FGV Schmidle GmbH

What FGV Schmidle GmbH does

FGV Schmidle GmbH is a privately held German film and photography equipment rental company founded in 1995 and headquartered in Munich, with a second location in Berlin. The company rents and, to a lesser extent, sells professional cinema and photo equipment — digital cinema cameras (ARRI ALEXA, Sony VENICE, RED, Canon), an extensive lens catalog (Cooke, ZEISS, ARRI Signature Prime, FUJINON, anamorphic lines), lighting (ARRI Orbiter LED, daylight, HMI, tungsten, strobe), grip (dollies, jib arms, cranes, tripods), wireless monitoring, and transport/generators. It also designs and sells a branded line of proprietary camera accessories (FGV PL1D, PL7D, Twister, HiHat, Power Boxes for Moviecam/ARRIFLEX) and operates a two-floor production studio in Munich with barrier-free access.

The business model is primarily project-based rental at quote-based pricing, supplemented by ancillary studio rental and a small but recurring branded-accessory sales line. Distribution is direct — customers contact the Munich or Berlin offices by phone or email and pick up equipment in person — with no online e-commerce for rentals. The company is family-owned and managed by Oliver Schmidle and Markus Schmidle, with no external funding, no subsidiaries, and a tiny employee count of roughly five people.

FGV Schmidle serves enterprise customers across film and TV production, commercial/automotive photography (Pro7, Lamborghini, Formula 1, Triumph, Erdinger, Hirmer, Loewe) and animation/media (Kameralabor, Runimation). Its differentiation rests on premium inventory depth, two-location geographic coverage of Germany's principal production hubs, integrated studio facilities, and a small catalog of in-house accessory IP. The company is operating and stable, with the most recent notable activity being an intense 2020–2021 cycle of inventory additions to the latest large-format and LED categories.

Name

FGV Schmidle GmbH

Legal name

FGV Schmidle GmbH

Website

https://fgv-rental.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

FGV Schmidle GmbH is a German film and photography equipment rental company, founded in 1995, that rents and sells premium cinema cameras, lenses, lighting, and grip equipment from Munich and Berlin to film, TV, commercial, and automotive production clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film Equipment Rental

NAICS

Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance (8112)

SIC

Photographic Equipment & Supplies (3861)

akta.pro primary industry

VFX Supervision & On-Set VFX Services (MPAHABAA)

Keywords

• Film equipment rental
• Cinema camera rental
• Professional lighting rental
• Grip equipment rental
• Studio rental services

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Equipment Rental: Primary revenue stream from renting professional film and photo equipment including cameras, lenses, lighting, grip, monitoring, and accessories on daily or project basis.
2. Equipment Sales: Secondary revenue from selling camera accessories and equipment, including FGV's own branded products like FGV PL1D, FGV PL7D, and various DSLR/camera accessories.
3. Studio Rental: Revenue from renting owned studio space built on 2 floors with separate rooms and places to rest, featuring barrier-free access.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

FGV Schmidle GmbH is a German film and photography equipment rental company that rents professional cinema cameras, lenses, lighting, grip, monitoring, and photo equipment to film and television productions, commercial photographers, and related customers. In addition to equipment rental, the company sells proprietary FGV-branded camera accessories and operates a dedicated film studio in Munich with two floors, separate rooms, and barrier-free access.

Product overview

FGV Schmidle GmbH operates as a film equipment rental company offering a comprehensive portfolio of professional cinema and photography equipment. The core offering includes digital cinema cameras (ARRI ALEXA, Sony Venice, RED, Canon), extensive cinema lens collections (Cooke, Zeiss, ARRI Signature, Anamorphic lenses), professional lighting (LED, HMI, tungsten, strobe), grip equipment, monitoring solutions, and photo equipment. Additionally, FGV manufactures and sells proprietary camera accessories under the FGV brand including camera plates (PL1D, PL7D), grip accessories (Twister, HiHat), power boxes (Moviecam, ARRIFLEX), and lens support rings. The company also operates a professional film studio in Munich with specialized facilities for controlled production environments. Their rental model combines the diverse equipment portfolio with studio facilities to serve film production needs across Germany.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FGV PL (e.g., FGV PL1D, FGV PL7D): Proprietary DSLR camera accessory plates and lens support products sold by FGV Schmidle.

Products and services

• Digital Cinema Camera Rental Rental of professional digital cinema cameras including ARRI ALEXA series, Sony Venice, RED cameras, and Canon cinema cameras for film and television productions.
• Cinema Lens Rental Rental of prime, zoom, telephoto, macro, full frame, anamorphic, vintage, and shift/tilt lenses from manufacturers including Cooke, Zeiss, ARRI Signature Prime, Angénieux, and FUJINON for cinematic production.
• Lighting Equipment Rental Rental of professional film lighting including daylight, tungsten, LED (ARRI Orbiter, Skypanel), HMI, fluorescent tube lights, strobe lighting, scrims, flags, diffusors, chimera light modifiers, dimmers, and lighting stands.
• Grip Equipment Rental Rental of camera support equipment including dollies, jib arms, cranes, tripods, heads, dolly and crane accessories, and other grip accessories for professional production.
• Monitoring Equipment Rental Rental of HD LCD/OLED monitors, wireless video transmission systems, and distribution and downconversion equipment for on-set monitoring.
• Photo Equipment Rental Rental of digital still cameras from Sony, Canon, and Nikon, photo tripods, photography lighting (Briese, Bron, Profoto), softboxes, Chimera modifiers, California Sunbounce reflectors, and generators.
• Transport and Generators Rental Rental of trucks and transporters, silent mobile generators, and portable Honda generators for location production power and transportation needs.
• Film Studio Rental Rental of a professional film studio in Munich spanning two floors with separate rooms, barrier-free access, and dedicated rest areas designed for controlled production environments with separate team workflows.
• FGV Branded Camera Accessories (Sales) Sale of proprietary FGV-designed camera accessories including FGV PL1D and FGV PL7D DSLR camera plates, Shooter's Kits for 5D and 7D, accessory plates, base plates, adapter plates, LED worklights, measuring tape adapters, adaptershoes, camera grip accessories (Twister, HiHat, Hemispherical Bowl, Clip-on Adapter, Flex 150, Ballbearing), lens support rings (Alura 18-80, Alura 40-250, Optimo 24-290), Power Box Moviecam, Power Box ARRIFLEX, and raindeflector.

Named customers9 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Vantage Film: German provider of film equipment and production services. Comparable to FGV as a country-focused rental house serving commercial and feature film productions in Germany.
• Ludwig Kameraverleih: Munich-based camera and lens rental company for film and television. Direct local competitor to FGV Schmidle's Munich headquarters operations.
• MBF Filmtechnik: German film equipment rental company serving cinema and television productions. Operates in the same German rental market as FGV Schmidle with comparable camera, lens, and lighting inventory.
• Visual Products: German film equipment rental and sales company serving productions across Germany. Comparable to FGV in inventory breadth and customer base, including commercial and broadcast work.
• Cine Plus: German film and television service company providing equipment rental, post-production, and production services. Direct competitor to FGV in the German market for rental and production services.
• Otto Nemenz: Long-established film and digital camera rental house in Los Angeles. Comparable to FGV as a specialty rental house with deep inventory of professional cinema cameras and lenses.
• ARRI Rental: ARRI Group's rental division offering ARRI ALEXA, AMIRA and Signature Prime cameras globally. Directly competes with FGV Schmidle for premium cinema equipment rentals in Germany and Europe.
• Keslow Camera: US-based camera and lens rental house serving commercials, features, and episodic television. Highly comparable to FGV's premium inventory focus and direct customer relationships with production companies.
• Panavision: Global film equipment rental company offering cameras, lenses and lighting packages for cinema and television productions. Comparable to FGV as a premium full-service rental house serving high-end productions.

Broad incumbents

• ARRI AG: German manufacturer of cinema cameras, lenses, and lighting whose products form the backbone of FGV's rental inventory. Broader incumbent relationship as both supplier and (via ARRI Rental) competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/FGVSchmidle
• Instagraminstagram.com/fgvschmidle/?igshid=h0o8nb40vc0e
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fgv-schmidle-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about FGV Schmidle GmbH