Renting a lens

[KCmike]

So I'm going back to WDW this summer and would be so happy if I could take a Ultra Wide Angle lens with my rebel. The Canon 10-22 is too much for me to buy. Does anyone have any suggestions on places to rent lenses for a good deal?

Oh yeah, I blame you WDWfigment.

 

[WDWFigment]

I recommend buying and reselling if you can't afford it. With bing cashback, if you 'aim' for a cheap buy-it-now on eBay, you can come out ahead in the end. Renting a lenses is inefficient for more 'garden variety' lenses.

 

[Golf4food]

If you do rent I've used www.cameralensrentals.com and been happy (and will use again in May... and July... and October... and December...)

 

[annnewjerz]

rentglass.com, borrowlenses.com, zipglass.com, etc. all seem to be pretty reputable places to rent lenses. If you type in "Canon lens rentals" to Google, you should come up with a pretty solid list of places to rent and if you want to check our if they are legit go to resellerratings.com and see what people have to say.

As far as whether or not you should rent a lens, that's all up to you. Would I rent a $200 lens for a trip? Probably not, I'd come up with the money and either buy it or buy it and then resell it as Tom suggested. Would I rent a $750+ lens? Definitely. With coupon codes and promos, the lenses that I have rented have always been pretty cheap and I have gotten a feel for whether I wanted to buy it or not.

With the 80-200 f/2.8 that I rented in December, I was able to shoot with it for two weeks before deciding whether I wanted to buy it or save for the 70-200 f/2.8 instead. It was $100(ish) well spent and was much more convenient than having to buy a 80-200, have $900 of my money wrapped up and then return it and wait to get my money back or resell it in hopes of turning a profit.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[JimbobJimbo]

I too agree with Tom's idea of buying and reselling. But if you do want to rent, i've heard nothing but good things about http://www.lensrentals.com/

 

[KCmike]

Someone else referred me to borrowlenses as well and they quoted me a price of $53 for 10 days. Sounds a little too good to be true?

I agree also if the lens were only $300 or so and below I would definitely shell out the money but this lens runs over $700 as far as I've been able to determine.

Do you guys/gals buy the insurance when you rent?

 

[annnewjerz]

Do you guys/gals buy the insurance when you rent?

Yes. If you are renting because you can't afford a $700 lens right now, you don't want to be stuck paying them for the value of the lens if for some reason it gets damaged.

 

[llrain]

cameralensrentals.com all the way

If you do rent I've used www.cameralensrentals.com and been happy (and will use again in May... and July... and October... and December...)

 

[Experiment_626]

Someone else referred me to borrowlenses as well and they quoted me a price of $53 for 10 days. Sounds a little too good to be true?

I've not used their services (nor anyone else's, for that matter), but I've heard good things about them. Here's a brief testimonial/review:

http://www.stuckincustoms.com/lens-rental/

 

[pjacobi]

At the widest end, the 10-22 is a very special purpose lens.

It is actually too wide for normal landscapes. It just makes everything far, far, away!

Landscapes with ultrawide lenses require a foreground element, such as a big rock on a beach scene.

It's a good lens for shooting around corners and indoors or places where it not possible to back up to get a wider view with a normal wide angle lens.

It's a fun lens to use on kids and pets, if you know how to use the force perspective to exaggerate a certain feature. For example, you can use this lens to exaggerate the size of a dogs nose. However, your spouse may not appreciate his/her photo done this way.

In some cases this lens is magical, in other cases it is total useless.

It's my favorite lens because it takes a lifetime of skill to use it correctly. That's not something easily acquired in 10 days!


-Paul

 

[Golf4food]

Someone else referred me to borrowlenses as well and they quoted me a price of $53 for 10 days. Sounds a little too good to be true?

I agree also if the lens were only $300 or so and below I would definitely shell out the money but this lens runs over $700 as far as I've been able to determine.

Do you guys/gals buy the insurance when you rent?

Check the other rental sites and see if it lines up. The fancier lenses will cost more, the cheaper lenses will cost less. Then you pay shipping as well, and that will probably run you another $25 round trip (needs nice packaging and protection and has some weight to it, which costs more for shipping these days).

 

[Parmcat]

I rent glass almost every time I travel. I have used a few places, but the best by far is:

www.lensprotogo.com

best quality, will ship right to your location, and ship in pelican cases with insurance

Awesome place!

 

[GDUL]

I've used lensrentals.com to rent this lens twice (with insurance). Very easy company to rent from and both experiences have been positive. I would definitely rent from them again if the need arose.

Gary

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

I used lensrentals....I was very happy with them.

I rented the Tokina in October and it was $100ish with insurance