Lensrentals

What Lensrentals does

Lensrentals (legal entity Lens Rentals.com, Inc.) is a privately held, bootstrapped online rental company for photography and video equipment, founded in 2006 by Roger Cicala in Memphis, Tennessee. Operating exclusively via a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform at lensrentals.com, the company rents cameras, lenses, lighting, audio gear, and accessories from 80+ brands including Canon, Sony, RED, ARRI, Nikon, and Leica for periods ranging from 1 to 90 days. The company self-identifies as the largest rental house in the United States by inventory and has processed over 1 million cumulative orders. Underlying operations center on an integrated shipping-logistics and inventory-management platform with equipment shipped nationwide via FedEx and UPS and prepaid return labels included. The company employs 100+ photo and video professionals who support customers and perform rigorous pre-rental testing on inventory.

The business model combines core day-based equipment rental revenue with three adjacent revenue streams: the Keeper used-gear marketplace (direct sales of retired rental inventory), the Lenscap+ protection plan (an opt-in insurance product capping renter liability at the lesser of 10% of replacement cost or actual repair costs), and the Lensrentals HD annual subscription (free annual shipping for frequent renters). Pricing is usage-based and equipment-value dependent, with longer durations receiving lower per-day rates; example 7-day rentals span roughly $20 for accessories to $243 for high-end professional lenses with protection. Customer segments are primarily individual professional photographers and videographers, with hobbyist photographers and audio content creators (podcasters, field-recording users) as secondary segments. The company pursues an organic plus M&A growth strategy, having acquired ATS Rentals in 2017 and the assets of BorrowLenses in March 2024 to consolidate the US online rental market for creative-industry equipment. Distribution is entirely self-serve online with no physical retail footprint; marketing relies on owned content (a long-running blog and a 75-episode podcast), social media across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter/X, YouTube, TikTok, and Pinterest, and a customer referral program.

Name

Lensrentals

Legal name

Lens Rentals.com, Inc.

Website

https://lensrentals.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Lensrentals is the largest US online rental house for photography and video equipment, renting cameras, lenses, lighting, and audio gear from 80+ brands to professional and hobbyist creators on a usage-based, direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform founded in 2006.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Camera and Lens Rental Services

NAICS

Consumer Electronics and Appliances Rental (532210), Consumer Electronics and Appliances Rental (53221), Other Consumer Goods Rental (53228)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Equipment Rental & Leasing (7350), Photographic Equipment & Supplies (3861), Services-Equipment Rental & Leasing, Nec (7359)

akta.pro primary industry

Camera, Grip & Lighting Equipment Rental (MPADAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Equipment & Tool Leasing (Consumer) (FSAKANAF), Lenses & Optical Accessories (Lenses, Filters, Adapters, Teleconverters) (CRACAPAF), Camera & Lens Retail (Photo Cameras, Lenses & Optical Accessories) (CRACAHAA)

Keywords

• Camera equipment rental
• Lens rental services
• Video gear rental
• Photography equipment leasing
• Rental protection plans

Headquarters

HQ city

Cordova

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Equipment Rentals: Day-based rental of photography and video equipment including cameras, lenses, lighting, audio gear, and accessories. Rental rates vary by equipment value and rental duration. Longer rental periods offer lower per-day rates.
2. Used Equipment Sales (Keeper): Direct sales of used and tested equipment from rental inventory through the Keeper marketplace.
3. Lenscap+ Protection Plans: Optional insurance products (Lenscap and Lenscap+) that limit customer liability for damaged or lost equipment in exchange for additional fees.
4. Lensrentals HD Subscription: Subscription service offering free shipping for a year on rentals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Lensrentals rents photography and video equipment (cameras, lenses, lighting, audio gear, and accessories) from 80+ brands on a daily usage-based basis for periods of 1–90 days, with nationwide US shipping via FedEx and UPS and prepaid return labels included. The core rental service is supplemented by the Lenscap+ optional protection plan capping renter liability at 10% of replacement cost, the Keeper marketplace selling retired rental inventory, and the Lensrentals HD annual free-shipping membership for frequent renters.

Product overview

Lensrentals operates a core online rental platform for photography and video equipment, offering 1–90 day rentals of cameras, lenses, lighting, audio gear, and accessories from Canon, Sony, RED, ARRI, Nikon, and 80+ other brands with nationwide shipping. The business is anchored by its core rental service and complemented by the Keeper used-gear marketplace, the Lenscap+ insurance protection plan, the Lensrentals HD annual membership (free shipping), a Rewards program, and an educational blog and podcast. The company has expanded through acquisitions including ATS Rentals and BorrowLenses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lensrentals.com Core Rental Platform Online photography and video equipment rental service offering lenses, cameras, lighting, audio gear, and accessories from Canon, Sony, RED, ARRI, Nikon, and 80+ other brands for rental periods of 1 to 90 days with nationwide US shipping and prepaid return labels. Targets individual professional photographers, videographers, filmmakers, and hobbyist enthusiasts.
• Lenscap+ Protection Plan Optional rental protection plan that limits the renter's maximum liability to the lesser of 10% of replacement cost or actual repair cost. Covers damage scenarios including theft, fire, lightning, windstorm, earth movement, breakage, and equipment dropped from or falling off an aircraft when bundled with Lenscap. Adds approximately 10–20% to the rental cost.
• Keeper Used Gear Marketplace Marketplace where Lensrentals sells retired rental inventory that has been tested, maintained, and certified, allowing customers to buy previously rented photography and video equipment directly from the company.
• Lensrentals HD Annual Membership Annual membership subscription program providing free shipping for a full year on all equipment rentals, designed for frequent renters of photography and video equipment.
• Gift Certificates Gift certificates available for purchase that allow customers to give rental credits redeemable against photography and video equipment rentals on the Lensrentals platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reached 1 million orders milestone
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered major and minor.

• BorrowLensesmajorOthers · 13 March 2024Lensrentals acquired the assets of San Francisco-based competitor BorrowLenses, an online marketplace for photo and video equipment rental. This acquisition expanded Lensrentals' already industry-leading inventory.
• ATS RentalsmajorOthers · 1 January 2017ATS Rentals, an online video camera, lens and projector rental business based in Illinois, was acquired by Lensrentals. All active ATS Rental accounts were integrated into Lensrentals operating procedures, with account history synced for existing customers.
• Duclos LensesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDuclos Lenses, a full-service cinema lens repair, retail, and modification company based in Los Angeles, was featured as the first guest on the Lensrentals Podcast. Founded in 2002 by Paul and Matt Duclos, specializes in lens mount conversions and cinema lens modifications.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• LensProToGo: Online camera and lens rental company serving professional photographers and videographers in the US. Closely comparable business model and customer base to Lensrentals in the dedicated online rental category.
• ShareGrid: Peer-to-peer online rental marketplace for film and photography equipment. Directly comparable to Lensrentals in target customer (photographers/videographers) and equipment category (cameras, lenses, lighting), but operates an asset-light P2P model rather than owning inventory.
• KitSplit: Peer-to-peer rental marketplace for film, photo, and audio gear. Targets the same creative professional and SMB segments as Lensrentals and competes for share of online rental demand, though with a community-owned rather than owned-fleet model.
• BorrowLenses: Online photo and video equipment rental house historically based in San Francisco. Direct competitor in the owned-fleet online rental model before its March 2024 asset acquisition by Lensrentals; cited by Lensrentals as a key consolidation target.
• Aperturent: Specialty camera and lens rental house serving photographers and filmmakers. Directly comparable in product focus (high-end photo/video equipment) and rental-led business model.

Broad incumbents

• Adorama: Large New York-based camera, electronics, and pro audio retailer that also operates a rental program. Overlaps with Lensrentals in camera/lens/audio retail and rental but is a broad incumbent with a much wider product and service portfolio.
• B&H Photo Video: Major US retailer of photography, video, audio, and electronics equipment with a rental offering. Comparable customer base and category, but operates at much larger scale across retail, education, and used-gear channels beyond rental.
• Full Compass Systems: US retailer and rental provider for professional audio, video, lighting, and musical equipment. Comparable in the audio/lighting/event-production rental segment that Lensrentals is expanding into, but with broader pro-AV scope.

Regional players

• ProCam Rentals: Specialty cinema and professional camera rental house. Comparable equipment category and target customer (production professionals), though typically with a more regional or production-house focus rather than nationwide D2C reach.

Others

• Duclos Lenses: Full-service cinema lens repair, retail, modification, and rental company in Los Angeles. Adjacent ecosystem player in the cinema lens space; featured as a partner on the Lensrentals Podcast and comparable in customer base (cinematographers) and category expertise.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LensRentals
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCKWp-8BhdtGFpt6lX3VjvPA
• Facebookfacebook.com/lensrentals
• Instagraminstagram.com/lensrentals
• TikToktiktok.com/@lensrentals
• Pinterestpinterest.com/lensrentals/_created

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lensrentals