Equipment Depreciation Calculator — Cost Per Shoot

Equipment depreciation is a real business cost that must be factored into your pricing. If you do not account for it, you will not have funds to replace equipment when it wears out or becomes obsolete. It is also a legitimate business expense for tax purposes.

Camera bodies typically last 3-5 years (or 200,000-500,000 actuations). Professional lenses can last 10-20+ years with care. Lighting equipment lasts 5-10 years. Computers and software typically need replacing every 3-5 years. Tripods and accessories can last indefinitely.

Residual value is what you can sell the equipment for at the end of its useful life to you. Camera bodies might retain 20-30% of their purchase price after 5 years. Lenses hold their value better, often retaining 50-70% after many years, especially popular prime lenses.

This calculator uses straight-line depreciation (equal amounts each year), which is simpler and commonly used by small businesses. HMRC actually uses a reducing balance method for capital allowances, but straight-line is more intuitive for pricing calculations.