"We had no business plan, no loan, no health insurance - we only had the drive to make it succeed. We launched one month after our second daughter was born and never looked back."

This is a service that's easy to forget when your need isn't immediate. If you're planning a vacation, knowing you'll be taking your cherished DSLR and wondering how to extend your range without plunking down the cost of a new lens, think of what I did in a pinch. You can do it to save money and get a lens you only need for a little while.

Oscar at TheLensDepot.com hears that all the time.

Most non professionals will rent to either try out a lens before they invest in it just to make sure it will be the right one. They also want extra gear to use while on a once in a lifetime vacation.

I know long lenses dominate short lists. "The telephotos," was Oscar's answer to what rented most. Lee was in the same ballpark with "70-200 f2.8 IS or VR copies of Canon and Nikon." I understand why, but there's a lot to be said about a vacation with wide angle vistas.

Most sites I checked rent their lenses by the week, include packing for your return and calculate round-trip shipping into the final cost. I'm afraid this is one of those times running with the pack pays off. Most sites are strictly Canon and Nikon. It's a pretty cool way to use a lens you can't afford today--today.