Need advice-Company wants to buy me gear

jwcdds wrote in post #12390715


I hope his boss has a sense of humor cuz after he sees this price tag, OP might join the unemployment line. That or the company's incredibly wealthy (in which case, it'd still be cheaper to hire a pro photographer for the event).

LOL. If his boss wants to do the job right, that's the cheapest route, and I'm being realistic compare to other posters in this thread. I don't know how much a pro photographer would charge for an event shoot, but if the OP's company holds events all the time, it could be cheaper in the long run. Plus, equipment lasts pretty long if you take good care of it, and I don't see the need to go for a 5D3 or an updated 24-70 in the near future if the current gear works, especially in low light.

rent another body! get something like a 1Ds or 5D for shooting headshots with the 85mm

Muteki wrote in post #12390801
LOL. If his boss wants to do the job right, that's the cheapest route, and I'm being realistic compare to other posters in this thread. I don't know how much a pro photographer would charge for an event shoot, but if the OP's company holds events all the time, it could be cheaper in the long run. Plus, equipment lasts pretty long if you take good care of it, and I don't see the need to go for a 5D3 or an updated 24-70 in the near future if the current gear works, especially in low light.

I don't doubt that having the proper setup/gear is important. That said, there's a difference between "Company wants to buy me gear" vs. company wants to buy photography gear. The former suggests that the OP gets to keep the goods. The latter is a whole different meaning and for most companies (unless photography is a big part of their business), they'd rather "hire/rent" photogs than to keep a stash of cameras/lenses and wonder who they can find to not only use it, but use it well.

Tokina 11-16, and canon 35L/Sigma 30

and if budget permits, Canon/Sigma 70-200 IS

Seeing as how the company-owned dslr camera is a Nikon, I will probably get to retain any gear for my personal use.

I had a brief conversation with one of the assistants regarding the meeting. I told her that I was trying to decide between
1. An off camera flash option (Pocket Wizard on my 430EX) which would let me use any of my existing lenses
2. A fast prime lens and a (nice) tripod which would let me get the photos and be less obtrusive to the proceedings.

I'll be happy either way. My lens of choice would be a Canon 135mm f/2.0, but I don't think that a $1000 lens is in the cards. Maybe the 100mm f/2.8 Macro and a tripod? Dunno

If they don't know you have a 50 1.8 - Ask for a 1.4

Rent what you need or even more than you need. You can get to try every lens/flash you ever wanted. If you dont spend to much you may get this type of gig again and then you could talk about purchasing. If you mention 1000 bucks now you may find the idea being shelved very fast.

Assuming this corporation has any intelligent bean counters at all, you'll be renting this equipment.

Probably cheaper just to get a real professional in. CYA in the event of a body failure. Or you failing to produce quality pics.

ask your boss you want a 35L....

Ditto on the words of caution. Sounds like the boss is looking for some quality photos from the event. Get to the site ASAP! Do some test shots with models. Determine what you need to make the available light work and best locations to shoot the various types of pics. Look through some corporate annual reports; can you provide your boss with similar quality photos. If not, let the boss know that you may not be able to deliver the quality of work he may be expecting, no matter what equipment he might provide you with. Make sure he knows the the quality of work you can deliver and if it isn't good enough, have some suggestions of alternatives (commercial photographer and their rates)

DrJ wrote in post #12398644
Ditto on the words of caution. Sounds like the boss is looking for some quality photos from the event. Get to the site ASAP! Do some test shots with models. Determine what you need to make the available light work and best locations to shoot the various types of pics. Look through some corporate annual reports; can you provide your boss with similar quality photos. If not, let the boss know that you may not be able to deliver the quality of work he may be expecting, no matter what equipment he might provide you with. Make sure he knows the the quality of work you can deliver and if it isn't good enough, have some suggestions of alternatives (commercial photographer and their rates)

THIS!
Also ditto on renting another body; that's pretty much standard procedure for event gigs. You might also consider hiring an assistant if the stakes are high. All depends on expectations, as DrJ described.

I am not too worried about the photo quality. I (most likely) won't get fired for taking crappy pictures because I work for this company as an engineer. The reason I was asked to snap these photos is because my rig is nicer than the one the company has.

I am fairly certain that the boss understands that photography is a bit of a stretch from my job description. We have hired professionals before to do product photos and by his (the boss') thinking, throwing a couple of hundred bucks my way for gear is probably a good way to:
1. Cut down on costs (versus hiring a professional)
2. Keep me from making noise about wear & tear on my personal property for work that is outside my duties
3. Make sure that I have the tools I need to do the job.

I checked some local shops... unfortunately a new lens might be a harder sell than I thought. Retail on a 100mm non-L macro is ~$599 (about $150 more than I estimated it would cost).

I'll have to chat with him today to see which direction he wants to go in.

Tarzanman wrote in post #12402379
I am not too worried about the photo quality. I (most likely) won't get fired for taking crappy pictures because I work for this company as an engineer. The reason I was asked to snap these photos is because my rig is nicer than the one the company has.

I am fairly certain that the boss understands that photography is a bit of a stretch from my job description. We have hired professionals before to do product photos and by his (the boss') thinking, throwing a couple of hundred bucks my way for gear is probably a good way to:
1. Cut down on costs (versus hiring a professional)
2. Keep me from making noise about wear & tear on my personal property for work that is outside my duties
3. Make sure that I have the tools I need to do the job.

I checked some local shops... unfortunately a new lens might be a harder sell than I thought. Retail on a 100mm non-L macro is ~$599 (about $150 more than I estimated it would cost).

I'll have to chat with him today to see which direction he wants to go in.

Like somebody else said: Rent a spare body and appropriate lenses.

I think your equipment is fine. I would just ask for a better flash like a 580EXII and a very good diffuser. That will let you walk around and take the pics your boss needs.

Honestly, I would ask what the budget is, and give then 3-4 options and explain the differences. I would pick up anything that the company would buy for you, as long as it is yours and not the company's. Think of it as a rental fee for all of the free photography work you're going to do for them over the foreseeable future.

Think 35L or a 16-35L II to add a nice fast wide-angle to your lineup. My opinion is biased. I only ever recommend EF lenses. Every person I know that has ever used a full-frame HAVE to upgrade to full-frame, and then regret EF-S lenses in their lineup.