As visual creators, most of us dream of the day when we will own every single piece of gear we need to make our projects. But in reality, owning a full inventory of gear is rare and almost impossible unless you want to become a rental house yourself. Film equipment is too expensive, and productions are too varied, to make owning every piece of gear feasible, or even smart. Even if we own a camera, lens, and a few accessories, most of us still need to rent gear for every shoot.
While renting gear is definitely less expensive than buying gear on a shoot-by-shoot basis, the costs can still add up. So we’ve developed a few tricks to make the budget go further and make the rental experience a bit more enjoyable.
I’ve rented a lot of camera gear over the years and learned a lot along the way. Below are some of the hard-learned lessons I have developed that I hope will help you with your next shoot—including considering older versions of your preferred gear; renting from online camera rental platforms like KitSplit; and more.
1. Look for older gear that does the job
It can be tempting to focus on getting the latest and greatest gear for every job. But sometimes, you can find an amazing deal by renting slightly older gear that still more than covers your needs for a particular task. “Hot” new gear notoriously loses its rental value very quickly… but cameras that are 3-4 years old sometimes rent for a fraction of their more-modern counterparts.
And it’s widely accepted that cameras from 3-4 years ago are still, in fact, pretty darn good. An Arri Alexa, RED Epic, Sony FS7 Mark I, or Panasonic Varicam from a few years ago can create stunning images. At the lower prices points, the 5D Mark III rents for much less than the Mark IV, but still offers the same great low light image reproduction, albeit at a lower resolution.
And maybe that lower resolution is all you need. If you are shooting a project for 1080p web delivery, it’s very possible that it makes more sense for certain budgets to simply rent a 1080p camera and save money vs. springing for a 4k option. Digital Cinema Cameras have been stellar for nearly a decade now, which opens up a huge catalog of potential options when you are trying to save money.
Especially with multi-camera jobs, gear from only a few years ago can be surprisingly affordable and a huge way to manage your budget.
2. Consider renting from KitSplit to save time and money
The rental landscape has changed dramatically with the onset of online camera rental marketplaces like KitSplit, which provide a platform for independent companies, individuals, and rental houses to all list their camera gear, and prices, in a competitive marketplace.
Online rental platforms like KitSplit are a great place to start your search since they offer listings from pretty much everyone, including rental houses as well as production companies and owner-operators. If you are newer to rental platforms you’ll be surprised to discover just how many camera rentals, lens rentals, and other gear rentals are available on these sites. On KitSplit, for example, there are thousands of owners with tens of thousands of listings —meaning a much wider range of inventory than you’ll find at any one rental house or many of the other online rental platforms. And there are gear listings everywhere, which means you’ll likely find what you need right in your neighborhood, sometimes even on your block.
You can see the options in one place, order online, and buy affordable insurance instantly—saving you time and money. As another benefit, KitSplit also works as an informal social network. Rent from someone often enough and you might end up discovering a new DIT through them, or getting a reference, as you get to know them by regularly working with their gear. There are a few similar platforms out there, but KitSplit might have an edge due to its instant, affordable insurance and top-notch customer service and concierge gear experts available to advise 7 days a week.
[Ed. Note - Bonus! KitSplit has partnered with Tongal as a Community Resource. All our community members enjoy 10% off rentals.]
3. Choose a Kit
Many times rental houses and freelance filmmakers who rent their gear will have assembled it to a “kit,” often with a job-specific name (the handheld kit, the sports kit, etc.) that should include all the relevant accessories you need to do the job at hand. Kits are wonderful since the person assembling the kit has generally taken the time to ensure all the parts you need are there, and that they all work together.
Sometimes it can be tempting to try and piecemeal together a package that has only “exactly what you need” and nothing else, but since most people offer a discount for a kit, this strategy often doesn’t save you money. Even if you do manage to slightly lower your price by picking out gear a la carte, it’s up to you to determine compatibility for all the parts; sometimes, a small savings won’t be worth the hassle of getting to set and realizing that all the pieces don’t play together like they should.
4. Prepare for time at pickup/dropoff—sometimes a full day
One classic rookie mistake is to not allocate enough time for a proper pickup or dropoff. Renting camera gear isn’t like renting a chainsaw from the hardware store, or even like renting a car—where a quick walk around to check for scratches and a few cellphone photos is usually all the prep that is needed.
Film and video equipment is complicated, and you are going to be using it in high stakes situations where losing 10 minutes to rigging gear can lose you a shot. It is absolutely imperative that you go through every aspect of the gear at your pickup. Allocate time with the place or person you are renting from to ask questions and try different setups.
Checkouts can be done in a variety of locations depending on the size and nature of the gear. But the key is to schedule your day so you have the time needed to understand, and test, everything before you get to set.
5. Consider location, and multiple pickups
On bigger shoots, there is generally someone lower down on the call sheet worrying about pickups and returns. This can result in productions spreading out their gear sourcing from wherever they can get what they need for the best deal.
However, if you are a smaller shoot, it’s well worth it to take the time to evaluate not just how much something is going to cost you, but how long it will take you to get there. If you are in Brooklyn, a rental house in New Jersey—or even uptown!—that comes in a few hundred dollars cheaper might not be worth it compared to renting in your neighborhood and saving the trips for both pickup and return, especially if you are taking cabs. If you’re using KitSplit, their map function can be super helpful for this.
Getting gear nearby is especially important since a good working relationship with whomever you rent from, be it a house or a freelancer, is vital. If something goes wrong with a piece of gear on the shoot, you want someone physically nearby who can support you through the process of troubleshooting, repairing or replacing to keep the project going strong without losing a beat.
