Hiring camera gear to try it out before you buy it can be a great way to make sure you are buying gear that suits your requirements, rather than buying an expensive lens, only to find it doesn't quite meet your needs.


Camera gear can be expensive, particularly mid-high-end camera bodies and lenses. Before spending significant amounts of money on expensive items, how can you be sure that it is the right body or lens for you?

Online reviews on the web can be a useful source of information, and discussions in online forums can also be enlightening.
However, they typically will not provide specific information about how you intend to use the gear.


For example, is a Canon EF 24-70mm f2.8/L lens going to be too wide at 24mm for the types of shooting you do? Is a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS lens going to be fast enough in the low-light situations that you would be using it? Is a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS lens really as heavy as people say?

It can get even more complex if you're attempting to decide between several different lenses, such as the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 macro lens and the Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 macro lens. Or do you really want the Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 macro lens?

Or you may be trying to decide between the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L and the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS. Is f/4 going to be fast enough? Is the IS as good as people claim? Is 40mm going to be a bit too short?
With both these lenses retailing at over AUD$1000, you don't want to buy one, only to regret your decision, and wish you had bought the other one instead.


I often recommend that people should hire the gear they are considering purchasing before buying it. Hiring one or more lenses for a few days will allow you to try them out in a variety of situations in your normal shooting environment. It will allow you to confirm if a lens or other item suits your specific needs, and performs the way you expect it to perform.


In other words, it will allow you to make a much more informed decision as to which lens, camera body, or other photography item you should buy.


Photography gear hire is surprisingly cheap - and can be a very worthwhile investment to help you in your equipment choices. For example, the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS lens typically retails for around AUD$1700, but can be hired for just AUD$50 per day, or AUD$140 for a full week.


When you are next trying to decide which camera body to upgrade to, or which lens to buy, don't just rely on web forum discussions and online reviews. Hire the items for a day or two, and try them out in your normal photography settings, and make a much more informed decision before you buy anything.

Have you ever hired camera gear before buying it? Where did you hire it from, and did you find the experience useful?