Avoiding battered rental kit that’s been around the block is also a must. Pro Centre branch manager Renny Lee claims his service differs from competitors in that it offers an extensive range of photographic equipment, and “we sell ours ‘younger’, so that most of our rental kit is virtually new. ”
Like most hire companies the Pro Centre has noticed big changes in what kit gets hired since the onset of digital. “High-end digital cameras are becoming our biggest earner – Hasselblad H3Ds in particular are really taking off at the moment because they offer 31 or 39 megapixels. You’d otherwise be looking at a purchase price of £17,300 excluding VAT and a lens. You can hire that from us for £295 a day.”
Lee adds that 90 per cent of its hired kit is now digital, and that it has recently introduced hand-holding digital assistants at an additional £150 per day. There is also free equipment delivery on orders over that amount. More details can be found on the company’s website.
Another familiar name to photographers is Calumet. Simon Browitt, rental supervisor at the flagship Drummond Street branch, has a first-hand view on the way the market is going, noting that rental demand has recently doubled. “We probably have about 50-60 jobs a day; Canon digital is the most popular – 1Ds Mark II and 5D – closely followed by Nikon D2x and D200s,” he reveals, adding that PhaseOne and Leaf backs are also very popular and out most of the time. The company also has a competitive sliding scale of rates, meaning that anything hired for between four and seven days just gets charged at the four-day rate, and so on. Calumet’s customer base varies between advanced amateurs, fashion shooters and editorial photographers. The company also offers Arri, Profoto, Broncolor and Kinoflo lights. “People are more likely, these days, to be going out on location shoots rather than hiring a studio,” Browitt notes.
Another of Calumet’s advantages is seven-day opening, plus a showroom at its Drummond Street store. During the week, delivery is also offered. “Everybody who works here is knowledgeable and a photographer themselves, so it’s not like we’re just sales people,” adds Browitt.
It’s easy to see how building a relationship with a particular hire company and their operators ends up not just being a practical consideration but also a creative one. Consistency is maintained and the hire company staff get to know what a photographer is looking for when they have a job on.
That’s one reason why celebrity portrait photographer Hamish Brown, best known for his cutting-edge album covers, hires equipment from Kinetic Lighting in London, which has an affiliation with Little Yellow Jacket for bespoke digital hire. “You can’t afford to own everything,” he reasons. “Proper studio lighting is expensive, and I made the mistake earlier in my career of buying a load of kit which is now in my roof and never gets used. “But the main reasons to rent are that you’ve then got equipment that works, plus a back-up service. Also, if you buy, you’ve not only got the cost factor but you’re the one who has to transport the kit around when it comes to shoot day and if it doesn’t all fit in your car, then you’ve got a problem.”
With 70 per cent of Brown’s work being on location, portability is obviously a key factor, rather than simply being convenient. Brown says he can ring Kinetic the day before a London shoot and the lights will be waiting for him when he arrives. “That’s really fantastic,” he enthuses. “And the costs can be passed onto the client. I wouldn’t ever hire any equipment and pay for it myself.”
Brown echoes fellow pros’ thoughts when he suggests that there seems to be a new digital back appearing every three months – “The P45+ has just come out, though not many people can get hold of it”. Given this, it doesn’t take a genius to work out that spending big on something that might be obsolete in a few years is a false economy. “If I’m renting a camera it’ll be a 1Ds Mark II or a PhaseOne back I can stick on my Mamiya,” he reveals, adding sagely: “There’s a lot less risk involved in rental, in terms of ‘future proofing’ your kit.” Amen to that.
