Bryan has links to two lens rental companies in some of his reviews: LensRentals.com and LensProToGo. I may want to rent a 500mm f/4L IS lens for a trip late this summer. The prices for a 30-day insured rental are about the same (excluding shipping, which I'd have to enquire about). I'd be grateful for any comments or recommendations (positive or negative) about either or both companies.


The trip would be to Central/Eastern Oregon. (I live in western Oregon--Eugene.) It would include the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Steens Mountain, Crater Lake, and other sites where I would like to do some bird & wildlife photography. I have a 100-400mm L IS lens, which does pretty well on my 30D, but the extra reach and faster lens would be nice. I could use my 1.4x extender to get 700mm and still autofocus. (I also have the Extender 2x II, but the quality suffers, not to mention that it's SLOW and won't autofocus.) I would be traveling by car (or on a tour in a 4WD), but would probably have to do some short hiking. (I have several photo backpacks plus many pieces of the Think Tank modular belt system.)


The rental wouldn't be cheap ($780 or so for 30 days, insured), but that's a lot less than $5800 for the lens. I MIGHT be able to buy a used lens, then sell it after the trip, but 1) they're hard to find, 2) that's a big risk (I've bought a lot of used lenses, but not that expensive!) and 3) I probably wouldn't want to sell it! Several bird photographers I've read have said, in essence, that you'd have to pry their 500mm f/4L IS lens out of their cold, dead fingers.