Go Broke...
Right now, every creative I know is glued to the rumor blogs over the Sony FX5. Global shutter, open-gate 5K, a "mini Venice" cinema body rumored to land this summer and slot right above the FX3 — and the internet is losing its mind. I get it. I own two FX3s. That new camera is dangling in front of me the same as everyone else.
And that is exactly the trap I want to talk you out of!
The New Camera Trap (I Lived It)
Here's the one piece of advice nobody gave me — the one that burned me through my entire first year running a creative business. You probably shouldn't buy every piece of equipment that scrolls across your screen. Stick to the essentials first. Build your business, your brand, and your client list before you start throwing money at every new camera and every new gadget.
Because in year one, every check I got — half of it, sometimes all of it — went straight to gear I never needed. One time I dropped thousands of dollars on equipment, and I'll be honest with you: I sold all of it, because I never once used it. It wasn't until late in my first year, heading into my second, that I finally figured out what I actually needed. So I condensed. That's kind of how I live anyway — I'm a minimalist, and honestly about 90% of what I own exists for the business. But nobody ever taught me the simplest rule of all: don't buy everything.
My Three Cameras
What I condensed down to was three cameras. And every time a shiny new one drops, I look at it and think, man, that looks nice. Then I remember the three sitting in my case, and I remind myself to master those first. By the time I've got a PhD in these three, it'll actually be the right time — money-wise, business-wise, investment-wise — to buy the next one.
So here they are. My FX3 — actually my second FX3, because I sold the first one convinced I didn't need it, then realized how much I loved it and bought another. Lesson learned twice. For photography, my Sony A1 Mark II, which takes amazing pictures and is getting mastered before I even think about another photo body. And for the big stuff — the commercials, the ads, the client video productions — the Sony FX6. I won't pretend I've mastered that one yet, but it's a true cinema camera that tests every skill you've got: SLOG, lighting, exposure, ISO, aperture. It's forced more growth out of my footage than any purchase ever has, precisely because it makes me earn it.
PhD in What You've Got
That's the whole reason I'm here: don't be like me. Don't torch thousands of dollars just because a new camera came out. Hone into what you already own. I can run an entire production out of one Pelican case — that's all I bring, because I know every tool inside it cold.
I'm running what I've got until something comes out that's genuinely, dramatically better than anything I own, or until I drop something, break something, or a piece just stops working. That's the bar. Not a rumor. Not a launch-day itch. A real reason.
So sure, the FX5 looks incredible on paper. Most new cameras do. But the creatives who win aren't the ones holding the newest body — they're the ones who mastered the one already in their hands. Get your PhD in what you got, and I challenge you to do the same.
