Your Camera Lens Rental Questions Answered!
YOUR CAMERA LENS RENTAL QUESTIONS ANSWERED!
**Thank You to Borrowlenses.com for sponsoring this post. They lent me the Canon 24-105 f/4 L Lens in exchange for sharing my thoughts with you on my experience. As always, all thought and opinions are my own. *
It’s no secret that I love to rent a lens when I go on vacation. There are some lenses out there that I don’t necessarily don’t want to buy, but I want to try out. OR as in the case of the Canon 24-105 f/4 L lens: I want to buy it but I had to try it out one more time when I recently took our trip to Jamaica.
The lens is on my Christmas list…officially.
Every time I rent a lens, I get a lot of questions about the camera lens rental process, so I decided to take the time to answer a few questions for you
Why Should I Rent a Lens?
If you are thinking about buying a lens, but you are not sure if you will like it. Rent. The Canon 24-105 f/4 L lens is retailing for $999 right now. I don’t know about you, but I really don’t want to make a thousand dollar mistake. Renting a lens lets you take a lens for a test drive so you can be SURE that it’s something that you will like.
Vacations are also the perfect time to rent a lens. I rented the Canon 24mm f/1.4 L lens for my Disney Vacation last year because that lens is just not practical for me day to day. But it was perfect for vacation.
How Long Can I rent a Lens For?
Typically, you can rent a lens anywhere from 3-14 days. Depending on the rental company, you may also be able to make a custom rental period.
How Much Does it Cost?
That depends on the lens. The Canon 24-105 f.4 L lens rented for $24 plus s&h for 3 days and $100.03 plus s&h for 30 days. The lens retails for $999. But the Canon 24 f/1.4 L, which retails for $1549, was $52 plus s&h for 3 days and the $218.30 plus s&h for 30 days.
The longer the rental, the more you will pay. It becomes a question of is it worth it to just go ahead and buy it if you rent the lens for longer periods of time.
What Should I Rent?
Anything you want. You can rent cameras, lenses, filters, lighting equipment. Basically anything that has to do with a camera. But I always suggest either renting items that are simply not in the budget, but needed for a specific shoot or for a trying before you buy type experience.
Where Do I rent a lens from?
My favorite place to rent a lens is Borrowlenses.com. It’s comprehensive, they usually have everything you need. I love borrowlenses.com because I can order and it comes right to my door. ON TIME. AND, the lens comes to you already in the box that you need to send it back in, along with the pre-paid label. It’s so convenient! The lenses are always in great condition, tack sharp and ready for you to start shooting! The Canon 24-105 f/4 L lens that I rented was PERFECT for this vacation!
Hopefully I have answered all of your camera lens rental questions! The holidays, by the way, are the perfect time to rent a lens to capture all of that holiday magic and family that you don’t get to see that often. Right now, Borrow Lenses is having a Super Early Black Friday Sale where you can get 20% off of all rentals AND get two days free!!
Do you have any questions that I didn’t answer? Sound off in the comments!
*This post contains affiliate links. Thank you in advance if you rent a lens through a link here for supporting Everyday Eyecandy*
I’ve never thought about renting camera lens before. I really want the Nikon 70-200 for my D750, but man it’s expensive. I should rent it first to make sure it’s what I really want.
i had no idea this was even an available option to rent a lens! very cool, my daughter loves photography. And like you I wouldn’t want her to invest in such an expensive piece of equipment without trying it out first-thanks!
This is interesting. I didn’t know you could rent camera lenses. My daughter is big into photography, so I’ll have to share this with her!
Next time we go on vacation I think my husband should rent a lens like this. He has a good working camera but lenses are so expensive. It would be fun for him to be able to do whatever it is he wants to do on our next vacation with photography!
This would be a cool way to find out if you like a lens. Like a try before you buy!
I’ve rented before ad it is a great idea. Especially if you are really contemplating a huge purchase like a new lens.
I’m the same way. I have wanted to try several lens, but don’t want to make a costly mistake. I hadn’t thought of renting. That’s a good option.
I normally do Aperturent but I will have to try this one out
i love the local part of Aperturent, but it’s just to far from me to be convenient!
I just recently rented a lens from Borrow Lenses for my trip to California. It was my first time renting, but definitely won’t be my last. The process is so easy and convenient. I love that the site lets you pick the day that you need it delivered to you which ensures that you’ll get it on time. I did a 3 day rental and had it delivered to the hotel the day before I was going to use it. And like you said, the return process is also easy. I can’t wait to rent my next lens!
what did you rent?
I rented the 24-70mm f/2.8.
love that lens!
Thanks for telling me about this! I am planning to purchase a new camera lens and couldn’t decide which one to buy. I am going to try your suggestion!
Oh wow! I love the idea of renting a camera lenses and testing it before committing to actually buying it. Great idea!!
It had never occurred to me to rent a camera lens, but this sounds like a great option when you are traveling and want to take amazing pictures without spending hundreds of dollars in a new lens.
Woah those are pricey. I guess it would be okay as long as you aren’t renting them so much that it adds up to what you would have paid for one to own.
This is so new to me. I didn’t know it was possible to rent a lens – pretty cool if I had to say so myself.
I rented a lens for our Disney vacation back in January. Best decision ever, and I plan on renting one again over Thanksgiving. This time it’s me trying out a lens I really want to buy but haven’t decided between it and another lens…
Omg I never thought about renting a lense!!!!! I will have to keep
This in mind for my canon next vacation!
Renting a camera lens is something I never thought of before . My son loves taking photos so I will have to share the information with him for sure. It would be an awesome way to find out if you want to buy one or not. Thanks for sharing the idea.
This is such a great idea! There are so many lenses I am dying to play around with
What a smart idea to rent your camera equipment before you buy it. It sucks to buy an expensive piece of equipment only to find out it is not for you.