Anyone to lend...

[neely]

I am looking to borrow a canon EF mount super wide lens 10-22mm or something similar- just one afternoon for some realestate shots- can pay you, buy you lunch, whatever. Let me know ASAP.

[benyl]

why don't you save yourself lunch money and go here:

http://www.thecamerastore.com/Produc...roductID=31606

or this:

http://www.thecamerastore.com/Produc...roductID=31891

[Thaco]

vistek also does rentals, i rented a canon L lens, it think it was like $50 for a day

[neely]

i didnt see any super wide angles listed on their rental sheets online- they probably have more in store though

[Lexxan]

vistek is the biggest ripoff camera store in town.. not to mention sales staff that will sell you shit as long as you seem happy. Please do not go there.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by Lexxan
vistek is the biggest ripoff camera store in town.. not to mention sales staff that will sell you shit as long as you seem happy. Please do not go there.

They were nice to me, but thats the same impression I got when I was in there too.

[benyl]

Originally posted by neely
i didnt see any super wide angles listed on their rental sheets online- they probably have more in store though

Anything wider than 16mm will be distorted.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by benyl


Anything wider than 16mm will be distorted.

Even if you had, say, a Sigma 10-20 but used it at 12mm or 14mm? I thought as long as you didn't use it at the widest setting you won't get distortion?

Thanks.

[lint]

Originally posted by benyl


Anything wider than 16mm will be distorted.

Are you referring to barrel or pincushion distortion or distorted perspective? As long as the 10-22 is relatively level, not tilted up or down, the perspective is manageable, especially when shooting a room, when most objects are distant. If you're shooting something/someone closeup at 17mm on a crop, you're going to notice pronounced perspective distortion too.

[imola_dreams]

I found honestly the 16-35mm 2.8L did the best wide angle shots. i know the 16mm isnt extreme wide angel shot but I always find the 10-22 and 12-24 lenses have distortion that can look kinda bizarre. Not sure how it would look for shooting a house.

Vistek isn't a huge ripoff only depends on what your getting from them. Then again I don't rent lenses.

[Obscura]

I always get treated really well at Vistek.
Bought my D200 there and it was actually cheaper than The Camera Store and they matched TCS's xmas promo and gave me an extra free Nikon battery.

To each their own. I've noticed that some of TCS's new employee's are kinda rude, kinda lacking in product knowledge, and kinda unprofessional. I walked out the other day because I waited for help 15 minutes while two employees were busy chasing each other around slapping each other on the butt. Whatever.
Chris and Peter S. were the best employees to deal with but Peter S. has left.

Back on topic, rent a lens don't ask to borrow one from strangers for the cost of lunch.

[turboMiata]

Originally posted by Obscura
I've noticed that some of TCS's new employee's are kinda rude, kinda lacking in product knowledge, and kinda unprofessional. I walked out the other day because I waited for help 15 minutes while two employees were busy chasing each other around slapping each other on the butt. Whatever.
Chris and Peter S. were the best employees to deal with but Peter S. has left.

It's strange because I have actually seen them doing that shit with my own eyes! Peter has moved to BC but Chris is still around.

Personally, I get good service all the time at TCS. But maybe that's because I already have a good relationship with those people even though I'm not a big spender there.

Vistek is more professional but I find that they are harder to approach. YMMV.

[Obscura]

I've dealt with TCS since they were a hole in the wall and it was only Peter J. and Julian that worked there. I wouldn't want to figure out home much I've spent there. But having said that being a long term customer seems to have it's disadvantages at times. I've been asked a few times if I minded if they helped someone else first because it seems that it becomes more of a social visit than me buying gear. Usually I'm not in a rush and don't mind it once and a while but it's getting to be everytime as of late. I've tried going in at different times of the day with little change. Hell, I even helped a customer buy a tripod last week.

I split my business between TCS and Vistek. I deal with Rob at Vistek and he treats me great. At TCS it's pretty much only Chris.

[imola_dreams]

I think that's often because vistek just assumes everyone is a professional photographer that walks in the door. That can be frustrating when some people need information before buying. overall it's a good place.

and +1 to not borrowing a $1500 lens. Imagine if you broke that thing on accident.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

I generally go straight to TCS if I'm buying locally, as I find they've generally got the best prices. The staff can be a bit tough to find during the busy hours, but that's the price yo pay for having a popular store.

I wonder if the TCS people are paid on commission. Anyone know?

I'll be honest, though - my favorite store is still Photo Experts, mainly because every time I go in there I end up chatting with Visco for an hour and a half, haha! It's really a shame that the prices there aren't better.

[msommers]

Originally posted by BerserkerCatSplat
I wonder if the TCS people are paid on commission. Anyone know?

Yeah they are along with an hourly rate.

On the topic of rentals, does anyone know a place in town that would rent out an underwater camera such as a Sea and Sea or Sealife?

At the cost of waterproof cases, that isn't going to happen. The next best thing is a rental or the disposable (looks like what is going to be bought). Some of the underwater cameras can be had for semi-reasonable prices (like 250 USD) but for what it's worth, the few times I'm going to use it hardly seems to warrant the purchase. Unless someone has a camera they'd like to rent out?! .....yeah that's what I figured.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by BerserkerCatSplat
I generally go straight to TCS if I'm buying locally, as I find they've generally got the best prices. The staff can be a bit tough to find during the busy hours, but that's the price yo pay for having a popular store.

I wonder if the TCS people are paid on commission. Anyone know?

I'll be honest, though - my favorite store is still Photo Experts, mainly because every time I go in there I end up chatting with Visco for an hour and a half, haha! It's really a shame that the prices there aren't better.

Is that the photo experts in TD square?

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Yep, TD Square.

[kvanderlaag]

Originally posted by Obscura
I've noticed that some of TCS's new employee's are kinda rude, kinda lacking in product knowledge, and kinda unprofessional...Chris and Peter S. were the best employees to deal with but Peter S. has left.

Define 'newer.' This kind of shit happens and it sucks, but I can almost guarantee it's not because we're trying to piss you off. If you stood around waiting while staff were apparently doing nothing, the other edge of the sword says it probably wouldn't have been difficult to get someone's attention. Not that I'm saying you should have to by any stretch, but we're all human -- just say hello.

Chris knows a stupid amount of stuff about everything. Definitely a good resource. Peter S. was the same way -- sad to see him go. Both really nice guys, both very helpful. I'm sorry to hear you don't like the rest of us. We'd be more than happy to help you.

As to borrowing a lens -- everyone else is right, I wouldn't borrow high-dollar items from someone I didn't know extremely well, and likewise I probably wouldn't lend them out to anyone I didn't know either. It's worth the rental price to have that extra bit of security. We're also cheaper than Vistek. =)