Lens rental

[Barbara Ponder]

Has any one rented a lens? Thinking of renting a lens and wondering if anyone had a company they would recommend.

[NorthernFocus]

I used Borrowlenses.com and was extremely impressed. They didn't charge shipping time as days of the rental. I used them because they are in Seattle. I have a friend who used lensrentals.com when he was traveling down south. He had similar experience. It is amazing how well they have it figured out.

What are you thinking of renting?

[Barbara Ponder]

I used Borrowlenses.com and was extremely impressed. They didn't charge shipping time as days of the rental. I used them because they are in Seattle. I have a friend who used lensrentals.com when he was traveling down south. He had similar experience. It is amazing how well they have it figured out.

What are you thinking of renting?

I am going to a couple of the Feather Fest (one on photographing from a boat) events in Galveston and was thinking of renting something with a little more reach and faster. I have a 300mm f/4 so thinking 500mm or even 800mm. Really not positive at this point. My fear is I will fall in love with it and then have to really work on the hubby to buy it for me not that I don't already do that.

[Mike Buckley]

My fear is I will fall in love with it and then have to really work on the hubby to buy it for me

LensRental has a program that you can buy the lens you rented. If the product is eligible for the program, part of your rental cost will be credited toward the purchase price.

I've used only two companies for renting lenses online -- LensRental and the company that sold LensRental all of their equipment when they went out of business. Based on my experiences, you can't do better than LensRental when it comes to reliable service and reasonable prices.

[Nate]

I've rented from both BorrowLenses.com and LensRentals.com - mostly try it before I buy it due diligence - and while both served the purpose, I've had a better experience with LensRentals.com.

[Barbara Ponder]

Thanks for the input Mike and Nate.

[NorthernFocus]

...My fear is I will fall in love with it and then have to really work on the hubby to buy it for me not that I don't already do that.

When it comes to cars, bicycles, and camera gear, a good philosophy is "don't try it unless you can buy it".

Renting has multiple benefits. For one thing, there's more to lenses that simply higher magnification ratios. There are practical aspects of size, weight, etc. that are best experienced first hand than simply theorized over. For example, a couple of years ago I was contemplating buying either a 500mm or 600mm. The difference in cost, though significant, was not a deal breaker. And I wanted all the reach I could get. But I was concerned about the additional size/weight. So I rented the 600 to take on a trip that involved air travel and a lot of walking once on-site.

Shooting with the 600 was an absolute dream. And once mounted on a tripod w/gimbal head, the additional weight of the 600 vs 500 wasn't that big of a deal. But I found the physical size of the 600 to be a real hassle. When carrying it, handling it in/out of a vehicle, and especially for the air travel. The sheer bulk of it is problematic, both length and diameter. That thing is a monster. So since traveling with gear is a consideration for my own situation, that experience with the 600 ruled it out for my needs.

Renting for a few days gives you time to really understand what you're potentially getting yourself into.

[Barbara Ponder]

When it comes to cars, bicycles, and camera gear, a good philosophy is "don't try it unless you can buy it".

So true! My hubby is leaning towards getting me the longer lens so I really want to make sure that it is exactly what I want since it ain't cheap! I hate to fly so traveling by airline is not really an issue. We do train and boat trips and I would think it would not be ideal for those! There are so many birding opportunities here that I think I would get a lot of use from it. I am not great with a tripod so that is also something to take into consideration. I really prefer hand held or using a monopod so that as well needs to be considered. Wish they would make a lens that is compact but offers excellent fast optics. I suppose if they did it would be outrageously expensive. Thanks for the input!

[rpcrowe]

Barbara, tripods are a PITA. They are heavy, bulky,expensive, take time to set up and, despite being relatively simple machines, have a steep learning curve.

However, they are also, IMO, necessary when using really long lenses and they will improve the IQ that you can achieve with just about any lens.

I cut my teeth using a tripod when I was a cinematographer doing documentary films for the U.S. Navy. If I did not learn how to use a tripod "correctly" I could never have shot with some of the heavy cameras in use during those days and footage acquired when using lighter cameras, tripod mounted, was far superior to hand held footage.

I would seriously suggest that you obtain a high quality tripod and learn its use and idiosyncrasies before purchasing a top-line, expensive, long focal length lens. IMO, you will be hard pressed to get the maximum IQ from a long lens without being tripod mounted. Monopods are nice and can be extremely helpful. Additionally, lens/camera stabilization is also very helpful. However, the tripod is still the best way to get the sharpest image from any lens.

One trick that any old-time cinematographer would use when shooting with, and setting up a tripod, is not to have the three legs extended to the equal length. Instead, always have one leg slightly longer that the other two. Carry the tripod with the longer leg forward and when setting up the tripod, place the foot of the longer leg on the ground and then pull back the other two feet. When moving the camera do the opposite manuever, grasp the two shorter legs, lean the tripod a bit forward so that the weight is on the longer leg and then push the two shorter legs forward.

When using very heavy cameras (often 40-50 pounds in weight), I would place my shoulder under the camera and grab the two shorter lens and push them forward until the tripod was closed. That way the forward, longer leg, would support the weight of, and stabilize the camera while the tripod was being folded.

We didn't have the luxury of today's lightweight carbon fiber tripods and used heavy tripods made of wood with equally heavy O'Connor Fluid Heads. Today, you are working with far lighter gear but, knowing how to manage the tripod is still a very handy thing to know. Additionally, having the tripod head equipped with an Arca Compatible quick release makes using the tripod more pleasant.

BTW: here is a camera mount I developed which will help anyone hand hold a long lens. It is light weight, easily made with hand tools, cost less than twenty bucks for the materials which can be found in any home improvement center and really does a good job in stabilizing a hand held lens. It is shown with a 400mm f/5.6L lens but could be easily used for longer and heavier glass...



Here is an in-depth explanation of how I fabricated this mount. BTW: it can easily disassemble for travel...

http://rpcrowe.smugmug.com/Photograp...Lens/i-XC8wvKM

Good luck with your new lens...

[NorthernFocus]

...I would seriously suggest that you obtain a high quality tripod and learn its use and idiosyncrasies before purchasing a top-line, expensive, long focal length lens. IMO, you will be hard pressed to get the maximum IQ from a long lens without being tripod mounted. Monopods are nice and can be extremely helpful. Additionally, lens/camera stabilization is also very helpful. However, the tripod is still the best way to get the sharpest image from any lens...

As much as you may not like hearing it, this is sound advice provided by Richard. It doesn't make much sense to have the optics if you're not going to do everything you can to take full advantage. It's a bit of a catch 22. If you do get the lens and not a pod, you may be disappointed in the results.

Believe it or not, you get used to using a tripod quickly enough. If you are staying relatively stationary, they aren't that much trouble. When you need to be constantly on the move, of course they are useless. That's when the compromise of a monopod is most useful. The biggest advantage of a monopod is simply to support the weight of the lens.

I believe the rental places carry tripods and gimbal heads also.

[Mike Buckley]

I believe the rental places carry tripods and gimbal heads also.

LensRentals carries them.