Where to Buy and Rent Photography Equipment Online

photography equipment

We’ve talked before on our site about where to buy good and cheap professional photography equipment and today we’re going to take an in depth look at the online sector. The big cities, such as Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami or NYC have lots of stores where you can spend hours searching for the best piece of essential equipment; but when it comes to the online, things get a bit more complicated. You can’t hold the camera in your hands like you would in a physical store and you can’t talk to the salespersons, who, aside from a gleeful Hi, always have precious information for you.

Today, we have a basic guide/list of where and how to buy and rent photography equipment online, so that when you bring your camera or lenses home, you won’t be disappointed.

Can’t Afford to Buy? Rent!

If you don’t want or can’t afford to buy photography equipment, you can rent it. The guys over at Borrow Lenses have a pretty awesome photography equipment rental business. The steps are easy: you need to browse their online selection and choose your product or products (they rent camera bodies, lighting kits, lenses and various accessories). You then add your items to your cart, choose whether or not you want insurance for them and check out. When it comes to rentals, Borrow Lenses are indeed the best in the business.

Excellent Online Photography Equipment Stores

We’ve talked before on our website about the wonderful Adorama and B&H Photo Video but we’re going to talk some more because they’re just that good. They sell pretty much everything and anything a photographer would need, from a simple pole to high-end studio equipment. Their online catalog is huge and they almost always something nice on sale. They have a wonderful used cameras offer which is great for beginners. If you are just getting into the business, you should buy cheap and used cameras, until you get the hang of things.

The impact these (quite old) online stores have had on the way photographers do their shopping is massively positive and that’s why we love them.

Used Photography Equipment

KEH is another great online place to buy photography equipment from. They’re also the first to tell you that the external condition of a camera is unrelated to its internal condition. This is one of the first things a beginner learns when out and about in the photography business, so you shouldn’t be picky about a few scratches. A pro won’t care about a few flaws, as long as the camera does its job, while an amateur will.

Adorama and B&H Photo Video also have a used camera and accessories section that we urge you to check out.

Beware of Scams and Frauds

If the price of a product is significantly lower than B&H Photo Video and Adorama, then the whole thing is, most likely, a scam.

Never, ever send anyone detailed information about your credit card. It’s 2014 and people are still getting ripped off online. If your gut says that it’s iffy, then it’s iffy and you should not buy from that place.

If you have trouble spotting scams, know it from us that any place that doesn’t take credit cards is most likely a fraud. They’ll ask for money orders, bank transfers or Western Union, and while in other countries this is absolutely fine, in the U.S. it is not.

Do a little research on your own, before you buy, don’t just rely on the website’s comment section.

What type of photography are you into? Antique, newborn or wedding? Nature, outdoor or underwater? High speed or Kirilian? Aerial 360 using a kite or a drone? Tell us about it!

Best Finds for Photography Equipment in 2014

photography equipment

Putting together photography equipment can be hard to do and quite expensive. For beginners, it can be downright impossible to gather some essential devices for the home or studio without any external help or advice. That’s why we’re giving you some professional advice on where to find great photography equipment in 2014 to buy, to rent or to sell, new or used for indoor or outdoor photography. Whether your passion is for newborn photography, aerial (an RC camera can be quite expensive), wedding photography, for 360 degree photography or even the more obscure and electric Kirilian photography, we know the places to go! The following are our favorite stores for buying great photography equipment.

B&H

B&H is a great online store. Their catalog/categories are easy to browse through and its used equipment department is awesome. If you don’t want to spend a fortune on photography equipment, we suggest you browse through the used equipment section and see if anything appeals to you. All the cameras and lenses are rated for condition, which is a huge help for when you’re buying used photography equipment online. B&H will even offer you the possibility of returning the product within 30 days of purchase. You really can’t beat that!

Adorama

Adorama is, as they say, more than a camera store. Although the website doesn’t allow you to only search the used option, but they have a used/open box page where you can find a lot of useful information that will help you narrow down your search. They offer a 90-day warranty on all of their used equipment.

KEH

KEN is simply awesome and we love that site dearly. It’s THE place to go to for finding old cameras, such as film ones. It’s also the best place to buy last year’s best point-and-shoot cameras, if that’s what you’re into. One of the best things about KEH is their unbeatable rating system. They also have a blog we recommend you follow if you want to learn about the latest in the photography business. They have a 14-day return policy and also offer 6-month warranty on all of their used gear.

Virtual Photography Studio Tips for Buying Photography Equipment:

  • When it comes to putting together photography equipment, used is definitely the way to go! Used doesn’t have to mean old or antique; many photographers will sell their camera when something new comes out. Why not benefit from the desire of others to have the newest and most high end devices?
  • Make a checklist when planning to buy photography equipment. It’s great to know beforehand what you want, because it will help you not to get distracted.
  • If you’re buying a new and expensive camera get insurance for it against theft. If it gets stolen, it will impact your business, state of mind and finances and you should do something to avoid that.

If you don’t want to spend too much money on fancy photography equipment, consider making your own. A DYI reflective lighting umbrella isn’t too hard to make, all you need is a pole, a sturdy umbrella and some reflective spray paint and you’re done. Look for more ideas online on how to make your own photography equipment with no more than a couple of basic tools, a list and a guide you can find online.

If you live in big cities, such as Dallas, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles or NYC, then you can simply go to a photography studio and ask them if they have any equipment or kits for sale or rentals. Speed up the whole process by making a list of all the photography studios in your city and calling them. Remember, a rental piece of equipment should help you out for special occasions, don’t rely on renting alone and don’t forget that a good product can be cheap!