Cinematography Fact or Fiction: Should a DP Own Camera Gear???

This is the first video in a new series called Cinematography Fact or Fiction.
In this clip we look at the common arguments against a DP owning their own camera gear and whether those arguments hold up.
If you are in to cinematography and are looking for more content like this check out the podcast, The Wandering DP Podcast, were we have 195+ podcasts on all things cinematography.
If you want to get even deeper you can become a Patreon member for more in depth weekly content:
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[@stalman]

I thought my phone was already set to dark mode, then I see Patrick’s a-roll and realize... it can always get darker 😉 So glad to have you on KZbin

[@JacksonHayes]

I’m SO excited about the fact that you’re making KZbin videos again. Such rich content.

[@wanderingdp]

Thanks Jackson. Podcasting is easier

[@JacksonHayes]

Wandering DP haha no kidding

[@305kubrick]

Reasons why I own gear as a cinematographer: 1. The business dictates that I do 2. Nobody likes picking up and dropping off gear at rental houses 3. I avoid situations having to rent gear from irresponsible people that sabotage my shoots 4. Owning my own gear means a high level of confidence while on shoots because I know my gear inside and out; having spent days studying menu's, features, techniques, tests, etc 5. I have rented gear from online rental houses where the gear arrives the day after my shoot. You know what saved the shoot? The gear that I already owned. 6. Owning my own gear allows me to practice whenever I want 7. Owning gear means I get additional rentals on top of my cinematography labor 8. When I want to shoot my own passion projects, I have everything I need. 9. It is convenient for my clients since they only have to deal with one business entity, not several 10. I am able to provide package deals to my clients 11. Nobody takes care of my gear LIKE I DO. I do not have to worry about what the previous 100 renters have done to lenses and cameras before me 12. No one in their right mind will rent an FX9 for a shoot without ever previously having used one. Those menus have a steep learning curve 13. With gear becoming so reasonably priced, it's a no brainer

[@beary93]

In terms of equipment being more manageable to purchase, do you have any recommendations for camera or lighting gear early in a DP’s career?

[@305kubrick]

@@beary93 If your starting out, the Pocket 4k or 6k are great affordable options (you get the full Davinci editing/color grading suite with your purchase which is a PHENOMENAL deal). Amaran lights are a great value for both experienced and beginner dp's. Buying used gear is also another option.

[@beary93]

@@305kubrick thank you for the reply, hope you’re doing well with your career! I know I replied so late haha.

[@geoffreybassett6741]

I own my own gear mainly for ease of access, I receive a lot of last-minute and small jobs that I find dealing with a rental house takes up valuable time. Not that I don't rent better or more specialized gear when I need it, but I value knowing my camera and lenses like the back of my hand.

[@shadowshapers]

Whatever microphone you've invested in and the way you've treated your space to capture your audio is so top notch. Makes your videos really stand out from a lot of other "professional youtubers." ANyways haha love the channel, keep up the great work.

[@PatrickKaplin]

Thanks for making these Patrick, great insights. One small audience suggestion, it may be better to use background screens for your text that aren't as bright as pure white. Cutting back and forth between your lovely lighting setup and the text screen is like witnessing a nuclear bomb on my laptop haha. Unless that's what you're going for ;)

[@Made_by_Matthew]

Where I live owning a red can net you a lot of work because people just see the brand. I think in smaller markets owning gear can get you further than in bigger markets. In bigger markets your work needs to stand on its own two feet cause you can walk 15 minutes to the nearest rental house and get a red or arri

[@wanderingdp]

Matt Thompson smaller markets are definitely easier for lower budget projects. In the US it works slightly differently as in major markets DPs can park their gear at Panavision and earn good money on it. I’d say be cautious though when the gear is getting you work. My expectations for those jobs being any good would be low

[@Photographicelements]

Great advice. I think too many people in LA have bought RED and Arri cameras. Collectively they seem to be lowering their rental prices on Sharegrid & KitSplit and I don't think they will make their money back. This works out great for me, because I can rent an Arri for ~$400.00/day or a RED for less than that (package details varies the price). Yes, camera support gear is most important. Usually the producers who hire DP's based on which camera they own don't pay very well.

[@portfolio641]

His quality is at another level.. you can see it. feel it.

[@AbstrakMedia]

Am I the only one who immediately thought David Fincher lol? love it. Simplicity

[@wolfandbass]

My friend, I've just discovered your channel, and could not be happier I did. I've been in a rut recently with what little career in cine work I actually have, but you have provided some invaluable advice that hopefully may help others like myself to press onward. I thank you very much, keep up the brilliant work.

[@theodorbrinch]

Here's how it works kids. You spend all your money on gear starting out, that gets you onto cooler projects and allows you to shoot cooler stuff. However you won't make a lot of money from it, but you'll survive. Eventually this work gets you on sets with a budget, but by this point, you're renting higher end stuff anyway, so all that kit you bought will be useless. This is why so many experienced DP's advise you not to own kit. However, they fail to realise that although their kit never got them paid, it got them to where they are. Think of it like this. A production hires you for the value you bring to the set. Early on, while you have very little skills or experience, your value is your equipment. later, you are valued for your eye, your experience your portfolio etc.. so you don't need to provide the kit. That's how I see it.

[@AlbowaSinema]

YES! Flexibility, reliability and options to always scale up long term. I have had it much better with my own camera gear...learned a lot. I have shot parts of a netflix film with my Pocket 4k and old school ursa 4k with rokinon cine lenses. Money from hiring and also being hired to shoot with your gear sometimes give you more cash. How can a person who calls him/herself a cinematographer not understand the importance owning your own gear. How do you get better when you always have to hire to try out things or test out scenes etc.

[@liprasipra42]

Please keep uploading videos!!! It’s so great to watch you talk about lighting and cinematography!!! It’s impressive, man!

[@manilamartin1001]

I was a gaffer who bought and sold tons of gear from rental houses. It was partly to rent out as a sideline and partly to practice. Also depends where you live. I lived in LA in the 90s and there was tons of work. I shot mostly Japanese features.

[@cabba1521]

Great points here. Personally I’ve also been wondering about the value of gear from a practice perspective. I guess having your own camera and lights opens up the space to learn and experiment?

[@wanderingdp]

To a certain extent yes. But film making is a team game. So you can do bits and pieces but to get real practice you need to be on sets

[@cabba1521]

@@wanderingdp yup nothing like on set experience. cheers. looking forward to more of these!

[@adambobroy7682]

@@wanderingdp 100% on point here

[@YggdrasilMedia]

Another motivation is reliability. Renting can sometimes be a bit of a crapshoot...just have to cross your fingers the gear works, no parts are missing and everything’s compatible. I would love to show up to set with that peace of mind.

[@celeriereric8744]

thanks for coming back !

[@YuriusSan]

I own gear because If I was relying on productions to rent out the gear for me. Based on the budget they usually have. I'd be shooting films with a stills camera that just so happens to also shoot video. With a neewer tripod that costs 20$. And 2 redhead lights if I'm lucky.

[@luislomeli8732]

Exactly, this is more for top end production people.

[@Willieswheels]

Yep. I get sent many treatments that have budget set aside of £250 / day for DOP and expecting camera & lighting included. 😩

[@drsus0]

Ive been on some ends of this. As an assistant I owned a lot of gear, it was the only way i could supplement my income. Then as a DP I immediately sold all my gear, for two reasons. First, i was just moving up and needed the financial security of the cash in the account, and second i always hated working for DPs with gear, for many reason, one being “hey dude, you already make 10x more than me! Let me rent some!” And the other being that as careful as we always try to be with gear, its that much more of a pain to handle it when the owner is staring at you all day. Now as a DP I’ve owned lenses and camera, but never anything that infringes into what an AC usually owns and rents on jobs. But i dont own the glass or cameras for myself, i own it knowing that i have a camera house that can use this glass and camera themselves to rent out, get jobs in that they would lose if they didnt have this stuff, and i give them a portion or the rental. That’s the only good reason to own gear, if you know you’ll never be responsible for making it work. That way youre not tied to it, youre not dependent on it, production companies are not looking at you sideways, ACs dont hate you....its a non-issue, just supplements your income.

[@phil.makinistudio7634]

During the pandemic DPs who relied on rental houses did not get to create much... While others got to learn and shoot tons of personal projects...

[@robnjk]

Hey dude, great content! Love the podcast, but it's great seeing you produce high quality video content too

[@harlemwoodstudios]

Insightful analysis!

[@JulesFredericNerestant]

Hey man! Great stuff! The Almighty Algorithm just threw your channel my way this morning (watching Wanderin DP videos.) I'm trying to apply your concept to my "still" one-man-band film-maker workflow.

[@thenaje]

thank gawd the vids are back! saw this in my feed and nearly had a stroke. yes! ps: the podcast is amazing!

[@claudio6032]

Man you are my new favorite Channel! Very mature Content. Makes total Sense to me. Great Lighting, Color grading and Outfit too. Great Content Sir! Thanks a lot! Please keep up with this Fact or Fiction Series! Great learnings here. Greetings from Germany.

[@mewnew]

Damn, dude! This was so knowledgeable. Love it. Realize now I don’t know anything. Thanks!

[@makestuffmike]

What would you say to someone looking to learn and practice as far as hardware goes? Buy a budget system to learn with?

[@shadowshapers]

Yup.

[@hourglassindependent5176]

Your lighting is on point. So different from the average KZbinr. It looks great!

[@JericTamayo]

I think people who want to become cinematographers should have adequate gears to begin with in order to practice their craft. Knowing the limitations, understanding creative solutions to problems they'll encounter by having experience with dealing with them personally, getting a good critical eye for focal lengths, etc. is something useful by owning personal gear. What you should be more in depth about when saying no is basically saying no to owning expensive production gears like an Arri Alexa or Red Monstro. Without doing things hands on, we wouldn't be great cinematographers.

[@brandonhaynes9156]

nice one Patrik! As a fellow gear owner I loved this video. I get hit always with wow you have soo much gear and agree on your point of view. Its a delicate balance of knowing where you are on the scale of things.

[@itsryanfreeman]

Yo! The lighting looks dope

[@ricardobirnbaum]

Nice one Patrick! Good to see your mug again.

[@andrewskater17]

We need a regular Wandering DP gear talk please

[@withalex]

I really like your lighting setup ✌🏼

[@wanderingdp]

it is getting there.

[@rmatiasbravo]

dude with date 31/10/20 im gonna keep the record of the shoots. its the second video i see (the first one was an analisis of a video, the lights, was really good) great content, really healpfull! cheers

[@OmarSherien]

That was very useful, thanks a lot, subscribed and waiting for more cinematography tips from a professional like you

[@ianblackburn2645]

It also depends on what type of DP you are if you are a Steadicam op or gimbal op you should probably own your own rig

[@mattlevins6754]

Fantastic advise. Great Video as always. As a Beginner/Intermediate Cinematographer I'm wondering if you'd consider making video to shed a little light (lol) on how billing works as a Professional DP. Like a breakdown of bill. I don't have much for other in the industry where i live, and I find it very hard to know what the "standard" is in this industry.

[@wanderingdp]

Invoice: 8 hour day: $5000.00 Send. Wait 30 days for that sweet chedda to hit the account so you can flip it to buy bitcoin

[@RussellReed18]

Hey brother. Great content. New subscriber, just subscribed. What is your lighting set up in this video? I'm assuming Aputure 300d with lighting dome.

[@guilhermecardoso6049]

I own my Alexa + Zeiss Std speed (2.1), bcz last year I used this same kit for all. To short thing, and have more control about availability, running 4 times a week, I decided to buy this kit. I’m pretty happy, I own more money, I’m testing and discovering new cool things about this gear!

[@boyangeorgiev]

It's really insightful that you share this. Thank you! I'm in a rather unique situation, where I've studied 3D Animation and I've been working in high-end VFX in London on some big productions as a Lighting artist (I see it basically as virtual cinematography) for a bit more than two years now. Now I've really been wanting to get into onset cinematography. I've had a few jobs so far where I shot a music festival, a drag extravaganza day and just last weekend - a music video. I work full time in VFX and shoot on weekends and I don't have any film gear. I do rent but I think that a lot of jobs I'm eyeing in Mandy.com in London state that they prefer someone with gear. I wanna advance my cinematography and shoot more, I'm not sure how to approach this, but this video definitely helped a bit figure things out! Looking forward to more of these, I've been listening to the podcast for a while too, thanks!

[@TevinFosterDP]

I'm a new subscriber to your channel, and I just want to say I appreciate you.

[@ASHFILMS1138]

Lots of people are asking for a breakdown on your talking head lighting setup and this one in particular would be of great interest. Terrific look a lot of people want to get to. Please? :) What is your set up?

[@wanderingdp]

Aputure for the win

[@KahmaM13]

Dude, so helpful. Don’t even know how I got here but I’m glad I did

[@jesseknightfilms]

Love your answer to the question!

[@DesDrukStiv]

Gear rental accounts for roughly 60% of my total earnings. Without it I would have to work a lot more and I would need to be less selective about which work I do. Clients are also more likely to book me than other dp's because I can give better discounts when I rent out my gear with myself compared to if they had to hire a dp and gear from a rental house. Plus it's much easier with just one call and no gear pickup for them. I'm grateful that so many dp's choose not to have gear because it makes clients so much more likely to choose me. I own an Alexa mini and a Red W Dragon package. However I would never advise people to borrow money to buy gear. I've always made a point of only investing money that I have.

[@dariusryankadem]

Excellent advice mate. Thank you.🙏

[@anthonyfrechette8164]

Agreed with what you said, i have the problem that the rental house is a two hours ride. So i bought mine but would love to just rent but the fact is my client are not ready to spent that much on rental. What would you do if you where living in a smaller town ?

[@quantumimages5709]

One other reason to buy gear would be ours : we'd need to hop on a car and drive for 3 hours to get to the closest rental house. Since renting is impossible (or very complicated), we decided to buy. It's a lot of money, but being far from the big cities also mean we don't have much competition, which help us make some money back a bit faster.

[@Rashadmcka]

I love that you have a youtube channel!

[@DragonScorpio31]

It all depends on which country u live in and what u r shooting as staple..

[@andieymi]

It might come down straight to the market you are in. If your are not right in the midst of the biggest buzz, e.g. often travel & fly out for jobs, it can make more sense than when you live & work in the largest urban areas of your region. That's often the case when you can make production companies happy because you can already bringt on lots of stuff without going overboard with flying people and gear across the country just to obtain(!) the needed gear. If your price isn't overboard you might be as well earn market price and be still the cheapest option because calculation extra day rates & travel costs just for obtaining gear and the next huge rental house can add up.

[@hannesthurnherr7478]

KZbin compression isnt kind to your lighting/coloring

[@director_jon]

I gain so much from these videos.

[@marshalchupa1497]

Great topic and advice. Keep it up!

[@MisterWealth]

What lighting setup do you have for this video? Looks clean

[@wanderingdp]

Aputure 120d in the light dome

[@CoreyMorrison]

THEY'RE BAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK! Thanks for the tips!

[@VirtualRealityCheck]

I love this dudes style

[@houssamomar1909]

Hi! Thank you for this video which is very instructive. You're talking about gear that is on almost every commercial set. Can you make a list of that gear so we can have an idea? Thanks ;)

[@sisterbrothers1677]

YES!

[@BoyBlessing]

What diffusion did you use for the lighting in your shot? I love it

[@victorantoniolabarthe3445]

Thank you!

[@tanmaynikumbh9374]

what diffuser do you use man??? love the soft look on your face.. :)

[@wanderingdp]

That’s the moisturizer doing the heavy lifting there

[@brandonpeterson40]

I think it's nice to have a basic kit, not much, maybe $100K in total value or so, but enough that you can supply a production with basic needs: ie quality cinema lenses, wireless follow focus, wireless monitors, tripod, dana dolly, Movi Pro, couple litemats or skypanels, etc. On most shoots you will find some or all of those things so if you have the right stuff then you can make the producer's job easier if they want to rent it from you. I don't like buying expensive cameras but my RED Monstro VV has been nice to have. I try not to use it on every shoot, even tho when it's not on there I miss it LOL. Because it's so adept at handling almost any situation better than any other camera.

[@wanderingdp]

The hard part is going from a few bits and pieces you can sneak on a job to the full Monty. Most rental places don’t like piece marking a package because the DP randomly owns 3 or 4 pieces of gear. Especially when that gear is one of the 4 revenue generators.

[@brandonpeterson40]

@@wanderingdp True. You bring up a great point that having good relationships with rental houses is key. However, sometimes they can be whiners when they don't get to supply everything; when they should be happy with the consistent business a DP brings them. This one rental house owner made a snarky comment about how he could have rented out his truck to another production and made more money because he was upset that I didn't rent enough to fill it, which I still had a decent kit of gennys, lights, extra frames, solids, etc. But I called him on his bluff and said go ahead and rent it to them then, and I cancelled my order. I'm pretty sure there wasn't another production so hopefully it taught him a lesson not to complain Lol.

[@wanderingdp]

Brandon Peterson it is definitely tricky. If you live in a super small market one wrong step or misunderstanding and you are having to fly in everything. Then again as you say there is a reason the big rental places look after DPs. A working DP in LA can bring in millions of dollars a year for those places

[@manishnamdeodir]

very cinematic light

[@ImTweeZy]

Love the cinematography

[@PHILMMedia]

What did you light this one with? toppy Litemat?

[@wanderingdp]

Aputure 120d

[@PHILMMedia]

@@wanderingdp nice! I love those lights. Was it with their full-size dome just overhead and the grid? I struggle to get this quality of light from mine. It seems like I even heavier diff than the dome

[@blender_wiki]

is what I explain all the time to my students

[@lionbeatscobra]

I happen to be 6 years old...lol

[@dudedavid522]

For a list of gear every DP needs, see 4:50

[@nicholasboule5134]

love the videos, but man you need a lil light infront of you for some eye twinkle if you gonna be so dark...

[@kingmuhu]

Me watching after investing 20k in videogear.

[@brianhoover1673]

Incredible lighting for this video. Perhaps a different background color for the text slide, please. Was watching this on a very large monitor, had to draw the shades to appreciate your lighting design -> then that slide popped up. Great content, when my eyes recover I'll watch more of your stuff. ;)

[@sinematographers3344]

1.2

[@wanderingdp]

2.1

[@radiantradicals]

Do you travel a lot with your gear? I do mostly jobs abroad and bringing a camera package is just exhausting :)

[@radiantradicals]

Talking about owning gear: Which monitor do you use/own?

[@wanderingdp]

90% of my jobs are out of state or overseas. Travel with a full camera kit is terrible. No way around it

[@wanderingdp]

I have 2 small HD 703 UBs for on boards. Two FSI cm240s for director/agency

[@radiantradicals]

@@wanderingdp Thank you! People talk a lot fo shit about smallHD right? But i guess for operating its brightness/clear image over color accuracy etc. Are you satisfied with them?

[@wanderingdp]

RUSEOFREASON the 703 is their best monitor. No complaints

[@amumukherjee2148]

What is GEAR?

[@ayushwithasingle_a]

steroids

[@alexandersutton-hough1590]

Have a well rounded amount of gear to constantly be working on you're craft in your down time and help you get to the next level in your career. After that rent. Also never go into debt, if you can't struggle to earn the money you're never going to be disciplined enough to manage a crew and the career of a DP.

[@jordandowler2344]

thank you godfather

[@daveyking]

Can't see you, buddy. Great tips though.

[@redabendaou6565]

thanks

[@chillywilson]

Ah, the catch 22 for new guys. No one gonna hire you unless you have a body of work. You can't have a body of work without investing in rentals, schooling, or buying gear. Owning entry-level gear is a great cheaper way to create a body of work that will get you the jobs to be a position where you can charge for the rentals.

[@eydok5114]

Try explaining to a client with 0 film knowledge that you are a cinematographer without a camera. Good luck.

[@wanderingdp]

If you are talking to the client you aren’t a cinematographer

[@twiiFM]

You don't need to own gear.

[@kameramanhv]

Really! White bg for txt (should be blk bg nd wht txt) that's blinding and except that whole vid have blk bg (soothing to eyes). Horrible........

[@davewerner7609]

You may want to own a set of lights cause your video is too dark.

[@mariofin2000]

Ooof that was cold.

[@luislomeli8732]

So even if you want to shoot personal stuff and smaller budget clients don’t buy gear. Got it lmao

[@Maleick]

Well the irony that your set up is dark . My screen brightness is all the way up how did this make it to upload. Should of noticed that before filming. This alone makes me skeptical of your credibility and this is youtube lol 😂

[@salvadorvega9834]

this comment makes everyone else skeptical of you.

[@SoundSpeeding]

It's his style

[@manuelsoto8028]

Not everything has to be super bright