I would like to start renting out my Canon XH-A1S camera but I don't know where to start. I don't want to open up a business, I just want to do this for a little cash on the side. The local production company in my town rents this same camera and similar cameras for about 100 to 150 a day. Has anyone ever tried renting their equipment out? Whats the best way of going about this?
Renting out my Camera
- Thread starter aburke09
- Start date
I fiond generally camera rental from individuals involves renting them as well (hiring them and the camera). If you do it, you'll have to make sure and confirm they have valid insurance.
The best way to go about renting out your camera is to advertise.
Get the word out in your area that you have a camera and you are
renting it. Flyers, business cards, newspaper ads. craigslist.
A few things to consider:
Rental houses have several cameras. If one breaks down (or is
broken) another one is available. As a renter, I would be very
wary about renting from an individual. What if I break the camera
- totally my fault? Sure, my insurance will cover the replacement,
but if you don’t have another one my shoot is shut down. If I rent
from a rental house, they send me a replacement the same day.
Is there a need in your area for this camera? Sure, you would love
the extra cash, but are there enough people in the area willing to
spend $100 or $150 per day to justify the effort you will need to
take to get the word out? How many days a month to you think
people will rent out your camera?
In general, people renting treat the camera with less care than
they should. If your camera is lost, stolen or destroyed it may
take several months for the insurance claim to come through. If
it’s just damaged most renters will dispute that they are
responsible. Are you prepared to spend months, money and court
time to recover damages?
This won’t be a business so it will be a person to person rental.
How does the renter trust that your camera is well maintained? How
do you trust the renter to return the camera?
Get the word out in your area that you have a camera and you are
renting it. Flyers, business cards, newspaper ads. craigslist.
A few things to consider:
Rental houses have several cameras. If one breaks down (or is
broken) another one is available. As a renter, I would be very
wary about renting from an individual. What if I break the camera
- totally my fault? Sure, my insurance will cover the replacement,
but if you don’t have another one my shoot is shut down. If I rent
from a rental house, they send me a replacement the same day.
Is there a need in your area for this camera? Sure, you would love
the extra cash, but are there enough people in the area willing to
spend $100 or $150 per day to justify the effort you will need to
take to get the word out? How many days a month to you think
people will rent out your camera?
In general, people renting treat the camera with less care than
they should. If your camera is lost, stolen or destroyed it may
take several months for the insurance claim to come through. If
it’s just damaged most renters will dispute that they are
responsible. Are you prepared to spend months, money and court
time to recover damages?
This won’t be a business so it will be a person to person rental.
How does the renter trust that your camera is well maintained? How
do you trust the renter to return the camera?
I did it ten years ago.
My advice is get your camera under a warranty either with the store you bought it from or the manufacturer. I rented my camera to friends I knew personally. Even then, the camera came back broke after a while. Since it was under warranty, it got fixed for free. But, it took six months because the camera had to be sent to Japan and back.
My advice is get your camera under a warranty either with the store you bought it from or the manufacturer. I rented my camera to friends I knew personally. Even then, the camera came back broke after a while. Since it was under warranty, it got fixed for free. But, it took six months because the camera had to be sent to Japan and back.
Thanks. Ok, say I were to take it one step further and invest in RED camera. 25, 30,000 bucks. Has anyone ever gone down that road or known anyone who has? I've heard people make their money back within a year but I haven't heard anything bad about the investment. It seems like a no brainer to me, but i could be wrong
Rental house in my town (Nashville) sold one of their Reds because their rentals had tanked. Combination of the economy, and the 5DMK2.
I'd say don't do it if you need your camera. If you don't need it and have time to spend to get your money back, do it. Easiest option would be getting an insurance against all risk at the value of a new camera. In that case you don't need to wait for someone-else's ensurance company and you hold everything in your own hands.
Before you buy a camera to rent out make sure you know your local
market. Are their enough filmmakers in your area willing to rent from
an individual to make it pay off in a year? Also take into consideration
the local competition. The RED is a really touchy camera that must
be handled by people very familiar with it. Will you be able to offer all
the accessories that a rental house can? If one breaks down (or is
broken) will you be able to offer another camera right away? Will
you service the camera between rentals or will you have to send it
it out?
If there are several dozen filmmakers in your area who are willing to
rent a RED but cannot find one for rent, then it's a no brainer.