lovely

borrowing lenses is a good thing

In preparation for “helping” out with the Bid Day festivities, I rented a 35mm (1.4) lens from borrowlenses.com to capture some great photos from the day for the girls. It was super easy to order it online and pick it up from a local store, and despite using it for the first time on the spot and not having a full-frame camera, the photos turned out really great.

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I kept the lens for the week in order to be able to return it on time, and snapped a few other shots over the weekend. That’s when I realized I had gotten myself hooked on the good stuff… and now going back to my other lenses just won’t be the same. It’s the evil taste of amazing wine when you know you can’t buy the bottle, or knowing just how beautiful a well tailored dress fits in a price range far exceeding your own.

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But, then again, it’s nice to know that an amazing piece of technology can be in your hands for a few days if you really really need it… and that at the rental prices it’s not really out of your league. I’m thinking that renting a lens for special occasions might be completely appropriate, especially since there’s no need to spend oodles of money on film and developing costs like we used to back in the day.

I whole heartedly recommend borrowlenses.com to try out some lenses if you’re looking to buy in the future… but just beware that you might not want to give them back!

9 Comments

  • Jen

    I rented a really nice lens for landscape photography. I’m taking it up to the mountains this weekend. I’m really excited! I plan on renting something great for the balloon fiesta next month as well. This could become addictive.

  • Megan

    Oh I’m glad to have a recommendation for a lens rental company! I’ve rented a lens from my local store before but they were actually quite pricey, so I’ve been meaning to try out an online retailer. I really want a 35mm lens too but I’m afraid to try it in case I love it. :D Maybe the Sigma 30mm would be a good option instead?

  • carly

    We rented a lens for our NYC trip and it was one of the best travel decisions we’ve ever made! I think we used Adorama? Such an easy process.

    Btw, Little L is such a pretty lady! :)

  • Julie

    I rented a lens from them recently and had a great experience! It is SO nice to be able to just try things out. And Little Miss L is SO cute. Those are great shots.

  • Michelle

    i loved this line “taste of amazing wine when you know you can’t buy the bottle, or knowing just how beautiful a well tailored dress fits in a price range far exceeding your own. ” – yeah, i know the feeling. that said, i agree that it is nice to know such wonderful technology exists and that you can utilize it, even if only for short periods of time. Little Miss L looks so so stinkin’ cute!!

  • iHanna

    Pretty photos indeed! What a cool thing to be able to rent a lens, never heard of that before. Just bought a 50 mm and love it so much, but its not good to have as main and only lens… :-/