Products: Band Pro

As the economy tightens, pricey gear gets farther away from many a rental house's or production's budget. BandPro Film and Digital has one solution: lease.

The innovative Burbank, Calif.-based equipment sales house has made a unique place for itself over the years by backing manufacturers with pre-sale orders, enabling it to take a plunge and release cutting-edge gear.

BandPro's Lease to Own program is available for select Sony gear (including cameras such as the F35, camcorders, VTRs, projectors, and monitors) and Carl Zeiss DigiPrime and DigiZoom lenses. Of course, you have to have credit good enough to walk out with the gear. If you do, you can expect rates such as 0 down and 0-percent interest for 12 months, 0 down and 2.88-percent interest for 24 months, or 0 down and 5-percent interest for 36 months. Not bad when a set of DigiPrimes prices at north of $100,000. www.bandpro.com