Top 5 Mistakes to Avoid When Purchasing New Camera Gear

Many photographers describe the experience of purchasing a new camera as overwhelming. That excitement of hunting down the shops for the new camera gear, especially when you are purchasing your first camera, is unmatched and exceptional. I believe this feeling is akin to the one that a child feels when he visits Disneyland for the first time, or that a man experiences when he surprisingly wins a lottery! The affair of buying your camera gear is like that, exhilarating, blissful, pleasing, and grateful.

However, there are some photographers who won’t hesitate in describing their experience of shopping for camera gear as surreal and confusing. This is because no matter how good or confident you are about your photography skills, but as you start looking at various options of sensors, screens, viewfinders, megapixels, and lenses all your confidence dissipates, and uncertainty replaces it. It is like you can’t decide which choice is the best for you, and then you lose track of what you were looking for in the first place.

Many photographers feel this way, and our research suggests that as a result of this bizarreness and confusion, people often make some common mistakes. But the good part is that if you will pay some attention and work on it, you will be in a place to avoid these errors easily. This will make you better equipped to make your decisions. Now, if you would like that, then here is a list of things that you should not do. Here it goes!

What common errors should be avoided while shopping for camera gear?

If you have finally collected enough money to purchase a new camera gear for yourself, then here are some common mistakes that you should try to avoid.

1) Focusing on pixel counts While purchasing a camera many people exclusively focus upon the pixel count. But as a photographer, you must know that your pixel count is not solely responsible for deciding what quality image your camera will capture. In fact, your pixel count is not even the main factor in determining your picture quality. Hence, looking at the pixel count isn’t a reliable way of purchasing a camera.

Instead one should actually focus upon the sensor in order to determine that. Light enters the camera through the lens, and then it hits the sensor, which is responsible for converting it into an electronic signal. Now, this signal is used by the image processor to create an image. So, basically, the larger your camera sensor is the better will be your photos. So, if you want good quality pictures, then your sensor is what you should be concerned about.

2) Getting distracted by discounts Many people before walking inside the camera accessories store have a clear idea of what they want to purchase. People usually research items online before making the actual buy. The shoppers' research items, they analyze their needs, prepare their budget, they check the pros and cons of a specific model, and only after they are satisfied, do they go ahead with the actual shopping.

But as soon as these people walk inside the store and they see various boards displaying special discounting prices, they lose sight of their goal. They generally get so excited by the discounted prices that they start convincing their brains that the discounted item displayed on the billboard is more needful for them than what they originally came to buy. As a result, when people walk out of the store they usually head back with the wrong purchase.

This should not happen. One should take care to never buy a photography gear just because of the discounted prices, or because the salesperson convinced them. Always remember nobody knows your needs better than you. Hence, trust your original decisions and try to abide by them.

3) Not researching enough Camera gears have a wide range of options. There are so many alternatives that people are often left confused about what they should think. Hence, to avoid such situations they should research before arriving for the final purchase. You can either Google your options and find about the pros and cons of relevant tools and equipment, or you should talk to someone who has been in the photography business for a long time to clear your doubts.

But even when you are asking people for recommendations, you should remember to not just ask anyone for advice. Your friend from school or your acquaintance from work who snaps really good pictures from his phone is not the right candidate for this task. Instead, for this, you should probably talk to someone who is a camera expert, or someone who is experienced in the photography field. They will be able to guide you better and to offer you good answers.

4) Account for easy usability One most common mistake that many people make, while shopping for the camera gear is that they do not pay any heed to how easily can it be worked. So, if you are looking at a camera, then you should consider if your camera is easy to hold, or if it is too big to fit in your hands, and if or not you can hold it comfortably. One should mind such questions.

While shopping, you should remember to not buy a bulky camera if you won’t want to carry it out of the house, and to not buy extensive pair of camera lenses if you won’t have time to switch them. Also, pay attention to simpler things, like checking if the menus are simply structured and intuitive, or if they are at least easy enough to learn. Moreover, if your camera is touchscreen make sure it works right.

5) Not planning the budget correctly When you are going to shop for any item, you need to determine your budget correctly, or else your finances can fail and you can get into trouble. Now, for those of you who are not sure what we mean by that, let me tell you that there is more than one way of failing the budget. Sometimes, some people overestimate what their money can buy, while at other times they assume wrongly that they are short on money. Some people just fail to research and so they end up purchasing equipment at very high prices.

In all these ways you can fail your budget because you did not plan wisely. Now, in order to correct this, what you should do is to first sit and determine what you want to do with your camera. And based on that you should decide your expectations. This will help you in planning more reasonably and in making the best use of your money. However if you are a professional photographer and you need to enhance your photographs in bulk then you can also hire the photo editing services, that will help to save your time and you can focus more to your client.

Conclusion

While purchasing the camera gear one should first take an objective analysis of his skill set and needs. Only after you have made the scan should you start your research and talks with experts, after which comes the final purchase!