Lens Rental Company / Which Lens to Rent

[egritz]

I am finding myself becoming less & less happy with my primary lens - Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM (can't seem to get tack-sharp pics like my 50mm f/1.4...but feel that one will be too limiting with the lack of zooming out). After reading a few posts on here I was intrigued by the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM but not by the price (Amazon has it for $829) so I was thinking of renting it for our upcoming December trip to DL. I found one company that I can do a 2 week rental for about $110 (including insurance...this rental time would be cheaper than just renting the 10 days I would actually need it):
http://prophotorental.com/product.asp?pID=21

Looking for suggestions/feedback for:
a) reputable lens rental companies
b) suggested lens to rent if you think there is a better one for what I'm looking for - which is basically killer pics at DL for the holidays....traveling with a speedy 2 1/2 year old.

I should add that I have a Rebel T2i

TIA, first time posting over here, love this board & have been reading it a bunch since it was first introduced to me over on the DL Christmas Super Thread!

 

[johamna]

I use Borrow Lenses ( http://borrowlenses.com ) and have never had an issue. They routinely offer 15~25% off of rentals and allow you the option of insuring the gear, which is huge.

If you're on the T2i, I'd highly suggest looking at the 17-55/2.8 and 10-22. That's a great range for both landscape and portraits.

 

[egritz]

I use Borrow Lenses ( http://borrowlenses.com ) and have never had an issue. They routinely offer 15~25% off of rentals and allow you the option of insuring the gear, which is huge.

If you're on the T2i, I'd highly suggest looking at the 17-55/2.8 and 10-22. That's a great range for both landscape and portraits.

I think the 10-22 might be too limiting on the other end of the spectrum than my 50mm.

the 17-55/2.8 is the one I was originally looking to rent. I just saw, though, that I can get EF 24-70 f/2.8L for about the same cost

Thanks for the info on Borrowlenses discounts...I had looked at them and they ran about $35 more than the other company I linked to in the OP.

 

[wiigirl]

I use Borrow Lenses ( http://borrowlenses.com ) and have never had an issue. They routinely offer 15~25% off of rentals and allow you the option of insuring the gear, which is huge.

If you're on the T2i, I'd highly suggest looking at the 17-55/2.8 and 10-22. That's a great range for both landscape and portraits.

I have used them once before....great experience.

 

[nbaresejr]

I cant comment on the rental companies from personal experience but Kingdom Camera in Orlando has had some good reviews. They also pick up and drop off to the hotel.

As far as focal length my most used lenses on the t2i last trip were my Sigma 10-20 and 17-50 2.8. On the crop the 24-70 might not be wide enough and will definitely be heavier.

If looking to buy I have only good things to say about the Sigma 17-50 os 2.8 and i think its around 500-550.

 

[mom2rtk]

Hi egritz! Nice to see you over here!

I shoot with the T29 and have the Canon 17-55 f/2.8 you are considering. I got it in 2010 so most of the photos posted in the trip reports linked in my signature were taken with that lens. I considered it an investment when I bought it in the first place, and over time the sting of the cost has faded. I love that lens to pieces.

I'm sure the other you are considering would produce equally awesome photos, so it's really just a matter of focal range and speed. I do LOVE having the constant 2.8 aperture at DL. There are just SO many low like opportunities. I will be shooting the evening Christmas parade with my 2.8 lens and expect it to do well in light of how capable it has been shooting the Christmas parade at night at WDW.

I will say that my personal preference at Disney is to have a pretty wide lens available to me. There are just so many people around that it is hard to move back when my lens isn't wide enough. Getting closer with a wide angle lens really allows you to get closer so no people get between you and your subject.

Good luck. Can't wait to see your photos!

 

[egritz]

As far as focal length my most used lenses on the t2i last trip were my Sigma 10-20 and 17-50 2.8. On the crop the 24-70 might not be wide enough and will definitely be heavier.

If looking to buy I have only good things to say about the Sigma 17-50 os 2.8 and i think its around 500-550.

good call on the crop sensor, I wasn't thinking about that. I just am really having issues with my Sigma, feel like I can't trust the company. I can't get it to focus great even in prime lighting conditions....frustrated with it.

Hi egritz! Nice to see you over here!

I shoot with the T29 and have the Canon 17-55 f/2.8 you are considering. I got it in 2010 so most of the photos posted in the trip reports linked in my signature were taken with that lens. I considered it an investment when I bought it in the first place, and over time the sting of the cost has faded. I love that lens to pieces.

I'm sure the other you are considering would produce equally awesome photos, so it's really just a matter of focal range and speed. I do LOVE having the constant 2.8 aperture at DL. There are just SO many low like opportunities. I will be shooting the evening Christmas parade with my 2.8 lens and expect it to do well in light of how capable it has been shooting the Christmas parade at night at WDW.

I will say that my personal preference at Disney is to have a pretty wide lens available to me. There are just so many people around that it is hard to move back when my lens isn't wide enough. Getting closer with a wide angle lens really allows you to get closer so no people get between you and your subject.

Good luck. Can't wait to see your photos!

mom2rtk - thanks for your introduction over here!

I was just chatting with a co-worker who is also interested in photography and she made the same point about the crop sensor & wanting the wider frame so I'll ditch the lure of the $2000 lens at the same rental cost and stick with the 17-55, lol. I was more worried I will miss that 55-70 for when she is on rides (like the Tea Cups, Dumbo, and the Go-Gadget Coaster).
I'm excited about the low light possibilities that I will have with this lens! I've made the promise to DH that I wont' take any pictures on rides when we have her with us...but when she is riding with my parents I get to take as much as I want! Oh and I think I'm going to rent the lens for a 3rd week so that I have it for Christmas too ;-) At that point I might be convinced to save up for the lens.

 

[mom2rtk]

mom2rtk - thanks for your introduction over here!

I was just chatting with a co-worker who is also interested in photography and she made the same point about the crop sensor & wanting the wider frame so I'll ditch the lure of the $2000 lens at the same rental cost and stick with the 17-55, lol. I was more worried I will miss that 55-70 for when she is on rides (like the Tea Cups, Dumbo, and the Go-Gadget Coaster).
I'm excited about the low light possibilities that I will have with this lens! I've made the promise to DH that I wont' take any pictures on rides when we have her with us...but when she is riding with my parents I get to take as much as I want! Oh and I think I'm going to rent the lens for a 3rd week so that I have it for Christmas too ;-) At that point I might be convinced to save up for the lens.

Every now and then I'm tempted to consider the other lens so I could gain the 55-70. But honestly, I just break into a cold sweat when I think about giving up the wide end of that lens!

The speed and image quality are obvious benefits, but the IS on that lens is also really awesome. I shoot at FAR lower shutter speeds than someone with unsteady hands such as I have should ever be able to.

I actually like that wide end for shots on the rides. It sounds like you have sworn off of that, but if you ever decide to sneak one in, you really can't beat that 17mm focal length. I do love shots of little kids enjoying themselves on the rides.

As for the long end, just shoot on the largest file size, and you can always crop in later.

If you ever do decide to save up for the lens, just keep in mind it holds its value pretty well. Depending on cash flow, many here recommend just buying used and reselling when you are done. I know I have done that with a couple lenses and been very happy. I sold a couple on ebay and a couple on craigslist.

I have only rented from a place where I live, so I can avoid the shipping costs. That helped a lot. It was rentglass.com. I think the rental rates were competitive, but can't comment on shipping since I didn't use it. Do make sure you see if there are any rental companies in your local area so you could save on shipping.

 

[egritz]

The speed and image quality are obvious benefits, but the IS on that lens is also really awesome. I shoot at FAR lower shutter speeds than someone with unsteady hands such as I have should ever be able to.

I actually like that wide end for shots on the rides. It sounds like you have sworn off of that, but if you ever decide to sneak one in, you really can't beat that 17mm focal length. I do love shots of little kids enjoying themselves on the rides.

As for the long end, just shoot on the largest file size, and you can always crop in later.

If you ever do decide to save up for the lens, just keep in mind it holds its value pretty well. Depending on cash flow, many here recommend just buying used and reselling when you are done. I know I have done that with a couple lenses and been very happy. I sold a couple on ebay and a couple on craigslist.

I have only rented from a place where I live, so I can avoid the shipping costs. That helped a lot. It was rentglass.com. I think the rental rates were competitive, but can't comment on shipping since I didn't use it. Do make sure you see if there are any rental companies in your local area so you could save on shipping.

I too have shakey hands, so the IS is super helpful. It is actually the thing that was making me lean towards this lens to rent than the other one.

On my current Sigma Lens I do try to shoot zoomed all the way out at the 17mm & I always shoot in RAW (never going back to JPG!)...then when I go to do my crop in processing is when I really notice my daughter's fuzzy face. I was not at all happy with our pumpkin patch pictures :-(

My one big reservation about purchasing this Canon 17-55/2.8 lens is that I eventually want to do the huge upgrade to a 5D & this lens is not compatible w/ the 5D, but given that is a $3100+ investment, that is, at minimum, 5 years down the road, if even that. But like you said, I would probably be able to sell the lens at that point to put towards a new one.

I looked on eBay and it looks like I can probably get $200-$300 for my Sigma lens. I'm just always nervous about eBay for buying AND selling. I'm nervous to buy a stolen item or one not in tip top shape, and I'm nervous to sell because my in-laws sold a bunch of old lenses that came through the thrift shop they work for and even with delivery confirmation the guy says it wasn't delivered and PayPal has taken the thrift store's money..what a headache!

So far I haven't been able to find a local company that will rent lenses. I'm pretty much okay with the $150 rental for 3 weeks including insurance & shipping but If I can get it cheaper then I'm always for saving money!

 

[nbaresejr]

I too have shakey hands, so the IS is super helpful. It is actually the thing that was making me lean towards this lens to rent than the other one. On my current Sigma Lens I do try to shoot zoomed all the way out at the 17mm & I always shoot in RAW (never going back to JPG!)...then when I go to do my crop in processing is when I really notice my daughter's fuzzy face. I was not at all happy with our pumpkin patch pictures :-( My one big reservation about purchasing this Canon 17-55/2.8 lens is that I eventually want to do the huge upgrade to a 5D & this lens is not compatible w/ the 5D, but given that is a $3100+ investment, that is, at minimum, 5 years down the road, if even that. But like you said, I would probably be able to sell the lens at that point to put towards a new one. I looked on eBay and it looks like I can probably get $200-$300 for my Sigma lens. I'm just always nervous about eBay for buying AND selling. I'm nervous to buy a stolen item or one not in tip top shape, and I'm nervous to sell because my in-laws sold a bunch of old lenses that came through the thrift shop they work for and even with delivery confirmation the guy says it wasn't delivered and PayPal has taken the thrift store's money..what a headache! So far I haven't been able to find a local company that will rent lenses. I'm pretty much okay with the $150 rental for 3 weeks including insurance & shipping but If I can get it cheaper then I'm always for saving money!

Can you post a picture so we can see the issues you are talking about? Also include the exif info if possible.

 

[egritz]

I can try tonight...I'm at work right now.

 

[mom2rtk]

I too have shakey hands, so the IS is super helpful. It is actually the thing that was making me lean towards this lens to rent than the other one.

On my current Sigma Lens I do try to shoot zoomed all the way out at the 17mm & I always shoot in RAW (never going back to JPG!)...then when I go to do my crop in processing is when I really notice my daughter's fuzzy face. I was not at all happy with our pumpkin patch pictures :-(

My one big reservation about purchasing this Canon 17-55/2.8 lens is that I eventually want to do the huge upgrade to a 5D & this lens is not compatible w/ the 5D, but given that is a $3100+ investment, that is, at minimum, 5 years down the road, if even that. But like you said, I would probably be able to sell the lens at that point to put towards a new one.

I looked on eBay and it looks like I can probably get $200-$300 for my Sigma lens. I'm just always nervous about eBay for buying AND selling. I'm nervous to buy a stolen item or one not in tip top shape, and I'm nervous to sell because my in-laws sold a bunch of old lenses that came through the thrift shop they work for and even with delivery confirmation the guy says it wasn't delivered and PayPal has taken the thrift store's money..what a headache!

So far I haven't been able to find a local company that will rent lenses. I'm pretty much okay with the $150 rental for 3 weeks including insurance & shipping but If I can get it cheaper then I'm always for saving money!

If you have shaky hands, and the other lens doesn't have IS, then the choice would be a no-brainer in my book. I take shots with that lens that I should have never been able to get. My hands are so bad I seriously cannot take a photo on my phone. Ever. I wanted to text a photo of my son's cat to him at college and I had to brace the phone on a box and take like 15 shots before I got one I could send.

No doubt Ebay does come with its own set of concerns. If you are selling, Paypal is definitely a scam artists' dream. But honestly, if you follow the rules they set up for seller protection, you should be fine. If the thrift store had d/c but still got taken, then they must have 1) shipped to an unconfirmed address or 2) sold the item for over $250 and not gotten signature confirmation. Do those things and I think you'd be fine. The Paypal concerns are part of the reason I sold 2 lenses on Craigslist though. Well, and the small matter of no fees.

I finally just upgraded my zoom lens to an IS model. It should solve my issues with getting a decent zoom shot. But now I have to hire a Sherpa to carry it in the parks for me. I'm afraid there's no easy answer on that front.

 

[nbaresejr]

I can try tonight...I'm at work right now.

Me too!

Reason I am asking is because it could be a lot of things unrelated to the lens. Variables like focus point selection, aperture, shutter speed.

With the t2i i only use center focus point and recompose. The center is the only cross type point and I find it the most reliable.

I am not saying the lens is not the issue, just trying to take out as many variables as possible.

 

[egritz]

If you have shaky hands, and the other lens doesn't have IS, then the choice would be a no-brainer in my book. I take shots with that lens that I should have never been able to get. My hands are so bad I seriously cannot take a photo on my phone. Ever. I wanted to text a photo of my son's cat to him at college and I had to brace the phone on a box and take like 15 shots before I got one I could send.

And decision has been made for the 17-55 lens for sure for this trip. I was hoping that the lens was offered at the online Exchange for military (my in-laws have bought most of my camera equipment for me there cheaper & no sales tax) but sadly this lens is not offered there. Darn!

Yup that is me. We have an old (meaning 6-7 years old) Nikon P&S and I couldn't even take very good pictures of stationary items with it. Once in a while I'll get a decent pic on my phone but they are few & far between. I NEED the viewfinder at the very least to help me stabilize my hands/arms while taking pictures. Not to mention manually setting faster shutter speeds, etc.

Me too!

Reason I am asking is because it could be a lot of things unrelated to the lens. Variables like focus point selection, aperture, shutter speed.

With the t2i i only use center focus point and recompose. The center is the only cross type point and I find it the most reliable.

I am not saying the lens is not the issue, just trying to take out as many variables as possible.

I am 99% sure I'm on center focus, I have to double check my camera tonight - I routinely focus, recompose, then shoot. I was actually shooting in Aperture Priority that day in an attempt to keep most of the frame in focus (was shooing around f/10). I did the same thing this past weekend with my 50mm/1.4 lens and the pics were better, I did some research, talked to a few people and found out that Sigma lenses from a couple years ago tend to have focusing issues.

And I'm not saying it is the lens for sure either! With my shakey hand problem it could very well be me. And the fact that I know enough about photography to think I know a lot, but really probably only know about 5% of what there is to learn!

 

[nbaresejr]

I did some research, talked to a few people and found out that Sigma lenses from a couple years ago tend to have focusing issues.

Some are worse then others. Usually the biggest complaint comes from the 30mm 1.4 and 50mm 1.4 owners. I myself have a 50% success rate. My 1st copies of the 10-20 and 17-50 were not good. They were returned and I could not be happier with the copies I got. At the time the Canon 17-55 was about $1000 and I couldnt justify the price difference to get that over the Sigma. So even with the issue with the 1st lens it was worth it.

Was the lens always soft? A bump may have de-centered something.

 

[mom2rtk]

I did a lot of research before committing to the Canon version. In general the Tamron is seen as sharper than the Sigma. But if you want VC, the consensus was that it lost some of its sharpness. Also, the focus motor is very noisy (find a clip on youtube to listen to before you buy one). That's how I ended up with the Canon. I figured I was spending the money to upgrade the kit lens I already had. I'd rather spend more money to really get the best.

 

[egritz]

Some are worse then others. Usually the biggest complaint comes from the 30mm 1.4 and 50mm 1.4 owners. I myself have a 50% success rate. My 1st copies of the 10-20 and 17-50 were not good. They were returned and I could not be happier with the copies I got. At the time the Canon 17-55 was about $1000 and I couldnt justify the price difference to get that over the Sigma. So even with the issue with the 1st lens it was worth it.

Was the lens always soft? A bump may have de-centered something.

I'm not sure - I've been shooting almost exclusively with my 50mm since I got it for Christmas last year, so it is possible that is why I now notice it...I'll have to got back and look at some older pictures. I've only had the Sigma since Christmas 2011, so not even 2 years old, though a bump could have messed it up....do you know if a regular local camera shop can check it out? Or do I have to send it to Sigma? I want to do a Front/Back focus test but haven't had a chance to yet.

 

[mom2rtk]

I'm not sure - I've been shooting almost exclusively with my 50mm since I got it for Christmas last year, so it is possible that is why I now notice it...I'll have to got back and look at some older pictures. I've only had the Sigma since Christmas 2011, so not even 2 years old, though a bump could have messed it up....do you know if a regular local camera shop can check it out? Or do I have to send it to Sigma? I want to do a Front/Back focus test but haven't had a chance to yet.

I really had a back focusing problem with my 50-150 2.8 lens. I sent it (and my 30 mm at the same time) back to Sigma for calibration. Just so you know you need to send your camera body in at the same time, so it has to be when you can be without it for a bit. They got it all back to me VERY quickly. I was happy enough with the service that I just bought the OS version of that 50-150 lens. If I have any focus issues, I don't expect any issues getting it calibrated.

 

[rmattman]

I have rented from LensRentals.com several times with good success. They have the Sigma lens listed for $78.00 for 10 days and $94.00 for 14 days including insurance and round trip shipping to your area.

 

[egritz]

I really had a back focusing problem with my 50-150 2.8 lens. I sent it (and my 30 mm at the same time) back to Sigma for calibration. Just so you know you need to send your camera body in at the same time, so it has to be when you can be without it for a bit. They got it all back to me VERY quickly. I was happy enough with the service that I just bought the OS version of that 50-150 lens. If I have any focus issues, I don't expect any issues getting it calibrated.

What is the cost of that service? I never want to be without my body!!! Hmmm.... halloween coming up, I am taking pictures of my friend's family on 11/11, then I guess I could go without it for a bit after that....