Renting your gear, is it worth it?

My parents are concerned because they don't understand how can I not have a camera at home as a photographer... It's been 4 months now, renting my gear, borrowing it, or on loan (if you will) and it's been great... really?

It all started 3 years ago when I was traveling a bit more than today. Carrying gear with me was always a problem... on planes especially I don't want to bring much with me, because of security controls at airports and all the pre-boarding process can take a lot of time when you carry your photography gear with you.

They usually open all my bags and ask me tons of questions, never had any major problems so far but the process is slow and sometimes you just don't want to go through that. Of course no checked bags, everything comes on board with me, you guys know how they handle your stuff.

So back then the solution was simple for me... I don't have to bring my camera, just maybe a lens or 2 a few extra batteries all the necessary accessories and I would just rent the rest.

Lately, I sold all my gear, except for 2 canon lenses.

And now this is how I work... with rentals!

The other advantage is the luxury of having the right tool for the job! If you need a fast camera, with high burst rates, no problem, If you need a high-resolution camera, you can have it! There is no perfect camera out there and you all know how difficult it is to choose a camera that can do it all.

Now you can have fun, test a new system, have the latest gear, and this (almost) whenever you want. You can even work with your dream camera, rent that expensive medium format you cannot afford to own for a day or two.

I have been using Canon cameras for 7 years now, so I am familiar with their system. That is why I usually rent canon gear. I had the chance to have a few cameras and lenses on loan from Canon France the past 3 years for a few specific photoshoots, and recently I've worked with cameras such as the Canon 5D Mark IV, the 1dx Mark II, and the infamous EOSR.

The 1dx Mark II in 2019 is still a phenomenal camera, and I barely use all its capabilities. You've seen me in a previous video covering a Hip Hop dance festival. All these fast movements and unpredictable dancers are not easy to catch, and the 1dx II was perfect for the job.

How I shoot live performances: WGTF!? 2019 hip hop festival

I used it on a couple of other photoshoots too, portraits, fitness, and dance private sessions. This wouldn't be my go-to camera for this kind of job but still is a solid performer:

Canon 1DX Mark II 24-70mm F2.8 Mark II 1/500 f3.2 ISO 640 at 24mm

Canon 1DX Mark II 24-70mm F2.8 Mark II 1/500 f3.2 ISO 200 at 61mm

Canon 1DX Mark II 24-70mm F2.8 Mark II 1/640 f3.2 ISO 320 at 24mm

Canon 1DX Mark II 70-200mm F2.8 Mark II 1/800 f2.8 ISO 640 at 59mm