Have you ever lent a camera? Or borrowed one, for that matter?

I have no problems lending out film cameras to friends and acquaintances that I know, as long as I have some way of getting back to them if they 'forget' to return my possessions.

However, lending out a DSLR to friends can be a bit frustrating. Nowadays, I only lend out such a camera and lenses to people who are actually photographers, or know enough on how to operate and handle such equipment. Lending it out to non photographer or non enthusiast friends have led to unfortunate situations in the past.
 
Great stuff guys. I have to say: I'm pleasantly surprised that most of you would lend a camera or other equipment. I know how I baby my stuff, and I don't really have anything of great monetary value.

Good to know there's a few people out there who might be inclined to lend me something nice for a special occasion 😀
 
A couple of years ago I borrowed from a friend a Leica R6.2 along with a 35mm f/1.4 lens and the 85mm f/1.4. I used this gear to expose my last ten or so rolls of Kodachrome before the final run at Dwayne's. Mostly portraits. Great camera and lenses.
 
When I got married (many years ago), I gave my Nikon F and Leica M2 to a friend to take pictures durng the wedding and reception. They were loaded with Tri-X and provided a nice counterpart to the color pictures taken by the official photographer who was using a 'blad. It was obvious though that said friend was not very familiar with either camera, especially the M2.
 
Lent a pentax spotmatic F to a friend, have lent lenses to others, and a crown graphic to a photo student. Haven't borrowed anything outside of shooting side by side with some very good friends before.
 
I received over the years lenses such as the Canon 50/0.95, Noctilux 50/1.0, Nikkor 50/1.1, CV 35/1.2, and other expensive optics that belong to RFF members. It was fun to use them all.
 
I made a rule years ago not to loan my cameras out to friends, most of whom don't know how to treat a camera. I've made a few exceptions for the knowledgeable, but very few. I also don't loan my car out to people who have a history of crashing cars they have borrowed, nor my laptop to people who insist on holding overflowing coffee cups over the keyboard. I don't have money to replace any of these things, and neither do the people who might borrow them.
 
I've lent out lenses. But only to close and trustworthy friends. Meaning I know it will be in good hands, and that if anything happened, they wouldn't deny responsibility. Never lent out a camera body though.
 
I have a Canon 10D, a Elan 7 and a 28-135 lens I loan to high school students I mentor for their senior project. I've never had someone actually ask to borrow a camera or lens in 35+years of photography.
 
I was recently on the end of a 'borrowed' camera from one of the members here, Hung Tran, a fellow Aussie. It was an offer he made quite out of the blue after my M4 had to go back for some shutter repairs prior to a European trip I was taking.

It was a fantastic offer of which I first refused but his philosophy was, 'As long as it's not abused intentionally (which I don't see any reason for that to happen), I don't have any concerns with it in good hands. If it does die of out natural causes, then such is life.' So I accepted the kind offer of an M3 and a vc 50/1.5.

I am back now and hope to post some pics today. Images I would never have taken otherwise. Thanks Hung.

BTW, Hung and I have never met in person, just as fellow RFF'ers.

Cheers - John
 
I loaned a Canon EOS film SLR and a zoom lens to a colleague of mine for a trip to Europe a few years ago. I was hopeful he would bring it back in one piece, but wouldn't have been crushed if he didn't. It came back unblemished. I loaned a good friend of mine a CV 35mm 2.5 Color Skopar so that he could try out his recently purchased Leica M6 until he bought his own lens. He, in turn, lent me a Jupiter 50mm when I sent my 50mm 2.8 Elmar M to Leica NJ for servicing.

I have actually given away more camera than I have loaned. Mostly digicams and one Canon DSLR that I have given to family members rather than selling or trading them in.

Cheers,

Antonio
 
I let a art director / friend borrow my Rollei 2.8D thinking it would be returned in a week or so. He kept it for several years and wouldn't bring it back. He always found an excuse not to return it. Finally I had to insist on getting it back. After all I wanted to use it myself on vacation. The bad part was I believe he thought he was going to keep it. Unfortunately he not been friendly since and hasn't sent any jobs to me. It's been twelve yeas since the incident.

Looking back on things he's a person that never pays his own way. Even on social visits I wound up paying for his dinner and drinks. After the incident he took up with another photographer in town and now he's paying his way to dinner and golf fees. He's even conned the other guy into paying his soccer match entry fees and travel out of town to the games. That sounds a lot like a sponge doesn't it.

Moral to the story, never loan anything you want returned and nEver borrow anything you can't pay for if you want to keep friends.
 
Back when I knew a lot of people shooting film, I would lend out a lens or camera body to whom I deemed trustworthy. Going on shoots with two or three people, and trying out each others equipment was always fun. And I was given the use of a 600mm Nikkor by the ships photographer one day. I was tasked with being his assistant (at his request), and after I shot the stuff he wanted taken, he said to load my own film and shoot away. Got some neat pics of Soviet warships at anchor that day. I think that was payback for me lending him my Voigtlander Vitessa L one weekend.

PF
 
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