What should you ask before you rent?
- Is the gear for pickup, delivery or shipping, and what are the pickup and return hours?
- Do you need a certificate of insurance, and who is named on it?
- What’s the deposit, and how is the gear checked out and checked back in?
- Is a weekend counted as one day or two?
- Does the package come with stands, cables, batteries and sandbags, or is each piece separate?
- Do you need a crew member to drive or run the truck?
- What happens if something breaks on set, and is there a backup on hand?
- Can I test the gear at the counter before I take it?
Camera, lighting and grip rental around DC
These are listed with where they are and what they say about themselves. None of them shows a rating on its own site, so no rating is shown here. Rates are on each company’s site or by quote.
Red Star, DC location
What they do: Camera, lens, lighting and grip rental, from small 1-ton grip packages up to multiple 10-ton trucks, with delivery to productions in DC, Arlington, Annapolis and the wider area.
Best for: Full camera, lighting and grip packages for bigger productions
Where: Lanham, MD
Red Star, Alexandria location
What they do: Camera, lens, lighting, grip and production supplies, just off the I-95/395/495 interchange.
Best for: Camera and lighting pickup on the Virginia side
Where: Alexandria, VA
Camera, Lights & Grip
What they do: Lighting, electric and generator equipment, grip, camera support such as cranes and dollies, and grip truck packages for small and very large shoots, serving from Richmond to Baltimore.
Best for: Lighting and grip trucks
Where: College Park, MD
DC Camera
What they do: Film and photo equipment, with cameras, lenses, monitoring, audio, lighting and grip and support, from ARRI, Sony and RED among others.
Best for: Cinema camera packages
Where: Fairfax, VA
4Wall, Washington DC
What they do: Lighting, video, audio and rigging rental, with a TV and film lighting category, for events and productions in DC, Maryland and Virginia.
Best for: Lighting and rigging for a big set or an event shoot
Where: Hyattsville, MD
CineSalon
What they do: A video production and marketing company that rents a 1-ton grip van loaded with lighting, grip, electric and expendables, plus camera and sound packages, and can help crew up.
Best for: A grip van with a crew that already knows it
Where: Washington, DC
Aperturent
What they do: Camera and lens rental with local pickup in downtown DC, near Farragut Square, and shipping.
Best for: A lens or a body for the day
Where: Downtown Washington, DC
Pro Photo
What they do: A camera store that lists rentals alongside sales, used gear, repairs, sensor cleaning, film processing and printing.
Best for: Picking up a piece of gear and getting it serviced in one stop
Where: Foggy Bottom, Washington, DC
District Camera
What they do: A camera store with a rentals page, plus sales, used gear and trade-ins.
Best for: Stills cameras and lenses
Where: Washington, DC and Northern Virginia (check their store locator)
A. A. Rental
What they do: An audio visual company renting cameras, video camera lights, stage lighting, teleprompters and live webcasting, with offices in Springfield, VA and Washington, DC.
Best for: Lights, a teleprompter and a live stream for an event shoot
Where: Springfield, VA and Washington, DC
Lensrentals
What they do: An online rental company for cameras, lenses, lighting, audio and support, shipping to all 50 states. BorrowLenses is now part of it.
Best for: Gear no one local has in stock
Where: Ships from Memphis, TN
ShareGrid
What they do: An online marketplace for renting, buying and selling film and photography gear from other people, with identity checks on members and coverage options on rentals.
Best for: A specific camera or lens a local owner has
Where: Online, with pickup from owners in your area
Do you need lighting for a commercial shoot?
It depends on the room and what the photos are for. Office light is often flat or mixed, and a window only helps for part of the day. A small set may need nothing more than what the photographer carries. A bigger set, a video day or a large room is where a rental house and a grip truck come in.
What is grip?
Grip is everything that holds, shapes or blocks light and camera: stands, flags, frames, sandbags, clamps, dollies and the truck it all rides in. Lighting is the lights and the power to run them. Most rental houses here do both.
Should you rent the gear or let the photographer bring it?
If you’re hiring a photographer, ask what they bring first. Renting on top makes sense for something bigger than their kit: a big set, a lot of power or a crew to run it. If you’re shooting it yourself, rent what you need and pick it up the day before.
Do rental houses deliver?
Some do. Red Star says it delivers in DC, Arlington, Annapolis and the wider area, and the grip truck companies drive to set. A camera counter like Aperturent is pickup or shipping. Ask about delivery when you get the quote.
Double-check before you rent
Inventory, hours and terms change. Look at each company’s own page and confirm with them before you book.
Planning the shoot?
To write up the shoot, see the photo shoot brief builder. For agency teams, see the Agencies page. For a room to shoot in, see photo studios for rent in DC. For the rest of the day, see the production day checklist.
