Cool Camera. Nobody Cares.

Your camera doesn’t matter. There, I said it. How can this be true!? Surely an $8,000 camera is better than a $1,200 camera, and there’s no way I can film client work on my iPhone… If you’re anything like me, you may have spent hours, days, weeks, or even months researching the perfect camera. ‘This guy has a DSLR (sounds fancy), but my favorite videographers shoot on mirrorless cameras.’ Or, ‘This girl suggests a crop sensor versus a full frame sensor because you can get more zoom out of your lens.’

You’re told to get a camera with redundant memory card slots, multiple batteries, quiet, fast, big, small, this, that, and suddenly you’re overwhelmed and no closer to finding the right fit. Worst of all, you still haven’t filmed anything! All this time spent planning and researching with nothing to show for it.

Before we go any further, I’d like to say that I’m right there with you. This post is as much for myself as it is for you. I spent the better part of 3 months wading through YouTube reviews to try and find my latest camera, and do you want to know what I noticed? I suddenly became obsessed with the gear, and bought into the lie that I needed the camera before I could make anything great. On top of that, I kept talking myself into the next pricing tier because it was “just a few hundred bucks more…” This is a terrible way to buy something, by the way. So what do we do when the temptation to buy something new prohibits us from doing something great with what we have? Let’s unpack three reasons why the best camera is the one in your hand, starting with the most important reason; your level of skill.

1 - Invest in Your Skillset

If you have to justify the need to buy something new, you don’t need it. Have you truly outgrown your current setup to the point that it’s limiting your work? Have you explored all your current camera has to offer and leveled up your creative editing? Here are a couple of signs that your skills may have surpassed your gear:

• You effortlessly navigate your camera’s menus in full manual mode
• You’ve discovered your camera doesn’t shoot in a particular format required for the majority of your projects
• After viewing your videos, people are surprised to hear you filmed it with your current camera

There will come a time when it makes sense to upgrade. Just don’t hold yourself back from filming great content until you have ‘nicer’ gear. I love golf, but I promise you, if I bought nicer golf clubs tomorrow, they would not make me better at golf.

2 - Affordability

A beginner camera in the hands of a pro, is by far better than pro gear in the hands of a beginner. This could land under the ‘skillset’ section, but I think it makes sense to bring it special attention. Higher price does not equal higher quality. It also doesn’t mean you can automatically charge more, though you’ll need to find some way to recoup your investment. Your current camera is the most affordable option, and unless it’s broken, will likely get you much further than you think. Revisit the section above and invest in your skills before you invest in your gear.

3 - Comfortability

Go with what you know! As a kid, I favored the games and controls of Microsoft’s Xbox, but a lot of my friends had the Sony Playstation. At my house, I could dominate any game, but the moment I picked up a PS1 or PS2 controller (dating myself), everything would fall apart. The controls were just different enough from my Xbox controllers, that it was nearly impossible to keep up. All that to say, you likely have spent time developing muscle memory for your camera and it’s easy to buy into the hype around new trends or emerging brands. 

In addition to comfort, think about compatibility. If you have multiple lenses for your Canon, they’re not going to function without an adaptor if you jump to a Sony or Nikon. How does the camera feel in your hand? What will get you up and running the quickest? There are a lot of great cameras being made every day. Don’t overcomplicate the process, and go with what you know.

Go Make Something Amazing

Whether you’ve decided to upgrade, or stick with what you’ve got a bit longer, you know there’s no reason to wait. You’re excited to try something new, but don’t forget why you fell in love with video to begin with. There will always be something new to buy, and as long as you continue investing in your skillset, the next choice will be the obvious (and smart) choice. Go make something amazing!