Monday, January 28, 2019

Buy Cheap, Get Cheap

"There Is Hardly Anything That A Person Can't Make A Little Worse..." and sell a little cheaper. While I prefer to call myself "thrifty", there are some purchases that you shouldn't cut corners on. This inexpensive case is an example. It was manufactured in China and marketed through a company with the trade name of "Norazza". I bought it for a "garage" sale price because I needed something that moment to protect a small piece of equipment.  Once the crisis was over, I never bothered to replace it with one of my more expensive, "named brand" carrying pouches.

On the morning of a outdoor assignment, I decided to use it to carry my Fuji X70 on my belt. As luck would have it, the stitching gave way while I  was moving from one location to another. Luckily for me the padding was enough to protect the camera when it went airborne. The camera appears to be fine (I used it to make this photo), and I'll be removing the beltloop from the case to prevent me from making the same mistake twice.

Just remember that some items are "supply" items, things that you don't expect to last very long. Things like color correction gels should be consider supplies, as they will be frequently replaced as they get wrinkled or torn. But carrying cases should be considered "durables", as they are expected to last longer than a single accounting period. My main camera bag is made by Domke, a manufacturer with a solid reputation for durability and utility. My J1 carries 2 DSLR bodies, three  2.8 zoom lenses, and two or three speedlights, plus spare batteries, gels, cables, and other little stuff. The Domke and the full Nikon kit isn't used much since I've started carrying a lighter and smaller Fuji kit housed in a Think Tank bag (X100 system) or a Vanguard Veo 37 for the X-T kit. All are well made bags, and while each can be a little quirky, I have absolute faith that my equipment will be well protected and readily available.