Lens Rental

[Dr Bob]

I have read here on various threads a suggestion of renting equipment, such as lenses, before buying them. I have never rented a lens, but I am planning a trip to one of our national parks late next summer and I am considering renting a lens for wildlife shots. I would appreciate hearing about what has been your experience in renting lenses and what do I need to pay close attention to in the rental process. I am considering renting a 300mm or 400mm Canon lens for a week or so.

Thank you in advance.

Dr Bob

[Mike Buckley]

I highly recommend LensRentals.com. You might want to plan on allowing yourself a couple of extra days before your trip to get used to using the lens, especially if you're not familiar with using that focal length. Also allow a margin of error of at least one day just in case the delivery of the lens is delayed due to inclement weather, a simple screw up or whatever. Other than that, the rental process is very straightforward.

[Polar01]

I used Borrowlens, they were very good. As I am from Canada I had them sent it to a Fedex distribution centre near to where I was going to be, used it for 2 weeks and simply dropped it off at a Fedex centre. There they scanned it and thus ended my rental. They provide all the packaging with labels to drop it off.
Like Mike, get it about a week early so you can play and get use to how it works and feels, at that size you may have to mount on a mono or tripod.

Cheers:

Allan

[Shadowman]

I used Borrowlens, they were very good. As I am from Canada I had them sent it to a Fedex distribution centre near to where I was going to be, used it for 2 weeks and simply dropped it off at a Fedex centre. There they scanned it and thus ended my rental. They provide all the packaging with labels to drop it off.
Like Mike, get it about a week early so you can play and get use to how it works and feels, at that size you may have to mount on a mono or tripod.

Cheers:

Allan

One of the rental websites also mentioned getting the receipt when returning, especially if you drop it off near the end of the day. That way you have proof that it was dropped off before last shipment of the day. I would also inspect the lens or equipment carefully, document any nicks or dents (photo especially) in case there is damage during shipment.

[dan marchant]

As with any sort of rental don't forget insurance. Does the rental price include insurance and if so are there any gottchas in the small print. Also, if you already have your kit insured your policy may well cover rentals or you may be able to add such cover more cheaply than buying insurance through the rental company.

[kaneohebud]

I've used LensRentals.com on many occasions. They have great gear and make the shipping/return easy and painless. I've even had them forward gear to a shoot location (Lake Tahoe) so I could minimize the rental time. Worked great.

[rpcrowe]

Another way to "rent" a lens is through eBay. This might not be worth it for a rental of a week or so but, might very well be worth doing it for a longer rental period - like when going on safari (I should have such luck!).

If you purchase a used top grade lens like a Canon L lens on eBay at a decent price, you can usually resell it for pretty near the price you paid. Any difference in cost would probably be less than rental costs.

BTW: if you use the PayPal deferred payment plan, you will probably be able to resell the lens before any payment is due...

[Dr Bob]

My local shop has Borrowlens. I will check into the details of their rental. Thanks for the advise on renting ahead to get familiar with the lens. A great idea! I will check the fine print and see if I need additional insurance.

Thanks all.

Dr Bob