Renting Or Buying

If you are someone like me who does't have a ton of money to blow on camera gear, renting might be a good option for a number of reasons. However it is not without its faults and drawbacks. One of the biggest benefits to renting is that you can use better gear when you need to without having to spend a ton of money buying it. That way if you are doing a job that needs a special lens or higher resolution camera, you can add the rental expense to the budget and charge the client accordingly. This is the principal rental houses have operated on for most of their existence. As more people have picked up DSLRs and similar equipment, these options have expanded to hobbyists and semi pros. 

A few years ago I was preparing for a trip to Yellowstone National Park with my grandpa. I had a T3i and a 50mm. A friend of mine lent me a 14mm but what I really wanted to capture was the wildlife. I looked into rental services, and for about $200 dollars I could rent a 100-400mm for the duration of the trip. This was a big deal because the lens itself is well into the $2000 price range. I rented the lens and used it for the duration of the trip.

It can be a little nerve-wracking using equipment you can't afford to replace. I was extra careful with the lens, making sure not to do anything too stupid. Most professional photographers have insurance to cover the cost if anything were to happen. I bought the damage waiver through the rental site but there is a lot it didn't cover. Luckily nothing happened and the lens was returned in the condition I received it in.

A few years later, I had the opportunity to go on a trip to Nepal and once again I looked into rental possibilities. I wanted a camera body with better low light and higher dynamic range than my t3i.  My trip was coming up and I received my rental Canon 7D mk ii, then the next day, Nepal suffered a devastating earth-quake. My trip was canceled and I got in touch with the rental company about sending it back early. Luckily they refunded most of the rental, but I still ended up spending nearly $200 for a camera I did't get to use.

About six months later the group I was with starting to talk to our contacts in Nepal about how things were coming along, and they informed us everything had calmed down enough to make the trip. When looking into rentals again, I realized that if I spent what it would be to rent a camera again, I will have spent nearly half of what it would cost to upgrade my camera. So instead of renting, I ended up buying a 6D. I was able to get a payment plan through Amazon that allowed me to pay it off over a year. I figured I would end up renting another camera at some point anyway. It turned out to be a good investment because I have used that camera a lot since I bought it. It has helped with everything from jobs to my personal photography.

When spending money on equipment, I thinks it's very important to weigh these options. There are going to be times where the equipment you need is for a specific task, and you probably shouldn't spend the full price on the item. Other times, it's worth it to save up and invest in equipment that will further your career goals or improve your capabilities. If it's a really big investment; you can always combine these strategies by renting equipment to try before you buy. Every time I spend money on gear, I try to think about how often I will use the equipment, as well as if I can use it for work that will make money back. Depending one these factors, I'll either rent equipment, rent it before buying it, buy it used, or buy it out right if I know I'll use it a lot.

Obviously every situation and photographer is different, and you'll have to weigh these options for yourself. I hope this article was helpful, feel free to leave any suggestions or experiences in the comments. I've also included a couple links to rental companies I have used, as well as the places I buy most of my equipment.

Rental Websites: BorrowLenses.com -  Lumoid.com.

New Gear: BHphotovideo.com - Amazon.com 

Used Gear: (Affiliate Link) KEH.com