Pentax Lens and Camera body rental


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dnaxe

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Oct 5, 2006
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Would you rent at all the option was available? (comparative prices to singapore canon/nikon rental).

I've always wondered why no lens rental options were available in Singapore or anywhere else in the world for Pentax. Surely there's lots of glass out there...
 

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oh im the first to vote...:bsmilie:

actually i think since we are a small pool of ppl here... most of us know one and other be it just by nick or real person... no need to rent, just borrow, there will be someone willing to lend if its available... :)
 

i got a few lenses tt i'd love to try out (an ultrawide, 50-135, some fa ltds, etc) and i'm sure i can find a gd occasion to rent them for. i don't want to borrow cos all these are pretty pricey bits of glass.. Would be gd if someone rented out pentax lenses but i doubt theres the critical mass needed to support.
 

If use for indoor event, I may borrow any zoom like 16-50 f2.8 or 80-200 f2.8 for better catch in low light
 

Don't really see a point.
Pentax is the 'peoples' camera and most lenses are relatively cheap :)
What I really mean is that for general use (ie. small event, tour), the cheap kit and zoom offerings are already quite enough. I'd even go further to say that most Pentaxians already have 18-200mm covered. Well enough for most situations.

The expensive stuff are the fast and super long telephotos. These would be for specialized uses (sports, safari). Perhaps here its the area where rental makes sense, but its a narrow segment of Pentaxians (sports and safari at once or twice a year?? ), which makres it unviable.

BTW, how far would it be if say I plonked down $1800 for a fast telephoto, used it for a trip and then sold it off. Cheaper than rental?
 

Although many of us may think Pentax rental is not a really viable idea, but I beg to differ.

I still think there is a market but rather small. There are Pentaxians who simply cannot afford to buy good and expensive lenses because of the price. Although Pentax lenses are already considered cheap compared to other brands, they still cannot afford. I am sure many of you must have a lense sitting in your drybox for ages then finally decide to sell it off due to under-utility. So many cases. If rental was available I think many would just rent for a small price than leave it in the drybox.

And don't forget the foreigners. I am sure there will be many Pentax users from US and UK.

Personally I will go for rental because I have many ideas to explore but I cannot afford to buy the lenses necessary to experiment. Borrowing is out of the question because I am paranoid of holding other's precious glass and accidentally damage it. At the current moment, I need a good source of Pentax stuff to help me discover what I really fancy shooting without spending a bomb buying all the lenses I ASSUME I would need then realise I have to sell because its not my type.
 

And this is why people are seldom convinced to head over to Pentax..
"Lack of support"

Not referring to our super-friendly community here, but rather, the lack of availability of lenses, accessories and bodies. Emjay does a great job to patch up the holes right now, but still..

No rental services available is another cons to add to the average camera surveyor's list.

I'd say go for it!
We cannot expect popularity to instantly boom for the idea of a rental, but i'm sure there are lots of Pentaxians out there who would love to try out legendary primes and glass by Pentax which we can't afford to own.

Me, personally, i would like to try out an FA* 85mm f1.4
but because i don't think i can get an available copy around to test, shoot for a day and confirm my thoughts and lust over this baby.. My money keeps going into my film bodies and lenses :bsmilie:
 

I'm extremely grateful to be in this Pentax community. I've borrowed several lenses and accessories throughout the months for both holiday and testing purposes, and for FREE too. :lovegrin: I would have preferred to rent or buy 2nd hand, but unfortunately, the B&S doesn't offer much.

I'm thinking of a 2 body combo sometime soon.. *hint* :think:;p
 

Let's put this whole issue in some sort of perspective. We need to make the distinction whether the equipment loan is done on an ad-hoc basis or done as a professional service.

Previously under Shriro, it was possible to demo the lenses they had on display provided the borrower signed a form to indemnify in the even of damage. This was offered more as a try-before-you buy arrangement rather than as an outright rental. This informal arrangement was good because it was often rather difficult to find or try certain lenses and it offered hands-on testing. I can say this was useful for me because on the basis of my own informal tests, I want to get the DA 14mm.

Obviously this arrangement is very similar to Pentax Forum in Shinjuku, Tokyo where one can get a hands-on experience of Pentax products.

Now it is altogether a different issue if Pentax/Emjay or anyone else offers a professional rental service. Such a service has to be run as a business. In other words, whatever service fee must cover the initial investment of equipment, insurance, equipment redundancy, personnel backup and support. Such a service dovetails nicely for the working pro because it is often cheaper to rent for a paid assignment with the assurance of support without having to purchase a particular equipment that might be used very little. Pros want a support service and are prepared to pay for it.

Reality check... given that the pool of pro shooters using Pentax isn't very big, how many of us (semi-pro, advanced amateur, newbie) are prepared to put down a deposit and pay to rent equipment? The answer is I think is fairly small.

I don't buy the lack of support argument as preventing people buying into the brand. A pro has an altogether different mindset where equipment is concerned compared to the enthusiast. Such a service only makes sense when there is a critical mass of users as otherwise it can run counter to the distributor's principal objective of selling more product.

I'd say we've got a pretty cohesive Pentax community where one can make personal arrangements to borrow gear. That's why the monthly meet-ups are good.
 

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I'm extremely grateful to be in this Pentax community. I've borrowed several lenses and accessories throughout the months for both holiday and testing purposes, and for FREE too. :lovegrin: I would have preferred to rent or buy 2nd hand, but unfortunately, the B&S doesn't offer much.

I'm thinking of a 2 body combo sometime soon.. *hint* :think:;p

I think it's called 'passing it on'. I'm willing to lend people, and have lent out, my lenses because when I started out, others lent me theirs. :)

Let's put this whole issue in some sort of perspective. We need to make the distinction whether the equipment loan is done on an ad-hoc basis or done as a professional service.

.....(snip)

I'd say we've got a pretty cohesive Pentax community where one can make personal arrangements to borrow gear. That's why the monthly meet-ups are good.

Agree with you about the business viability aspect. And I guess personal loans and lobangs via networking -- which, I'm sad to say, I'm terrible at -- is the way to go for us Pentaxians.
 

I'm extremely grateful to be in this Pentax community. I've borrowed several lenses and accessories throughout the months for both holiday and testing purposes, and for FREE too. :lovegrin: I would have preferred to rent or buy 2nd hand, but unfortunately, the B&S doesn't offer much.

I'm thinking of a 2 body combo sometime soon.. *hint* :think:;p

You can borrow my Metz flash anytime you know . .;)

So saving for the K-7 is it? ;p
 

You can borrow my Metz flash anytime you know . .;)

So saving for the K-7 is it? ;p

Appreciate it Felix, maybe can let me try it out at the upcoming outing? Looking out for manual flash on e-bay is tiring... ;)

K-7? I'm lucky if I can squeeze another K10D into my budget this year. :bsmilie:
 

i got a few lenses tt i'd love to try out (an ultrawide, 50-135, some fa ltds, etc) and i'm sure i can find a gd occasion to rent them for. i don't want to borrow cos all these are pretty pricey bits of glass.. Would be gd if someone rented out pentax lenses but i doubt theres the critical mass needed to support.

scratch that 50-135.. no need to rent alr.. :sweat:
 

act innocent somemore eh . . .;p

hehe so you took over whose lens?

There's a 50-135 that has been posted and sold on B&S 2 days ago, must be that one....

Is that the first Pentax lens for Darren?!
 

poor but happy..

Now to decide whether to keep it for good or sell it b4 i leave sg, treat as 'rental'.

got it frm gigahz.
 

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