Back-up: cost of rentals

[elle_m]

<p>I'm a casual wedding photographer. It's not my "money maker," but I enjoy shooting a few weddings a year and what I make from them greatly helps to offset costs.</p>

<p>In the past, I've just brought along low-end back-up (i.e. my older DSLR camera), but now, after having become used to the quality of my professional gear, I've decided to rent equivalent-quality back-ups.</p>

<p>WOW! The rentals themselves are not overly expensive (renting a 5dmkII and an L series lens), but having to put a retainer worth the price of the camera on my credit card is... tough, to say the least. I don't shoot big-budget weddings, but I'm not low-end either. In any case, I'm not in a position to purchase a 2nd full-frame camera... and having that 3-4k on my credit card for 3 months is not great for me.<br>

I'm just wondering if renting a less-expensive camera as back-up would be more economical for my needs. Does anyone else run into this problem?</p>

[curt_kalkstein1]

<p>I've rented in the past, but my experience is different. I'd also get a hefty load of debt dumped on to my credit card account, but I'm pretty sure it was wiped away (except for the relatively small rental cost) as soon as I returned the equipment a few days later.<br>

Curt (photocurt.com)</p>

 

[neilambrose]

<blockquote>

<p>...having that 3-4k on my credit card for 3 months is not great for me.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>That's the wrong way to think about it.</p>

<p>You need to rent only for the day (or weekend) that you require the equipment. If you do it right the following happens: you "spend" several thousand on your card each month; you pay zero interest; your credit rating goes very high; you win rewards/air miles -- and most importantly, you're never actually in debt as you don't spend the money since it's credited back to you a day or two later.</p>

<p>In real terms the only money that leaves your account is the hire fee.</p>

[senor_crocodrillo]

<p>The retainer should be put down as a hold, not a sale and the funds should be made available to you in a couple of days. That's not a bad deal, in my opinion. In addition, most rental houses will accept an insurance certificate as a retainer- just make sure your insurance covers rental gear. Also, for the going cost of a rental for a 5dmii- I'd say buy one if you can book 10 weddings before the year starts- then it pays for itself. As for renting a less-expensive model, I'd make sure that it's really a back-up. If your main camera is a full-frame and it fails, you could be without a wide angle if the back-up is a smaller sensor. If you shoot a lot of low-light situations, then getting a back-up that can't could be a problem. Lastly, I shoot with my back-up. Having different controls on a camera that's not the same as my main body interrupts my concentration.<br>

<br>

If your worried about the economics of it- why not raise your rates to cover the cost? </p>

<p > </p>

<p > </p>

[silverdae]

<p>Borrowlenses.com offers rentals without the credit card retainer. You can purchase insurance, but they don't put a hold on your card. This is explained in more detail on their FAQ page. I believe there are other companies that do the same, but I'm most familiar with borrow lenses (which carries cameras, flashes, radio slaves, batteries...).</p>

[juanita_ramirez]

<p>If it's truly a backup and not a second body, why are you no longer able to use the DSLR you were previously using as a backup? If it was adequate as a backup last year, it's adequate as a backup this year. Anytime a piece of your primary equipment fails you're going to be slightly inconvenienced, but a pro knows how to work with the equipment that he or she has. A 5dii as a backup (when you already own a perfectly good older backup body) seems completely overkill for a casual wedding shooter. Just MHO.</p>

[benjamin_tapper]

<p>Hey,<br>

You should check out www.prophotorental.com . They don't put a retainer on your card for full amount of the camera, you get free shipping, and the guy, Jared is super helpful and nice. I've always had a good experience. </p>

[Jerry_]

<p>Not to spoil the soup....but how much testing are you doing with the rental camera *just in case* you have to use it at a wedding? Some rental equipment has been used and beaten. A wedding is not the place to find out the backup camera is not working 100 percent.</p>