Renting Lenses- a great way to try out lenses

As a relatively new photographer, at least with a digital SLR, I do not have very many lenses for my camera. Choosing that next lenses can be a challenge because there are so many different lenses on the market and because good lenses are expensive you don't want to buy one that you will not use because it does not suit how you shoot.

Sometimes you know from what you like to shoot what lens you want/need. I knew that I needed a Macro lens because I love to shoot flowers and insects up close. I researched which lens would suit my needs and budget. The budget is always a factor because I know very few people who do not have to worry about the expense of lenses. This does not mean that cheaper is better, no often you have to seriously consider which level lens will meet your needs. Sometimes only the top level lenses will meet your needs and sometimes you can go a level below because you do not need everything on the top level lenses.

This was the case with my Macro lens. I knew that I needed a Macro lens because I loved shooting flowers and insects up close and this would take a macro lens. I choose a Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro instead of the L version of this lens. The reason is that while I would love to have image stabilizing on the lens most of my close up work is on a tripod and the non L lens was about half the cost of the L lens and is an excellent lens.

For my next lens I know that I want a telephoto zoom that is longer and sharper than my walk around lens. I have not been sure which lens would fit my needs. In order to make sure that I buy the lens that I will use I decided to rent lenses to try them out.

Another reason to rent lenses is when you need a specialty lens but will not use it enough to justify the cost of the lens. This can be very true with super telephoto lens.

There are several companies that rent lenses. I asked several photographers about renting lens and they said that both lens rentals and borrow lenses are good companies to work with, but that they liked Lens Rentals a little bit better because if you reserve a lens you are guaranteed the lens even if they have to buy one. I have used Lens Rentals and have been very pleased with them.

I was looking at the zoom starting at 70mm and zooming longer.

I was thinking that I might want a zoom that zoomed up to 300mm. I rented several 70-300mm lenses and discovered that I did not care for the lens.

I first rented the Canon 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS. I did not like this lens. It felt like it was jerky and the lens rotated to focus which meant that I could not use a circular polarizing filter. I like to use a circular polarizing filter outside especially on sunny days so not being able to use one would not suit me. I will admit that the lens was sharper that my regular and was not too heavy to use but still I could tell that if I bought this lens I would not be happy with it and probably would not use it often.

I rented next the Canon 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS. I didn't care for this lens either. It was smooth in using and I could use the same filters that were on my regular lens, but it was heavy and felt it had to big of a diameter for me to hold comfortably. I also found that if felt awkward on my camera to me. The images I took with this lens were sharper that the non L lens. I could tell that I could see owning at some point in the future a 300mm or longer telephoto lens to use on my tripod for some occasions but I will wait a while before I consider buying it.

I decided not to rent any other 70-300mm telephoto zooms. I could tell that this was a just a bit long for regular use for me. I try another lens of this length by borrowing it from a friend and still did not care for that lens.

I recently rented a Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II. I loved this lens. On a recently trip to Wyoming this lens was often on my camera. It fit my hand well and while it was heavy I could still use it all day without a problem. It is a very versatile lens. I wish that I had a circular polarizing filter that fit it but it is a different size that my regular lens. I could easily see using it a lot. The big downside to this lens is the cost. I will also consider the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS, the model just before this one, because it is an extremely sharp lens but it a little less expensive.

I am planning on renting wide angle lenses and other telephoto lenses.

I wish that I had a wide angle lenses with me on our trip to Wyoming but I know that this is a lenses that I probably will not ever own because I do not see using it enough to justify the costs.

I also plan to rent more telephoto lens so I can see which length that I feel comfortable working with enough to justify owning. I do want to do more astrophotography so a longer lens will be needed.

I think that renting lenses is a great way to try out lenses to see if the lenses will work with the way you shoot or if it is a lenses that you will not use enough to justify the cost of the lens. The cost to rent lenses has seemed reasonable to me, rental lengths range from a little as 4 days to as long as 90 days. You do have a choice with both of the companies, I have mentioned, of adding insurance or not. I added insurance when I knew that I was flying, even though I was carrying my photography equipment, I still wanted to peace of mind. I did not add the insurance on a road trip because I felt comfortable about keeping the lens safe.