About Gear Match
Gear Match is a free camera & lens finder: answer a few questions and get candidates matched to your budget, use case and region. No account, no paywall — every feature is free.
Last updated: September 3, 2026
Why this exists
The world is drowning in camera content, yet the answer to “so what should I buy?” is strangely hard to find. Spec sheets assume you already speak the jargon; reviews assume you know the market; rankings assume everyone has the same budget.
Gear Match was built by a working video professional who has spent years matching gear to real productions. It recreates the experience of asking a knowledgeable friend: describe your situation, get honest candidates with reasons attached. The goal is simple — nobody should give up on photography because of jargon.
How the recommendations work
There is nothing to hide, so here is the pipeline:
- Matching — your use case (photo/video), gear type, brand or mount, and subjects build the candidate pool from 370+ curated products.
- Filtering — your budget is applied strictly. We never pad the results with over-budget products. If you pick a used-condition grade, prices are adjusted with realistic market factors first.
- Scoring — six performance axes (image quality, portability, low light, video, stabilization, value), structural subject matching (focal lengths, apertures), and your selected priorities all add points.
- Ranking — candidates are presented in score order, each with a radar chart and the reasons it was picked. You can re-sort by price, release date and more.
Results use a maintained dataset. Products with a release year after the current year are excluded, but release month, regional availability and stock are not checked. Chart scores are editorial relative ratings, not measurements from a standardized test.
About the prices (the honest part)
Prices shown in results are stored reference prices, multiplied by a fixed used-condition factor when applicable. They are planning estimates, not live offers. We do not retrieve or display retailer-specific prices. Follow the retailer links to check current price and availability.
Live pricing through official retailer APIs is on the roadmap. Until then, treat the numbers as a yardstick for comparing candidates.
Revenue and independence
- No affiliate links. Store links are plain search links with no tracking parameters. We earn nothing regardless of where you buy — so we have no motive to steer you anywhere.
- Advertising is the intended revenue model, subject to approval and consent requirements. Ad placements are separate from finder results.
- No manufacturer pays us or influences results. Rankings come from the scoring above, nothing else.
Regions and languages
Gear Match supports 13 regions (Japan, US, UK, Germany, South Korea, France, Italy, Spain, Australia, Canada, China, Taiwan, Singapore) with local currencies and local store links, in 8 languages (Japanese, English, Korean, Simplified & Traditional Chinese, Spanish, French, German).
Data and images
- Product data consists of stored release years, relative ratings and strength tags. Changes are published on GitHub; daily updates, completeness and availability are not guaranteed.
- Product images come exclusively from Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons files with clear licensing. Products without a suitable image show a placeholder — current coverage is roughly half the catalog. We would rather show an honest placeholder than the wrong product.
- All manufacturer logos and trademarks belong to their owners. Gear Match is an independent, unofficial site with no manufacturer affiliation.
Who runs this
A Japan-based video production professional — one person handling the concept, data curation and development. Found a mistake or have a feature request? Please open an issue on the GitHub repository, where the site’s development history is public.
Privacy
Finder calculations run in your browser. For advertising, optional analytics, external resources and the public contact channel, see our Privacy & contact page.
How used-price estimates work
Reference prices are multiplied by fixed factors: A 0.80, AB 0.74, B 0.66, C 0.55, or 0.72 when no grade is selected. Multiple grades use the lowest factor. A reference price of 100,000 yen with A and B selected is therefore estimated at 66,000 yen. This does not mean an A-grade copy is available at that price.
The budget filter applies to calculated estimates, not actual checkout totals. Exchange rates are also fixed reference values. Verify current prices, condition definitions, stock, tax, shipping, accessories and mount compatibility with the retailer and manufacturer before buying.