Whether you are looking for the best place to rent camera lenses to decide which option you need to buy or you want to find a specific lens for a one-time gig, take a look at the options below.
In this article, I have compiled a list of the companies that allow you to borrow professional photography equipment and get help in choosing the lens. After registering on these platforms, you will easily find the most suitable lens for your project.
These services have catalogs of lenses that might be too expensive for beginner photographers as they cost about $1000. For instance, 70-200mm lenses are quite pricey, even though they aren’t used often by photographers.
The terms of a rented agreement depend on the type of lens. The price might range from $30 to $600 for 7 days. All these services are available only for the U.S. Some of them don’t ship products to Alaska and Hawaii.
Verdict: BorrowLenses is a popular camera lens rental with stores in Boston and San Francisco. You can select any rental period that suits you. For instance, you can rent a lens for fashion photography for 1-2 days or longer. Clients can pick up and drop off lenses at 300+ UPS locations in the U.S. Besides, all the items can be shipped across the country.
The company offers free delivery for a 2-day order the price of which exceeds $149. Here, you can find a variety of brands, such as lenses for Fuji XT4 and other less popular brands.
The prices are quite affordable. If you are looking for a Canon wedding lens, such as the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM, you can get it for the price of $58 for 1 week. In most cases, you won’t need to pay a deposit. You will be charged after your item gets shipped.
Verdict: Pro Photo Rental is a reliable company offering a wide range of photography gear, including accessories. You can rent items for a period of 4-90 days. The catalog includes top-notch macro lenses.
Another advantage of this service is that you won’t be charged extra if you decide to extend a rental period. The company doesn’t have any penalty fees for cancellations before shipping.
Unlike other companies, this lens rental uses Pelican cases for shipping. Due to this, you can be sure that your lens won’t get damaged during shipping. What makes it different from the rest is that it allows you to rent photography equipment from other brands as well, such as DJI, GoPro, Hoya, Rokinon, and Sigma lenses.
If you decide to rent Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG Art (Nikon Mount), you will need to pay from $38 per day. In case the price of your order exceeds $75, you can get free ground shipping.
Verdict: Lensrental is a convenient service for renting high-quality photography gear. It lists products released by many well-known brands, including Canon accessories.
The site has a convenient catalog where you can select suitable parameters by using filters and select a lens with the desired aperture and focal length. For instance, you can quickly rent a lens for newborn photography or opt for a professional wide angle lens.
What I like the most about this company is that it allows you to order not only a lens but also the whole package, for instance, for wildlife photography. Such a package includes a camera, two telephoto lenses, batteries, a lens support stack, and memory cards.
You can easily find an option at a suitable price. To get Canon RF 50mm f/1.2L, you will need to pay $79 for 7 days. The company is based in Tennessee. You can pick up a lens there or at other available locations, such as Nashville or Memphis.
Verdict: Aperturent is a great option for those who are looking for a lens for real estate photography from such well-known brands as Canon and Nikon. You can sort the items by brand, lens type, and lens range. The minimal rental period is 3 days. It should not exceed 90 days.
In most cases, when placing an order, you don’t need to pay a deposit, however, you need to sign up and wait until your account gets verified. It usually takes up to 3 business hours. The pricing policy is quite flexible, but you won’t be able to see the price until you select the period. For instance, it will cost you $43 to rent Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L for 3 days. You will also need to pay $10 for basic insurance coverage.
What I find to be especially useful about this camera lens rental is that you can see in which states or cities a product is available. Then, you can either pick it up or order shipping. The company also offers generous discounts to those who rent equipment frequently.
Verdict: Lens Pro To Go is a lens rental with an extensive catalog of lenses for wedding photography as well as lenses for different genres. Here, you can find Panasonic lenses as well. The company also has a choice of camera bodies, tripods, lighting equipment, and other gear, including products for shooting videos and recording audio.
You can rent any piece of equipment for 1-2 days or 4 weeks, depending on your needs. After ordering an item, you can pick it up from a local Concord office or FedEx and UPS collection points.
The team includes talented photographers with different levels of experience, so you can be sure that your questions will be answered quickly and professionally. To help you save time, the team sorted the lenses by their type.
You can select the Tilt-Shift or Telephoto section and see all the available models together with prices. For instance, you can rent Canon 70-200 f/2.8L IS for 1 week for $95. This price includes shipping.
Verdict: Adorama Rentals boasts an impressive choice of products, including lenses, lighting equipment, camera bodies, and a variety of accessories. Here, you can find products released by world-known brands, such as Sony A7 lenses or products released by Hasselblad and Leica. You can either pay a single-day fee or opt for full-week and 3-day weekend rates.
The ordering process is different from the one you might see on other platforms. Here, you need to first select a rental period and indicate how you want to receive a lens. Then, you will see a catalog of the available options and dates. If the option that you want to rent is available, you can place your order. However, for some options, such as lenses for portraits, you might need to get a price quote.
Verdict: ShareGrid is an aggregator site for those who want to borrow lens and other photography equipment. Here, you can directly contact the owners of the lenses. The catalog includes different lenses for product photography that aren’t available in stores. You can rent, buy, and sell gear as well as hire a photographer or rent a studio.
The site is extremely easy to use and has a map with prices. You can select one or multiple brands at the same time. There are 15 brands of photo and cinema lenses available on the site. You can rent a lens for 1 day or up to 90 days.
This platform also allows you to find local photographers and rent their cameras, drones, and video camera accessories. The moderation team checks every profile to create a safe community for everyone. The prices are quite affordable, for instance, I saw a listing offering Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM for $5.
Cost Per Day. If you decided to rent camera lenses, remember that the price will depend on the number of days you are going to use them. In case you opt for a shorter period, the price per day will be typically higher. This is why it’s crucial to select a rental service that offers huge discounts on long-term rentals.
Insurance Coverage. Different companies have different insurance policies. Pay attention to their terms and conditions to see which cases are covered by your insurance. Some companies offer full coverage for damage and theft.
There is no need to buy insurance from a rental service, but it can save you a lot of money in case something goes wrong. If you use a camera with insurance coverage, you might be able to add coverage for your rented lens to it.
Shipping. The shipping cost largely depends on a location of a client and the desired delivery time. The price can range from $25 to $150. Some companies include free shipping. There are also rental agencies that provide free shipping services to those clients who pay a fee that is higher than a specific value.
Most companies cover only standard shipping, however, you can pay an extra fee if you want to order expedited shipping. To minimize your expenses, you can ask a company to ship a lens to a UPS/FedEx office nearby or a local store.
