Top 10 rental cameras in 2010
 

Here's an interesting article on the top 10 rented cameras in 2010 in Britain, I think. Maybe it's all of Europe, can't tell from the article.
Interesting reading, and it talks about which cameras to expect in the top 10 for 2011:

Televisual | HOMEPAGE

They're UK rental companies and Televisual is published in London.

A lot of broadcast work is shot on HDCAM and the cameras do last for quite a few years. Interesting that the Sony DVW-970 is at number ten, being the last Digibeta camera model. You'd have thought the rental companies would've had so many of older Digibeta models in stock they wouldn't have invested in many of the new cameras. There must've been a big demand for progressive Digibeta compared to interlace.

I think if you look here in The Netherlands the top #1 camera would be the PDW-530P.. after that PDW-700 probably :)

Interesting that Sony takes 8 of the 10 spots, and that leaves only the 5D and Red.
No Arri? No Canon (video)? No Panasonic? No Ikegami?

I'm amazed there's no Pannys on there.



About the 5D

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A word of warning from Alias Smith and Singh’s Dawson, though: “For promos and virals, it’s brilliant. For genuine broadcast, do not use.”
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Funny, the episode of House shot on that camera was one of the best looking episodes of the series.

Panasonic and Ikegami never really got a big footing around here to be honest.. They are around, but mostly in smaller production houses..

Yeah, Sony absolutely dominates.

But as the article states, watch for these hot selling cameras in 2011: Arri Alexa, Canon XF305, Sony F3 and the Panasonic AF101.

The trouble with that sort of list is it tends to be out of date by the time it's published, interesting though it is. I'd expect the PDW-F800 to be losing ground to the PMW500 over the course of the year, though maybe quite a few will still want a camera with consumable media?

As regards ones to watch in 2011, I'd add the upcoming large format NXCAM to the list. (The little brother to the F3.) There's supposed to be a lot more info coming at NAB.......

I'm surprised how high the EX3 is, great cam but up with solid competition.

I'm not, EX3s been working on standard def productions at a lower cost than the traditional broadcast cameras. Also, if you put a Nanoflash on and the HD productions are happy.

Arri in the video world then would be the D20 & D21, they'd be bigger in film rentals at that time. The Alexa is their big entry into the video/digital world.

I am amazed that 5D is on the list and how expensive is rented out. It commands the same daily rate as EX1, although you can buy one for 1/3 of the price of EX1. Unless they include a video friendly package in the price, it is ridiculous. You can buy one with 15 days worth of renting fees. I also find the Red daily rate quite steep, at least when comparing it with Greece.

The 5D is the average, you can get just the camera for a lot less, or a shooting kit for a lot more.

Rental rates tend to be subject to negotiation and these are London rates. The weekly rates can work out cheaper, commonly 4 or 3 days. You're also paying for more than a camera, a good rental company should be offering backup when things go wrong.

Regarding DSLRs, these have been rented out long before they could shoot video. The typical business model is to rent the body at a high price since the models become obsolete quickly, and heavy use will wear out the shutter. Lenses generally cost a lot less to rent - they last forever and don't wear out.

Anyway, seeing a DSLR rental mixed in with video rentals mixes two markets, so it's not surprising that the pricing seems a bit odd.

I read an interview with a producer who works on House about that episode & he was asked "Was it cheaper, more expensive or about the same to shoot with the 5D instead of film." His answer: "About the same."

For how expensive film it, I find it crazy that it would cost about the same to use a "cheap" camera & media. But I believe it. To get the 5D, which is a great still camera that was hacked 11th hour to do video, to fit into the workflow of a major production, it costs a lot of money.

The producer also kind of blew off the idea of using the 5D more often, his reasoning was that "It was a special episode that they wanted a special look to it."


I wouldn't be surprised if the 5D (& all the DSLRs) gets knocked off the list & even out of the top 20 contenders of top rental cameras once the AF100 & the similar Sony cameras start getting out onto the streets.

There are also reduced margins for error on the DSLR, which can be seen on this latitude comparison between the Alexa and the 7D.


The camera itself is small cost in the overall production on a major TV drama.