You can rent lenses??

[NYEmomma]

I was browsing some threads in this section and saw someone mentioned renting a camera lens for their DSLR. I've never heard of this, but I'm super interested!! Could anyone give me the low-down on renting lenses and recommended sites to use?

I've got a Canon Rebel XS and am a very, very amateur user. All I have is the lens it came with. I'm planning on taking it with me to WDW this October and would like a lens that works better in low-light situations. I'm not in the position financially right now to be able to buy one though. So being able to rent would be PERFECT!

Also, I know absolutely nothing about lenses... if anyone wants to throw in their $.02 on what lens would be good for low-light, I'd really appreciate it. TIA!

 

[ChiSoxKeith]

Retnal:

Yes, you can rent lenses. I have personally used http://www.borrowlenses.com. They have been excellent when I've used them. My stepson used to play HS football and I rented one of those big 400mm lenses you sse at NFL games. It was awesome. People that I trust have also used http://www.lensrentals.com and next time I'm in the market to rent a lens I will probably consider trying them.

In terms of low-light performance, you couldn't go wrong with a 50mm f/1.8. It's only ~$100. I've used a 50mm f/1.4 (~$350) and it was sweet, but you don't lose a hole lot of low light capability between 1.4 and 1.8.

 

[spinetnglr]

I have had very good service from lensrentals.com. I agree with the pp in that you will need something that opens at least to f1.8 for low light situations. If you are thinking dark rides in WDW low light you might want to look at fast lenses that are a little more wide angle than 50mm. That lens will probably be a little tight for the limited space on the dark rides. Not sure about the Canon lenses but I think lensrentals probably has a 28mm or a 35mm brand lens and a 30mm Sigma that would all be good fast lenses to try for under a $100. ** Just went and checked their site ... they also have a Canon 1.4 L series 35mm you can rent for 14 days for a little over $100.

 

[Frantasmic]

With the XS and XSi, due to the limited ISO, even with a 50mm 1.8, many users of these cameras report that the ride shots didn't look as good as we had hoped.

I would go with the L lens rental if you can swing it. Just FYI.

For example, here's an attempt at CoP last year with a 50mm f1.8. Not bad but nearly as clear as one posted last week in the Picture of the Day thread.

So, if you want better results than these, you may want to rent a better camera as well.

 

[annnewjerz]

I've rented through borrowlenses.com and have never had a problem.

That being said, even if you can rent a lens for low-light situations, that doesn't mean you necessarily should. If you are going to be able to get together the money to rent a lens like the Canon 50/1.4, you are going to pay for presumably a week's rental ($25) and then pay insurance (let's just guess $10) and then shipping on top of that (again, let's guess $25). By the time you spend $60 on renting a lens for your trip, you could have spent $40 more (give or take a few bucks) and purchased the Canon 50/1.8, which will probably serve you just as well on your trip---and you'll still have it to use when you get back home.

If you are looking to rent a higher end lens that would cost a significant amount of money to purchase or are interested in trying out a more specialty lens before purchasing, renting is a good option for most people.

 

[ChiSoxKeith]

Just as another thought.....I know wdwfigment on these boards has proposed this.......

Find a good fast lens on sale somewhere. Buy it, use it for your trip and then turn around and sell it on ebay.

I did this with the 50mm f/1.4. Got it on a great sale from Adorama. Used it for my trip and then turned around and sold it on ebay for the same price that I paid for it from Adorama. Sure I lost out on the ebay seller fees, but I came out to closely breaking even (compared to the rental fee).

 

[pjacobi]

With the XS and XSi, due to the limited ISO, even with a 50mm 1.8, many users of these cameras report that the ride shots didn't look as good as we had hoped.

In addition to the lens, you need know how to use the lens, it's limitations, it's strangths, and it's weakness. It's not easy to learn all this in a one week rental.

Lens rental are designed for professional photographers who might need a particular lens for an unusual job and already have years of professional expereince to know how to use it.


-Paul

 

[Frantasmic]

In addition to the lens, you need know how to use the lens, it's limitations, it's strangths, and it's weakness. It's not easy to learn all this in a one week rental.

Agreed. However, someone earlier had suggested the nifty 50 as an option. It is a good lens for the money, but with those cameras, it isn't a panacea to obtain the clear pictures you see here from cameras with higher ISO capability. That was what I was trying to convey.

 

[Shutterbug]

I have used lensrentals.com several times.
One time I needed the lens by noon on the delivery day, prob was I usually dont get my deliveries to the house till 5pm or so. So I called them up and made arrangements for the lens to be kept at the distribution center so I could pick it up there.

Another time I though I had lost the rented lens, and they were nice about, saying that they would take payments and they would prorate the cost of the lens. Fortunately I found the lens

 

[mom2rtk]

Consider renting the Sigam 30mm f1.4. It's a great lens, one stop faster than the 50mm f1.8, and a much easier to use focal length than the 50mm too. I just found the 50mm length to be too tight for most things at Disney. By the time I backed up far enough to use it, someone got between me and what I was shooting. Last I checked, I think it sold for around $400.

If you are in a major metropolitan area, check with all the big camera stores to see if they rent. If you could save the delivery fees, the price is much better.

 

[NYEmomma]

In addition to the lens, you need know how to use the lens, it's limitations, it's strangths, and it's weakness. It's not easy to learn all this in a one week rental.

Lens rental are designed for professional photographers who might need a particular lens for an unusual job and already have years of professional expereince to know how to use it.


-Paul

Ah. You all make good points!! Especially about learning how to properly use the lens in advance. I'm going to try to save up the money to get the 50mm f/1.8 lens that some of you recommended... even if it's not THE perfect lens for WDW. I'm nowhere near a pro, so I always expect my pictures to look amateurish anyways. Between my DSLR and the point & shoots that the other members of my family will have (plus my video camera), I'm sure I'll come away with some fantastic pictures to remember our trip.

Where do you guys recommend purchasing a lens at? Amazon? Some other site? Camera stores around here are very few & far between.

 

[ChiSoxKeith]

Buy from a name retailer - Amazon, Adorama, B&H, or Keh.

I've personally bought camera gear from Adorama and have never had a problem. Other people on these boards have bought from the others I mentioned and routinely sing their praises.

 

[dragonstarr]

In addition to the lens, you need know how to use the lens, it's limitations, it's strangths, and it's weakness. It's not easy to learn all this in a one week rental.

Lens rental are designed for professional photographers who might need a particular lens for an unusual job and already have years of professional expereince to know how to use it.


-Paul

I do not necessarily agree with this. How is one to gain experience with a lens they can't otherwise afford or borrow? I rented a 70-200 2.8 for my trip and if I remember correctly, it cost me around $150 for the week. At the time, this lens was selling for $1800. I enjoyed using it, took some pictures that I was very happy with, and learned how to use the lens. I wouldn't recommend someone brand new to the DSLR world to do this unless they've read their manual and hopefully a couple good photography books and extensively practiced with the lens they do have before their trip, but renting high end lenses will definitely allow you to take shots that you never would have been able to get otherwise.

 

[ThurlFan]

I'm with dragonstarr on this. Right now I can't afford a thousand bucks or two for a lens, but with an even coming up that I knew I couldn't shoot well with mu entry level glass, I rented a lens to shoot my nephew's swim team at the state championships. I've had my Canon XSi for about a year and a half and I'm nothing approaching a professional, but by renting some fast L glass I was able to get great shots of the swimmers which wouldn't have been possible otherwise.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2663073

I do agree that if you've just started shooting you may not get your money's worth out of the rental, but you never know...and it could also be a better learning experience than a pricey phtography seminar.

 

[ChiSoxKeith]

About two years ago now, I rented a 400mm f/2.8 to shoot my stepson's HS football games. Got it for 10 days (so I could have it for two games) and it cost me in the neighborhood of $400.

But I just didn't show up at the game and start clicking. I went to the walkthrough the night before the Saturday afternoon game and shot there., trying lots of stuff. Then went out and shot the sophomore game before my step son's game to try my hand at the real thing. And then went and shot a couple of practices during the week before the next game.

You're right. If I owned the lens - $7600 new - and had it for the full season (or his full HS football career), I'm sure I could have learned it's strengths and weaknesses and even turned out better shots. But I'm happy with the shots I did get, and I could'nt have gotten them without it. More importantly I had a BLAST doing it.