What equipment should a professional production company own?
Short Answer:
A professional company should have access to broadcast or cinema-grade cameras, a range of quality lenses, professional lighting, and reliable audio kit — plus backups of the essentials. Whether it owns everything or hires specialist gear matters less than having the right tools for your brief and the skill to use them.
Overview
Kit is a means, not an end. What matters is that the company can deploy the right equipment for your project reliably, with backups for anything mission-critical, rather than owning an impressive list for its own sake.
Detailed Explanation
Equipment that signals professionalism
Cameras: cinema or broadcast bodies capable of high-quality, gradeable footage.
Lenses: a range to suit interviews, wide shots, and detail.
Lighting: proper lighting kit, since control of light is what separates professional from amateur footage.
Audio: radio mics, boom, and recorders — poor sound ruins otherwise good video.
Support and grip: tripods, gimbals, sliders, and rigging as needed.
Backups: duplicate cards, batteries, and key kit so a single failure does not end the shoot.
Reputable companies also hire specialist gear — drones, specialist lenses — when a project needs it, rather than forcing the job to fit what they happen to own.
Example
Two cameras and a bag of lenses mean little without lighting and audio. A company that turns up with proper lighting and backup sound is far better equipped than one with an expensive camera body and nothing to control the light.