This DSLR was rented more than any Sony camera this year. Is it a glitch or is the DSLR trendy again?

December tends to bring with it a whole host of data on the previous year and predictions for the next – but the annual report coming from US gear rental company LensRentals highlights a few odd blips in DSLR growth, as well as a decline in rentals of third party optics. While both Canon and Sony continue to dominate the top 20 list, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV outrented Sony mirrorless bodies like the A7S II and A7 IV.

The data shared earlier this week is surprising and contradictory to the fact that rentals of Canon DSLR lenses overall declined, while RF rentals jumped. Rentals for the Canon EF mount were down by nearly 17% compared to the previous year, while RF mount rentals increased by about 19%.

Despite the overall decline in EF rentals, the 5D Mark IV was the tenth most popular rental and the third most popular body on the 2024 list. In 2023, that same DSLR was only 14th on the list. The most rented camera body in 2024 was the Canon EOS R5, followed closely by the Canon EOS R6 Mark II.

Could that mean the DSLR is making a comeback? Possibly but, taken with other end-of-the-year data, I think what’s more likely is that the DSLR still holds appeal for photographers on a budget. I consider LensRentals' annual report the list of gear that everyone wants but no one can afford, though some renters use it as a try-before-you-buy strategy.

It makes sense for photographers who only photograph a handful of weddings a year as a side gig to rent, rather than buy, a pricey 24-70mm f/2.8 lens. It makes sense that a DSLR may still be on the top of a rental list while sales overall fall because renting is even more affordable than buying a DSLR.

The 5D Mark IV is the second most affordable body on the LensRentals top 20 list, at $104 / £82 / AU$163 for a single-week rental behind only the Sony A7 III, which is 16th on the list and costs $96 / £75 / AU$150 for a weeklong rental. While the most advanced technology lies inside mirrorless cameras, that doesn’t mean DSLRs take bad pictures – and the rise of mirrorless has meant a decline in the cost of owning a DSLR.

2024's most rented lenses

The 5D Mark IV body isn’t the only odd increase in DSLR gear, however. The most rented lens of 2024 was actually a DSLR lens, the Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L II. That received around 100 more orders than the second-place optic, though that same lens was the sixth most-rented the previous year.

Canon’s RF mount 70-200mm and 24-70mm f/2.8 lenses follow in second and third place for 2024, respectively. The longer sibling to the lens in the first place spot, the Canon EF-mount 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS III, was the fourth most rented lens. So-called holy trinity lenses typically sell for above $2,000 / £1,579 / AU$3,135 yet are considered versatile workhorses, so while the jump for the DSLR optics is odd, it's unsurprising that these lenses are slotted at the top of the most-rented gear.

What brands topped the list?

LensRentals' list of most popular photography and videography gear of 2024 exclusively lists two brands in the top 20: Canon and Sony. That’s consistent with the latest data on camera sales that consistently lists the two manufacturers on the top.

But Nikon made some gains in 2024. LensRentals says that rentals for Nikon gear increased by about 20% from 2023, moving from 4.88% to 5.91% of the market share based on revenue. Nikon Z mount lens rentals increased from 4.22% to 6.61%, a change of about 56% over the previous year. That led to LensRentals theorizing that the jump in Nikon rentals could be due to its push into mirrorless and its 2024 launches.

Another odd insight gleaned from the report is that while lens rentals from Canon, Sony, Nikon, and Fujifilm increased, rentals for Sigma and Tamron decreased. That suggests that renters shifted away from third-party brands slightly in 2024.

But, like the odd rise in 5D Mark IV rentals, it could be an anomaly unique to LensRentals and isn’t necessarily indicative of the industry as a whole. LensRentals also tracks this data by revenue, not the number of lenses rented, and third-party optics tend to sit at a more affordable price point.

Micro Four Thirds lens rentals dropped from 1.62% to 1.33%, a drop of about 17% compared to 2023. Olympus / OM System made up less than 1% of the lens brand rental shares for 2024, while Panasonic, which notably makes both MFT and full frame lenses, was at 1.25%.

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