Looking to test out a camera or lens before you buy it? Or maybe you have an upcoming gig where you need a specific camera for a week. Or maaaaybe you want to get your hands on that sweet new Fujifilm to play with it for a little while. (X100V or XT4, yeah, I’m looking at you)
Enter Lensrentals
They’re a photography/videography-related gear rental service. Offering a ton of items including but not limited to; camera bodies, lenses, tripods, flashes, tethering kits, SD cards, video gimbals, cases, etc.
They carry all the major brands and make the rental process pretty dang easy.
I’ve rented from them 4 times over the last couple of years, for various reasons. And wanted to offer up my thoughts on their service.
*But first, my full disclosure*
I am now an official affiliate member of Lensrentals, and they provided me with a rental credit in exchange for writing a review. But the thoughts included here are my own and were not influenced by the credit.
I used the service 3 times before becoming an affiliate member and was already considering writing a review of the service, so this just sweetened the pot.
I saw it as a win-win!
With that out of the way, I’ll drop that affiliate link and Lensrentals promo code for 15% off at the end of the post. I will receive a small commission if any gear/items are rented via that affiliate link.
The Process
The journey starts at Lensrentals.com, browse through their selection of cameras/lens/gear using the search or drop-down options via categories and then brands.
Once you find your item, review the rental page for details/specs, recommendations, Q&A’s as well as what’s actually included in the rental itself.
My camera body rentals normally include the necessary battery, battery charger, camera strap, camera cap & a simple camera carry bag. But double-check for each of your items.
Next, select your preferred rental dates. The price adjusts as you adjust the rental dates. Then add to cart.
Repeat for other items needed. And double check to make sure the dates match up. Like if you need to rent a camera body, repeat the process for the lens, flash, SD card, or whatever you may need.
Checkout & Shipping
Once everything is added to the cart, go to the cart and begin your checkout. Again, make sure the dates are what you wanted for the items.
Review the available insurance options if applicable. There’s No Lenscap Protection Plan, Lenscap: Damage Only, and Lenscap+: Damage & Theft. From what I’ve seen, the Lenscap: Damage Only plan is selected by default, but I recommend reading through the coverage to make sure you know exactly what option you’ll be choosing (or not choosing).
Next are the shipping options. They offer classic Delivery, FedEx, and Pickup. Delivery is self-explanatory, and Pickup is for you to pick up at either of their two pickup locations: Cordova, TN, or Brentwood, TN. But my favorite option and go-to is the FedEx option.
By selecting the FedEx option, the rental is delivered to a FedEx location, so they can hold it until you’re free to pick it up.
This is huge for me. And I imagine it is huge for anybody working a big job on a time constraint that doesn’t live near a pickup location. By having it delivered to FedEx, they initially sign it for you. Then they hold it and notify you of its arrival so you can come to pick it up when you are free to do so.
It saves me the hassle of being home to sign for the package. I can pick up the package at my own convenience.
Now, shipping costs do hurt a little bit, but that added cost works in your favor as the camera/lens arrives in a rock-solid hard case. I’d rather pay that shipping cost than have the camera/lens arrive broke or Lensrentals get busted items back after I shipped them unbroken.
Play & Return
Once home and you finally open up that well-packed shipping box, you’ll see that Lensrentals has laid out everything to try and make it as easy as possible to return once that time comes around.
This includes both a return label as well as some shipping tape to seal it back up before sending it off. So don’t trash anything when opening the package.
When it comes time to return the camera, you can even track the package back to them. Just look under your ‘Orders’ in the ‘Account’ section.
Now, enjoy your rental and go take some sweet pics! (Or video)
Wrapping Up
This is normally where’d I have a section on their support or customer service, but I’ve actually never had an issue or any reason to contact their support. So I feel I can’t really touch on that.
The service has been awesome for me, so I highly recommend checking them out!
Especially with the number of items to choose from and the ability to choose FedEx as a delivery spot. They’re even pretty good about getting new cameras up for rental pretty quickly.
I got my hands on the Fujifilm X100V pretty quickly after its wide release and was close to doing that with the Fujifilm XT4, but I chose to test out the Fujifilm GFX 50R instead. I had never shot with a medium-format camera and loved it!
If you’re interested in testing out some new gear or getting prepped for a big gig, copy/paste this Lensrentals promo code ‘DAP15’ to get 15% off your order, and use this link Lensrentals.com to get started.
Enjoy the rental(s). Drop a comment below if you’ve used Lensrentals.com or will check it out soon!
**Update just added my Youtube video as well!**
Cheers
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6 Reasons I Fell In Love With The Fujifilm GFX 50R
The Fujifilm X100V Is Amazing But Should I Trade In My X100F?
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