Loan / Hire DSLR camera before buying. Anywhere??

[Rabbi of Caerbannog]

I am wanting to get a DSLR and the popular choice amongst people here seems to be Canon / Nikon. I have seen quite a few comments from various people about how their own camera feels in the hand when using it and the ease of use.

Because of Mrs Rabbi's job we have a number of weekends away at weddings coming up over the next couple of months and I was thinking I could hire a few different cameras to get a feel for them for ease of use etc (for a beginner) before buying one and finding that I can not get on with it.

Are there any places on line or high street that members know or can receommend where I can go?

Cheers
Rabbi

[pkr]

Fixation & Calumet are the 2 best known.

http://www.fixationuk.com/

http://www.calumetphoto.co.uk/

[Shoei]

I hired a Sigma lens from Hireacamera.com
Very impressed with the service and the cost.

They do Nikon, Canon and Fuji bodies.

[t00thless]

thumbs up here for fixation. Based in vauxhall london they are a very very good company. Just moved into there new offices just up from the mainline station. Also they do a weekend hire = 1 day thing, if you pick it up friday pm and drop it back monday before 10am i think it is, then they only charge you for a days hire :) been used many time myself.

[Rabbi of Caerbannog]

Thanks all for the comments. I will have a browse through this evening and over the weekend.

Cheers
Rabbi :thumbs:

[NickG]

A few weekends hire will add quite a bit to the cost of your camera. You should be able to go into a good camera shop and spend a day (or more) if needs be handling the cameras, changing lenses and taking lots of pictures.

You don't need to be outside to get a feel for the handling. I found it was almost an instant thing, with my monster hands:

350D: way too small.
400D: still too small.
D80: good grip size, but not tall enough (pinkie hanging off the bottom).
D80 + Grip = just right! (allowing for the tiny amount of movement between body and grip)

(I haven't tried it yet but I think the balance of the D80 will suffer with a short, light prime on it)

The hard choice is do you pay the high street premium in return for their service, or take the knowledge you gain and find the cheapest web price? but that's a question of ethics! ;)