Randburg-based equipment rental facility Cam-A-Lot forecasts a busy 2015, based
on the upturn in business over the past few months. “Business has been good for us
but not easy,’ says Cam-A-Lot’s Glen Theron.
“The beginning of the year is always slower. However, due to the past few steady
months, we expect a busy period ahead. It is astonishing to see the rate at which
new cameras and equipment are being launched, which makes it an interesting
challenge trying to supply all our customers’ needs. However, we do pretty well at
keeping up to date with technology and the latest gear requests.’
Theron has found that the number and diversity of the projects that Cam-A-Lot has
supplied to recently has increased considerably of the past year. “More people are
wanting to create video – and not just people in the film and television industries.
Many corporates are now doing little videos for the web etc. It’s good to see so
many newcomers. Developments in DSLR market has also opened up the wedding
video production business, with people now having the option to shoot both stills
and video on the same camera,’ Theron explains.
“We also have many corporate video clients and we have done well to add gear to
our stock list that will add value to their shoots and make them a little more
interesting through the use of sliders, mini jibs, mini dollies and other portable and
easy-to-use equipment. It just helps put our clients in good stead with theirs, which
of course is very important for us.
“In terms of the television industry, we recently finished shooting the fourth season
of the ever popular show Proesstraat for kykNet, produced by Richter Medien. We
supplied nine HD cameras, switching gear and full video support for this
entertaining, top rated show. It is the first time the show has been shot in HD due
to the channel’s recent upgrade to that format. It will be on air from 1 April.’
As far as new stock acquisitions are concerned, Cam-A-Lot, like most rental houses,
have supplied to the high demand for Sony’s lightweight “DSLR-like’ camera, the
A7S, among other things. “The A7S has been among our most recent purchases.
The low-light capability of this camera is quite astonishing. Some other new
cameras in our inventory is the Sony PXW-X160. This beautiful, midrange camera
shoots up to 112MB/s and has a massive25x zoom range and a new built-in variable
ND filter. Our new Sony PMW 300s half-inch sensor cameras are superb semi-
shoulder mounts with a variety of frame rates and other magic features. But our
favourite purchase was undoubtedly the Panther Twister Dolly. It has some amazing
features, including four-wheel steering for super mobility, without changing wheels,
the ability to run on tracks or directly on a studio floor. It also has a very handy
electronic riser.’
While Cam-A-Lot works hard to keep its inventories up to date with client needs, it
also engages in an extensive network of cross-hiring from other rental facilities to
ensure that it can source gear for its clients at short notice.
“It is obviously impossible to have all the gear always requested, so we will do our
best to bring in whatever gear we don’t have available. It is critical for us to do our
utmost to keep our clients happy,’ Theron concludes.
