Renting lenses???

[TeacherMan]

Planning a week in Yellowstone this summer and I know I can't afford a nice telephoto between now and then. Has anyone ever rented lenses? Good location to do so? I looked and I see several spots on-line to do it. Sidenote what lens would you rent for a week in yellowstone??? I was thinking a 70-200 or 300mm IS in 2.8f Should I be looking at the 400???

thanks for the info.

Chris

[whacker1]

huntphool should be able to help point you in the right direction.

[robodad]

lensrentals.com is the place to rent them and I'd think the 300mm or 400mm with teleconverter 1.4x or 2x would get you in the zone !!

[coop2424]

Huppins HiFi in downtown Spokane rents lenses.  We rented one a couple of years ago and had no problem..  I like to be able to do it locally personally because then you can eliminate the shipping part which I hate...  

[TeacherMan]

Huppins HiFi in downtown Spokane rents lenses.  We rented one a couple of years ago and had no problem..  I like to be able to do it locally personally because then you can eliminate the shipping part which I hate...  

thats great info thanks!!!

[TeacherMan]

Huppins HiFi in downtown Spokane rents lenses.  We rented one a couple of years ago and had no problem..  I like to be able to do it locally personally because then you can eliminate the shipping part which I hate...  

thats great info thanks!!!

called them they dont carry lenses with a low f value, 4.5 was the smallest. i'm looking for a 300mm IS 2.8f

[coop2424]

Huppins HiFi in downtown Spokane rents lenses.  We rented one a couple of years ago and had no problem..  I like to be able to do it locally personally because then you can eliminate the shipping part which I hate...  

thats great info thanks!!!

called them they dont carry lenses with a low f value, 4.5 was the smallest. i'm looking for a 300mm IS 2.8f

Well that sucks... 

[huntnphool]

 www.lensrentals.com is a fantastic place to work with. They only keep their lenses for 6-9 months before selling them and because of this every lens I have ever got from them has looked brand new and funtioned flawlessly, almost to nice actually. You sure take extra care when the only scratch on the lens or paint will be the one you put on it.

 That being said if you can swing the $ the 500mm f4 IS would be toward the top of my list, although kinda spendy on shipping. Next down would be the 400mm DO, as sharp as the 400mm 2.8 IS but less than half the weight will save on shipping and pain from packing.

 If you are thinking a telephoto would be needed I would go with the 70-200mm 2.8 IS and the 1.4X, this will allow you to take pics of closer critters without havinf to swap lenses.

 The 28-300mm and 100-400mm work well for this situation but at 5.6 you will need good light or be bumping up your ISO to 800 or higher to get evening shots.

 Have fun and congrats on the new camera, make sure you learn how to use it and forget about the "picture modes" settings on the dial, get used to Av and also set it for RAW


 

[whacker1]

When they sell their used lenses are they priced affordably?  just thinking it might be a good place to pick up a used lens.

[huntnphool]

just thinking it might be a good place to pick up a used lens.

 They price them very affordably and because they are not yet a year old they still have the manufacturers warranty. They go through them very well and service them before they sell them too, but its still nice to know that if they missed something its still not going to cost you. A great place to pick up lenses IMHO.

[whacker1]

Thanks as always.  Someday, I swear that I will actually buy a camera and then we can really start with the in depth questions.

[TeacherMan]

Thanks for the info guys. I have been using this camera at work for game pictures for the last year and I've really got use to the AV and TV mode. Really good info on the lens choices. I will look into the 500mm. Does the 1.4x go good with it???

[grandpawrichard]

Teacher,
Did you see my thread I posted yesterday with the photos of the ducks? Here's a few photos:








Those photos were taken with a Canon 40D and a 400 mm L series lens. I was hand holding the lens because there was no way I would have gotten any of the photos using a tripod. The lens is an f/5.6.

Here is a few other photos I took with the lens. They were also hand held on a dreary day:







The 400 L lens is a great lens that is fun to use and it does do a great job. It is however a bit heavy and you have to learn it's limitations for light. I got mine at  a reasonable price of $1,000. I Love it!

My photos are No Way as Great as Huntn's photos or Bone's photos, but I like them.

Dick

[huntnphool]

Frist of all Gramps, there is nothing wrong with your pics, we all enjoy them.

Teacherman, I would sooner go with a 400mm 2.8 and the 1.4X than the 500mm and 1.4X. You are going to move up to f5.6 on the 500mm when adding it, this will mean you need more light. I think you would be better off all around if you went with the 400mm 2.8 and add the 1.4X, moving you up to f4 but being longer than 500mm in the end. This will also allow you to remove the 1.4X and get a fuller field of view for closer critters than the 500mm. My concern for you is being too close and not having a quality lens to get a full field, only getting head shots. Keep in mind, you better have a good monopod to take with you as well, you will need it even with IS.

[quadrafire]

Phool, I love your practical considerations. I really enjoy all these technical photo discussions on this site and I only have a point and shoot and an HD vid cam for family events. Keep it up guys.