Lens hire

Brendan Mulachy

Brendan Mulachy

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dave
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How does lens hire work,

The reason I'm asking is that my friend is getting married in August and as he has been made redundant has asked me to do his pictures to save some cash, I have had a look at the church they are getting in and feel that I need a fast lens with a longer focal length than my 17-55 so I don't feel that im intruding during the ceremony.

I've decided the 70-200 f2.8 would be ideal

I normally shoot bands/ singers in small intimate venues so buying one would be a waste as I'd never really use it as it would be over kill, so I feel hiring is the best bet and the 90 odd quid ive seen on the website is a good price for the week(il have the throw the £1900 deposit on the credit card though:LOL:)

Does the price include insurance or is it an optional extra, I don't intend on it getting broken of nicked but better safe than sorry, and is delivery extra also.

Is there much difference between The mark 1 and 2 version as I wouldn't mind paying the extra £20 if it was better
 
I've used lenses for hire in the past, really simple process order online and the lens is delivered, use it then arrange postage back.
They offer insurance which I have just in case.
The lenses I have hired have been in good condition.
Wouldn't hesitate to use them again, and probably will soon.
 
I've only ever used Lensforhire.co.uk and I would 100% recommend them too.

You chose to hire for x number of days, the lens arrives the day before your hire starts and you return it the day after your hire ends - so if you hire for 3 days you get 3 full days use (and a little bit more)

Their insurance is extended to you for the duration subject to a £150+vat excess, or you can arrange your own insurance cover and get a slight discount on the hire cost.
 
I've used lenslocker twice now (just put in my 3rd order) very cheap prices and the service is fantastic, really friendly staff that will go out of their way to help.

HTH
Danny

Edit to say: with lens locker you dont need to put a deposit down either :)
 
I can't speak for any other hire companies, Brendan, but:

il have the throw the £1900 deposit on the credit card though)
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No you won't. We only take deposits from customers in exceptional circumstances (about 0.5% of customers pay deposits).

Does the price include insurance or is it an optional extra, I don't intend on it getting broken of nicked but better safe than sorry
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As noted previously, our prices include comprehensive insurance which covers you against loss, theft or accidental damage. There is an excess of £150+VAT=£180 and the most important but of small print requires you to take "all reasonable precautions" to avoid loss or damage. So look after the kit, don't leave it on view in your car, don't walk off and leave it lying around, that sort of thing.

If you have your own insurance which would cover the gear then you can reduce the hire price by 10%. It would be a good idea to check that your insurance covers hired equipment (many policies don't) and that it has a high enough single-item limit.

and is delivery extra also.
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If you want to collect from and return to our base in Maidenhead, then no. Otherwise, yes. For a big lens like the 70-200 f/2.8 you should budget on around £30 round-trip postage.

Is there much difference between The mark 1 and 2 version as I wouldn't mind paying the extra £20 if it was better
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Yeah, but no, but .... When the Mk II came out, I asked some Canon techies what was different. You can see the answers on our web site here. It doesn't sound like a big improvement, but people who have used the Mk II do really rave over it. Then again, the Mk I was the pro workhorse for a decade and nobody complained about it!

Honestly, if you've never used "L" glass before then I think you'll be amazed at the enormous improvement either of these will give you over your 55-250. And the additional improvement from the Mk II may be a bit marginal. But hey, it's your money.
 
thanks for all the replies,much appreciated , il have a word with the groom to be and sort it out, its not till august so got a bit of time (y)
 
I would recommend perhaps working hiring the lens for a weekend or something beforehand as well to get familiar with it, ideally at the venue to be shot as well if possible. this will enable you to get a feel for the new glass and not have to worry about unfamiliar equipment on a big important, once in lifetime sort of affair like a wedding!
 
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You might also want to look at borrowing a second SLR to put the lens on. I shot my brothers as a favor to him, I wish i'd had a second Dslr as switching lenses was a pain in the ass.
 
John Mc said:
You might also want to look at borrowing a second SLR to put the lens on. I shot my brothers as a favor to him, I wish i'd had a second Dslr as switching lenses was a pain in the ass.
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got a second body john and il probably put the 17-55 on it for the day time and put the nifty on it during the evening

@coop, im planning on going to have a good reccy of the venue and hopefully at the same time of day so i can have a look at the light etc before hand and work out some shots well in advance of the big day, i should be ok with the lens...i mean how hard can it be :LOL:
 
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