Had to choose between upgrading my camera or buying a backup body. Picked the wrong one and it cost me a wedding shoot.

Last spring I was booking more wedding videography gigs and my main camera was getting old. I had about $2,000 saved and thought upgrading to a new Sony A7IV would make my footage look better. A buddy kept telling me to get a used backup body instead. I ignored him. Three months later my camera died during the first dance at a venue in Portland. Had to borrow a guest's phone to finish shooting. It was humiliating and the couple asked for a partial refund. Has anyone else had a similar gear failure moment that made you rethink your priorities?

3 comments

3 Comments

jessica33113d ago

Oh, you learned that lesson the hard way, huh? Yeah, I've been there. My old Canon 5D Mark III bricked itself right before a ceremony in a barn in upstate New York. Had to hand my card to the second shooter and just stand there looking useless. Now I always keep a backup body in the car, even if it's an older model like a used 6D I got for $600. Don't beat yourself up too bad though, most of us have to mess up once before we get it. That Sony A7IV you bought would have been great for low light, but a dead camera is worthless no matter how good the sensor is. Your buddy was smart, listen to him next time.

abbyf7913d ago

Wait, was it the 5D Mark III or the 6D that bricked? I thought you said you handed off your card to a second shooter with the 5D.

rowanw9113d ago

A guest's phone? Man that is brutal, I can't believe you had to film a first dance on someone's iPhone. That would have been my actual nightmare come to life right there in the venue.