Top 10 gear brands of 2020
Brands offering video streaming and 360-degree cameras were clear winners
When it comes to the most rented equipment brands in 2020, Canon, DJI and Sony are dominating and compose the top 3 in our rankings of 2020’s most rented gear brands.
There is one brand that has climbed remarkably high compared to 2019 – it’s Blackmagic. In 2019, still taking the 12th place, Blackmagic climbed up 8 steps and now ranks 4th in 2020’s list of the most rented brands. Many of you know Blackmagic from their high-end digital movie cameras (Ursa, Pocket Cinema Camera, and the like) and their highly praised video editing software Davinci Resolve, but the brand has also invested quite a lot in developing equipment for video streaming.
This has become especially relevant throughout this year – video switchers and streaming mixers such as the ATEM Mini series have made it easy to create professional multi-camera video productions whether it be for live streaming to YouTube or for innovative business presentations via Skype, Teams or Zoom.
Other high ranking brands are Canon, who continues to push their EOS R mirrorless camera series further with the release of the EOS R5 and R6 but also with a wide variety of RF lenses. Similarly, both DJI and Sony released a good number of innovative products for filmmakers and photographers alike.
Here’s the complete top 10 list of 2020
(between brackets you’ll see the increase or decrease from last year):
- Canon (0)
- DJI (0)
- Sony (0)
Blackmagic (+8)- Panasonic (-1)
- Insta360 (+2)
- Nikon (-1)
- Sigma (-1)
- Tamron (-4)
- Zhiyun (+1)
Top 5 most rented brands during the lockdown
Let’s zoom in (pun intended) on which gear brands were most sought after during the lockdown period of March 15 – July 1st. This is the top 5 of most rented brands on Gearbooker:
- Blackmagic
- Insta360
- DJI
- Canon
- Sony
It comes to nobody’s surprise that the one of most rented gear categories during the first lockdown were companies providing equipment for live video production such as video mixers and live streaming devices. All of these are easy to set up and allow for real-time editing, mixing, and adding effects, things you need for a livestream in order to organize your online event or product launch.
As you can see, Blackmagic ranks number 1 as the most popular brand during the lockdown period. And it all makes perfect sense. Blackmagic has amazing equipment that can be used for live-streaming and video mixing.
The brand ranking second is Insta360. Their 360° cameras became quickly popular allowing us, for example, to create virtual tours and so much more than that. In 2019, GoPro was still a dominant player on the 360° camera market. However, Insta360 is heavily on the rise, as can be seen in our top rented gear brands. Insta360 released their Insta360 PRO cameras along with the Insta360 One X, One R and the One X2. So, becoming one of GoPro’s biggest competitors, Insta360 has a bright future ahead of itself.
Meet other creators and build your network.
This year has been not only about renting equipment to realize your creative projects. What’s perhaps much more important is how renting gear allowed you to connect with other creators despite the fact that 2020 has largely been dominated by a global pandemic. Through renting gear, you’ve had the chance to connect with other creators online and offline and continue building your network.
Staying safe has been the priority for everyone this year, yet that has not stopped creatives like you from sharing, creating, and continuing to work on amazing projects. Whether it be photography series about people during the lockdown, documentaries on the people in health care and public sector who worked day and night for our safety. Or perhaps you’ve been switching to giving online photography classes to photo enthusiasts. In the end, creativity is all about the ability to adapt to different situations. So, make sure to give yourself a pat on the back and continue exploring your creative passions in 2021!
