kyoyu: to share

Canon launches new rental / share website in Australia

Have you ever had a one-off need for a 100mm – 400mm zoom? Or a macro lens, or a high quality, high def camcorder for a week? Or perhaps a top-of-the-range dSLR or mirrorless for a few days?

It’s a bit hard to justify the costs in these circumstances, unless you are pretty damn sure you will use whatever it is again to recoup more of the initial outlay.

Well, Canon in Australia has come to the party with Kyoyu.

No, this is not some exotic piece of delicious fresh, thinly sliced piscatorial delight, but a new website where folk can place their own pride and joy Canon kit up for rental.

So how does it work?

If you want to make a quid out of Kyoyu, simply register with the site at kyoyu.canon.com.au and start listing your gear. Your first rental is guaranteed to give you 100% return, and Canon charges a “community fee” of 30% of subsequent rentals. An example on the site states that for an EOS 5D Mark IV for example, you could make up to $350 per week.

To hire some gear, you also register on the site and then do a search of locations to see what you can find locally, or wherever you like. I suggest having tried it, that you don’t accept the automatic online algorithm that attempts to calculate your location by the way.

I know that to many, where I live in the Karri forests of south western West Australia is somewhat removed from society, but the guesstimate of me living in the Finke Desert was a bit far-fetched even then.

There is a minimum booking of 3 days although you can only hire for the one day if you wish. The extra 2 days are designed for administrative purposes it seems.  You cannot book for “today” though; all bookings must be in advance for similar reasons and all gear hired can ONLY be used within Australia.

For the majority of questions hirers and renters may have, there is a complete FAQ on the site at https://kyoyu.canon.com.au/faqs/.

An obvious question is that of insurance. The Kyoyu website states that “all gear is insured through IAG limited (ShareCover) to protect you”. A PDS on the site gives full details.

You do have the opportunity to reject any bookings for your gear but Canon does state all members of Kyoyu are also verified members of the Canon Community giving somewhat peace of mind in that department.