ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

9 years, 2 months ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin

The body isn't the expensive bit of a hire, it's the glassware. If you don't have lenses, body alone is near valueless.

9 years, 2 months ago - Roger Russell

It's is worth it I have done the same and now selling
To buy a 4.3 as I want to shoot anamorphic at times too
If your on the lookout pls email me

9 years, 2 months ago - Mark Wiggins

Personally, I'd buy glass then hire a body. Cameras are changing so fast these days where as good glass is always good glass.

9 years, 2 months ago - simon battensby

I went through a similar discussion with my accountant. His take on it was: if you put 10k in the bank you'd earn 5% interest so 500 quid. Camera insurance will be 400 per year perhaps. But the camera is depreciating by say 3000 per year so you need to earn 3000 +400 +500 just to break even. Thats 325 per month. Can you guarantee that you'll earn that much? Plus youll need to pay to advertise to the world you have this camera for hire; probably another 200 per year plus you'll need to have it serviced regularly (300 pa ?). Can you see where he's heading with this ? Finally how many years will that camera be desirable to rent...may be 5 more years before we are all wanting to shoot with some new fangled tech? Hence you need to make back your initial 10k investment in that 5 year period as well.
Of course if you can approach producers and say I have my own Alexa, then you might get hired more often and that puts a different spin on all the above. Hope that helps. Simon

9 years, 2 months ago - John Lubran

As ever, the devil is in the detail, It all depends on ones business model and as Simon says, how you figure the return on investment. Though I would say that if you can get 5%, or indeed 1%, on a bank deposit it must be on a different planet to the one I'm on. Interestingly though even classic glass might be about to go the way of the steam engine, I hear 'they've' cracked how to make lenses from some sort of vegetable matter that are optically perfect, can magnify to infinite degrees and cost next to nothing. The point being that unless one has a rapid recoupment plan buying expensive kit for cheap projects is not an investment, it's a hobby. There's also the consideration that rather surprisingly good EBU standard 4K cameras, even if with cheaper and less perfect glass, costing quite a bit less than £10K all in, can contribute to good quality productions that if nicely conceived and put together, will look good enough not bother the most discerning audiences. A proven fact.

9 years, 2 months ago - Mark Wiggins

It's not the camera that makes the amazing pictures, it's the person behind it. People with a little knowledge should hire a DOP on the strength of the images he/she can make and then trust that person (who has the knowledge) to make the camera/lens choice.

They should not hire a person based on what camera they own because they think it's the camera that makes the pictures and not the cameraman/woman. Unfortunately, in the low budget world, this is too often the case.

9 years ago - Paul Campion

I work with two DOP's who both own their own cameras, one an Alexa and one a RED. But they are experienced DOP's with agents, steady work and regular client base, so having their own cameras and being able to rent them out to the clients makes sense. They also rent those cameras out if they have down time, but again, they already have an established client base and connections to be able to do that without advertising. If you're hiring, you're also competing with the hire companies, and you've also got to factor in maintenance costs, wear and tear etc, delivery and pick up of the camera etc. I'd agree with Mark that you want to be a good DOP and get hired for that first.

9 years ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin

If it's any help, as this thread has risen again, I can hire an Alexa XT shooting kit with open gate licence for about £650/day on a 2 day week. That's some stiff competition right there. And I can get 2 day week deals on the glassware, filters, lights, generators, grip, and other frills, too, with the same supplier - packaging up saves money, so if you plan to rent it out, you need to be able to provide a lot of stuff to make yourself competitive. Hiring piecemeal is expensive.