I don't shoot weddings but have been renting from www.lensrentals.com
for landscape and sports shooting. Have been very happy with them, used them at least 5 times so far and getting ready to rent again next month when I head out to the Southwest.
Darren Troy CRegistered UsersPosts: 1,927Major grins
edited August 23, 2010
Angie, LensRentals.com, hands down. They're in Tenn. and not only have never had a problem with them on any level, but excellent customer service which is king in my book. Give them a try.
Those are all of the sites I know of. Some of them I have never heard any reviews from personally, except lensprotogo.com which my friends have used a lot. They all have various selections of lenses for you to choose from.
Personally I rent locally because I'm lucky enough to have a rental place a few mins from my house, and they don't put a hold on your credit card for the value of the equipment like Calumet and Samy's do.
I guess it ended up being a toss up between lensrentals.com, & borrowlenses.com and I went with BorrowLenses, mostly because I could find my lens faster (oh, and Corey - I got the 85mm /1.4, ... just had to try it, since I can't find the $$ right now to buy it ... since I don't *really* need it)
One more question. How long do you usually rent equipment for? It looks like it gets "cheaper" the longer you rent it for ... just wasn't really sure what to do as I only wanted to try the lens. I only got it for 3 days, will have it with me on 3 shoots, so it won't give me much room to play, but I guess I will get a tasty-taste.
Thanks again for your quick responses, I appreciate it
I've rented for longer so I could get as much use as possible. I think 10 days or 2 weeks? I just bought the 85 1.4, and love it. I've rented the 24-70 several times, and found it very useful. I shoot far more portraits than wedding, though.
FWIW, you could look into glassandgear.com (I have no affiliation with them) and you could pick up locally at Hunt's in Harvard Square or Kenmore Square (or other locations as well, see their website). There's a little price break for pickup vs. shipped, and you could have it sooner, if that matters to you. Obviously if you're planning out well in advance, the shipping time should be no problem. Anyway, just wanted to let you know that there is a local place that seems to get good reviews. I've never rented any gear, and I'm sure borrowlenses is wonderful, but they are 3k miles away as opposed to a short drive to a local place.
For those north of the border here in Canada, I cater to many wedding photographers.
We've tested a "wedding package" over the last 2 months (quietly with the locals) and it has been more than well received. The package includes a Canon 7D with grip, EF24-70f2.8L, EF70-200f2.8L & 580EXII flash for less than $200 (Can) for a 3 day weekend. This covers the most popular wedding days so it's possible to shoot two weddings and perhaps a portrait/engagement session on the Sunday for a very economical price.
Two of the four weekends in Sept are booked already. I think the US rental outlets should offer a similar service to Wedding photographers for it's a prolific industry. If nothing else, use the rental gear as your prime and own equipment as a back-up. I realize most pro's will want the full frame, but this package was simply a test. Adding the 5D MkII to the package would be an obvious next step.
Canon 7D, EF 15mm Fisheye, EF 400 f2.8, EF 300f2.8, EF 100-400L IS, EF 70-200 f2.8, EF24-70 f2.8, 580EX II. Manfrotto mono, 055 ProB, 701 Video head. First SLR Zenith B, 12th Birthday 1972.
Martin.
Aaaaaaanybody?
Comments
perfect service last time on the PC-45mm.
14-24 24-70 70-200mm (vr2)
85 and 50 1.4
45 PC and sb910 x2
http://www.danielkimphotography.com
even then, they are cheaper than the local place
for landscape and sports shooting. Have been very happy with them, used them at least 5 times so far and getting ready to rent again next month when I head out to the Southwest.
Stephanie
*** In the interest of fairness and full disclosure: LensRentals.com now sponsors my SMUG Group, but they didn't at the time I posted this reply. ***
Neal Jacob
[URL="http://nealjacob.com/twitter"]Twitter[/URL]|[B][URL="http://photos.nealjacob.com"]SmugMug[/URL][/B
Those are all of the sites I know of. Some of them I have never heard any reviews from personally, except lensprotogo.com which my friends have used a lot. They all have various selections of lenses for you to choose from.
Personally I rent locally because I'm lucky enough to have a rental place a few mins from my house, and they don't put a hold on your credit card for the value of the equipment like Calumet and Samy's do.
(Pro Photo Connection in Irvine CA)
=Matt=
My SmugMug Portfolio • My Astro-Landscape Photo Blog • Dgrin Weddings Forum
| Canon EOS 7D | Canon 18-135mm IS | Canon 70-200mm f/4L IS |Canon 50mm f/1.4 |
Interested in hearing cc
http://angelapace.smugmug.com
http://angelapacephotog.blogspot.com
I guess it ended up being a toss up between lensrentals.com, & borrowlenses.com and I went with BorrowLenses, mostly because I could find my lens faster (oh, and Corey - I got the 85mm /1.4, ... just had to try it, since I can't find the $$ right now to buy it ... since I don't *really* need it)
One more question. How long do you usually rent equipment for? It looks like it gets "cheaper" the longer you rent it for ... just wasn't really sure what to do as I only wanted to try the lens. I only got it for 3 days, will have it with me on 3 shoots, so it won't give me much room to play, but I guess I will get a tasty-taste.
Thanks again for your quick responses, I appreciate it
Caroline
My site 365 Project
We've tested a "wedding package" over the last 2 months (quietly with the locals) and it has been more than well received. The package includes a Canon 7D with grip, EF24-70f2.8L, EF70-200f2.8L & 580EXII flash for less than $200 (Can) for a 3 day weekend. This covers the most popular wedding days so it's possible to shoot two weddings and perhaps a portrait/engagement session on the Sunday for a very economical price.
Two of the four weekends in Sept are booked already. I think the US rental outlets should offer a similar service to Wedding photographers for it's a prolific industry. If nothing else, use the rental gear as your prime and own equipment as a back-up. I realize most pro's will want the full frame, but this package was simply a test. Adding the 5D MkII to the package would be an obvious next step.
Cheers.
Martin
:photoCanada Lens Rentals - Come join us on Facebook
Canon 7D, EF 15mm Fisheye, EF 400 f2.8, EF 300f2.8, EF 100-400L IS, EF 70-200 f2.8, EF24-70 f2.8, 580EX II. Manfrotto mono, 055 ProB, 701 Video head.
First SLR Zenith B, 12th Birthday 1972.
Martin.