Buy a used dongle?

Hi I'm interested in learning Resolve but I'm low on money, wondering if there are any issues with buying a used dongle on ebay or amazon.

I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but I notice many people are selling the Blackmagic Cinema camera with no dongle. I'm assuming these people are turning the dongle into 0 zero loss by selling it separately.

Thanks David

Why nor just start with the free version, it just watermarks if you use something that requires the dongle

If you are just learning Resolve, chances are you don't need the features you miss out on with the Lite version. You lose stabilization, noise reduction and shared workflow, maybe some other things I am forgetting. Noise? Learn to light your scene better. Shaky footage? Cmon now, don't rely on post to fix that.

You get an alright NLE, one of the best color grading tools, and 4k rendering for free. Use a compositor if you need more effects. I bought my camera used without the dongle, haven't really needed it. Noise reduction would be useful but I have other programs for that, if needed.

As to your original question, the dongle is like a mobile license for the studio version, whoever owns it, has the license. It has to be plugged in to be used.

Hi,

I've messed around with it in the past (lite) but if I want to be serious, I should have the full version. I wasn't sure if people were "flashing" dongles and doing something illegal. I don't want to be on a job and have a weird situation. I've seen a lot of cameras online but none have dongles. I personally don't like a dongle in case I lose it or other.

But if you know this is not an issue, I might buy one. Thanks

[Joshua Helling]

Hello,

There is no water mark or any sort of project limiting features. The Non-Studio version (free) only lacks an advanced noise reduction (there is still a simpler noise reduction), Multiple GPU support, 3D tool box, Collaborative features and has a resolution limit of UHD.

So, no time bomb or watermarks. It's fully featured and plenty suitable for serious work or even just learning. It can handle the same round tripping features that the Studio version supports.

It costs nothing to download and get your feet wet. Where as a dongle will cost what it costs and if it doesn't work or is hacked we'd need proof of purchase to be able to help you.

I would not recommend buying a used dongle unless the seller is willing to provide you a sales copy that includes the serial number of the included dongle.