Buyers’ guide
Buyers’ guide
Spend the smart way
Hammering your credit card on the newest gear is not the only solution. An alternative route to upgrading your kit is hiring equipment – or buying used. Check out our top tips for better buying…
“HIRING KIT FOR A FRACTION OF WHAT IT WOULD COST TO BUY NEW IS GREAT FOR THOSE WHO MIGHT WORK JUST ONE WEEKEND OUT OF FOUR” current models at discount prices and, what’s more, many offer customers the ability to trade in existing kit to offset the cost of a purchase. Along with saving you money, buying used also ticks the green box, with a smaller environmental impact – so it really is a win-win. This feature looks at both options. If you’re keen to make your photography cash stretch further, try these companies on for size.
MPB › mpb.com
WRITTEN BY MATTY GRAHAM
PHOTOGRAPHY CAN BE an expensive pursuit, especially when you consider that most of us always have one eye on our next camera or lens. But the current cost-of-living crisis means it’s a good idea to watch the pennies and be a little savvier if you want to adopt a more fiscally sensible approach to getting your hands on some new gear. However, it’s not all doom and gloom, as there are alternative routes to upgrading your kit. The first is to hire equipment as and when needed, for a fraction of what it would cost to buy new. This method would be great for, say, those stepping into the world of wedding photography, who might work one weekend out of four. If you need the kit more regularly, but still want to save money, consider buying used. This doesn’t mean filling your bag with gear from a decade ago, though. Today’s used gear dealers offer
MPB is one of the biggest names in the used equipment scene and has built a solid reputation for a number of reasons. First up is the huge amount of stock and options available on the easy-to-use MPB website, where you can find pretty much every camera on the market. In the rare instance MPB doesn’t have an item you want, you can list products you’re interested in and, when a model comes into stock, you’ll get a notification emailed through. One of the areas of common concern when buying used kit is that customers want to see the actual product on offer, rather than a generic stock image. MPB sorts this – images on the site are of the item for sale, so you can assess the true condition with close-ups of LCDs, screwplate mounts and top-plates. If you’re a regular visitor to the MPB site, you’ll see the brand provides shortcuts to recently added kit, along with pages for ‘try something different’ items. As you may expect, customers can sell their own gear, or use it as trade-in collateral to offset the cost of a new item, further bringing down the investment needed to get your hands on something new for your kitbag.
EXPERTLY DONE All items for sale on MPB have been checked over by a technician to ensure full working order
Issue 104 | Photography News 45
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