photographer.”
Read more about Kevin’s photography
|
|
|
This reader mastered a Nikon Z5 to capture diverse European architecture Photo: Brian Ormerod (ikon44) |
Brian Ormerod, who goes by the username ikon44, has a love of architecture of all types and periods across northern Europe. Over the decades, he has traveled extensively, meticulously planning trips to capture selected projects in Vienna, Barcelona, Prague, Paris, Istanbul and beyond. His work has evolved from casual holiday snapshots to carefully composed architectural studies at the School of Architecture in Nottingham, UK.
“I went with an architect friend to Barcelona, which I found to be an architectural wonderland. We photographed works by Antoni Gaudi, but by pre-planning we were also able to visit a number of other projects, including the IMO Eye Hospital by Josep Llinas, The University of Pompeu Fabra Library, which is a spectacular arcaded masonry structure, the Santa Caterina Market, a neo-classical building refurbished by Enrique Miralles and the Fira de Belacaire flea market with a spectacular, fragmented mirrored canopy.”
Read more about Brian’s photography
Question of the week: we ask, you tell
Every other week, we ask the community a question about their photography, usually on a specific topic, with the results spotlighted on DPReview’s front page and in the forums the following week. There are often many great photos submitted that we don’t get a chance to spotlight them all in a single article.
Here is a newly revealed reader’s photo from each of the previous two weeks’ questions.
What accessories are must-haves in your kit?
 |
|
From ‘The surprise camera accessories our readers keep with them at all times‘ Photo: cbf_si |
Featured quote: “Different accouterments. A chamois, a laptop, a notebook and a pen (sometimes two; private and business), tissues, paracetamol (just in case ;-)), and some small things I can’t remember. A Wuchuan canvas messenger bag with a Billingham insert and lots of useful pockets. It serves me well, carrying a D850 with one prime (24, 35, 58 or 85, depending on mood and plan, if any).” – Michiel953
Share your answer to this question
What photo book or article has supercharged your photography?
 |
|
From ‘The photographer’s eye: The books that changed your photography forever‘ Photo: Andreas Feininger |
Featured quote: “The foundation came before I even owned a camera: Total Picture Control by Andreas Feininger. His main message is that the photographer transforms a moving, three-dimensional world of color into a frozen, 2D (and in the late 1950s) monochrome picture. To communicate what you saw, you need to translate the lost dimensions (depth, movement and color) into your photograph.”- Klaus dk
Share your answer to this question
Photo threads of the month: new types of challenges
 |
|
“May we never forget.” Photo: BluesJake |
Also every week, new photo thread discussions and mini-photo challenges pop up across the forums, generated by community members. Usually, these start as a discussion about a particular camera brand or type of photography. Our community has hundreds of topics to choose from, so there’s no shortage of photography show-and-tell opportunities!
For the month of May, we wanted to highlight BluesJake’s Post your Memorial Day photos thread, where community members have been contributing to pay their respects to veterans who lost their lives in conflicts and other events around the world.
Visit our Community photo threads index for all the latest opportunities to share an interesting photo from your collection. To contribute to most of these community initiatives, simply read the OP’s (Original Poster) posting guidelines (if there are any) and then reply to the thread with your contribution.
We would also love for you to participate in DPReview’s own photo initiatives: Photo exhibitions and the new Collaborative photo chain.
Discussion of the month: Sony’s new a7R VI
 |
On May 13, 2026, Sony announced the a7R VI full-frame mirrorless camera. The community was so excited about the news that they beat us to the punch and immediately started discussing the camera in the forums. Here is a peek at what they had to say:
PWPhotography: Nice! $4499, $500 ‘cheaper’ than initially rumored, and it’s slightly lighter than a7R V.
CanadianLongbowman: So the TL;DR is that it’s a high-res version of the a7R V, in essence, with a similar readout speed and a few extra perks.
In response, PWPHotography said, “I hope so. However, the a7R V uses a partially stacked sensor, while the a7R VI uses a fully stacked sensor. Fully-stacked sensors, as in the A9 and A1 series, used to have a little DR penalty. Sony appears to have overcome this issue by combining the readouts of its low and high gain steps as in a7R V.”
kbrkr: Sony announced the a7R VI today, and my mind automatically went to Nikon challenging it with a Z7 III. Some of the features of the Sony are quite impressive, such as 68MP, 30 fps Raw, pre-capture, and speed boost. I hate these leapfrog games, but I really wish Nikon had a high-megapixel camera to replace the Z7 II.
I’d like to consider writing an article like this one on a monthly basis. Future editions could include camera use and photo-taking tips and tricks, additional quotes from community members in various discussions and more. If you are interested in seeing community content presented this way, please let me know.
For even more content posted directly by our readers, join the discussion forums and share your camera gear and photography curiosities!