Have you ever really wanted to try a lens before you purchased?  Or maybe you have a photo shoot or a vacation that particular lens would be great for but you don’t want to make the investment yet.

When things like this come up I know many people go to lens rental sites to rent camas, lenses, and other equiment.  The main place that I have heard of is LensRentals.com as they seem to have the most availability as well as the nicest site.   There are a few others out there as well such as BorrowLenses.com, TheLensDepot.com, and CameraLensRentals.  These sites allow for day(s), week, and month rentals of equipment to fit your needs.  Granted the prices go up the longer you rent but what else would you expect?

I beging to question at what point you purchase rather than rent though.  There are several lenses and cameras that if you have them for 1 week, and rent multiple times, one would be close to purchasing.  Are there particular reasons to rent rather than purchase?  At what point do you determine to purchase rather than rent?

For now my needs are not so great as to need all of these lenses and to make regular rentals so I am still new to the idea.  I definitely think a 3 day rental would be worth the cost of you are seriously contemplating the purchase of an expensive piece of equipment.  Nothing is ever as great as knowing exactly what you are purchasing.