For the past week, I have had the absolute pleasure of dealing with LensRentals.com. They provided the Sigma 120-400mm lens I used for my review series. I rented the lens from them, along with a "copy" of a Wimberly Gimbal tripod head, just as if I were any other customer.
I had several questions before the rental, about things like shipping to a work address where the package would have to come through a mail room, what sorts of problems they had seen with the particular lens when used with Canon 40D and Rebel XTi bodies, etc. Kristin cheerfully answered all my e-mail message.
One thing I found surprising about LensRentals.com is that they do not require a deposit, as do all of the local rental houses (typical deposits are equal to the purchase price of whatever it is you're renting), and the rates are extremely reasonable. They've built their business model on honesty and integrity, and that seems to be the kind of clients that they've attracted, as they tell me that they have never had any serious problems with people not returning equipment.
I finally decided to pull the plug and make the rental arrangements, and opted for a one week rental period. I ordered on Tuesday, and the package arrived on Thursday as promised, with my one week rental period set to begin on Friday!
On Wednesday, began to wonder about extending my rental by three days to cover the next weekend. Since LensRentals was planning to sell their stock of 120-400's, I also inquired about purchasing. Again, my email was very quickly answered by Kristin. They would, if desired, be able to accomodate my extending the rental for a very reasonable fee. I decided, instead, that I would purchase the lens and send the tripod mount back on time, so, the following day I called to make the arrangements.
Again, Kristin was very helpful, and the transaction was complete in about 5 minutes.
Based on my experience, and that of other folks I've e-mailed over the past couple of weeks, I can whole-heartedly endorse LensRentals.com. They have a fairly wide variety of lenses for both Canon and Nikon cameras, as well as broad array of accessories. They even rent camera bodies, including the very latest models from both Canon and Nikon.
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