AlphaLensRental - Alpha Mount Lens, Body and Accessory Rentals

Frequently Asked Questions
How long are your rental periods? Our standard periods are 1 week, 2 weeks, and 3 weeks. Shorter and longer periods are considered on an individual basis. Customers often ask for a 10 day rental period to cover 2 weekends, and we can often accomodate that request. How does the rental period work? Your rental period begins the day after the first delivery attempt. If FedEx drops it off on Monday, your rental period starts on Tuesday and ends on Monday. You must drop the lens off on the last day of your rental by 5pm. Who do you use for shipping? Currently, we are working with FedEx for nearly all of our shipments. They are very reliable with delivering when they say they will, and also tend to deliver the packages relatively undamaged. If you would prefer to use a different shipping company for any reason, please discuss it with us before your rental and we should be able to work something out. How does the shipping process work? Generally, we ship the lens out via a ground service. Inside the package, you will find a set of instructions and a blank shipping label sticker. Approximately 2 days before you need to ship the lens back, you will receive an email from FedEx with a label to print. Print it out on the sticker, put it on the package, and drop it off at your local FedEx. Our shipping prices include return shipment back to us. What if I'm not able to get the lens dropped off by 5pm on the last day of my rental? We suggest getting the lens dropped off by 5pm because that is a standard time for the "last pick-up of the day". Your local FedEx may have a later or earlier pick-up. If the package misses the pick-up, the package does not move until the following evening, and this delays the return to me. This isn't usually a huge problem, but on occasion, rentals are scheduled back to back. If I am forced to pay upgraded shipping on the following rental, I reserve the right to charge a late fee of up to $40 or 1/3 the 1 week rental fee, whichever is greater. If you know there will be a problem getting the lens dropped off on time, please call or email me ASAP. This allows me to prepare accordingly, or even let you know that it isn't a big deal and not to rush. Is the delivery date guaranteed? The delivery date is not guaranteed. However, we've never experienced a delayed delivery unless there was a problem with something on our end or yours. FedEx has been impecable in this regard. If you need the lens on a specific date, we will do our best to accommodate your needs. However, if a lens does not arrive prior to your event, we will not be held responsible and the agreed upon rental period will still be charged. Can I pick up the lens in person? If you are in the Minneapolis / St.Paul area, you may pick up and drop off your rentals by appointment. Please contact us for details. Can I make a reservation, or schedule a delivery for an exact date? Yes! We currently take reservations by email for up to 3 months in advance. The information we need to make a reservation is this: Full Name Shipping Address (we'll ship it where it's convenient to you) Billing Address (if different) Phone Number Lens(es) you'd like to rent Date you'd like to receive the package Length of rental This should allow you to plan your big photo vacation or shoot with confidence knowing you'll have the equipment you need. Do you offer rentals outside the US? Currently, no, we do not. It's mostly due to the high cost and slow speed of international shipping. Customs can slow the progress of high value shipments, and may even charge a fee/tax. We have had several good experiences shipping to Alaska, so please don't hesitate if you're from Alaska. What is the condition of your equipment? Much of our equipment is still in mint condition. A few of the lenses have some minor paint missing, but are still optically and mechanically excellent; afterall, some are 10+ years old. The images on our website are all of the actual lenses in our possession. We don't use stock images on our website. What accessories do your lenses come with? All of our lenses ship with genuine front and rear caps. Some of them have clear protective filters, but most do not. Many lenses have dedicated hard or soft cases which help protect the lens during shipment. What accessories do your camera bodies come with? Our cameras are shipped with all original accessories inside a Pelican case for protection. Memory cards and additional batteries are available upon request and may require a small additional rental fee. Do you have filters available? We do have a limited selection of CPOL and protective/UV filters. If you have a specific need, or would like a filter included with the lens, please let us know and we will do our best to acommodate your needs. How do I complete payment? There are currently two ways to complete payment. The first way is to add an item to your cart using the appropriate links on the lens details page. Then, go to your cart, and make your payment through paypal. This will require you to pay a full deposit. You will receive your deposit (minus rental & shipping fees) back as soon as I receive the lens back and inspect it - generally the evening the lens arrives. The second way to complete payment is to call me with your CC details. I will only charge your card for the shipping and rental, and I will authorize a charge for the deposit amount. Only if you fail to return the lens, or the lens is damaged, will I process the deposit. We're working on getting the second way more integrated into the website, but your security is our top priority, and we'll be working with a professional web programmer to accomplish this soon. Is insurance available on rental equipment? We currently do not offer any form of insurance. If you would like to insure the equipment, we suggest contacting your home owner's insurance company and inquire about a small policy on the rental equipment for the duration of your rental. All shipments to and from us are insured for the equipment's full replacement value. Is there any discount for multiple item rentals? If you are renting multiple items at the same time, the shipping will be discounted. You will be charged based on the actual shipping cost of the combined lenses in a single package. This works particularly well for large lenses and teleconverters. The combined shipping cost is only a few dollars more than the cost to ship a single large lens. What if I am unhappy with my rental? Well, there's always a chance right? :) We are striving to keep all customers 100% satisfied. If there is something you are not happy with, please contact us immediately through email or phone. Are you interested in buying used equipment? Yes, We are working to have a full stock of lenses. The best way for us to have a full stock is to buy used lenses that are in great condition. If you would like to sell us a used lens, please contact us using the link on the left.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long are your rental periods?
Our standard periods are 1 week, 2 weeks, and 3 weeks. Shorter and longer periods are considered on an individual basis. Customers often ask for a 10 day rental period to cover 2 weekends, and we can often accomodate that request.

How does the rental period work?
Your rental period begins the day after the first delivery attempt. If FedEx drops it off on Monday, your rental period starts on Tuesday and ends on Monday. You must drop the lens off on the last day of your rental by 5pm.

Who do you use for shipping?
Currently, we are working with FedEx for nearly all of our shipments. They are very reliable with delivering when they say they will, and also tend to deliver the packages relatively undamaged. If you would prefer to use a different shipping company for any reason, please discuss it with us before your rental and we should be able to work something out.

How does the shipping process work?
Generally, we ship the lens out via a ground service. Inside the package, you will find a set of instructions and a blank shipping label sticker. Approximately 2 days before you need to ship the lens back, you will receive an email from FedEx with a label to print. Print it out on the sticker, put it on the package, and drop it off at your local FedEx. Our shipping prices include return shipment back to us.

What if I'm not able to get the lens dropped off by 5pm on the last day of my rental?
We suggest getting the lens dropped off by 5pm because that is a standard time for the "last pick-up of the day". Your local FedEx may have a later or earlier pick-up. If the package misses the pick-up, the package does not move until the following evening, and this delays the return to me. This isn't usually a huge problem, but on occasion, rentals are scheduled back to back. If I am forced to pay upgraded shipping on the following rental, I reserve the right to charge a late fee of up to $40 or 1/3 the 1 week rental fee, whichever is greater.

If you know there will be a problem getting the lens dropped off on time, please call or email me ASAP. This allows me to prepare accordingly, or even let you know that it isn't a big deal and not to rush.

Is the delivery date guaranteed?
The delivery date is not guaranteed. However, we've never experienced a delayed delivery unless there was a problem with something on our end or yours. FedEx has been impecable in this regard. If you need the lens on a specific date, we will do our best to accommodate your needs. However, if a lens does not arrive prior to your event, we will not be held responsible and the agreed upon rental period will still be charged.

Can I pick up the lens in person?
If you are in the Minneapolis / St.Paul area, you may pick up and drop off your rentals by appointment. Please contact us for details.

Can I make a reservation, or schedule a delivery for an exact date?
Yes! We currently take reservations by email for up to 3 months in advance. The information we need to make a reservation is this:
Full Name
Shipping Address (we'll ship it where it's convenient to you)
Billing Address (if different)
Phone Number
Lens(es) you'd like to rent
Date you'd like to receive the package
Length of rental

This should allow you to plan your big photo vacation or shoot with confidence knowing you'll have the equipment you need.

Do you offer rentals outside the US?
Currently, no, we do not. It's mostly due to the high cost and slow speed of international shipping. Customs can slow the progress of high value shipments, and may even charge a fee/tax.

We have had several good experiences shipping to Alaska, so please don't hesitate if you're from Alaska.

What is the condition of your equipment?
Much of our equipment is still in mint condition. A few of the lenses have some minor paint missing, but are still optically and mechanically excellent; afterall, some are 10+ years old. The images on our website are all of the actual lenses in our possession. We don't use stock images on our website.

What accessories do your lenses come with?
All of our lenses ship with genuine front and rear caps. Some of them have clear protective filters, but most do not. Many lenses have dedicated hard or soft cases which help protect the lens during shipment.

What accessories do your camera bodies come with?
Our cameras are shipped with all original accessories inside a Pelican case for protection. Memory cards and additional batteries are available upon request and may require a small additional rental fee.

Do you have filters available?
We do have a limited selection of CPOL and protective/UV filters. If you have a specific need, or would like a filter included with the lens, please let us know and we will do our best to acommodate your needs.

How do I complete payment?
There are currently two ways to complete payment.
The first way is to add an item to your cart using the appropriate links on the lens details page. Then, go to your cart, and make your payment through paypal. This will require you to pay a full deposit. You will receive your deposit (minus rental & shipping fees) back as soon as I receive the lens back and inspect it - generally the evening the lens arrives.
The second way to complete payment is to call me with your CC details. I will only charge your card for the shipping and rental, and I will authorize a charge for the deposit amount. Only if you fail to return the lens, or the lens is damaged, will I process the deposit.

We're working on getting the second way more integrated into the website, but your security is our top priority, and we'll be working with a professional web programmer to accomplish this soon.

Is insurance available on rental equipment?
We currently do not offer any form of insurance. If you would like to insure the equipment, we suggest contacting your home owner's insurance company and inquire about a small policy on the rental equipment for the duration of your rental.

All shipments to and from us are insured for the equipment's full replacement value.

Is there any discount for multiple item rentals?
If you are renting multiple items at the same time, the shipping will be discounted. You will be charged based on the actual shipping cost of the combined lenses in a single package. This works particularly well for large lenses and teleconverters. The combined shipping cost is only a few dollars more than the cost to ship a single large lens.

What if I am unhappy with my rental?
Well, there's always a chance right? :)
We are striving to keep all customers 100% satisfied. If there is something you are not happy with, please contact us immediately through email or phone.

Are you interested in buying used equipment?
Yes, We are working to have a full stock of lenses. The best way for us to have a full stock is to buy used lenses that are in great condition. If you would like to sell us a used lens, please contact us using the link on the left.