Renting v.s. Buying

[david335]

I am in pre-production for a documentary right now and I am lining up my equipment. We will be shooting for 3 straight weeks or so in Uganda. My original plan was to rent most of the equipment that I did not already own but I have found that in some cases it wouldn't be very much extra just to buy the equipment outright and not have to worry as much about insurance and other issues that come into play in 3rd world countries. I will be renting some audio gear, red-rock rigs, some lighting, and some slr lenses.

Do you guys have a rule of thumb or a way to deciding when to rent and when to buy? At one point I thought the rule of thumb was more than 20 days of continuous shooting and buying becomes a better option but looking at that now it doesn't seem that clear. Also I have been planning on renting from lensrentals.com but does anyone else have a preferred rental provider?

 

[Cassius]

Rent when it's cheaper. That's the rule. Just do a quick multiplication problem, shouldn't take long for each item. And remember to factor in sell back value after the shoot.

 

[hotchkiss]

What gear will you have further use for, vs. that which you won't ? If the gear won't see much use after the shoot, and it's expensive- I'll rent.

Often times I'll wait for a shoot that will pay for a piece of gear and buy it then.