How did you acquire your photog gear?

Local store offers 24 month no interest financing as well as price matching. So that is what I do. BUt I also don't do it unless I can afford it with cash.

Jill Kelly wrote in post #16429107
Do most people:
Buy with cash
Take out business loans
Use Credit Cards
Buy as you go, or
Rent

All of the above. If I need it I get it. All of what I have these days is owned outright. I invested heavily to begin with knowing that after a few years I'd then hardly need anything for the years after that.

You know...this thread reminds me. It's really the only hobby I actually buy things mostly new. All other hobbies or interests is usually used. I've sold many things including my pedal bikes to buy some new equipment as of late. Now just need more clients to actually start buying lenses and new body!

I buy used... Cash most of the time, with an occasional trade. I try to avoid upgrading camera bodie,s as they depreciate quickly. Lenses on the other hand, have been a great investment. I just recently sold my 70-200 2.8 IS MKI for more than I paid for it. No clue how that happened, but a huge win, being that we've used it for 5 or 6 years now.

Loans and credit are a bad resource to tap into unless you have some serious business lined up. A friend of mine took out 10k to fund camera equipment and is still shooting weddings pro bono. Insane.

I'm an amateur. As such, I don't have to justify a camera gear purchase. When I ran my own business, I would always run ROI calculations on any large purchase.

These days, I set aside money from every pay check specifically for camera gear and after a year or so, I buy something I've been wanting. It's relatively painless and I don't feel any regret when the spending hour is upon me.

I would have a much different outlook if I was a professional photographer and needed a tool to complete a contract.

My fiancee took most of my saving when she left after I was paying for everything for her. I sold my xsi to make a car payment. I then worked no word of a lie for 90 days without an off day while working OT and paid for my mkii 70-200 and my nifty 50 cash...... how sweet that was.

i crash weddings and wait till the photographer is busy and steal his bag! joke.. i buy used, i buy new, i pay cash, i charge, i borrow! anything to get what you need.

I know someone who work at a local gear rental store. He borrows items for free when the store is not open on the next day. I think its a good way to test out different equipments. Since the items are rentals, he tends to use them very hard, which is a great way to test gear reliability.

Buy one item at a time with cash from my business account. If I can't afford it, it goes on my list to be purchased. I credit card nothing.