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BorrowLenses Review & $100 Gift Certificate Giveaway

November 8, 2010

CONTEST CLOSED!

borrowlenses.com

So, how many of you are just starting out with photography and have NO clue which lenses you want to purchase with your limited photography budget? Even worse, are you torn between Nikon or Canon DSLR’s and are not sure which one you want? Rather than suffer from buyer’s remorse, or spend a lot of money on lenses you’re not certain that you’ll use all that much, why not just rent what you want to try, and be sure before you buy? 🙂

BorrowLenses is the premiere lens rental service in the photography industry! I’ve used them a few times over the past year when I’ve needed to rent additional lenses/cameras for the weddings I’ve shot, and will use them again and again. It’s always such a smooth, easy going process to work with BorrowLenses. I find their lens and camera selection to be out of this world!  Canon, Nikon, Sony… Wide angle, telephoto, tilt-shift, macro, fisheye, flashes, tripods.. you can even rent underwater gear, a Macbook Pro…. pretty much anything you can think of needing for your budding photography business or hobby – they have it all!

borrowlenses.com

The BorrowLenses online system is extremely easy to use when making your selections, and if you live near any of their San Francisco, California locations, you can choose to pick up your gear rather than have it FedExed.  Their customer service has also been lovely to deal with as well. I really love how flexible they are – if necessary, they’re willing to work with you on custom rental periods and they make it so easy to schedule your rentals in advance. They’re great about keeping all the gear super clean following each rental, and I love that they are a photographer-owned company.

TRY IT! Want to rent something? Just click here to get started with BorrowLenses! They rock! And don’t forget to let them know that Karen Lisa sent you 🙂

WIN IT! Mandatory entry: Go visit the awesome BorrowLenses website and leave a comment telling me what you would rent with your $100 gift certificate and why!

Additional entries (leave a separate comment for each one, so if you follow my Facebook or subscribe via email, leave a separate comment for each additional entry):

The contest ends on November 17, 2010 at 11:59pm Eastern time. United States entries please.

Disclosure: I paid for my regular rentals, but BorrowLenses was kind enough to toss in a tilt shift lens with my most recent rental as a thank-you for hosting this giveaway on my blog. I am a BorrowLenses affiliate. I’m not compensated in any other way. All opinions stated in this review are my own.

Rent Cameras, Lenses, Tripods and Accessories by mail

420 thoughts on “BorrowLenses Review & $100 Gift Certificate Giveaway”

  1. thanks for the great new resource, my wishlist is already growing…if I win the $100 gift certificate I would use it to rent a Tamon 18-200mm f/3/5-6.3.(fingers crossed) hahaha

  2. If I won a $100 gift certificate I would rent the Nikon 24-70 f2.8. I have heard it is an awesome lens. However, as an amateur photographer I have to gauge the feasibility of spending $1600 on a lens, albeit a lens I’ll likely use the rest of my life. I would like to compare the Nikon model with the much cheaper Sigma version to see if there is really enough difference for me to justify the purchase. Thanks for the contest. @manualdslr

  8. What to rent, what to rent… I’d be renting the Nikon 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G and Nikkor 10.5mm f/2.8 fisheye to play with the really wide side, and maybe one of the Lensbaby units as well. Thanks for the blog and the giveaway!

  19. I would rent the TS45 so i could take awesome and fun shots that will help me with my branding that i am trying to do! its frustrating when you have your branding and little photos to back it up. The Tilt Shift 45mm would help a ton!!

  20. I would definitely get the Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 VRII because I never had the chance to own a telephoto lens and I’m saving up for one right now!

  36. I would borroow a nikon d300s because i’ve been thinking about getting one, this way i could try it out for a few days

  52. I love borrowlenses and love trying out new lenses but I’d love to try out a new camera for a possible new purchase! I recommend you to everyone interested in photography cause your the best!

    Jana

  68. I LOVE borrowlenses! Have used them several times… I think I would splurge and try out a super wide lens – something like the Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L Mark II USM for 10 days 🙂

  76. If I had the $100 GC I would rent a Nikon D7000, because I just returned the D7000 I rented from BorrowLenses yesterday and I’m itching for that camera again! LOL

  85. I REALLY need this. My cousin is proposing to his girlfriend and wants me to hide to take pictures for him. The longest lens I have is an 85 and I REALLY need the 70-200 to guarantee I’ll be in a spot she won’t see me. PLEASE PLEASE pick me!

  88. i’ve used borrow lenses a few times already, and i agree, they are AWESOME. if i won, i’d probably test a better camera body out, since i’m looking to upgrade from my Canon 40d to something on the pro level.

  89. I already follow borrow lens on twitter. @lbaris I enjoy renting macro lenses for that occasional shoot when they could come in handy.

  98. I’ve rented a few different lenses from them – I agree, they’re great! If I won, I’d probably rent a Canon 200mm f/2.0L or f/1.8 lens. My daughter is participating in the state gymnastics meet this weekend, and dark gym + fast action is tough to shoot!

  99. If I were to win the $100 gift certificate I would apply it to the rental of a f/2.8 70-200 mm L Glass Canon Lens. I am anticipating purchasing this lens for shooting High School Football and Theatre 🙂 I added your blog to my Google Reader 🙂

  102. I’ve used Borrow Lenses several times and loved it, loved it, loved it. I’d go with a day at the zoo with a 400mm lens.

  105. I’ve rented a few lenses at Borrowlenses. If I won the $100, I’d rent the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 for Canon to see if I like it better than the Canon 10-22.

  107. I just came from borrowlenses “World Headquarters”. Picked up a Tamron macro lens for photographing toads and hamsters this week. If they had ‘frequent renter cards’, mine would be nearly fully stamped with the 200-500mm zoom, too. But if I had a C-note to drop, I’d be renting their Nikon 70-200mm, because that is my own personal Holy Grail.

  109. This is easy….I recently quit my bartender gig and it’s full time photographer from here on in. Scary yes fulfilling HELL yes!
    Well my shutter on my NIKON died and I have interiors to shoot for a few designers who are keeping me alive! If I won my 100$ would go towards renting a full frame NIKON and the 14-28 2.8 that I’ve rented from you before. This gear will save me!
    Wish you all the best! Great staff love having you all there you are like a lifeline to my bizz!

  123. I’d rent the Sigma 50-500mm f/4-6.3 APO DG for Canon, I’m currently using Canon’s cheap 50-250mm lens for aviation photography and I’d love to see what I can do with something a bit longer 😉

  127. I’d want to rent the Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM to take photos of my new baby. I’m drooling at the thought of being able to use such an awesome lense.

  138. I would definitely rent the Canon Digital Rebel Xsi for a week along with the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 XR DiII lense, as I am anxious to try out an SLR for photography.

  146. Oh my, I’m a kid in a candy store! 🙂

    I would rent the Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS USM–would love to dabble in sports photography.

    nina dot logansmith at gmail do com

  153. If I were to win a $100 gift certificate, I would apply it toward the rental of a Nikon D3s in an effort to prove to my wife that the purchase of a D3s would positively impact my workflow enough to justify the 5 grand price tag.

  159. I could have cried when I found you guys the other day on Facebook. You are a photographers dream come true.

    I have had my eye on the Sony A900 and really want to upgrade. My last camera upgrade was the A350. Recently my Sony A100 was stolen right after shooting a wedding and now I only have my 350 and Minolta Film cameras. I need to look into getting another digital body and I would love to be blessed with the A900.
    I would use the $100 to rent the A900 when it came available and be on cloud 9 for a few days till I could afford to upgrade. I shoot non profit humanitarian aid, medical documentaries and fine art for galleries so I need good equipment. However, the fact I don’t charge much if I charge at all does not help me save the money in this economy. As a mother of two and a medical student myself…I will not be buying that camera body anytime soon. Yet, knowing I have you to fill my void when I need you makes me feel so much better.
    I adore you already.

  161. I would rent a larger lense for my sony a300 camera to try out before I bought one! I am new to this photography business!!! I follow all of the above pages on facebook! 🙂

  164. I’d rent a flash with my $100 gift card! Lighting and control of light is key to photography, I’m new to photography and flash is the next step to be a better photographer/artist!

    Twitter.com/adaminspired

  166. I am a struggling realtor in a struggling real estate market in a struggling economy raising two kids. “My wife works and I do the the dishes”, if you get my point. And if you don’t then all you need to know is we are a two (should really say one) income family and I cant afford a $1800 lens like a 85mm f/1.2, but maybe I can rent it. I take all my own listing photographs and I always strive to bring emotion to my photographs of every home. Point and shoots don’t cut it. It’s all about the glass.

  184. I’d rent the Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM. That’s a seriously awesome lens! I’d just want to capture family moments over the holidays with it and take it out for some night time shooting.

  187. I have rented lenses from Borrowlenses in the past and will do so again.
    If I were lucky enough to win the $100 certificate I would use it to rent the D700 for a week in 2011. It would be wonderful to take with me on a trip to Glacier National Park.

  189. I would love to try the Canon 70-200L f/2.8, I want to test out the L series lenses before I sink a ton of money into them. 🙂
    Thanks!

  190. I’d love to try the Canon 70-200L f/2.8 lens, I am taking my families holiday photos with my 50D and this would be fun to test run. 🙂 Thanks!

  196. My friend rents lenses for events and says it works great. I am glad you are recommending a place because there are so many on the internet and it is hard to know which ones are reputable. I would love to win a gift certificate to try out some new lenses.

  200. I follow you, Karen Lisa and Borrow lenses FB pages.

    I’m just getting started out and I’m a little iffy on lighting and what I want to use for lighting. I prefer natural light but I will soon be doing a lot of newborn shoots in homes and not all of them have great lighting situations. So if I were to win the $100 g.c. to Borrowlenses I would rent a few lighting pieces to help me decide what to purchase. I can read about this stuff until i’m blue in the face but nothing will help me decide better than some hands on work with it. Thank you for this great opportunity and contest!

  207. Hi Karen. If I won this certificate it would be almost literally saving my life, and my career right now.

    I would rent a 5D body for 3 days ($92!) — because today my camera broke, and I have to send it to Canon for possible repair. The really bad part of all of this, other than my being flat broke and having $11 in my checking account, is that I have three important shoots coming up next Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I am completely losing my mind about this and so far none of my friends can help me out. I looked at Borrowlenses, because I love them and rent from them when I have money, but I don’t have the money to rent anything right now. Being able to rent this camera body would save me from having to cancel all of my shoots next weekend–two of which cannot be rescheduled because they are live music events/music festivals.

  220. I would rent a 580 EX II flash for the San Diego Comic Con this coming July and I’d probably rent a Spyder3 to see how well it would work with my monitor.

  229. I’d rent the Sigma 4.5mm f/2.8 in the Canon mount. I have always wanted to play with this lense, but price prohibits me buying it for a “fun” lense.

  275. Following Bright Autumn Sun’s Facebook Page and following on FB. Would love to rent the 80-200 f2.8 for Nikon (to take indoor picture of daughter skating) or Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X 116 Pro DX for Nikon to take Fall pictures.

  316. My sister is a photographer and this would really help her out! She would rent some lenses to use for indoor shoots.

  319. If I won a $100 giftcard for borrowlenses, I would use it to add the 24-105 4L to my order. I absolutely adore that lens, but haven’t brought myself to purchase it yet. Hopefully, this rental will put it over the top and it’ll be in my shopping cart next 🙂

  323. Just visited the BorrowLenses website… i would rent the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM to compare it to the Canon 85mm. I absoutely LOVE the 85mm for my outside shots but wonder if I should spend the little extra to get the macro for the same reason + awesome still life with the macro. Such decisions!

  325. Now following the Karen Lisa Artistic Photography facebook page. I briefly glanced at her photos and was very pleased, i can’t wait to go look more in depth, they look great!

  328. If i won $100 gift certificate. I will order Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM 1-to-1 Macro Lens for two weeks and enjoy macro photography. I love to click macro shot and i think this is one of my dream lens to have.

    I am Big fan of BorrowLens and order Tamron 18-270mm Zoom lens for ThanksGiving holiday to use it during my trip to SFO.

    I follow BorrowLens on Twitter.

  335. I would love to rent the Nikon 24mm f/3.5D ED PC-E tilt shift lens to take some awesome photographs of the buildings around my city.

  342. Easy! I’m starting to look for more advanced lenses to expand my kit, so I’d rent the Canon EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM and maybe a fisheye or a Lensbaby to play with special effects and just shoot for creativity’s sake!

  356. I LOVE borrowlenses.com. I have had nightmare experiences with other lens rental companies and they are my new ONLY source for lens. And I usually have a lens I need to rent for a wedding (usually the 70-200 2.8) but it would be really fun to rent something I want to try just for fun… like a 35, f2.

    thanks! great contest!

  361. With a $100 gift certificate for borrowlenses.com, I would rent both the Nikon 10-24/3.5-4.5 and Tokina 11-16/2.8 for a week so I could test them side-by-side and decide which one I’m finally going to dump my money on. 😉

  368. I would defray the cost of the Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS USM, and I would use it to take photos of critters in the Kruger Park! Last time I went, I got great shots with my crummy budget lens, so I drool to think what I could do with that beauty!

  371. Wow, I’d love to win.
    BorrowLenses is my fave!
    if I won, I’d put the gift certificate towards a tilt shift lens rental because I’ve always wanted to play around with one.

    thanks for the chance!

  383. I would put it towards renting a D700, or rent a couple of prime lenses like the 85 1.4, and 35 1.8. Or even the 24-70 2.8. Would LOVE to try all those out.

  384. I would rent the Zeiss 18mm f/3.5 Distagon T* ZE for my Canon! I really want to try out some Zeiss glass and the wide angle would be great for some urban landscape shots here in NYC!

  386. ahhhh!! I LOVE borrowlenses.com! I would rent the nikon 70-200 2.8 – several times as I haven’t been able to afford adding it to my collection yet. Also, I need to try out the 85mm 🙂

  403. Without a doubt, I would rent the canon 24-70 2.8 with my gift certificate. It definitely seems like an awesome lens, but definitely pricey- I’d want to try it out before taking the leap 🙂

  410. I would rent the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G AF-S ED VR II. It’s a great piece of glass that I’m thinking about adding to the arsenal but I want to make sure it’s a perfect match before I make a slightly hefty monetary commitment. 🙂

  414. If I won, I would SO rent the nikon 45mm tilt shift lens! I’ve seen and heard amazing things and really want to play with it!

  419. I would like to try the nikon 135 f2, i think it would be some awesome fun. I would love to take some family memories this holiday season with a new perspective. Every holiday at 50mm gets a little stale. Thanks for the opportunity to win.

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