Photobird Daily

Photo courtesy BorrowLenses.com

Just like renting a tuxedo, you can rent a camera lens for practically any special event — be it a wedding, graduation, bar mitzvah, or just a long-planned family vacation. In fact, renting a lens is a great way to get your hands on a special-purpose lens, or an otherwise unaffordable lens, that you think you might only need for a short duration. It’s also a great way to try out a new lens that you’ve been reading about without yet making the full commitment — and taking the subsequent hit to your pocketbook — by buying it outright.

There is an increasing number of places where you can rent lenses online and they’ll be conveniently delivered to your home or business. When choosing a place to rent lenses, it’s important first and foremost to find a company that has the kind of lens you want to rent; many specialize in a specific lens manufacturer, so make sure they are offering a lens that will work with your DSLR camera. In addition, it’s also important for you to understand their rental policies, their business reputation, and total rental costs, which often don’t include shipping (in fact, some places won’t deliver).

John Watson at Photodoto.com has compiled a list of eight online lens rental stores and provides an overview of each — as well as links to more in-depth reviews of many.

We’ve created a list of the rental houses and a quick summary of the pros and cons of each for your convenience below. The ninth entry on this list comes from an additional rental house John reviewed since publishing his original post.

RentGlass.com
Pros: Good selection of Canon and Nikon lenses.
Cons: They’re very popular and it can be frustrating to wait for the lens you want if it is already rented.

ZipLens.com
Pros: Similar selection as RentGlass.com. Also allows you to pre-order out-of-stock lenses.

BorrowLenses.com
Pros: Local pick-up in San Francisco Bay Area. Overnight shipping available.
Cons: Few Nikon lenses (mostly a Canon shop).

LensProToGo.com
Pros: Good selection of Canon lenses.
Cons: Shipping bundled with rental price, which may seem higher than it would be otherwise.

LensRentals.com
Pros: Good selection of Canon lenses. Also rents some bodies and accessories.
Cons: Not as wide of a selection of Nikon lenses.

LensLenders.com
Pros: You can pay with PayPal.
Cons: Canada customers only. Poor selection of both Canon and Nikon lenses. High prices.

PhotoLensRental.com
Pros: Offers gift certificates.
Cons: Limit of one lens per order. Limited selection of lenses.

RentCameraGear.com
Pros: Fair selection of Canon lenses.
Cons: No Nikon lenses. No rental agreement available on website.

CameraLensRentals.com
Pros: Competitive prices. Optional damage waiver. Rent three lenses, get fourth free.
Cons: No Nikon lenses.

~•~

If you’ve had any experience with lens rental, please share your experiences and recommendations in the comments.