Gear acquistion

[Vtec44]

What's your thought process in deciding when to invest in new gear for your business? How do you prioritize ROI, cost, features, etc?

 

[tirediron]

I never too much about that side of things; if needed something for a shoot, I needed it, and I got it. Finances will sort themselves out later. Now, fortunately, I'm basically at the stage where all I need to do is replace gear; there really isn't much that I "need" that I don't have. Something special for a one-off, I'll rent/borrow, otherwise, if see a good deal, say a used speedlight super-cheap I'll just grab it.

 

[runnah]

I shoot like crazy, analyze my shots to see if my gear is letting me down or my skill level is the culprit.

But I never let it get in the way of having a good time.

 

[Overread]

It's really no different to any other gear talk - you establish how much finance you have to spend - establish what you want to do and then see what you need to achieve that which fits within your budget.

You can, of course, stagger purchases so that something that you're "going" to do isn't bought till you need it; and anything exotic you could rent for instead of purchasing out-right if its for a limited number of shoots (eg if you need a long lens for two shoots chances are renting is cheaper than purchasing out-right).

So really you've got to make the choice yourself as to what you're going to offer as services and what you need to achieve that goal.

 

[Vtec44]

There's a big difference for me now that run a business. Buying a piece of equipment is no longer if it's within the budget, since I almost always have the budget for every piece of gear I look at these days. I can buy it but what will it do for me? How many more bookings do I need to make up for it? Will I use this enough to justify the purchase? Is the money better spent else where in my business?

When it was not a business, I just buy it because I have the money or want it.

 

[minicoop1985]

I'm in the place where I'm replacing junk I bought. I have a $30 Neewer speedlite, an old Minolta Maxxum 3500i speedlite, a cheap ass strobe, $20 Neewer wireless triggers... I had the triggers let me down a couple weeks ago, so I bought some Phottix radios and, since I didn't have a decent TTL speedlite, I ordered a pair of Yongnuo 568EXIIs (coming tomorrow-expect results). I was at a stage where my gear was literally letting me down.

As for prioritizing, that's been the hard part. What I have been doing is going by what's letting me down most. My 7D died, so I got a backup body and lens right away after that happened. Lately, what I've been lacking is lighting, so that's been what I've been investing in lately.