Making major pruchases

Tyler is having some anxiety about making major purchases, in this case better camera gear. I've certainly been there, and I feel his pain.

The landscape for creating any kind of media, whether it be images or video or whatever, has changed so dramatically in the last ten years. One thing that has not changed, however, is that if you want to really push the envelope of your capability, you still need to spend a fair bit of cash. I honestly do believe that curve will blow out further in ten years, but for now, it is what it is.

When I started Guide to The Point (now PointBuzz) back in 1998, I quickly bought an HP negative scanner for $300something, and soon replaced that with a Nikon scanner for about a grand. To get what I was capturing on film into the online world, it was necessary.

In 2000, I bought one of the early Nikon digital cameras, the Coolpix 990, Time's "Machine of The Year." I wanted something I could take to my first IAAPA for quick turn around and publication on CoasterBuzz. It too was about a grand, but it was the start of the digital revolution.

In 2002, Canon finally released an affordable to normal humans DSLR. It was over $2k. The freedom that came with it was astounding, and I really started to get into photography again. Just last year, I went the next step with a full-frame SLR and the nicest single piece of glass I ever owned with the 5D, and that cost me over $2,700.

My video interests, which certainly align more with my professional history, finally were satisfied in 2006 when I bought the HVX200. By the time I bought various accessories, wireless mics, lights, etc., I had spent nearly $10k. In the three years since, I feel like I definitely got my money's worth between the few freelances shoots I did and stuff I've generated for the online stuff.

My intention for this gear over the years was largely to fuel my amusement over creating media, but in some ways it has also greatly enhanced my business, however much of a side project it has been. The quality of stuff I've put online is measurably better than what others can produce.

And certainly, the benefits are not always tangible either. You learn a lot of skills simply by having access to the gear. That has an exponential effect on what you produce.

The bottom line is that these major purchases can seem like toys purchased in a fiscally irresponsible way, and for most people, they probably are. But for people like Tyler and me, these expensive objects open doors, our minds and a great many possibilities we hadn't considered. And they're a hell of a lot easier to buy when you don't have a family to support.