Video Production Equipment Calculator: Should You Rent or Buy?
Find Out If Buying Gear Saves You Money (With Section 179 Tax Benefits Included)
Compare rent vs. buy costs for cameras, lenses, lighting, and grip equipment in under 60 seconds
Should You Rent or Buy?
Video production gear investment calculator
Used saves $350, but you get 1 fewer year of use. New costs $1,083/year, used costs $1,050/year. They're nearly identical per year of use.
Buy new if: you want warranty, latest features, or plan to hold longer. Buy used if: budget is tight or you upgrade frequently anyway.
The Big Picture
This calculator answers a simple question: over the next 5 years, what's the cheapest way to have this piece of gear when you need it?
It compares three options side by side: rent every time you need it, buy new and sell it later, or buy used and sell it later. The "winner" is whichever option leaves you with the lowest net cost after accounting for taxes, maintenance, and resale value.
How Rental Cost Is Calculated
Rental is straightforward:
The daily rate is based on industry benchmarks. Most rental houses charge around 5% of an item's purchase price per day for cameras, 3% for lenses, 2% for grip gear. These percentages come from surveying actual rental house pricing.
Since rental payments are a business expense, you get a tax deduction. We subtract your tax savings from the total. If you're in a 30% bracket and spend $10,000 on rentals, your actual out-of-pocket is $7,000 after the tax benefit.
How Buy Cost Is Calculated
Buying involves several factors that work in your favor:
Section 179 Tax Deduction
Section 179 lets businesses deduct the full purchase price of equipment in the year you buy it. A $10,000 camera in a 30% tax bracket saves you $3,000 on your taxes that year. That's real money back in your pocket, effectively reducing your cost to $7,000.
Annual Operating Costs
Owning gear isn't free. You'll spend on maintenance (sensor cleaning, repairs) and insurance. We calculate these over your hold period and subtract the tax benefit since they're deductible.
Resale Value
When you're done, you sell it. Different equipment holds value differently:
- Lenses hold value exceptionally well (60-80% after years)
- Cameras depreciate faster due to tech cycles (50-60% after 2-3 years)
- Grip equipment barely depreciates (mechanical gear lasts forever)
- Gimbals and monitors depreciate quickly as new tech emerges
Tax Recapture
The tradeoff with Section 179: when you claimed that deduction, your equipment's "book value" became zero. When you sell, the IRS considers the sale price as taxable income.
This is still a great deal because you got the tax benefit immediately and pay recapture later when inflation has reduced its real value. Plus, you had full use of those savings for years.
Finding the Optimal Sell Year
The calculator runs a year-by-year analysis: "If I sold at Year 1, Year 2, Year 3... which gives the best outcome?"
We balance market value (decreasing each year) against tax recapture (based on sale price). The optimal year is when net proceeds are highest relative to hold time.
- Cameras: Year 2-3 (before next-gen makes yours dated)
- Lenses: Year 7+ (or never, they hold value so well)
- LED lights: Year 3-4 (tech improves quickly)
- Grip: Year 10+ (hold forever)
- Gimbals: Year 2 (fast tech cycles)
New vs. Used: What Changes
Lower Purchase Price
Used gear typically sells for 25-50% below new, depending on category. Lenses hold value better (smaller discount). Grip depreciates more (larger discount).
Slower Depreciation
Here's the counterintuitive part: used gear depreciates slower than new. When you buy new, you eat the steepest depreciation. When you buy used, someone else absorbed that hit. A 2-year-old camera won't lose value as fast percentage-wise.
No Warranty
New equipment includes manufacturer warranties. Used doesn't. We add a buffer for potential repairs in used scenarios.
Same Tax Treatment
The IRS doesn't care if equipment is new or used. You get the same Section 179 deduction either way.
Equipment-Specific Factors
The calculator uses different assumptions for each category:
The Break-Even Point
This shows the usage threshold where buying and renting cost about the same.
The 0.85 factor accounts for ownership overhead (maintenance, insurance) that you don't pay when renting.
Rule of thumb: More than 20-25 days per year? Buying usually wins. Less than that? Renting is typically smarter.
What This Calculator Doesn't Know
- Your specific tax situation: State rules vary. Some don't conform to federal Section 179. Talk to your accountant.
- Opportunity cost: Money spent on gear could be invested elsewhere. We use an 8% discount rate to approximate this.
- Availability: Sometimes you need specific gear on short notice and rentals aren't available.
- Subletting income: If you rent your gear on ShareGrid, that changes the math significantly toward buying.
The Bottom Line
Math favors buying when:
- You use gear frequently (20+ days/year)
- You're in a higher tax bracket
- Equipment holds value well (lenses, grip)
- You're comparing against high rental rates
Math favors renting when:
- You use gear occasionally (<15 days/year)
- Technology is changing rapidly
- You need variety for different jobs
- You don't want maintenance hassles
When the numbers are close, factor in the intangibles: convenience, reliability, and whether you enjoy owning equipment or find it a hassle.
The rent or buy calculator
The answer to the hardest question creators ask themselves, "should I rent or buy", and why?
How This Works
This calculator compares the true cost of renting gear versus buying it (new or used), factoring in taxes, resale value, equipment lifespan, and optional financing.
The Big Number: Break-Even Days
The large number at the top is your break-even point. If it says "7 days/year," that means if you use this gear more than 7 days per year, buying is cheaper than renting. If you use it less than 7 days, rent. It's that simple.
Below the number, you'll see how your actual usage compares. "You're at 30 days. Buying wins by 4x" means you're using it four times more than needed to justify the purchase.
Rental Rates
We don't use a flat percentage. Rental rates scale with price because high-end gear rents for lower percentages of its value. A $5,000 camera might rent at 5% per day ($250), but a $90,000 ARRI rents closer to 0.8% ($720). Our tiered estimates are based on actual rental house pricing. If you have a real quote, enter it in the "Daily Rental Rate" field to override our estimate.
The "Typical Rental Length" dropdown adjusts for weekly and monthly discounts. Weekly rentals effectively cost about 70% of the daily rate (3-day week pricing). Monthly projects drop to roughly 50%.
Equipment Lifespan
Different gear has different useful lives before it's outdated or worn out. Cameras cycle every 3 years. Lenses last 7+. Gimbals are obsolete in 2. We calculate costs over the appropriate period for each equipment type, so you're comparing apples to apples.
Buy New vs Buy Used
Check "Considering Used" to see the comparison. Used gear is priced at 20% off (typical for 6-12 month old equipment), but you lose one year of usable life due to wear and relevance.
The insight box explains when each makes sense. Pay attention to the "cost per year" shown under each option. Sometimes new costs less per year because you get more years of use. Sometimes used wins outright. The math depends on the equipment type.
Financing
Check "Financing Purchase" if you're not paying cash. Enter your APR and down payment percentage. We estimate total interest cost using a declining balance approximation. This gets added to your buy cost, which can shift the math toward renting for expensive gear with high interest rates.
Section 179 and Tax Recapture
Section 179 lets you deduct the full purchase price from your taxes in year one. A $10,000 camera at a 30% tax rate saves you $3,000 immediately.
The catch: when you sell, the IRS taxes the sale as income (since your "book value" is now zero). We factor this "recapture" into the net cost. It's still a good deal because you got the tax benefit upfront and pay it back later when inflation has reduced its real value.
Reading the Results
The three boxes show total cost over the equipment's lifespan. Below each total, you'll see cost per year, which is the fairest way to compare options with different hold periods.
Green highlighting and the checkmark indicate the winner. The savings amount tells you the difference versus the next best option.
Fine Print
This is a planning tool, not tax advice. State rules vary. Some don't conform to federal Section 179. Actual depreciation depends on brand, condition, and market timing. Talk to your accountant before making significant purchases.
Find Your Combined Tax Rate
Enter your income to see your federal + state brackets
Estimated Tax Liability
This is an estimate based on 2025 tax brackets. Actual taxes depend on deductions, credits, and filing specifics. Does not include local taxes, self-employment tax, or investment income taxes. Consult a tax professional for your specific situation.
What's Your Real Tax Rate? Find Out in 10 Seconds.
Before you can calculate whether to rent or buy gear, you need to know your combined tax bracket. This matters because Section 179 lets you deduct equipment purchases from your taxable income, and the higher your bracket, the bigger your savings.
A $10,000 camera in a 35% bracket saves you $3,500 in taxes.
In a 22% bracket? That's $2,200.
The math changes everything.
Quick Guide:
Step 1: Enter your taxable income (that's your gross minus deductions, roughly what you reported on last year's return)
Step 2: Select your filing status
Step 3: Pick your state
Step 4: Look at the green "Combined Marginal" number. That's your rate. Plug it into the Rent vs Buy calculator above.
Pro tip: If you're a business owner expecting a big year, use your projected income. Equipment purchases made before December 31st can offset this year's taxes, so timing matters.
Want to run your own scenarios, tweak the assumptions, or track multiple gear purchases?
Grab the Google Sheet version of this calculator. It's the same math under the hood, but you can customize the tax rates, depreciation curves, and rental benchmarks to match your exact situation.
Duplicate it to your Drive and make it yours.
