Travel Photography - Lens Rental?

All,

I currently shoot RAW with a Nikon D50 and the kit lens that came with it. I've fantasized about replacing the body (more MPs!), but many folks on this board have been good enough to dissuade me from doing so, and so I've put that on hold for a while (plus, I can find lots of other things to do with $500+).

I'm going on vacation in August to the Pacific Northwest, and I'm thinking about trying a new lens. Renting one seems like the right call--I can try it out, see if I like it, and then send it back.

Any suggestions on what I might start with? I shoot more landscapes than anything else (there are conspicuously few people in my photos). The 35mm1.8 perhaps? Something different? Completely different?

Also, is there a preferred place to rent from? They all seem to advertise heavily and I can't really tell the difference between them. Also, I'm trying to figure out as well whether the pricing makes it all worth it (ie, if I'm going to spend .75x the cost of the lens on rentals, it's not worth renting. . .).

Anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks!

Matt

IMHO, for landscapes, go a helluva lot wider than 35mm (which is, what, 50mm equivalent on a DX?)

I would be looking at 28mm equivalent or wider, and the fastest aperture you can get (f/2.8 or faster).

Glazer's Cameras in Seattle (South Lake Union neighborhood, quite close to downtown if that matters) rents cameras, lenses, tripods, and anything else you might like to try. Most of the pros in town seem to like this shop. They aren't cheap, but they rent out a lot of high end pro-gear. And since you'll be in the neighborhood anyways, you can save on the $ of shipping...

Since you're in NYC, I'd recommend http://www.fotocare.com/ I've rented a few times from them without any issues.

I have rented lenses from a local shop a couple of times. Depending how many days you will have the lens for it's not really cheap for higher end gear. But obviously cheaper than spending $2000 on a lens you aren't going to use too many times.

As for landscapes, I agree that the 35 1.8 isn't the best choice for that. It's such an inexpensive lens in the first place that renting it probably doesn't make a lot of sense.

I would go for something like the 10-24mm wide angle zoom.
http://www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Camera-Lenses/Travel-and-Landscape/index.page

If you are looking for something more general purpose and not just landscape/wide angle then there are other options like the 16-85mm. Since most landscape photographers aim for big depth of field I wouldn't worry too much about a fast aperture lens. Take a travel tripod for good results. (and consider using your timer mode or a remote release).

You may also want to consider 3rd party choice like Sigma and Tamron that may also be available for rent.

I use a 14-24 and absolutely love it for what it can do for large areas. It's 2.8 so BIG glass upfront which always needs a dusting but it's worth it

I shoot a lot of landscapes and have 10-22, 12-24, and 17-40 lenses that get almost all of my use. I wouldn't consider any of my longer lenses, starting at 24-105 to be suitable for landscape. 17mm is a bare minimum, and I went to 12mm after living with 17mm for a while (the 10 was purchased when I thought the 12 was broken - it was cheaper to fix than I thought).

If you don't have a local place, lensrentals.com have been around the longest, have a great reputation, and none of the other prices are significantly different, from what I've seen.

Wides are good if you can put lots of interesting stuff in the foreground. I don't buy into the "wides for landscapes" argument, if you haven't practiced a lot with a true wide.

When I was in Alaska, I used a medium tele zoom a lot (mountains deserve portraits, too). My current lineup is the 12-24, 16-85VR and 70-300VR. The 16-85 get s the most use, though.

Since most landscape photographers aim for big depth of field I wouldn't worry too much about a fast aperture lens. Take a travel tripod for good results. (and consider using your timer mode or a remote release).

You may also want to consider 3rd party choice like Sigma and Tamron that may also be available for rent.

You can always stop down a fast lens, and will have better IQ typically. Pretty hard to open up an f/4 lens to f/2.8 though.

I love my Benro travel angel tripod

X2 on the sigma or tamron. With the price difference, you may be able to buy one of them for what the Canikon would cost to rent, or get the bright version instead of the slow one.

Any suggestions on what I might start with? I shoot more landscapes than anything else (there are conspicuously few people in my photos). The 35mm1.8 perhaps? Something different? Completely different?

The 35 mm f/1.8 is excellent for street photography but not ideal for landscapes as already pointed out by many. I'd take a very hard look at the Nikon 10-24 mm f/3.5-4.5. It has a good range from ultra-wide (even with a crop sensor) to a medium-wide. It is not the fastest lens around but the range is quite OK for many situations. I have the slightly older Nikon 12-24 f/4 and like it a lot (I use it with a D300 which also has a crop sensor) - although sometimes I wish I could go just a bit wider.

As someone else also pointed out, shooting with an ultra wide lens is somewhat different from shooting with a normal or tele lens. It does take some practise and thinking about the framing - if you just snap shots without thinking about them, you may end up with vast expanses of empty space in front and some distant tiny specs in the rest. But, with some thought and practise, an ultra-wide can be a wonderful lens.

But do not ditch the idea of the 35mm f/1.8, either. It is an excellent walk-around lens on a D50 and it might get you started on taking new kinds of photos. That kind of speed is wonderful to have.

Cheers,
T.

Thank you all. This gives me a ton to think about as I consider what to get and where to get it from. Thanks again!

Since you're in NYC, I'd recommend http://www.fotocare.com/ I've rented a few times from them without any issues.

You can also rent from Calumet. Both are on 22nd St between Fifth and Sixth. I know that Calumet rents for a week at the price for three days. And they'll apply the rental price toward the lens (a fresh one) if you buy it within a few days of returning the rental. Just be sure you have the value of the lens available on your credit card as collateral.

Don't forget to check out online rental sites as well.

I've been using www.lensrentals.com for close to 2 years now (use 3-4 times/year) and have really enjoyed my experiences with them. When I've had delayed flights that kept me from sending the lens back on the right date, I would send them an email and they were always happy to extend the rental date another day w/o charge.

Their costs are very competitive on longer rentals compared to the local shops in Dallas. For example, I paid $84 (incl shipping) to rent a Nikon 18-200mm for a trip to Hawaii a few weeks back. I had the lens in my possession from 6/29 to 7/7. If I had gone with a local shop, the cost would've been in the $125-200 range.

I could go on and on about the great people at LR (they were incredibly gracious when my hotel room at the Cosmopolitan LV was broken into and my rental gear was stolen. It took the hotel's insurance a few months to pay for my equipment).

Hopefully you'll give them a shot and find out just how great they are.