Borrow A Lens or Two?

I purchased a Nikon D200 on behalf of a friend in Europe which should arrive at my home this week. I

also bought a Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX lens that has already arrived. Since I won't be able to deliver the gear

to my friend until October, I will have the pleasure of playing with the camera for a few months, something

my

friend is encouraging. While I have an extensive kit of Canon lenses, I own nothing that will fit the Nikon

apart from the Sigma. I'm wondering whether there is a Nikon shooter living north or east of San

Francisco who would be willing to lend me a lens or two so I can play a bit more. I live in San Anselmo,

CA, about fifteen miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge.

I appreciate that lenses are not toys and represent a significant investment. I've certainly done my part to

support the American economy over the last few years... I take very good care of my gear and would

certainly do the same with any gear not my own. Please let me know if you're prepared to lend me a hand.

Curtis Grindahl - San Anselmo, CA

My first recommendation is plan a shoot that you want to take in your area, decide what lens or lenses you want to try out and go rent what you need for your shoot. You friend might even have a suggestion on a lens he is interested in purchasing but would like to see some pictures.

Second recommendation would to be offer a place for someone to stay free for a short vacation at your home while you try out their lenses.

Curtis,

that's a tough one..

The only way I let a FRIEND barrow my lenses/gear is if it is for a day and wile I'm there... Am I a bad person..!!

Well, trying to borrow lenses from stragers will be difficult.

Since you are close to San Francisco, you can go into the city and rent a lens or two for a couple of days. You probably should test the D200 with an AF-S (e.g. the Sigma 30mm/f1.4), an AF but not AF-S and an AI/AI-S lens plus an SB-800 flash anyway.

Good luck with this Curtis.

I think your best solution is as Shun said: rent some good lenses to try out on the D200.

My suggestion is to leave everything sealed. What if you accidentally damage the camera or lens.

A friend of mine recently brought me his 18-200 lens, showing me that the focussing ring was stiff. I carefully examined it and found a small 'crack' in the case. He doesn't recall hitting anything with it (he has had it for about a year) but he obviously did.

Unless you are ready to pay for the camera should anything happen to it, do yourself and your friend a favor and leave everything sealed.

Event though he may not admit it, I bet he would really appreciate it at well.

Rental lenses tend to be the more expensive/exotic models, so it may be difficult to find

standard lenses to rent... How about buying a couple of used lenses and selling them in a

couple of months?

Loaning lenses to a stranger? Hmmm... I would suggest finding a local camera club and

attending an organized event where you might be able to swap lenses with another

photographer, or connect with a member you can shoot with for a day. Craigslist is another

option for connecting with a compatible photography buddy.

The problem with leaving everything sealed is that he is receiving the D200 in July. If you don't open the box until October, in case there is something wrong, it'll be too late to exchange it since the camera will be 3 months old by then, at least from the store's point of view. Moreover, you are effectively shortening the warranty by 3 months.

If you are not going to open the box, you might as well return the D200 and order it again in October or at least in September. The main down sides are: (1) The D200 is out of stock everywhere by then or (2) The price goes up. IMO both of those are unlikely. Instead, in case Nikon announces a new model in the mean time, you might be able to get that new model or at least a better deal on the D200.

As far as rental goes, you can rent lenses as simple as the 50mm/f1.4. See the list below. However, this particular store is in Palo Alto, CA, which is more like an hour drive from San Anselmo. I am sure you can find closer rental places in San Francisco:

http://www.kandsphoto.com/pdf_files/rental/rental_brochure.pdf

Curtis there may be another possibility. The D200 can use AIS lenses. If you frequent ebay you can find almost any decent AIS lens ever made for little money. These lenses will not AF but work excellent in all other respect. If you use a few lenses for three month and sell them again before x-mas you may loose no or very little money.

An excellent but very cheep lens (new) is the 50mm f1.8 AFD. Hard to imagine that you will loose more than a few $ on this 110US$ lens if you resell it.

Have a look at some lens descriptions here:

http://www.naturfotograf.com/lens_surv.html

Thanks everyone for the thoughtful responses. Sorry its taken me awhile to check

messages. First, I failed to mention that the camera I bought is not new. I picked up both

the camera and grip from the Buy and Sell board on Fred Miranda. From what the seller

says it has only 1400 clicks, so it has seen little wear. I expect delivery on Thursday. The

Sigma lens is new, bought at Norman Camera. It is sitting in a cabinet as I write with a UV

filter already installed.

I spoke via Skype with my friend in Europe last evening and we mused about other lenses

that might fit her kit and that would be a bargain if bought in this country. She may wish

to pick one up.

Lens rental is certainly an option though from a financial perspective I probably could do

better buying a used lens and selling it after a couple of months. I've built my entire kit

buying used lenses and am confident I could sell most pieces without a significant hit

financially. Lenses don't depreciate the way bodies do.

Finally, I appreciate the sentiments expressed about how dear equipment is to an owner. I

guess my attitude is affected by a friend who loaned me his Nikon 5700 for about three

months when I first began playing with digital cameras. Later, when I was experimenting

with the Canon Digital Rebel loaned to me by another friend, this Nikon shooter loaned

three Canon lenses he still had in his possession. The good will contributed, no doubt, to

my willingness to loan another friend my Canon 20D for a couple of weeks when his

camera was in the shop. I've also offered to loan this same friend both an EF 17-40 f/4L

and an EF 70-200 f/4L for his month long trip to Tibet in a couple of months. These are

all friends, of course. But then, I don't mind making friends with a Nikon shooter living in

my neck of the woods...

Thanks again and happy shooting. Wish me well with my Nikon adventure!

PS - If anyone is interested in the battery grip it will be for sale as soon as it arrives. I'll

list it in the classified section in a couple of days.

for the amount of money you'd spend on a rental lens, you could pick up a used one from

craigs list in SF. There seem to be lots to choose from http://sfbay.craigslist.org/search/sss?

query=nikon

Also, why are you selling your battery grip? I rarely have mine off my d200 because the

battery goes faster than you'd want, so having an extra battery ready to go, and having the

ability to put AA's is really great when I am out shooting all day.

Louise

Thanks Louise. I've already visited craigslist and yes, there are a few lenses there worth

exploring. I'm curious about the 18-135 that is well reviewed in another thread in this

section. There is one available on craigslist but it is close to retail, so I don't think I'd go

there. (Incidentally, I've both sold a Canon 20D and bought a Canon EF 28-70 f/2.8L on

craigslist. It is a wonderful resource and I've met some nice folks along the way!)

My guess is you didn't read my introductory message or you'd know I bought this for a

friend, not myself. At least initially, she has decided to let the grip go. I think she is

concerned about the added weight. If I can't sell it for a fair price I imagine she will keep

it. I'm looking for Nikon lenses to use during the two to three months the D200 will

remain in my possession before it is delivered in Europe where my friend lives. Since I'm a

Canon shooter I really don't need to add Nikon lenses to my kit... ;-)