Choosing the right gear can be overwhelming, especially with so many options available at varying price points. It's essential to consider whether to invest in expensive, well-known brands or to opt for more affordable alternatives.
Coming to you from Luke Cleland, this insightful video tackles the dilemma of choosing between expensive and affordable camera gear. Cleland shares his personal journey, starting from his early days of dreaming about high-end equipment to discovering affordable brands like Yongnuo. He recounts how this brand's budget-friendly flash allowed him to continue pursuing photography without breaking the bank.
Cleland’s story continues with a practical example: a recent opportunity to test out a light and microphone from a budget brand. He explains how his search for a small, powerful light for wedding shoots led him to this new gear. Despite being affordable, the light proved to be robust and effective, demonstrating that you don't always need to spend a fortune to get quality results.
The video also covers some of the limitations of budget gear. Cleland points out that while the light is powerful and well built, it has some minor drawbacks, such as a delayed power-on time and a slight fan noise. However, these issues did not significantly impact its performance during actual use. Cleland’s balanced perspective provides a realistic view of what to expect from affordable gear.
Ultimately, Cleland's experience underscores the value of affordable photography equipment. It allows you to experiment and grow without the financial pressure of investing in high-end brands. This approach is especially beneficial for beginners or hobbyists who want to explore different aspects of photography without a significant financial commitment in one direction or another. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Cleland.
I agree some of the less expensive lighting brands can be really good. However, wiith GVM specifically I've tested 4 different models of lights only to find their actual light output was way less than their specifications said. The output was 1/2 or even as low as 1/3 of the specifications. I just can't support that kind of dishonestly.
Oh, and Yongnuo is pronounced "Young Now".
It is good to see more affordable gear getting more attention, though I wish there were more in-depth reviews of a wider range of lower cost gear. For example, with PC reviews, it is common to see a components like cheap bottom of the line SSDs, get the same extremely in-depth reviews that you would fine of the super high end SSDs.
While for more affordable ranges, you will get decent reviews testing items from Yongnuo and Godox, but for many others, there isn't much beyond a basic overview, thus often no brightness tests, or CRI tests or other technical benchmarks.
They are out there that do pretty in-depth reviews. Just a couple that comes up to mind:
Wes Perry : (https://youtu.be/vZbd_6kVbe4?si=8Gj6KCFDQLrAvVbm&t=562)
Fellow Filmmaker: (https://youtu.be/3f80Ez98rG4?si=2haUCpsAxIayyFZQ&t=388)