renting a second body

i'll be shooting some weddings this year and right now the number i have booked doesn't justify purchasing a second/backup body.

i plan to rent but i'm concerned with the reliability of a rental body? should i be or do they generally come in great working condition?

ive rented lenses with no problems before.

It's back up so you do not need the best camera out there. For the price of rentals, I think you could pick up a nice 40D. It think they are going for 200 to 250..

Everything I've rented from lensrentals.com -- bodies & lenses -- has come in perfect working condition.

Lensrentals has great gear. You shouldn't have anything to worry about.

MichiTimm wrote in post #17423926
Everything I've rented from lensrentals.com -- bodies & lenses -- has come in perfect working condition.

Ditto. Been renting from them for over three years. NEVER had a problem with any rental not functioning properly. They're the best in the business IMO. Rest assured, if you have a problem, they'll make it right.

It's a backup. IT could be a three generation old Rebel or something. Or a 5D version 1, those are going pretty cheap nowadays.

You can get a 50D for like $300 these days. This is an emergency camera, you don't have to make it identical, just good enough to finish the job.

tkbslc wrote in post #17431791
You can get a 50D for like $300 these days. This is an emergency camera, you don't have to make it identical, just good enough to finish the job.

Or a 5D Classic for around 550$ esp if all your other gear is full-frame. This way it also serves as a second body rather than just a backup.

I restarted with a 20D and a 350D for backup when I had all my gear stolen one particular day. Served me well for a lot of images. Today I'd probably go with a 600D/650D and a used 50D combination.

It depends on how many weddings you're photographing. I have never had a camera fail on me yet but if I were you I would buy a second hand camera to have just in case. A 5D or a 1d Mk3 (buy the later models) are bargains. I have a 1d MK3 and it is quite an exceptional camera. Renting costs do add up fast. You can then sell the camera with little loss in cash when you have finished if you want.

I'd rather take a 5Dc or a 50D rather than a 1D Mk3. Not sure if the size, weight and awkward crop are worthwhile for weddings. We end up having to use Full frame lenses and get a cropped image nonetheless. With a crop body like 50D the cheaper lenses do the job adequately at smaller size, weight and cost while a 5D will use the same lenses as the primary body and give a same angle of view keeping it consistent. I'm certainly partial to the 5D having used it for almost 8 long years and love the IQ, while the 50D on Magic lantern is a whole lot of fun at a cheaper cost.