A few months back I took a trip to Page Arizona and I mentioned the fact that I rented the Nikon 14-24mm Wide Angle lens ($1,600). I also mentioned that I would tell you more about the company I rented it from. Well I’m finally getting around to it. I was reminded about this great service in two ways recently. One way was that it was mentioned on a recent episode of Nikon DTown TV and the other is that I have a family reunion coming up in a couple of weeks.
Sometimes renting is better
Let’s face it. You could go broke buying all the really nice lenses that are out there today. While I have no problem spending money on something that I’ll use and benefit from, there are just some things that I won’t use enough to justify the price of ownership. I have all the lenses I need for my day to day shooting. However, there are those special events that come up once or twice a year that you really need a specialty lens. For example, maybe you’re shooting a sporting event that will only happen once for you because you’re not a regular sports user. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a nice 200-400mm lens or maybe a 200mm f/2.0 lens? Well those lenses cost many thousands of dollars. So instead of buying them and only using them a couple of times a year, why not rent them for much much less?
To buy the Nikon 200-400mm lens would be $6,280. However, to rent it for a week would only cost $250.
To buy the Nikon 200mm f/2.0 lens would be $4,900. However, to rent it for a week would only cost $175.
LensPro To Go
These guys were great to work with! I met them personally at the last Photoshop World Conference and tried them out for my last vacation. Not only was the service very trouble free, I got to use the really nice glass that I really wanted to take and for a price that was really reasonable and well within my budget. You order the lens you want directly from their website. They offer insurance which I highly recommend, because it’s one thing to pay for a really nice lens, it’s another to pay for one that’s not even yours because it got damaged! My lens arrived in a really good Pelican case along with the Fedex prepaid airbill to ship it back.
The Bottom Line
If you need a really nice lens but won’t be using it often, LensPro To Go is your answer! Check them out here.
Thanks for the link Terry. I haven’t tried LensPro To Go before. I have used LensRentals.com, with good success. I only compared a couple of Nikon lenses, but LensRentals.com seems to be a little cheaper. YMMV
Rick
I also used them for the Nikon 14-24mm lens on a family vacation. Excellent customer service and top quality product. I will be using them for every lens rental now.
Another good place to rent from is Rentglass.com. They have excellent customer service, very reasonable rates and awesome turn around times. They are located in central FL and offer the option to pick up the lens in person if you need it stat. HTH!
LensProToGo is awesome! Love them 🙂
Another great reason to rent is to try before you buy. I’ve just rented a 1.4x and 1.7x teleconverter from http://www.lensesforhire.co.uk here in the UK. Their service is 1st class and is a great way to try out gear before you buy.
I’ve used LensProToGo.com for a while, always great service, the lenses are in great shape!
The only problem I’ve discovered is the “Yep, I really need that lens now…” after you’ve had it for a week!
I’ve used LensProtoGo and they are wonderful!
They’ve also agreed to help me on a Charity Event I’m photographing.
Each lens comes in a Pelican case protecting both of us.
Use them!
I had used LensProtoGo back in April and rented the Nikon 70-200 2.8 VR – The company is local to me and he offered me a no shipping cost if I picked it up…Done! Great lens, great service and excellent experience overall.
I had used something similar: LensLocker I hired lenses two different times and I recommend their services to all the people that doesn’t want to spend lots of money because they need the product for a short period..
http://www.lenslocker.co.uk/