How to Buy Gear (And Not Regret It)
You'd think it would be a straightforward decision. You need a new light, you go out and buy one. End of story. Unfortunately, purchasing video gear is not like buying new shoes at the mall.Cameras, mics, editing systems - within each category are many choices and for each choice, there's a wide range of vendors from which to purchase. To save you from despair, here's our "buyer's guide for buyers", a list of six principles to aid you in the purchasing process.
1. Research is Vital
On paper, a particular piece of gear may look amazing, but real world use truly proves its value. Simply put, technical specs do not make a great product. That's why research is so vital.
Read trade magazines, browse forums and ask other professionals. A good place to start is looking at the Buyer's Guides grids offered by Videomaker. Also, it never hurts to get your hands on the item you're looking at purchasing. This advice especially holds true if an item is quite expensive. It is probably worth renting the gear for the day in order to put it through its paces in a real world environment. Manufacturers are often overly optimistic in their descrip…
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