Lens Fund Stage II

I'm Jesse. I'm a photographer and musician, on disability probably for the rest of my life due to a degenerative neuromuscular disorder. I'm trying to raise funds for some gear, to enhance my photography and music. I hope to get a career of some description out of one or both, but even if it just helps me to improve my ability to do my art, I think it's a worthy cause.

I have three main fundraising campaigns running:

1. At https://assets.gogetfunding.com/project/taking-this-show-on-the-road I'm trying to raise $15000 for a long list of music gear, both for the studio and for performing live, but mostly the latter.

2. At https://assets.gogetfunding.com/project/lens-fund-stage-i I'm trying to raise $34800 for several high priority lenses and some other gear, plus Adobe Suite and other software. If you wish to contribute to my photography, but can't afford the reward levels on this one, please donate to that one instead.

3. At https://assets.gogetfunding.com/project/metacrowd-crowdfunding-the-crowd I'm raising funds for a non-profit organization that promotes and supports crowdfunders. I don't have a specific fundraising goal for this campaign--every bit counts, and there's no limit to how much is useful.

This campaign is also for photography gear, and on this one I'm focusing on items that are a lower priority, mostly because they're really expensive (though there are a few less expensive items that just aren't a super-high priority, but I still want; they're top priority in this campaign). And basically what I want to do with this campaign is generate corporate (or personal) sponsorship, selling advertising on my gear for the cost of the gear. Some pieces of gear are obviously more conducive to displaying advertising than others, and in some cases this is reflected in the cost of the items. In other cases, though, the distinctive and eye-catching design of items may compensate for the lack of surface area, in drawing attention to sponsorship messages, or at least a logo. Hasselblad, for example, is a distinctive and eye-catching brand, with a reputation for prestige and quality, and having your logo on the side of a Blad will be great promotion. The same is true of Leica, and both Leica and Hasselblad cameras and lenses are among the items I'm seeking through this campaign. I will also include sponsorship on websites etc, which in some cases will be more beneficial.

The sponsorship lasts as long as the equipment lasts (and some of this gear is really built to last), and your organization doesn't do anything that would make me embarrassed to have its name on my gear.

So in general, my main photo gear campaign is my practical list, and this campaign is my dream list. The reward levels show the items I'm raising funds for, and the rewards are all sponsorship of these items. I originally created this campaign on GoFundMe, and there, the reward levels were grouped by item/brand and listed in order of priority. Here, they're listed solely in order of value. Keep in mind that some items are useless without others (for example, a lens is useless without a camera to use it with, and a camera is useless without at least one lens), and that would therefore apply to sponsorship for those items as well. Unless otherwise noted, there's only one reward available at each level.

Unlike my other 2 campaigns, the prices in this one are new prices including tax (15%, though it may vary depending on where I buy) and estimated shipping (estimated based on weight/size; some places use price instead), as well as fees associated with crowdfunding (7.9%). In some cases I might still buy items used, though. I've added several items from this and my other campaigns to my wishlist on Amazon, https://www.amazon.ca/gp/registry/wishlist/JHIXDGL..., so people can buy them for me directly if they prefer, rather than donating money (and to be honest, I'd prefer that too, especially with the higher cost items).

About the items:

Macro Lights: Canon MT-24EX macro flash and Sigma EM-140 ring flash. These attach to the front of the lens, and are useful for lighting subjects up close that would be in the shadow of the lens with a normal flash. The Canon has 2 independently adjustable heads, for precise lighting, whereas the Sigma provides soft, even lighting but without much adjustability.

Mamiya RZ: Lenses, film backs, and other accessories for my Mamiya RZ67 Pro II. I don't have any intention of buying these new, and most can be had for under $300 used. A few things, like the 6x6 back and the 500mm lens, are rare and considerably more expensive. There are 11 lenses I want for that camera, in addition to the one I already have, and I want 12 backs and a metered prism viewfinder. I also need a medium-format-capable film scanner.

Canon EF and EF-S lenses: These are all the lenses I want for my current 5D MkII and the other Canon bodies I want (Rebel SL1, 70D, 7D or 7D MkII, 1Dx, 1Ds MkII or III) that aren't in the other campaign, except of course for the 70-300mm I've already got. They're listed roughly in order of priority.

Lumahawk LED Lighting Kit: 1 LD144AS light (I already have 1 LD144A) and 2 LMX-LD1000AVL lights, plus batteries for the LD1000s and a charger. These are bright, portable, low-power-consumption continuous lights, suitable for video and stills (I used the LD144A in my profile photo), though not a substitute for a strobe. I've allowed for sponsorship of three of these kits, since having more would always be useful, but have only included one in my fundraising goal. After the first, additional ones are low priority.

Canon EOS 1Dx: Another DSLR body, with capabilities that make it ideal for demanding conditons--the best weatherproofing, ultra-ISO (204,800), 12 FPS continuous shooting in RAW, and a durable construction; but with weight and bulk that make it a companion to, not a replacement for, my 5D MkII.

Canon EOS C300: 4k video camera that takes EF lenses in addition to its own line of lenses.

Olympus PEN EP5: Micro 4/3 compact system camera, with the best low-light performance in the Micro 4/3 market. Excellent choice for nightclub shooting (which is what I want it for, primarily).

Nikon 1 v3: This APS-C compact system camera is most useful for it's extremely high continuous shooting speed, 20 frames per second with autofocus, or up to 60 frames per second with fixed focus.

Hasselblad X1D-50c: The first medium-format compact system camera on the market, smaller than most crop-format DSLRs, but with a sensor larger than a full-frame.

Phase One 645DF+/IQ280 kit: A medium format DSLR, with a digital back that is also compatible with the medium format film SLR I already have, a Mamiya RZ 67 Pro II. Also, an ultrawide lens, a fast wide angle, a macro, a normal, a telephoto, and a 2x teleconverter.

Elinchrom BRX 500 Trio Pro Kit: 3 monoblock (self-contained) 500W strobes, with reflectors and stands. Monoblock lights have a power pack built in, for convenience, at the cost of portability--they typically need AC power, so they're best suited to studio applications.

Hasselblad H5D-200MS: Medium format DSLR, with a moving 50 megapixel crop-645 sensor. The moving sensor enables it to automatically create a 200 megapixel composite image. I've also included the lenses available for it that would be most useful to me: an ultrawide (24mm), a macro, a normal (100mm), 2 telephotos, 2 zooms, an extension tube (to reduce the minimum focus distance), and a 1.7x teleconverter.

Arri Fresnel and Source Four Ellipsoidal: These are continuous lighting fixtures with different functions. The fresnel produces a directed but scattered beam, whereas the ellipsoidal is a tightly focused spotlight. The fresnel is 650W halogen, the ellipsoidal takes halogen bulbs up to 750W.

Leica S: Another medium format DSLR, but closer in performance to a 35mm DSLR than to the Hasselblad and Phase One. A happy medium, in essence. Again, I've included the lenses that looked useful: a wide angle, a macro, a tele, and a zoom.

Leica M: a full-frame (35mm) digital rangefinder, essentially the same thing as a compact system camera, but with an optical non-TTL viewfinder, rather than EVF, and of course it's a Leica. I've also included a range of lenses, mostly oriented around the primary uses for this camera (street shooting, nightclubs, portraiture, fine art, fashion).

Panasonic GH4: Although this micro 4/3 compact system camera is nominally a still camera, its primary feature is its outstanding video capabilities, good enough to find use in commercial productions. I've included a 10x (14-140mm) lens in the price for this one.

Sigma SD Quattro H: An

2 dozen GoPros: Action video cameras. Waterproof housing, shock-resistant mounts, inexpensive but decent quality. For filming outdoor activities, you can never have too many of these, and if I have 2 dozen of these, I'm sure I'll find I need 2 dozen more, so I haven't limited quantities on this item. I want to attach a bunch of them to remote control planes and helicopters, and a tethered remote control submarine. I want to attach them to friends (and other people) while they do stuff like DH biking, snowboarding, surfing, and kiteboarding. And I want to wear them myself while performing, or occasionally while going for a bike ride. There are just so many uses for these things.

Profoto Acute2R 2400 lighting kit: The kit includes 2 lights, but I want 3, so I've added an extra one, plus 3 stands. These are externally powered lights, powered through a power pack containing a transformer and battery. This makes it possible to use them in the field, in places without AC power, but makes them heavier and more bulky.

Metz 58 and Canon 600EX: I currently have a non-dedicated Metz 54 flash. I want to add a dedicated flash for my Canon camera(s), but can't decide between these two, so I want one of each. Can never really have too many flashes anyway.

IDT high-speed video camera: I haven't actually figured out exactly which model I want, and I have no idea how much these actually cost. I've made a wild guess of $90,000, but I think it's probably way too low; in searching the web I found a used IDT Y5 HDiablo for $87,000. So I've increased it to $150,000. Really, for this item, it would be better if someone just bought it for me, rather than giving me the money. Anyway, these cameras shoot at extremely high framerates, up to 13,800 frames per second, at up to 4k resolution. I'm not looking for one of the top-end ones though, I can't see myself really wanting more than 1500 frames per second at 4k.