Not dead yet: a DSLR lens tops LensRentals’ 2024 charts

Canon’s DSLR 24-70mm F2.8 topped this year’s most-rented list but the number of EF-mount rentals as a whole fell. Image: Canon

Camera and lens rental house LensRentals has published its annual top twenty list of the most frequently rented gear.

You can find more information over on the LensRentals blog, but here’s the top twenty, with an indicator of their movement since last year in brackets:

LensRentals Most Popular Photo and Video Gear 2024

1. (⇑5) Canon EF 24-70mm F2.8L II
2. (⇑1) Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS
3. (⇑4) Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS
4. (⇑4) Canon EF 70-200mm F2.8L IS III
5. (⇓3) Canon RF 28-70mm F2L
6. (⇓5) Canon EOS R5
7. (⇑8) Canon EOS R6 Mark II
8. (⇑8) Sony FE 24-70mm G2.8 GM II
9. (⇑1) Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II
10. (⇑4) Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
11. (⇓7) Sony a7S III
12. (⇑1) Sony FX3
13. (⇑5) Sony a7 IV
14. (⇓3) Canon EOS R6
15. (⇑5) Canon RF 100-500mm f4.5-7.1L IS
16. (NE) Sony a7 III
17. (⇓5) Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS
18. (NE) Canon RF 50mm F1.2L
19. (NE) Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8L
20. (⇓1) Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM

There are a number of interesting things to note in the numbers, the most obvious being that Canon EF-mount lenses and cameras moved up in popularity, with the DSLR 24-70 and 70-200mm F2.8 lenses taking the first and fourth spot, a rise of five and four places, respectively. And, while there’s a chance that some of these EF-mount orders were placed by RF users (the EF versions are around 25% less expensive to rent), that doesn’t account for the increased popularity of the EOS 5D Mark IV.

Nikon didn’t make the top 20 list but saw the biggest year-on-year growth in rentals, cementing its third place

It’s also interesting to note what isn’t there, with just two brands’ products accounting for the entire top 20. However, LensRentals has also published figures for the relative value of the rentals of different brands. And, while Canon and Sony account for more than 46% of all rentals (up from 43% last year), Nikon saw the biggest year-on-year increase, growing from under 5% of rentals in 2023 to nearly 6% this year (a 21% increase).

Chart: LensRentals

Fourth-placed DJI also saw an increase in rentals, with 13.82% YoY growth. Sigma and Blackmagic Design saw some decreases, while Fujifilm grew a 16.5%, though only accounted for 2.57% of the overall rentals.

Given these numbers are by rental value, there’s an inherent advantage to the makers of more expensive gear: firstly the higher ticket items simply have more weighting on this list, but also people are more likely to rent pricey gear than buying it (or in the processes of deciding whether to buy). This doesn’t come close to accounting for the order of magnitude difference between Canon and Fujifilm’s position on the tables, though.

Chart: LensRentals

LensRentals blog is, as usual, well worth a read, as it digs into the relative popularity of different lens brands and lens mount. These show Canon RF growing and, despite all the appearances in the top 20, Canon EF rentals declining, year-on-year. This is enough to see RF mount lenses add up to around 50% more rentals than EF-mount lenses, in 2024.

Of course one rental company based in one particular market doesn’t tell you much, if anything, about the relative strengths or popularity of different systems (if that’s even something you care about). But there are definitely some interesting trends in terms of the amount of video gear and the continued popularity of high-end DSLR kit.

Click here to read the full blog over at LensRentals