Have you ever wished for a particular camera or lens but haven’t been able to afford it? Perhaps you simply want to test it out in real-life environments, such as when traveling, at your children’s sports events, or at a special occasion, to see how it performs.
I’ve been in that situation. (There’s always a new piece of camera gear I’m coveting.) Glass is a girl’s best friend, after all.)
The answer to this conundrum is sometimes to be satisfied with what you have and view the limitations it places as a creative opportunity in your photography game. However, there are times when–for reasons of convenience or creativity–renting camera equipment may be beneficial.
I’ve rented cameras and lenses several times throughout the years, and I’m going to share the lowdown on when you should rent equipment when you shouldn’t, and how (and where) to do it in this post. I’ll also share a few of my insider secrets to make the rental experience more pleasurable.
Reasons to rent camera gear
To test it out before a purchase
This is the most important reason I’d advocate renting a camera or lens. When you’re ready to upgrade your camera, it’s usually worth considering renting before purchasing.
I think it’s a good idea to schedule your rental period with something like a short vacation or special event when you know you’ll be using your camera. This allows you to use it in a variety of lighting conditions and for various sorts of subjects while also getting an idea of what it’s like to carry it all day.
Specialty lenses
There are times when you may wish to employ a specialist lens that you don’t use all the time, thus it wouldn’t be worth purchasing. If you’re going on a once-in-a-lifetime wildlife safari, it’s probably not worth spending thousands of dollars on one. Although this isn’t something that happens very often, renting
Reasons not to rent camera gear
To play with new gear!
You can’t live life without a budget, but regardless of your financial situation, you must be savvy when it comes to costs. Renting might be an option for some people since they don’t have a specific budget, but for the most part, we should all be mindful of price. In the long run, renting is not as cost
The allure is real—but I don’t want to encourage you to waste money by renting only to rent, and then having to rent again to save up for a new piece of gear.
How (and where) can you rent cameras and lenses?
If you live near a respectable camera shop, there’s a chance they will have equipment for rent. The major advantages of renting locally are that you won’t have to pay to ship, it is easier to obtain a last-minute or single-day rental, and you’re supporting a local company (something I always advocate!).
However, many of us do not have that option, and internet rentals make it simple to obtain a range of equipment. Why not check out Pro Motion Hire which specializes in camera equipment hire.
Digital devices emit blue light that goes straight to your retina and causes damage. Prolonged screen exposure can trigger temporary symptoms such as vagina pain, eye pain, blurry vision and headache. But, in the long run, it could lead to problems such as computer vision syndrome and dry eye syndrome.
