ProGear

I love this place. I have been renting photo gear for years and have never been able to find the combination of friendly, helpful service that is fast and efficient. ProGear hits them all. My gear is ready and waiting with staff that is always helpful and conscious of the fact that you need to pick up your gear and get to your shoot. All delivered in a friendly and knowledgeable way! Even thought they are a bit out of my way I buy all my sweeps here too. I know they will be in stock and ready for me to pick up in minutes. Can’t beat it!
I just made the hard decision of buying new locations lights from ProGear and I could not be happier. Doug helped me figure out what gear was right for me and really helped me through the entire process.
Thanks Doug and everyone at ProGear for making what I do so much easier!

I CANNOT say enough good things about the guys at Pro Gear! They are really just as good as it gets! They are super professional, knowledgeable, and so nice. They are so willing to help with any issue. Case in point: I have an Elinchrom softbox that had lost one of it’s spokes — they took the time to find an old chimera spoke, and SAWED IT OFF to fit my softbox in order to help me. What the heck! Who does that?! They are just people who go out of their way for their customers. If you are a professional photographer, why would you ever go anywhere else? They are the best.

After having a conversation with one of their employees in person, I’ve changed my mind. He seemed like he really wanted to help and was less condescending than his counterparts :)

Steve Lamonica helped me get stuff I needed to string lights at a wedding last minute and was SO helpful. He made me very confident in my rentals and was fast!!!
The rest of the staff is super friendly and knowledgable too. They are my go to place for photo sweeps, sand bags and c-​stand rentals!
Thanks Steve and everyone at Progear!

I don’t really even want to own my gear anymore – I’d rather just rent from ProGear. Every guy that works here is professional, knowledgeable, experienced, helpful, positive and just plain great people with whom I like to do business. When I need something, they make sure I get it. I can count on ProGear for all my photography rental and equipment needs. They carry almost every Nikkor lens in the free world, and they keep each piece in tip-​top shape. Keep up the amazing work, guys! :)

These are great guys. This was the attitude and customer service I expected 25 years ago at Helix! (But never got), So I guess that’s why Helix is closed ?
Very knowledgeable and quick to offer suggestions and tips on using equipment and other options.
So glad I found these guys. You don’t see other establishments that all have 5 star ratings.

Best service ever! Even with last minute changes to my order they got me out of there super fast and were soooo friendly! Got treated like a queen — full explanations on equipment AND I even got a bottle of water. :) Super nice guys!

Doug at ProGear gets us gear for client projects and just generously donated equipment for an Off The Street Club Fundraising event! Thank you so much! You came through for us again.

The best service hands down that I’ve ever gotten in a camera store. Totally pulled my bacon out of the fire and did it with a smile! :)

These guys are super nice and very helpful. I only needed to rent a flash for an impromptu event and even though I’m pretty sure I was their cheapest customer they were more than happy to assist me.
Definitely will go back if i need to!

Forget Calumet, forget everybody else. I’ve found my goto place for camera rental gear. These guys are ace!
I had a new kind of slider that didn’t fit on my tripods and needed a last minute fix. They figured out a brilliant system, put it together for me on the spot and made sure I had everything I needed. Zero attitude. Very friendly; even more knowledgable.
So long everybody else. Hello Progear.

I’ve rented half a dozen times from them so far and they have been great to work with. The most recent I was faced with a last minute job and needing equipment for the weekend. I got there just before close and they got me set up and out in a flash. Equipment always in good condition too.

Our production company is based out of LA and recently went out to Chicago for a week long shoot. We had to last minute rent lighting/​sound gear, and Steve and Doug at ProGear hooked it up. Can’t thank them enough for their flexibility and professionalism in dealing with us. If you’re shooting in Chicago, USE PROGEAR! seriously, when was the last time an equipment rental company gave you 4 extra double a batteries per lav kit?! Prices are great, the weeklong rates are a steal, and they even would answer my calls at 11pm. Our production in Chicago was a major success, and ProGear was reason it was!

Absolutely Outstanding Every Single Time!

Being from southern California, I am used to super rude people that think they know it all and treat customers like schmucks.
I called Progear and all I got was EXCELLENT service !
The gear was in great condition, Peter and Doug were nothing but great guys.
They were more worried about us driving safe (due to possible weather) than getting their gear by a certain time.
I would recommend these crew to anyone coming in or locally.
Thank you guys !!!
J.S.

I was recently in town to shoot a friend’s wedding and needed to rent some lights so I didn’t have to pack my gear out from Seattle, and ProGear came through in a pretty outstanding way.
They have a broad range of gear available for rent, including cameras and lenses, light rigs, and an assortment of grip gear — pretty much anything you need to outfit productions ranging from a small portrait session to making a movie. Gear can be rented by the day or week, and the rates are extremely reasonable.
Now, you can rent gear at lots of places and you can find cheaper rates. But then you wouldn’t get ProGear’s customer service.
My needs were pretty basic (small two strobe kit, background stand, pocket wizard trigger), and I’m pretty sure they lost money on my one-​day rental, but they treated me as if I was their most valuable customer at every step. Doug and Steve tag-​teamed on my phone calls and emails to make sure I was taken care of from first contact through finally picking up the gear.
The only less than perfect aspect of the experience was arranging for insurance, which is not a service they presently offer. But it was a relatively minor bump in what was otherwise an unexpectedly smooth road, and the guys helped me through the process with patience and care.
Businesses of any stripe could take a lesson from the guys at ProGear on how to take care of their customers. It’s not likely that I’ll need their services again, but the standard they set for customer service will be my measuring stick for every business I visit for quite some time.

These guys were great… Knowledgeable, great selection of rental equipment. And, they helped me solve a problem which made my shoot go silky smooth…

By far one of the best places.
I couldn’t recommend a better place. The guys there have always gone out of their way to make sure every customer is happy, and it shows with the loyal clients they have established. They offer amazing crash courses to take, very reasonable pricing, a great rental studio space, and some solid advise always.
I’m honestly surprised that more people haven’t abandoned Calumet and Helix yet? Those places can’t ever offer the knowledge, efficiency, and good persona that Pro Gear does.
two thumbs way up!

Progear is my favorite rental joint in the city.
One time I had an emergency while they were closed. I left a message asking if I could rent a 400 mm f2.8 for a wedding the next day.
The next morning, as soon as the place opened, they gave me a call offering to drive the lens to me Evanston.
Another time, I got a sensor cleaning for $ 25 in half an hour and it was a good job too.
Progear goes the extra mile for their customers.

I spoke with Peter about renting a Nikon 70 – 200 f/2.8 lens. Apparently they’ve had quite a few inquires about this lens that they decided to order one after my request. Lucky me was the first to use this bad boy!
Their facility is spotless and all of the employees were friendly and helpful. Their selection seems to cater more towards medium format, but they have high-​end 35 mm equipment as well.