2012Arms forum
Two-year equipment rental program for camera stabilization arms
14 years old. Gear and prices may have changed since.
DisputedParticipants disagreed and reached no conclusion. Read the findings as positions, not as an answer.
What the thread found
- A rental program was proposed offering arms on fixed two-year contracts at a daily rate between $7.50 and $15, with pricing still being negotiated.
- Rental payments are typically fully tax-deductible as business expenses in most countries.
- The rental model allows operators to avoid large upfront purchase costs and preserve capital for other equipment like support gear and focus systems.
- Rental arms can serve as upgrades for established operators or stepping stones toward more expensive models.
- Backup and demonstration arms would be placed on each continent to support operators whose equipment is damaged, lost, or stolen, with shipping costs covered by the customer but import taxes and duties paid by the company.
- The arms are designed to be user-serviceable with detailed disassembly instructions.
- One trial two-year rental agreement was already underway with an operator before the program was publicly proposed.
- The daily rate multiplied over two years would cost approximately $10,950 at the high end, which some participants found comparable to or more expensive than purchasing an arm outright.
Depends on
- The rental contract was fixed to a two-year period only with no flexibility for shorter or longer terms.
- The program was structured as rental only with no lease-to-own options or credit toward eventual purchase.
- Pricing had not been finalized at the time of discussion.
- The number of rental arms available was limited, restricting the customer base.
- Maintenance and servicing logistics for operators in distant regions like North America or Canada were raised as concerns but not fully addressed in the thread.