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Save money by buying older generation quality


Electronic technology advances move at an astounding rate. Cell phones, laptops, cameras, you name it, the latest model becomes obsolete in a year or two. That's good for the manufacturers as they make their money pushing the latest greatest gadgets to the hungry consumer. But it's also good for the budget conscious consumer who can't afford the latest greatest gadget but still wants quality. How, you ask?

The push to sell the newer, more sophisticated, more powerful, idiot proof, water proof, child proof, automatic, systematic, hydromatic... er, gizmo has created a wealth of quality older products now looking for a new home. Photographers with the money to buy the latest gadgets tend to sell their old stuff at discount rates to offset the cost of buying the new stuff.

Case in point, the industry standard Pocket Wizard remote triggers are the most popular radio triggers on the market. They are currently selling the Plus III at roughly $150 per unit. A few years ago you could get a new Plus II at that price and before that it was the Plus I for almost that price. Today you can get a Plus I for under $50 and the Plus II are going for under $100. Here's where the savvy consumer comes in.

There is nothing wrong with using the Plus II. They are an awesome product. Why? Because it is a quality piece of equipment. Do you need a Plus III or does it just boil down to wanting a Plus III. A year or so ago I bought two Pocket Wizard Plus II transceivers for a ridiculously low price on eBay. In all it was a little over $150 with shipping. It was like buying two for the price of one. They work great, looked almost new and in the end I have a quality product while saving money.

Right now the Pocket Wizard Plus III transceivers are the hot item. You can get the Plus I and Plus II at a song. The same goes for camera models one generation back. Canon's 5D mkII can now be purchased at a fraction of their original price. So don't dismiss older generation quality just because it's not the latest, greatest, hottest item on the market.
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