Best Film Equipment Rentals in San Francisco Bay Area

Chater Camera is a full service digital cinema and video rental company. They rent premium cameras, lenses and accessories to the motion picture industry in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and Northern California. Their inventory includes high-end equipment from ARRI, Sony, RED, Canon, Phantom, Cooke, Zeiss, and more.

Having helped clients find the desired effect for hundreds of different shows and events, Desired Effect is now a full service theatrical production company in the San Francisco Bay Area. We offer equipment rental in Lighting, Sound, Costumes, Props, Special Effects, and even some Sets as well as full service design and custom special effects. Together with our clients, we've created undersea worlds full of bubbles and smoke, light up wireless pinball machines, pirate ships made of stars, light up dancing pianos and more! We have everything needed to turn an empty room into a full theatrical space, or just what you need to add one special effect to a show you have already planned.

Family owned and operated since 1929. San Jose Camera & Video is the largest photo specialty shop in the South Bay. We offer a large selection of cameras, lenses and photography accessories. We stock tripods, straps, backpacks, lighting, gimbals, filters, flash, backdrops, film and so much more! We carry equipment from most of the major brands including Canon, Sony, Nikon, and Fujifilm. Our knowledgeable sales staff is here to help you find that perfect camera, lens or accessory. San Jose Camera also offers a variety of photography classes. Covering from camera basics seminars to multi-day workshops, our classes are designed to help you take better photographs.

Little Giant Lighting & Grip is a leading provider of lighting, grip, and production equipment for video & photo shoots, studio broadcasts, and live events in the San Francisco Bay Area. As a one-stop shop, they offer everything needed to make a project shine, with a knowledgeable staff ready to explain and design lighting and grip needs. Their extensive selection of equipment includes pre-loaded grip trucks, J.L. Fisher dollies, and a wide range of products from top brands like Profoto, Aputure, Arri, Astera, and more. Whether clients are looking for a Grip Truck, Sprinter, or specific lighting modifiers, Little Giant has it all and can help find the perfect solution. They strive to provide the best customer service experience possible and have built a reputation for excellence in the industry.

Because fine dining was cutting into our furniture budget. Jenny (photo-world insider) and Hannah (staging wizard) joined forces, scooped up Blue Ceiling’s entire collection, and turned our West Oakland space into a creative candy store—complete with surfaces, fully equipped studios, and props you didn’t know you needed until you saw them. This is where ideas catch fire, collaborations happen over half-warm coffee, and deadlines are met without the melodrama. We’ll get you what you need, hunt down what we don’t have, and still manage to crack a joke about your mood board while making it all happen faster than you thought possible.

Over three decades ago, a collective of event professionals saw a gap in the Northern California market: the industry needed more than just equipment, it needed integrated event solutions. Founded on the belief that technical precision should meet creative artistry, Impact was born. What began as a specialized boutique has evolved into the gold standard for event production in the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Impact is a premier Women-Owned and Operated (WBE) business, continuing a legacy of excellence that has illuminated thousands of events, from intimate Silicon Valley gatherings to the region’s most grandiose celebrations. Our journey is defined by a relentless pursuit of exceptional design and an unwavering commitment to our clients. We craft bespoke lighting and AV environments that reflect your specific brand or personal style. Our team is comprised of veteran technical directors and creative minds who ensure flawless execution from the initial site survey to the final strike. As a women-owned event production company, we lead with passion and a unique perspective, fostering lasting partnerships across the Bay Area’s corporate and social landscapes. Our mission is clear: to make your event uniquely special, leaving a lasting impression on every attendee.

CFG Rental Group, LLC started in a garage with a desire to help filmmakers and college students rent lighting, grip, and cameras for friendly rates. Their success swiftly enabled them to grow to their first warehouse in 2014. They found their calling with pre-loaded grip truck and lighting packages, and moved to their current location in 2016. They occupy 50,000 square feet of building and yard space in Pacoima and maintain the resources to provide service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with a professional perspective at all times. In November of 2022, they acquired Digital Film Studios and rebranded it to CFG Camera Services, fully integrating into the cinematography spectrum. In September of 2024, CFG announced its acquisition of DTC Lighting & Grip in Emeryville, CA, and looks forward to servicing the Bay Area market. CFG is a one-stop shop providing a vast selection of film, photo, video, lighting, and grip equipment.

Blueprint Studios is a customer-focused, industry leader with a streamlined approach to event design and production. We handle every step of the process in-house from concept logistics, space-planning, and rendering to graphics, printing, custom fabrication, furnishings, and on-site installation. With fully operational offices, showrooms and warehouses in San Francisco (our headquarters) and Las Vegas, our reach extends throughout the United States and internationally. We are a trusted partner to the world's biggest brands because we never stop trying to out-do ourselves. For nearly 20 years we've been perfecting the art of event design with our industry-leading event strategies, cutting-edge technology, and trend-forward designs. We reject the "business as usual" approach and work tirelessly to ensure your event is executed to the highest possible standards.

The Prop House is a full-service Prop Rental facility serving San Francisco, The Bay Area, and Northern California. In conjunction with The Prop Co-Op, the Prop House displays Props, Furnishings, Set dressing, Scenery, Signage, Street, and Office Dressing. They carry art department supplies including Pop-Up Tents, Tables, Chairs, Heaters, Push Brooms, Moving Dollies, Furni-Pads, Truck Shelves, and more. They have a Mobile Workshop & Prop Truck to provide all the necessary Art Department tools & Supplies for production needs. They offer daily or weekly rentals and are available by appointment only.

Stage, Lights and Sound Equipment Rentals & Production Service is a San Francisco Bay Area full-service event production company that provides live sound, staging, event lighting, tents & canopies, and LED video wall display solutions. They specialize in corporate audio visual, AV production services, event lighting, and sound services. As a rental and installation company, they can be hired to deliver, install, and operate audio video equipment, event lighting, portable stages, pipe and drape, as well as rigging and event power for events. Their professional team assists clients in renting the right equipment and provides technicians to operate it. Their inventory includes top-of-the-line equipment from brands like Meyer Sound, QSC, JBL, Sony, Sanyo, Hitachi, Canon, Pioneer, Mackie, Shure, Folsom, and Toshiba. They cater to a wide range of events, from intimate functions and private parties to corporate meetings, conferences, street fairs, and large-scale entertainment productions across Northern California.

Owned and operated by Pilar Zuniga (Mama Dog) and Carl Brown (Papa Dog), Mama Dog Studios was built and designed in a completely refurbished 1950’s warehouse with technical performance, audio capture and comfort in mind. Mama Dog Studios combines high standards in production with a penchant for design. Owned and operated by Corduroy Media, Mama Dog Studios is the perfect choice for productions of all sizes, especially if pristine sound capture and privacy are a priority. This 8,500sq ft. studio was built for production professionals in mind from the ground up.

Looking Glass Photo has been outfitting photographers with gear, guidance, and community since 1971. Rooted in Berkeley, they are a boutique-style outfitter for photographers of all kinds. They offer thoughtful, human guidance to help customers invest wisely in gear, whether buying new or used cameras, lenses, binoculars, printers, papers, inks, and film/darkroom supplies. They also offer rentals, outfitting sessions, private lessons, and classes. Everything they do is built around the idea that you should feel less overwhelmed and more excited every time you choose to work with them.

Fog City Audio Visual is a full-service audio visual production and event technology company serving San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and the greater Bay Area. We provide professional AV production for conferences, executive meetings, product launches, and large corporate events ranging from 100 to 5,000 attendees. Our experienced team manages every technical aspect of your event, including professional sound systems, large-format projection, LED video walls, stage lighting, and broadcast-quality livestreaming. From planning and setup to show execution and strike, we ensure your event runs smoothly and your message is delivered with clarity and impact. By combining advanced AV technology, experienced technicians, and deep knowledge of San Francisco venues, Fog City Audio Visual delivers reliable production for high-visibility meetings and events across the Bay Area.

Bulldog Lighting and Grip LLC is a boutique-service rental house located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Owned by Clay Kerri, a Bay Area native, Set Lighting Technician, and equipment owner/operator who has been in the business since 2014, the shop prides itself on accommodating productions with quality equipment. Clay is a certified Class B commercial driver and a Local 16 permitted technician. The company mascot, Buddha, is a bulldog born in 2014, in whose honor their signature sprinter van, "Bully," was crafted to be beefy, rugged, and full of flair. The shop carries a wide range of standard lighting and grip equipment, and whatever they cannot personally provide, they can source from associate vendors in the Bay Area and Los Angeles. Bulldog Lighting is committed to supporting the local community by hiring local technicians to work in the shop on slow days, guaranteeing a minimum of $17/hr and offering flexible schedules to maintain quality of life standards.

Bolt Lighting Rental is a lighting and grip rental house located at the foot of the bay bridge in Berkeley, CA. Founded by Matthew Stouppe and Ryan Thomas in 2016, the company has grown from humble beginnings working inside an old naval warehouse to a full-service rental house. They utilize concepts from the Toyota Production System (Lean Manufacturing) to continuously improve their processes and keep costs low. Bolt utilizes digital checklists and modern software to ensure orders are exactly right 100% of the time. They have created their own line of customizable carts, invented the milk crate divider to help organize gear, and maintain some of the cleanest trucks in the Bay Area. Whether it’s a short film or a national commercial, they treat every job like it’s the big show. They also host free lighting workshops, teaching the new generation of Grips and Lighting Technicians in the Bay Area.

Props2C is a creative powerhouse led by Creative Director Tony Rivera. With a passion for craftsmanship and innovation, Tony leads a team of professional artists specializing in foam sculpting, carpentry, casting & molding, CNC machining, prop fabrication, event production, architectural design, and project management. From concept to completion, our experts bring bold ideas to life with precision and artistry. Whether you need custom props, immersive installations, or large-scale scenic builds, we’re here to make your vision a reality. Your imagination is what we carry in stock. Let’s create something extraordinary—together.

In 1980 Janet Coleman was managing the only sound stage for rent in San Francisco, Stage A. The stage was booked non-stop. On a daily basis expendable replacements were needed immediately but never available. Janet recognized the need to provide supplies and equipment to local productions filming on stages and on location. She also saw that numerous independent grip and electric companies were starting up, and their trucks needed to be stocked. In 1984 she launched JCX, her own, independent expendables and equipment company in a small warehouse space on Army St. with one employee. Over the years, in addition to film, television, and television commercials, JCX’s client base has grown to include still photographers, lighting designers, theaters, concert venues, tech companies, artists, and schools. Today, JCX is owned and operated by Janet and Ealey’s long-time co-worker, valued friend, and SF Native: Jennifer Burns. And JCX wouldn’t be the same without colleague and right-hand man extraordinaire Zack Lipson. JCX offers in-house repair services for lighting, and we are happy to bid on any and all productions/projects/studio build outs, etc.

Conceived by a team of professionals with extensive experience in the development, management and operation of both purpose-built film studios as well as facilities repurposed for film production, Film Mare Island introduces the initial phase of a dedicated pursuit to provide film facilities to the Bay Area production community. Located at the confluence of the Napa River and the northern extension of San Francisco Bay, Mare Island continues to build on its shipyard roots as a true mixed use waterfront community with commercial, industrial, residential, educational and cultural uses thriving together. This makes for the perfect environment for any production looking at Mare Island as their base for filming in the Bay Area. With 3 state of the art purpose-built sound stages, a strong crew base and Cinelease equipment, Mare Island is the production hub of Northern California. It features a retired Naval Base with historic buildings dating back to the 1800s, over 200,000 sq. ft. of stage space, and the entire 800+ acre island serves as a backlot.

SoundWizard Productions is a full service event production provider based in Hayward, CA, serving the San Francisco Bay Area, Northern California, and beyond since 1999. They offer a comprehensive range of services including PA system rental, a la carte sound equipment rental, sound recording, ambient and stage lighting, special effects, and live event streaming. Their expertise covers various events such as concerts, corporate functions, academic ceremonies, weddings, and private parties. They provide professional audio equipment, including digital audio consoles, wireless microphones, and line array systems, ensuring high-quality sound with experienced engineers. SoundWizard Productions is committed to environmentally conscious practices, utilizing cleaner-burning BioDiesel for their truck fleet and modern, energy-efficient sound and lighting technology. As a small company, they pride themselves on delivering personal attention, low overhead for competitive pricing, and the equipment quality and commitment of larger companies, ensuring stellar results for every event.

Fireside Camera is San Francisco's oldest independent camera store, serving the Bay Area's photo needs since 1954. Though small, we offer an excellent selection of new and used equipment. We are an authorized dealer for major brands including Canon, Fujifilm, Leica, Nikon, Olympus, Sony, and Tamron. In addition to equipment sales, we provide rentals, walk-in services such as instant passport & visa photos, sensor cleaning for mirrorless cameras, and Swan film developing. Come see us for all your photographic needs.