Need an Expensive Lens for Day? Rent It

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.borrowlenses.com/' target='_blank'>http://www.borrowlenses.com/</a><br /><br /></div><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/dht/auto/1271175638.usr1.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>Every DSLR owner knows that the real cost is in the lenses, not in the camera body. Lenses are expensive - pro f/2.8 lenses made by Canon and Nikon are north of $2000 in almost every case...but that glass is so utterly amazing for photos, you want to have if you're shooting an important event. So what do you do? You rent it. <a href="http://www.borrowlenses.com/" target="_blank">Borrow Lenses</a> is a site that allows you to rent lenses (yeah, their site name is a bit misleading) for surprisingly affordable rates. For instance, the Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8 lens is about $2400 MSRP, but <a href="http://www.borrowlenses.com/product/nikon_telephoto/Nikon_70-200_f2.8_VR_II" target="_blank">you can rent it</a> for three days for $64 USD. Not bad at all - especially if you're a pro making money off a shoot. Eventually the rentals costs catch up to you, but this is a very cost-effective option for anyone that wants to use the best lenses on the market today, but doesn't have the money to buy them outright. This site is US-only, but odds are good there's someone in your country offering a similar service, so it's worth looking into!</p>

[NeilE]

A friend of mine wrote a very detailed set of reviews of the various lens rental companies in the US. You can read it at http://ronmart.blogspot.com/2009/11/lens-rental-review-series-conclusion-7.html.

Personally I have rented several times from lensrentals.com and been happy with the results.

Neil

[Cold Flame]

For us Canadians (Calgarians anyway), we can rent gear from The Camera Store (Equipment Rentals | TheCameraStore.com (http://www.thecamerastore.com/resources/rental)). Their rental list (http://www.thecamerastore.com/files/Rental_List_02_23_10.pdf) is pretty comprehensive, and I think the prices are pretty damn good.

An f2.8 lens will run you anywhere from $20 - ~$60, most being in the $25-$40 range. The sweet thing is, if you rent on a Saturday, you don't have to return it until the Monday morning, so you get a whole extra day with it, and it costs only one day's rental. =)

A full weeks (7 days) rental only costs 4 days of fees.

All in all, pretty good pricing, and you don't have to worry about shipping like the websites your post touches on. Obviously that has its own issues because you need to get to the store, pick it up, and then drop it off within your rental period, but it's a great way to try some lenses that are otherwise unaffordable or unnecessary to own.

Hope this is useful!

Jer

PS: Looks like Vistek also rents lenses... similar pricing. Likely a bit more convenient due to # of locations they have.