Why and Where to rent Camera Gear

I've been renting camera gear since 2012. There are definitely benefits to renting gear as opposed to owning. I'll explain why.  When I first started traveling for filming trips I was concerned I wouldn't find the equipment I needed. After being able to rent in countries like the US, South Africa, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand I'm fairly certain you can also do so in most destinations. Now let's dive right into why and where to rent gear

Why

1

Staying mobile

Renting allows you rent what you need when you need in the city you are in. I wouldn't want to travel around with a large 400mm telephoto lens internationally with my existing gear. I recommend having an existing base kit at least. You should at least have a good camera body, good zoom lens, and at least a shotgun mic. From there you can rent something specific for a client shoot like lav mics or extra lighting

2

More cost effective

Some camera gear like a telephoto lens in this picture can cost thousands of dollars to rent. Sometimes you may need it to get in close for wild-life videography or a speaking event for a short period. Renting allows you to save on the costs of ownership and still get to try the gear. In this image you'll see the amount of gear I rented. H6 Zoom field recorder, Lav mics, telephone lens, and lighting.

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3

Try out new equipment

Renting will let you get that precious hands-on experience that you can't get by watching on-line blogs or video reviews. I rented a Canon 5d Mark 3 to film the Grand Canyon and Vegas. I also rented a Rode Shotgun Mic to film my most popular youtube video called "Nightlife in Vancouver". I eventually purchased the microphone after renting first.

Where

You can always start with a google search for "camera rentals cityname" to begin with. The good sites like lensrentals.com will list the gear they have and the price. Lensrentals will even do reviews of some of their gear to help you make a decision. Nothing beats visiting the actual store or talking to the renter on the phone to get a recommendation if you're not sure what you need. Check out the video for more specific websites to rent near the end of the video.