Renting a lens

you have to pay a deposit to rent a lens, or only charge the card if something happens to the lens?

with rentglass.com you can pay a few bucks extra for insurance so you dont even have to worry about that. the number i gave included that cost

Buy a used lens on Craigslist locally. Use it on your vacation and then sell it when you get back.

With a little luck, you can sell it for what you paid for it.

Try Barry..He'll answer your questions and give you great service as do most of the outfits mentioned . CameraLensRentals.com

msowsun wrote in post #9814772
Buy a used lens on Craigslist locally. Use it on your vacation and then sell it when you get back.

With a little luck, you can sell it for what you paid for it.

x2

I was gonna say almost the samething.

Buy it used from the forums, use it on vacation, then sale it. You can almost sell it for almost the same price .

LensRentals looks like a good deal to me. I am planning on renting from them a few times this summer. For me anyways it makes sense compared to buying and then selling. If you accidentally break something that you plan to sell then that will put a huge dent in your resale value.

Jardiniboy wrote in post #9816031
x2

I was gonna say almost the samething.

Buy it used from the forums, use it on vacation, then sale it. You can almost sell it for almost the same price .

x3, I find renting waytoo expensive. Might as well buy and re-sell later.

Bradfordguy wrote in post #9821004
x3, I find renting way too expensive. Might as well buy and re-sell later.

if you look at the OP they said they "can't afford it" which could mean they couldn't buy it anyways.

That was the same case when I rented from lensrentals.com. I rented a T1i, 100mm macro, and 24-70 f/2.8 for two and a half weeks for like $400. To buy all these items would have been close to $2000 which i didn't have. I was going to shoot my cousin-in-laws wedding any my wife needed a camera as well so I had to have the gear. Shooting the wedding was our gift to them.

I think renting is a good way to try an expensive lens before putting down over a thousand for it (like the 24-70). It all comes down to what works for each person, this was just my 2 cents

scubthebub wrote in post #9821777
if you look at the OP they said they "can't afford it" which could mean they couldn't buy it anyways.

If you can afford a vacation, you should be able to afford to buy a used lens, and then sell it a few weeks later for a little less. (or a little more if you can)

The danger is you will love the lens so much, you won't want to return it.

If I think I might want to keep it, I would buy used, mull it over and then if I didn't like I could resell later at minimal loss. There is still a hassle factor, luck, shipping costs, paypal/ebay feels, etc. It's rarely a total break even thing - especially if you don't have the luxury of spending lots of time looking for the best deal.

If I knew for a fact I was not going to keep it, $50 for a weeks' rental is probably safer and hassle free.

conbu19 wrote in post #9815483
Try Barry..He'll answer your questions and give you great service as do most of the outfits mentioned . CameraLensRentals.com

Another vote for Barry and CameraLensRentals.com
Good guy to do business with.

msowsun wrote in post #9821862
The danger is you will love the lens so much, you won't want to return it.

I didn't want to send back the 24-70 f/2.8L

Are there any alternatives to rental insurance? Like a yearly insurance policy that I can take out through some sort of agent that can cover damage to any rented items?

Talk to your insurance agent -- they can probably work something out for you that covers any equipment under your control.

Rental insurance through us is pretty cheap though. Usually just $10-15 or so.

markol wrote in post #9823880
Talk to your insurance agent -- they can probably work something out for you that covers any equipment under your control.

Rental insurance through us is pretty cheap though. Usually just $10-15 or so.

I suppose if I was a heavy renter that would be a good idea. I was just thinking out loud I suppose.

If you can say, do you have a insurance policy that the rental insurance premiums go towards, or do the rental insurance premiums just go into a fund to replace damaged equipment?