Lensrentals releases list of most-rented gear for 2023
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Leading gear-rental site Lensrentals released its annual list of the most popular rented gear for the calendar year 2023. Here are some of the highlights:
| 1 | Canon EOS R5 | 11 | Canon EOS R6 |
| 2 | Canon RF 28-70mm f/2L | 12 | Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS |
| 3 | Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS | 13 | Sony FX3 (Body Only) |
| 4 | Sony Alpha a7S III | 14 | Canon 5D Mark IV |
| 5 | Sony FX6 Full-Frame Cinema Camera | 15 | Canon EOS R6 Mark II |
| 6 | Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L II | 16 | Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II |
| 7 | Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS | 17 | Sony FX3 Full-Frame Cinema Camera |
| 8 | Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III | 18 | Sony Alpha a7 IV |
| 9 | Canon EOS C70 Cinema Camera (RF) | 19 | Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM |
| 10 | Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II | 20 | Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM |
The Canon R5 is still our most popular rental in 2023. But while we can go through and look at some of the highlights, let’s also post our most popular gear list for 2022, so we can see what changed.
| 1 | Canon EOS R5 | 11 | Sony Alpha a7 IV |
| 2 | Canon EOS R6 | 12 | Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS |
| 3 | Sony Alpha a7S III | 13 | Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM |
| 4 | Canon EOS C70 Cinema Camera (RF) | 14 | Sony FX6 Full-Frame Cinema Camera |
| 5 | Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS | 15 | Canon RF 28-70mm f/2L |
| 6 | Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS | 16 | Sony PXW-FX9 XDCAM 6K Full-Frame Camera |
| 7 | Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L II | 17 | Sony Alpha a7 III |
| 8 | Canon 5D Mark IV | 18 | Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II |
| 9 | Sony FX3 Full-Frame Cinema Camera | 19 | RED KOMODO 6K |
| 10 | Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III | 20 | Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM |
According to writer Zach Sutton, “the most surprising is that the Canon R6 has fallen in the ranks pretty considerably, but the Canon R6 Mark II didn’t fill the void left. Additionally, RED fell off of the top 20 list, as more budget cinema cameras like the Sony FX6 and Canon C70 found their places in the top ten.”
Lensrentals determines the top 20 lists by revenue, so the ranking is skewed in favor of higher-value rentals. As another data point, the company added a list of most-rented gear, regardless of price:
By camera brand market share, Canon continues to be the leader but Sony is closing the gap.
| Camera Manufacturer | Market Share 2022 | Market Share 2023 | Market Share Change % |
| Canon | 35.93% | 33.39% | -7.08% |
| Sony | 31.17% | 32.67% | 4.81% |
| Blackmagic | 5.77% | 5.22% | -9.46% |
| Nikon | 5.57% | 5.59% | 4.09% |
| Panasonic | 4.23% | 4.59% | 8.50% |
| Leica | 3.74% | 4.19% | 12.12% |
| RED | 3.60% | 3.47% | -3.64% |
| Fuji | 1.85% | 2.20% | 19.02% |
| GoPro | 1.83% | 2.02% | 10.07% |
| Insta360 | 1.28% | 1.21% | -4.98% |
| BirdDog | 1.59% | 1.15% | -27.26% |
| ARRI | 0.76% | 0.66% | -12.58% |
“On the camera rentals, we have Canon leading the race – but Sony significantly closing the gap to make the race neck and neck,” writes Sutton. “When comparing the numbers to last year’s numbers, you can really see the gain in ground Sony has done on Canon. Perhaps more surprising is the fall off Blackmagic has had on the list – which is less surprising when you realize they haven’t had any significant releases for the year until a month or so ago. With the latest release of the Blackmagic Cinema 6K, we suspect they’ll gain some ground next year and bounce back well. The numbers are pretty explanatory otherwise, so let’s look at the Lens Brand’s market share.”
| Lens Manufacturer | Market Share 2022 | Market Share 2023 | Market Share Change % |
| Canon | 37.08% | 37.61% | 1.42% |
| Sony | 19.43% | 20.47% | 5.38% |
| Sigma | 9.59% | 8.69% | -9.34% |
| Nikon | 8.72% | 8.60% | -1.37% |
| Zeiss | 3.10% | 2.49% | -19.93% |
| Fuji | 2.97% | 3.12% | 5.00% |
| Angenieux | 2.12% | 1.93% | -9.16% |
| Tamron | 2.08% | 2.59% | 24.17% |
| Fujinon | 1.91% | 1.75% | -8.28% |
| Leica | 1.62% | 1.43% | -11.70% |
| Panasonic | 1.49% | 1.42% | -4.55% |
| Atlas | 1.38% | 1.19% | -13.73% |
| DZOFILM | 1.30% | 1.79% | 37.45% |
| Tokina | 1.09% | 0.65% | -40.65% |
| Olympus | 1.00% | 1.08% | 8.78% |
| Venus Optics | 1.00% | 1.07% | 7.39% |
“On the lens side of things, Canon maintains its significant lead over the competition, which is not surprising, as Canon EF (and now RF) has managed to staple itself as an industry-standard in the videography market,” says Sutton. “Additional surprises in this data are Zeiss’ significant fall and Tamron’s rise. But with the transition to mirrorless platforms, our lens lineups have gotten pretty convoluted, so let’s look at rentals based on lens mount, to see which lens mount is performing the best.”