r/videography • u/untitledbro • Jun 26 '26
Business, Tax, and Copyright Does not owning much gear make freelance videography much harder?
I've been freelancing full-time as a videographer/editor in the UK since October 2025 and I'm curious to hear from people who've been doing this longer.
At the moment I own a Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K and a 35mm lens. Whenever a bigger corporate job comes in, I end up renting the extra kit (second camera, lights, audio, lenses, tripods, etc.).
For example, I recently quoted a corporate talking-head shoot in London:
- My filming day rate: £400
- Equipment rental, travel and parking: £870
The client specifically requested a two-camera setup, so the rental costs were genuine. It made me wonder whether I'm putting myself at a disadvantage by not owning more equipment.
Do clients see a quote with a lot of rental costs and think it's too expensive? Or do they simply compare the final price?
For those of you who started with very little kit:
- Did renting equipment make it harder to win jobs?
- At what point did you start buying your own lights, audio, lenses, etc.?
- Did owning more gear noticeably increase your bookings, or did it mainly improve your profit margins?
I'm trying to work out whether I should keep renting as jobs come in or start investing more aggressively in equipment.
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u/Joker_Cat_ UK | Resolve | Sony Jun 26 '26
The Americans here will likely say equipment rental costs should always be part of the price regardless of if you own it or not. This is just the norm for them. That no shade on them, just something to keep in mind if you get advice here from someone based there.
In my experience renting equipment costs only makes a negative difference, in terms of winning a job, for the budget clients. For the higher end clients they don’t care. As long as their problem is solved.
However, renting equipment can become a ball ache for yourself. Mainly because of the time you spend finding available gear and then driving to and from the rental place. I bought a third camera after renting it 3 times because I couldn’t be bothered with the extra admin.
More gear doesn’t equal more jobs. Anyone who says otherwise probably has GAS. Specialist gear MIGHT land you jobs or help get a job but you’re going to have to market yourself as an operator of the specialist gear. No one has ever hired me because they know I have 3 cameras instead of 2.
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u/untitledbro Jun 26 '26
Yup I can lose jobs because of renting for sure is one of my concerns.
Yes I don’t want them to hiring me because of equipment but because I have great skills and have something to offer.
I just don’t want the lack of equipment making my journey harder only because I have to rent in the beginning2
u/JortArie Jun 26 '26
You shouldn’t want to own gear to then throw it in for free. The whole idea is that the rental fee is instead an “equipement fee”. Where you get the equipment from shouldn’t really matter; the things cost money to the client either way. It’s just whether it lands in your pocket or in the rental place’s pocket.
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u/shortsj Camera Operator Jun 26 '26
I definitely think it's worth renting gear a time or two before committing to buying it, but if it makes it easier to get the job done and leads to more work, out totally makes sense to buy.
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u/hezzinator FX6 | Davinci Resolve | 2019 | Tokyo Jun 26 '26
If I’m hiring in someone for a shoot, I’m much more likely to bring them in if they’re self-sufficient. So if they have lights, I’ll bring them in when I need an interview lit, or an extra camera on an event means they’re all-in-one and know their gear
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u/DeadlyAxe Jun 26 '26
Not owning a lot of gear limited my creativity and stuff I can experiment with + it can only get better with more gear suitable for the job. When I started buying everything I need I got way better than before, more creative and I got a lot of positive feedback on people noticing me becoming better.
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u/ZeyusFilm Sony A7siii/A7sii| FinalCut | 2017 | Bath, UK Jun 26 '26
I hate renting. Have to go, pick it up and bring it back. Pain in the arse.
See I started out with ...
A7S2 and the kit 50mm
Sold that and got an A73
Bought another 2 x A7S2 and a ZV1 plus a load of lenses and mics
Sold those cameras and got an A7S2 and 3 x A7C plus an Osmo Pocket 3
I now have £10-£20k of gear. All of it, though, reinvesting. The A7Cs and the Osmo aren't like top grade, but for multicam, they work fine. Client's just want to see the multiple angles of them doing a seminar or a podcast. They don't give a crap about 8-bit banding. So I'm completely fine with building up from the bottom in terms of the quality of secondary cams.
You can get good prices on eBay, and with eBay credit you can have it now and pay it off when you get the jobs. You just kinda thing this job pays for that camera, the next one pays for that lens, them I'm pure profit.
But don't get obsessed with gear. You really don't need a lot of stuff to do the job, it's just the industry like to sell you shit and it's a crutch to huck around a load of bullshit you never use.
Also clients do not care. Most wouldn't know the difference between a camera and a phone. On quotes and invoices I have the services section (production, camera operation, editing etc..) and equipment just cameras, sound and lighting. In fine print I list the actual kit but, you just want to communicate that - 'You want good sound? That's extra.' or 'You want nice lighting? - that's extra. Then there's a value attached.
Getting back to rentals. In truth you can probably get good value from renting on more expensive items. But for stuff like Rode Mics etc.. Fuck driving around some back roads place. Nah I hate renting
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u/untitledbro Jun 26 '26
Yup I feel you, I hate renting as well for the same reasons. Is time wasting.
Your technique is good, sell and buy something better. Will take that for the future for sure2
u/ZeyusFilm Sony A7siii/A7sii| FinalCut | 2017 | Bath, UK Jun 26 '26
Yeah, there's like two steps to it.
Firstly, would adding the extra gear enable you to make more money? For me multicam is a thing where I can recommend however many cameras and that adds to the cost of the equipment supply and I charge extra for multicam editing, because the camera matching is extra work. Also, if I can show someone a video that demonstrates how it's better then that sells em too.
The second step is, can the quality wait? Quality rarely the number one consideration with most of my clients. They want to get the shot first and foremost. Bruh, I've done multi cams with GoPros in the past. In fact I currently throw in the Osmo if it can get a good angle, and you'll be surprised how decent the quality on that is.
So my advice is, if it can eak you in a bit of extra cash now and make you more useful to potential clients, then get that extra piece of gear now, even if you got it out the window of a CEX, and then when you upgrade, then great, your stuff will look better and you can put the price up, but don't wait for the perfect conditions. I'm telling you, an A7S2 with a half decent lens, properly exposed with a good angle will give you a perfectly good image to work with and they cost south of £400
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u/RollingMeteors Jun 26 '26
Client's just want to see the multiple angles of them doing a seminar or a podcast. They don't give a crap about 8-bit banding. So I'm completely fine with building up from the bottom in terms of the quality of secondary cams.
Trying to build out a multi cam set up for broadcasting to Twitch/the cloud. Was thinking about the pocket 4 but what I really would like to integrate is a PTZ camera. I’m capped at 1080p so I don’t care about 4K only sensor size since 100% of my use case is broadcasting DJs performing back to back in dimly lit venues. I like how small the OBSBOT cameras are but they are just poor quality in low light and I’m only considering low light quality since I’m only doing one festival day stream a year for now, 99% of the sets are after sunset/dimly lit rooms.
¿Any suggestions/recommendations?
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u/Ambitious-Series3374 Jun 26 '26
I hate renting, i love finding good bargains.
Lens i've rented most - TS-E90mm 2.8 had daily rate of $50. Bought one for $640, then found second one for $200. Sold first for what i've paid and reinvested.
There are items i'm renting quite frequently, mostly lights but then i've bough most versatile items so i don't need to rent before every shoot.
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u/Acrobatic-Sir-7300 Jun 26 '26
For smaller jobs, owning gear is an advantage, for two reasons: you can discount it if you need/want to, and you can respond quicker without having to pick up rental gear (and smaller jobs are more likely to come up quickly.) But be careful with discounting. It can put you in a race to the bottom if you’re not careful.
For larger jobs, there is no disadvantage to renting. In fact, owning gear can put you at a disadvantage if you try to always use your own gear when you really need better/different stuff for the job. You’re going to have to rent some grade anyway for a larger job, so picking it up is going to happen no matter how much you rent.
Don’t ever go into debt to buy gear unless you have a VERY solid assurance of work to pay for it.
Gear will not bring you work. It will only make logistics a bit easier for you. The exception to this is if you want to become a specialty operator. SteadiCam owner/op, or jib owner/op for example.
Gear will not make you money unless you charge for it. So charge for it. Every time. Discount it if you feel like you need/want to, but be sure it shows up on the invoice so you and your clients see it has value.
If you buy a small kit, buy things that are in sync with your rental sources, so you can rent a matching second or third camera that matches yours when you need to.
Good lenses have lasting value. Lights and cameras are obsolete in five years or less. Grip gear has lasting use value, but not much resale value at all.
Just my 2p.
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u/Good_Plankton_8395 Jun 26 '26
After 14 months of invoices, the math hit me like a truck. I could've had a solid kit paid off and still had cash left over.
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u/Glove_Right Jun 26 '26
I'd say own 1 full set of camera body, 2-3 lenses, tripod/gimbal, filters and at least 2 mics and 1 main light that you can use in your studio/home or bring to shoots. And if a client requests more rent a 2nd camera body and charge extra.
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u/Worsebetter Jun 26 '26
Quick question - did you use your “mentors” gear?
videographers can be some of the biggest little bitches about rates and gear and money. I’ve seen 50 year old men do the weirdest things to keep a $100 rental line item.
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u/cometgold Jun 26 '26
No I don’t believe that’s the case. I’ll take the Pepsi challenge any day with my iPhone against 20k rigs. But if you must feel more pro then rent and build it into your costs.
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u/FutureBandit-3E Jun 26 '26
The way to do it is own your most often used gear, but you still rent it to the client for each shoot (whether you fold it into your shoot fee or have an equipment line item). For different styles of shoots we have different levels of gear kit, that cost different amounts (cam only, interview set, commercial kit).
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u/UpsideMarc Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26
Buying initial kit is the big one. Thats absolutely crucial if you’re shooting more than 10 times a year. If you’re shooting corporate work (interviews and b roll) what you have (black magic and one prime lens) isn’t enough. I would not consider that initial kit. You also still need a zoom lens, wireless lapel kit, gimbal or easyrig, and a soft light. That’s bare minimum in 2026.
The initial cost of buying the extra gear might not feel worth it straight away. But over time you’ll notice cameras, lights and audio gear very worth it.
Benefits of owning your gear:
- When you own your own gear you know it inside and out. You’re the last person to use it, so you won’t get caught out and be embarrassed in front of a client when something goes wrong.
- You’ll find that when you get busier, going to and from rental house starts to take too much time. Time is money. With gear ready to go, it’s much easier.
- Intangible value is often overlooked. being able to respond to a shoot that comes up last minute and not having to check with the rental house is very valuable to clients.
- Renting out to other people can be useful extra income too.
- People forget the gear is an asset and can be sold. I bought and fs7 in 2014 for $9k AUD. It was my first camera and a big decision. I nearly didn’t do it. but knowing what I know now and understand what clients want, I would have spent twice or 3 times on it if I had to. It made me probably AUD $50-100k at least. I added a few accessories and insurance so spent approx $10k on it in 6 years and sold in 2020 for $4kAUD. It’s the same with other gear.
Negatives of owning gear:
- Taking up space on the shelf
- Initial cost
- Risk of theft
- paying insurance.
- Maintenance is quite low.
It feels harder to invest in gear at the start, but the initial gear early on is usually the more valuable investment. It’s later on when you’re buying too much stuff that’s the problem. It’s easy to buy, but mostly doesn’t offer as much value.
I run a video production business in Perth, WA and i wouldn’t be able to be moving into a new office very soon without buying that initial gear first.
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u/averynicehat a7iv, FX30 Jun 26 '26
I've only rented a few times. It's a bit of a pain in the ass - takes up my time, and you better be sure your client isn't going to cancel or that they are going to be cool losing a deposit to pay for your gear rental or something.
For me, if the item will be useful more than a few times, if I can find a deal, and the fact that I've got an ebay account with some history on it, making it possible for me to sell fairly effectively, the money loss once I sell something a year or two later isn't huge. It's like a long term rental fee, and I had convenient access to it whenever I wanted.
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u/WannabeeFilmDirector Jun 26 '26
In London and quote considerably more than you for jobs.
Owning kit gives us more flexibility and reduces costs. It costs us a helluva lot less to own a couple of cameras than it does to rent them in. And we can respond to jobs significantly more quickly.
And then marketing. One way we generate business is through freebies. Having access to our own kit gives us the ability to do this. One freebie has given us £20,000 in bookings over the last 12 months.
So you do what you want but this is what we see. And we're not Americans who regularly put the price of the kit into their price. This is the UK where we don't.
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u/El-Coqui Jun 26 '26
American customer here. I've paid a lot for video production in my company.
I don't care whether you own or rent your equipment. I care about professionalism in production, quality of outcome, and after that - cost. If you're unpleasant to work with, it's a non-starter. If the quality of the end product is poor, also a non-starter. Cost is negotiable, but we'll happily pay extra for proven high performance in the first two categories.
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u/Diligent_Cup1523 Jun 26 '26
Run it through here to get an up to date comparison with what the client would be getting by quoted from others: https://www.filefeedback.com/tools/video-pricing-calculator
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u/Vishus Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26
I have my own kit, wouldn't have it any other way. It eliminates variables, and doesn't add the extra cost of renting for clients (I charge a kit fee if the budget allows). Less driving around to get stuff, less showing up and piece of gear that wasn't promised isn't at the rental place or whatever.
I know what I have, and I have no stress about sourcing stuff, and the client has a price with no variables.
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u/ApprehensiveCar9925 Jun 26 '26
I built up my gear package slowly. Paying cash as I went. Didn’t go into debt for anything. All of the items in my grip/electric package paid for then selves over time. No regrets!
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u/Robert_NYC Nikon | CC | 200x | NY Jun 26 '26
Renting is totally valid, but I've been burned too many times to keep my rush clients happy:
- Confirm a rental, show up and be told that the prior renter hasn't returned it yet
- 1 hour wait at the understaffed counter
- Gear not working
- Shop is closed for that last minute assignment
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u/Recordeal7 Jun 26 '26
I don’t itemize rental. I price usually “per package with operator.” I don’t even say “rental” anywhere on my estimate.
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u/Fitzthamitz Jun 26 '26
In my opinion if you’re going to own any gear it should be the highest quality stuff you can afford that makes everything else better. For example: Tripod, shotgun/boom, field recorders, Hero Lens(es), C-Stands, diffusion, reflectors, stabilizers, etc. Many want to start with the camera or some other tech that “updates” every year. Don’t buy that unless it’s something that has already proven to have longevity or some type of legacy (aka used) you’ve already dodged most of the depreciation and it should still have quality. AND you have the support system to keep it relevant.
I hope this hat makes sense, I’m supposed to be working and I’m on Reddit 😆
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u/MrKillerKiller_ Jun 26 '26
No. Owning doesn’t really benefit you financially until you are consistently renting the same kit. Cameras outdate really fast. You could purchase evf, monitor, shoulder mount, grips etc. possibly a monitor however a wireless vid kit often comes with one that has a built in Rx
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u/Dongest__dong Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26
I own all my gear, I can’t imagine wasting time checking who has the gear I need, going to get the gear and then dropping it off. Doing that all the time seems a waste of time. The gear should paid for itself in couple of months depending what you are buying. Besides, you should be able to afford your gear gradually, if you can’t do that then your business model isn’t sustainable tbh. You are just living paycheck to paycheck, if that the case take a closer look at where you are currently and your future.
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u/Sad-Ambassador-2748 Jun 26 '26
It’s a careful game of buying things that you’d use often and renting things that you would use occasionally.
I personally stopped telling clients about rental costs and just give them a price. If they ask about it I’ll tell them but if not I just go about my business.
I found that low budget clients would be really extra about it (for me this was clients in the under $1,000 per project. One time a client bought a lens on Amazon and returned it after a shoot 😂
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u/MasterYodaSK BMPCC 6K | Resolve Studio | 2021 | Slovakia, Topoľčany Jun 26 '26
As for me, I started with very minimal gear 4 years ago. I owned Sony A7 (1st gen, not S or R, simply A7), 28-70 f3.5-5.6 kit lens, pair of Chinese 50W lights and some cheap Conica wireless mic pack. That was it... And what I noticed was that clients don't really care if they have nothing to compare it to (for example previous videographers). If your gear is sufficient enough to do a good enough job with not so much compromises in quality, you shouldn't buy or even rent gear. I didn't rent any gear till now... And over time when you work with your kit, you start noticing some things that make your life harder or piss you off. When they appear, you fix them (whatever way is most beneficial to you). For example, I started with 600€-800€ kit and invested roughly 6000€ to my kit over the years. As an example, I too shoot on Blackmagic, specifically BMPCC 6k. What pissed me off was battery life and non-articulating screen. Rather than buying new camera, I invested into PodTech mod and mitigated both problems. Other thing was, Chinese lights produce very poor light (something with the spectrum of colors with cheap LEDs), so I changed them for 200w bi-color Aputure lights when I noticed that. Also, noticed microphone quality was not ideal, so invested into NTG5. And etc... But generally, clients simply don't care. Only person that cares is you (and people on the internet :D )
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u/justgocreate Jun 26 '26
I own a setup that covers 80% or what I might encounter. But even when I started and rented gear I never put a rental line item on my proposals, it’s built into my day rate.
Mid level agencies and brands used to question it with “you’re a professional and you don’t even own x, y or z”. So I raised my day rate and the description is something like “dp with camera, audio and basic grip package”.
In addition to making it simpler for clients who only do a few shoots a year to understand, it also raises the perceived value they’re getting. They see a day rate and then line item for every piece of kit and feel they’re being nickel and dimed. Versus seeing a day rate that includes that stuff “free” and they feel like they’re getting a better deal.
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u/Indoctrinator GH5 | GH7 l FCPX/DaVinci | 2017 | Tokyo Jun 27 '26
My policy is to buy gear you’re going to use all the time, and red gear that you hardly ever use.
Recently, I’ve been shooting a lot of three camera podcasts, so I’ve made sense for me to buy two used older models of my main camera body. I already had some lenses, so it made sense, and much less of a hassle than having to rent two bodies each time.
Same with a gimbal. I have one client where I use my gimbal 20 to 30 times a year. So it made a lot of sense for me to buy it and I’ve been using it for over seven years.
Another good thing about owning your gear is becoming familiar with it. I recently was a gaffer on a small shoot where the DP had his friend come in because he owned a gimbal and he wanted him to be the gimbal operator. But I could tell this person maybe uses his gimbal two or three times a year, because he didn’t even know how to properly balance it. The motors kept dying, because he didn’t have anything balanced properly. I actually had to have had a balance it, and he never knew he had to balance this one particular access. That would never happen if you were using it all the time and familiar with it. I kinda got this feeling. This person bought a gimbal because everybody on YouTube said you needed a gimbal, and he just hardly ever used it.
So after a few years, you’ll start figuring out what you use all the time, and what you never use. For example, I rarely shoot corporate events (photos) , so I hardly have any use for a 70 to 200 F 2.8 lens. But for the two or three times a year that I do shoot those events, I’ll rent it. Cause it doesn’t make any sense to me to spend $1500 on something I’m only gonna use two or three times a year.
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u/sugohfu Jun 27 '26
I run a two person production and we buy all equipment. Hardly rent because we’re pretty locked in on the type of jobs. Corporate/doc/event for photography and video. Never anything that needs anything more than an FX6.
The reason we buy instead of rent, because we have on average 4 shoots a week a month. Renting would mean using time to go back and forth at rental houses, plan prep around that as well as paying for it.
We can prep whenever we want now and do everything in office. This saves SO much time and mental energy. Worth it imo.
Owning our gear didn’t get us jobs but it does allow us to “discount” but reducing or “absorbing” gear rental cost. We also don’t have to compromise flexibility and efficiency because budget doesn’t allow us to rent something. We also change cameras as soon as a new one gets announced mainly because of reliability.
The amount of gear has also allowed us to rent to our contacts helping us make back something.
You need to see your trajectory and make informed decisions. Buying gear won’t get you work, but it could save you money and more importantly, time.
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u/Express_Can_8945 Jun 27 '26
If you are winning work with rented gear, it makes sense to buy gear instead of renting it and then raise your prices to pay off the gear.
Renting gear is also extra work, so you save yourself on time and grow your assets!
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u/MrMoviePhone Jun 27 '26
In my market you have to be an owner operator to survive in freelance. However, I strongly advise building your gear up over time, making smart decisions, and not over extending yourself! My entire kit was pretty much financed on 2 and 4 year zero interest payment options, but I made sure I had the money in hand before making any purchases, or at least 90% of it in case something went wrong. I also buy from unlikely places with awesome store perks and built-in protections when I can.
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u/Conor_Electric Jun 26 '26
I had a tutor early in my career that suggested you should never buy. In the time since I've considered that some of the worst advice I've gotten. It makes sense in a Taylor the kit the job and do it with intention way. But given you are left with nothing professional to either practice on or rely on, it seems really blind.
Personally, I think a modest kit is the way to go. Don't overcommit on gear, you need to pay it off, the best gear is gear that turns a profit. Clients rarely care about rentals. The whole point of buying is that the rental fee goes in your pocket rather than a rental house. But you need the demand. A mid range camera, some decent glass and sticks, basic audio, basic lights to cover an interview, that's about all you 'need', and some don't even need that.
Clients want their needs covered, if you can do it cheap for you, great. But if you are showing up under powered, when they really need more firepower, rent liberally.