// Convincing parents and spouses since this post was published //
You walk outside, seeing the orange sunset shining through the leaves. You reach into your pocket, finding your pocket filled with last week's gum pack, a used tissue and dirt from last week's hike. Suddenly your hand finally finds your phone. You take it out and open the camera app. To your dismay - the beautiful sunset looks completely different on your screen. You sigh, enjoy the remainder of the sunset and walk away without a cool photo. What if....you had a camera?
“Let's assume you're trying to buy a $200 camera.”
Nah, don't need it....? (Disadvantages)
I'm going to start writing this focusing on reasons to stray from buying an expensive camera.
They're expensive.
We all knew this was the big elephant in the room. Cameras require an investment. Even it seems like every year cameras are updated and released - you'd think that prices would be crazy cheap. Well...yes....but mostly no. Cameras, even older models, can be found online and from reputable retailers for as low as $200 (off the top of my head estimate). But for some - even $200 can be quite a lot.
As you become more professional, the price can drastically increase. Sony cameras (beasts for video and low light) and a lot of new Canon cameras (that house features like 8k recording and 61mp) can have an asking price of $5000, not much lower if bought second hand.
Technology updates...FAST.
If you have a smartphone, you know what I'm talking about. Cameras like I mentioned before, are released almost as often as phones. That's both a small positive, but in my opinion a big negative. Think about it this way: You get a brand spanking new camera, you take it out of the box and begin to use it and are so happy that you saved the money and researched your heart out to finally get it.
Fast forward 3 months - BOOM, new camera releases, same model line as yours, just has better stats (for example t6i and then a t7i). IT SUCKS. Yeah you can argue that you can return it and get a better deal or upgrade more often, but personally for me I don't have the time or patience to wait for new models and go to a store/mail it back.
Accessories.
Again, arguably both a positive or negative depending on which way you look at it. For arguments sake - I'll be writing this negatively. Whether you buy the camera new or used, you may or may not get a camera lens with it. That's something you NEED. You can't effectively use a camera without at least one lens. Problem here is - they're also expensive. Sometimes these lenses can be worth more than the camera itself.
I have a lens I bought that was $850 (preowned) and the camera I originally bought it for (with a starter lens - the 18-55mm, camera strap, battery & charger) was only worth $750. So yeah you can see why your bank account may be crying after all this.
Big tip by the way: also check the mounts for each lens and camera. Each has different mounts - meaning they don't all work on the same camera body/lens. DO YOUR RESEARCH.
I NEED IT! (You want to make this work) (Advantages)
The real reason you're here. You got a creative eye and want to share it with the world. Then this'll help you convince your parents, significant other or your pet dog to sit in place for more than 5 seconds:
You're phone won't cut it.
The biggest argument I can think of while writing this at 4am in the morning: "BUT MY [Insert smartphone brand here] can take amazing photos the pixels are this and the portrait mode is that BLAH BLAH BLAH" NO! I hate this argument because at least at this point in time - smart phones don't have the same quality and professionalism as cameras.
I personally would be worried if a photographer shows up with a phone to my wedding claiming they can take "professional photos". Okay I'll stop the phone rant. But my point here is - cameras offer insane quality, even on the lower models. The dynamic range and bokeh is so good that it really differentiates professional photos from cell phone photos.
You can make money.
Whoa! What? You didn't know? If you're smart about this, you'll earn back what you invested, make profit and want to buy even more gear to make your work better. Events, portraits, stock photos - the list goes on. Businesses and events being the big ones here (personal opinion).
If you can even charge $20 for a shoot in the beginning, guess what? Do 10 shoots and suddenly you've made back that $200 camera cost. In a few months that's easily doable. Just FYI: $20 is extremely cheap so most people will easily agree, photographers charge a lot.
GROWTH.
As an introvert I was scared to death at the thought of talking to others. Being a photographer, you get the effort you put in. So, naturally if you're all lax about it - don't expect opportunities to come to you as easily.
Everyone wants photos and social media material, so I constantly asked people and applied for positions that allowed me to be seen as more than just a hobbyist. My networks grew as a result. So if you're really trying to break out of your shell and jumpstart your rep as a photographer - buy a camera.
You've made it this far - now make a decision (conclusion)
"The worst thing you can do it buy a camera and have it sit to collect dust".
So you've read the list(s) above. Now you've got to make a decision. Do you pull the trigger and finally get a camera? Or do you move on to your next interest - leaving this in the dust? I'd personally say go for it. Try out your friend's cameras to get the hang of it, and hell, even rent it so you're not shelling out as much right away.
You decided to click that shutter button (you want to make this work)
If you're reading this small little paragraph - congrats, you've decided to buy a camera. Now unless you really want to just use it for a past time, let's make you some money (a business). Read on to my next blog post for the first steps!
Comments