Specifications

Four Major Resources

Before we begin any discussion about photography equipment, I want to tell you two of the most useful,

informative, and brainless resources I reference prior to purchasing ANYTHING of technological nature…

1 – CNET.com – an ultimate resource for reviews by both customers and CNET’s own staff editors, CNET

is an excellent first-stop for researching equipment, software, or any technology you are interested in.

2 – eBay.com – easily the #1 auction site and best place to find heavily discounted versions of just about

everything you’re wanting to buy. There are a lot more used items than Amazon, but there are also a lot

of non-brand/generic items, as well as international storefronts, which can sometimes lead to poor

quality or slow shipping, though a lot of brand items are just generic items with a brand on them! Just

pay attention to your seller’s feedback prior to purchasing anything and do your due diligence (eg;

research) before you spend your money.

3 – craigslist.org – the best and easiest local classifieds site. I’ve made some great purchases and sales

on craigslist, not to mention used it to cast models and actors for projects, find jobs and apartments,

and even make friends. Most transactions on CL are cash and in-person, so use caution and inspect

items before you buy.

4 – Amazon.com – the premiere online retailer is a must for finding the best prices for the items you’re

looking for, plus its ample database of customer reviews for most products proves invaluable when

making any purchase. The great thing about Amazon is that you can find just about everything and

many things are available both new and used, but either way you can be assured that Amazon will

ensure your purchase is made with accuracy and security.

I recommend filtering by “Avg. Customer Review” when viewing items, which requires designating a

“Department” to search. Pay attention to how many reviews there are, however, as a product with a

4.5 star rating amongst 200 customers is probably a much better buy than a product with say, a 5-star

rating based on only a handful of reviews or worse, 1 or 2. The inverse is also true. When evaluating a

product’s reviews, I also read the WORST reviews to see the potential problems. Often, a 1-2 star rating

will have nothing to do with the product and everything to do with the reviewing customer’s individual-

specific issue with their order, whether it is a missing part or a customer service problem, and has no

bearing whatsoever on the quality of the product. So, take a good look around the reviews, both

positive and negative, in order to gain proper perspective of the product’s value.

Also, I do highly recommend joining Amazon’s “Prime” membership – and I rarely join nor endorse any

recurring subscription service! It’s a $79 per year subscription service which gives you FREE Two-Day

shipping on any items that are “Prime Eligible” and if you shop online often, this will save you a lot of

money.

In fact, often if you order early enough in the daytime, your order can arrive the very NEXT day when

using Two-Day shipping. Any items that you might need in your daily life, if you can find them cheaper

on Amazon AND you can wait a day or two to have them, then definitely order your items on Amazon

with your Prime Membership.