Related Links:
Med Fmt. Rental links
PDN online Gear Guide (rental sites)

Rentals - Why Important

I often recommend and advocate that you rent or borrow a medium format camera before buying it, or at least get a return warranty that serves a similar purpose. Many users find some unpleasant aspects of a particular camera's ergonomics or operational quirks to be so irritating that they can't stand using the camera. Others are unpleasantly surprised by how loud or heavy a given medium format camera is, once they have it in hand.

Be sure you have a manual or reference guide in hand so you can avoid causing problems or damage to the camera during these rental and test periods. Most dealers will be happy to review operations of the camera, from loading film to meter use, prior to your use for a first rental period.

Rental Fees

As a typical example, Alkit rents a full line of Hasselblad lenses (30, 40, 50, 60, 80, 100, 120, 150, 180, 250, 350, and 500mm). Most (8 of 12) rent for the low $25/day rate, making it cheap and easy to justify a rental for a job or project. But Alkit doesn't rent lenses for the Rolleiflex 6008, SLX, or SL66 series. See a problem here for some wanna-be renters using Rolleiflex gear?

Alkit rental item:      day rate    week rate   B&H cost    #weeks rental=cost
Hasselblad 120mm        $25/day     $75/week    $2,915      39 weeks
Hasselblad 30mm         $35/day     $105/week   $6,524      62 weeks

Pentax 645AF 75mm f/2.8 $20/day     $60/week    $420        7 weeks
Pentax 645AF 300mm f/4  $75/day     $225/week   $3,400      15 weeks

Horizon 202 panoramic   $25/day     $75/week    $300*       4 weeks (* from kievcamera)

Rentals - What's Available?

Well maintained demo equipment may end up going into such rental programs, sometimes with discounts from the manufacturer. This approach promotes both rentals and availability of a full line of demo equipment in dealerships in major markets (big cities).

These rental programs require manufacturers who are willing to cut costs and otherwise help promote the development of rental programs in a given region or country. Some distributors have been reluctant in the past to provide such rental promotions. For example, some Rollei medium format SLR users complain about the lack of availability of rentals for their SLR systems. I have also seen postings in which pro photographers cited the availability of rentals as a major reason they chose a given system (e.g., Hasselblad) over another (e.g., Rollei 6008). Among the major USA medium format brands, it appears that Hasselblad has one of the most extensive dealer rental programs, followed by Mamiya, with Pentax, Bronica, and Rollei with fewer sources and offerings.

Renting Used Gear

You should understand a bit about the economics of the photo industry. Mail order stores may only make 5% or so on each sale (but make many sales on minimal overhead a year). Some camera makers may often promote sales of the basic camera body at very low markups, as little as 15% on some sales. They know that once you are in their system, they will be able to sell you high markup lenses and higher markup accessories to make up for these price cuts.

Dealers typically purchase used equipment for a third to half of the expected selling price. So consider a store which buys a used Hasselblad 150mm C Sonnar lens for $250 and then sets a $750 "asking" price. The store can afford to discount the lens considerably if asked, but still realize a very large markup compared to its new equipment sales markups. In other words, the dealer will typically make a lot more profit and markup on a used sale than many new equipment sales.

If you just want to evaluate a 40mm Nikkor lens for your Hasselblad, you have more flexibility in scheduling when you rent than someone who needs to shoot a wedding on the next Saturday.

List Of USA Sources for Rental of Medium Format Cameras and Lenses...

From: [email protected] (D Barry)
Newsgroups: aus.photo
Subject: Re: Medium Format Rentals
Date: 7 Feb 2002 


Try these:

Baltronics      at      http://www.baltronics.com.au/hireindex.html ,   2
George
Place Artarmon NSW 2064
Nicki Vinnicombe on 02 9429 6888
They have or had Mamiya, Fuji, Hasselblad, Contax and Pentax

Photo Rental Centre     at      http://www.rentacamera.com.au , 21a/17-21
George St, Redfern 2016
Graham (I think his name is)    on Ph:(02) 9319 4632    Fax: (02) 9319
4966    Mobile: 0414 254 736
They have or had Mamiya, Rollei and Pentax

L & P Photographics     at      96 Reserve Road, Artarmon 2064
I think Bob King  looks after the rentals       on      Ph: (02) 9906 2733
Not sure what MF gear they run these days

Kayell Photographics    at      http://www.kayellnsw.com.au ,   Unit 1, 19
Hotham Parade  Artarmon NSW 2064
John Wolstenholme               on      Phone: 9439 9377                Fax:
9439 9664
They have or had Rollei and Mamiya

"NikonBoy" [email protected]
> Can anyone recommend a place in Sydney where I can rent Medium Format
> cameras.


From hasselblad mailing list:
Date: Fri, 23 Aug 2002 
From: Jim Brick [email protected]
Subject: Re: [HUG] Re: introduction

 Charles Megnin wrote:

>$60/week ? That's a lot better than Adolph Gasser in SF charges.
>Last time I asked (couple of months back) they wanted $60/day.
>Not exactly a bargain.
>Charles


Keeble & Shuchat, just 45 min south of Gasser, rents the 500mm CF for $45 a
day. A week at KSP is three days that is pay for three days and you have it
for a week.

That's the only lens I've rented but if the 500 is $45 a day, I suspect the
much smaller/cheaper lenses (50mm) are in the neighborhood of $20-$25 a day
which would make them around $60-$75 a week.

KSP does a land office rental business. Friday afternoon at the rental
counter is like feeding time at the zoo.

Jim


From hasselblad mailing list:
Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2002 
From: Charles Megnin [email protected]
Subject: Re: [HUG] Re: introduction

$60/week ? That's a lot better than Adolph Gasser in SF charges.
Last time I asked (couple of months back) they wanted $60/day.
Not exactly a bargain.

Charles

David Gerhardt wrote:
>  "TarunPhotographer" [email protected] wrote:
>
>
>>... my options i guess are 120mm, 150mm or a 180mm. i would love to buy a
>>120mm since its a macro lens (will come handy for some product work) and for
>>its shapness but the rewiews on the net are not very encouraging. they said
>>its low contrast and gave this one a very low rating. i would like to get a
>>feed back about this as i can afford only one lens right now as im also
>>planning to buy the 503cw+winder and a new film back...
>>
>
>
> Tarun-
> When you need to make a very important (ie, $$$$) decision---like a new
> Hasselblad lens--- one thing that can help you make the correct decision is
> to RENT the lenses.
>
> I'm not sure what the camera stores are like in your area, but in many of
> the larger cities here (California) the "professional" camera stores allow
> you to RENT Hasselblad lenses for a very reasonable price (last time I
> checked, about $60/week for a lens like the 50mm Distagon). Over a
> relatively short period of time, you could take each of the lenses under
> consideration and run several rolls of film thru them. Make sure that you
> include at least several "standard" portrait set-ups; to help you decide on
> which lens you like "best", from a perspective viewpoint. You could even set
> up a test configuration (lights, background, etc) to allow you to compare
> the different lenses under situations of high contrast, or those likely to
> induce "flare" in your images. Do you like the "look" of the images from one
> of the lenses more consistently than the others?
>
> This also allows you to see what each lens "feels like", during actual
> usage. You'll probably still feel a little uneasy at spending your hard
> earned money on a single lens... But at least you will be basing your
> decision on first-hand information!
>
> Good luck! And welcome to the HUG!


From hasselblad mailing list:
Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2002 
From: fritz olenberger [email protected]
Subject: Re: [HUG] Re: introduction

Samy's in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles charges $20/day for the 50mm FLE
Distagon, but if you rent anything late Friday afternoon you can use it for
the weekend for a one-day price.  I also think if you rent anything for
three days they let you have it for the week (i.e., $60). (Last time I
checked).

-Fritz
...


Date: Thu, 24 Oct 2002 
From: Gordon Moat [email protected]
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: Hasselblad dumping!!


Could it really be the situation that wedding photographers are the bulk
of Hasselblad buyers? I have often wondered if wedding photographers are
the bulk of Hasselblad users, though I think well off amateurs are the
most likely users. If that is the situation (wedding photographers), then
I guess the lure of autofocus might be big, and 32 shots per 220 roll
using 645 format.

One aspect of pro shooting is the availability of rental gear, especially
lens, and extra backs. I find lots of Hasselblad lenses for rent in
various cities, and they are the most numerous of all MF gear. However, I
usually find more Mamiya in 645 and 6 by 7. I have only seen a couple
places locally with Contax 645 rental gear, and neither with much lens
selection.

In some ways, the availability of rental gear can make or break a system
choice for some pros. I still get the feeling that more amateurs buy MF
gear than pros, in any format. My guess is that the Hasselblad name and
past reputation have more to do with the current sales of the H1, rather
than droves of wedding photographers adopting this system. It would be
nice if Hasselblad provided some demographics on their customers.

I am not a big fan of autofocus, but it is definitely becoming a fixture
in MF photography. Can Bronica afford to just sit out of this?

Ciao!

Gordon Moat
Alliance Graphique Studio
http://www.allgstudio.com/gallery.html



[email protected] wrote:

> Just got my new KEH paper catalog today, I usually just use the website
> but the paper one is easier on the loo, and I noticed with some
> amazement at the Hasselblad section, with over 50 bodies and too many
> lenses to count. Quite a dump.
> My guess is that quite a few wedding studios went A. to digital B. to
> Mamiya or Contax C. Getting rid of the old V system for the new H1 for
> next wedding season.
> Anybody care to state a blatant opinion?


Date: Wed, 06 Nov 2002 
From: Gordon Moat [email protected]
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: Is Zeiss batch testing lenses?


Neil Gould wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> . . . What jumped out at me is that the most popular lenses had
> *far* more variance, both in the individual performance and between samples
> of lenses than the Olympus models tested. Why, then, does not every serious
> photographer own Olympus 35 mm equipment? (Don't look at me, I *do* own
> Olympus 35 mm gear for exactly that reason.  8-} )

Choices for professional shooting often come down to the availability of
rental gear, especially lenses. A wide range of choices can also help,
especially for buying a particular lens to suit a specific type of shooting
situation.

The rental availability of Nikon and Hasselblad in the US is quite good in
most major cities. Choosing another brand, and not spending your own money on
acquiring lenses, could limit some shooting situations. Canon and Mamiya
choices (especially RB/RZ) are also fairly good in the rental market, though
less available than Nikon and Hasselblad.

>
>
> I suspect that the answer is that, in the end, these variances do not
> negatively impact the images to the point where people care enough to
> complain. Perhaps photographers "learn" their lenses, and use them to their
> best advantage?

Absolutely, it is often a good idea to shoot a roll or two with a newly
acquired lens prior to using it on a paid shoot. However, it has been my
experience that rental gear is often well maintained, and has few problems.
Buying used gear is a bit more risky. Buying new gear costs more, but when you
need to assurance of reliability, it can be the best choice.
...

All the other aspects I think have more to do with marketing and reputation.
Rollei gear is very nice quality, but the lack of much advertising, and little
rental gear, hurt them in the US market. Bronica rarely shows up in rental
gear lists, yet I know many pros who use these. Most of them own their Bronica
gear, and the reliability is often the stated reason, and being somewhat
affordable helps.

Ciao!


From: Lourens Smak [email protected]
Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format
Subject: Re: Hasselblad on a budget?
Date: Sun, 15 Jun 2003 


[email protected] (Bob Monaghan) wrote:
> The big advantage of the hassy system IMHO is availability of rentals,

That's true; I have rented the Hasselblad F-distagon a few times, and I
am a Rollei 6000 user....How do I do that? I just shell out an extra $5
and rent a body too.

As a bonus, I am clearly reminded of the reasons why I bought a Rollei
in the first place.

;-)
Lourens.

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